Text Snippets for Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette

Raycast-style text snippets with automatic inline expansion, interactive multi-choice pickers, and a visual WinUI 3 Fluent editor for Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette.

Snippets de texto estilo Raycast con auto-expansión en tiempo real, menú selector de opciones múltiples y editor visual Fluent WinUI 3 para Command Palette.

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🎬 Demo en acción (reproducción continua). Haz clic en la animación o aquí para abrir/descargar el video MP4 en alta resolución.

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English Overview

Text Snippets is a native Windows extension built for Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette. It brings the beloved, frictionless snippet expansion workflow from Raycast/TextExpander into the modern Windows desktop ecosystem.

✨ Key Features

1. ⚡ Raycast-Style Global Inline Text Expansion:

   • Type your snippet trigger (e.g. !email, !phone, !sig) in any application (Notepad, Word, Teams, Slack, Chrome, VS Code, Terminal).
   • The low-level keyboard hook automatically erases the trigger and pastes your expanded text instantly.
   • Can be toggled on/off at any time via Command Palette.

2. 📋 Interactive Multiple-Choice Pickers:

   • Associate multiple values with the same trigger (e.g. !email → Personal, Work, Support).
   • If there is 1 option, it expands immediately.
   • If there are multiple options, typing the trigger displays an interactive selection menu where you can choose using arrow keys or numeric keys (1-9).

3. 🎨 Visual WinUI 3 Editor (Fluent Design & Mica):

   • Clean, lightweight standalone editor built with WinUI 3 and Windows App SDK.
   • Features Windows 11 Mica backdrop, dynamic dark/light mode switching, high-DPI transparent taskbar icon, and full keyboard ergonomics (Ctrl+Enter to save, Esc to cancel).
   • Includes quick-insert buttons for variables at cursor position.

4. 🧩 Deep Command Palette Integration:

   • Search snippets by title, trigger, tags, or content inside Command Palette (Alt + Space).
   • Markdown detail pane with evaluated preview.
   • Commands to create, edit, copy, or delete snippets.

5. 🕒 Dynamic Template Variables:

   • {date}: Current date (e.g., 2026-09-12).
   • {date:FORMAT}: Custom formatted date (e.g., {date:yyyy-MM-dd}).
   • {time}: Current time (e.g., 14:30).
   • {datetime}: Current date and time.
   • {clipboard}: Inserts current clipboard contents.
   • {uuid} / {guid}: Generates a new random GUID.
   • {year}, {month}, {day}: Date components.

6. 🌐 Automatic Bilingual Localization (i18n):

   • Seamlessly adapts to your system culture:
     • English by default for global users.
     • Spanish (Español) automatically for Spanish locales (es).

7. 🔒 100% Offline & Private:

   • All snippets are stored locally on your machine in plain JSON at: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\CmdPal\Snippets\snippets.json
   • Zero telemetry, zero analytics, zero network requests. Your data never leaves your computer.

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Visión General en Español

Text Snippets es una extensión nativa para Microsoft PowerToys Command Palette inspirada en los Snippets de Raycast. Permite tanto la búsqueda y previsualización desde la paleta de comandos como la expansión automática en tiempo real en cualquier aplicación de Windows.

🌟 Funcionalidades Principales

• Expansión automática global (Inline Text Expansion): Escribe !email, !tel o cualquier atajo y el texto se expande solo sin abrir ventanas.
• Selector múltiple inteligente: Si un atajo tiene varias opciones, te muestra un menú rápido para elegir con números del 1 al 9 o las flechas del teclado.
• Editor visual con Mica y Fluent Design: Ventana moderna de WinUI 3 para crear y editar snippets con botones para insertar variables {date}, {time}, {clipboard}, {uuid}, etc.
• Integración con Command Palette: Busca y previsualiza snippets desde Alt + Espacio.
• Privacidad total: 100% local y offline. Ningún dato sale de tu equipo.

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📂 Project Architecture

TextSnippets-CommandPalette/
├── Directory.Build.props              # Global MSBuild properties
├── Directory.Packages.props           # Central Package Management (CPM)
├── SnippetsCmdPal.slnx                # Modern Visual Studio Solution
├── src/
│   ├── SnippetsCmdPal/               # Command Palette Extension Project (.NET 10)
│   │   ├── SnippetsExtension.cs      # IExtension entry point
│   │   ├── SnippetsCommandsProvider.cs # Command Palette provider
│   │   ├── Package.appxmanifest      # Sparse MSIX package definition & COM server registration
│   │   ├── Services/
│   │   │   ├── Localization.cs       # Bilingual i18n engine (en / es)
│   │   │   ├── KeyboardHookService.cs# Low-level WH_KEYBOARD_LL hook for inline expansion
│   │   │   ├── SnippetManager.cs     # JSON storage & snippet lifecycle
│   │   │   ├── VariableExpander.cs   # Dynamic variable engine ({date}, {clipboard}...)
│   │   │   └── InputSimulator.cs     # SendInput key injection
│   │   ├── Pages/                    # Command Palette list & preview pages
│   │   ├── Commands/                 # Create, Edit, Copy, Delete, Toggle commands
│   │   └── Assets/                   # Fluent vector icons & multi-res ICO files
│   └── SnippetEditorApp/             # Standalone WinUI 3 Visual Editor
│       ├── Program.cs                # Entry point with WinUI 3 XamlCheck
│       ├── MainWindow.xaml.cs        # Mica window, form validation, theme watcher
│       └── Assets/                   # App icons and resources
└── scripts/
    ├── build.ps1                     # Automated build script
    ├── install-local.ps1             # Local MSIX developer registration
    └── uninstall-local.ps1           # Clean package unregistration

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📦 Installation

Option 1: Via Windows Package Manager (WinGet)

winget install manuelcontrera.TextSnippets-CommandPalette

Option 2: Pre-built MSIX Package

1. Download the latest .msix from Releases.
2. Install via WinGet locally:

   winget install .\TextSnippets-CommandPalette-1.0.1.0-x64.msix

   (Or double-click the .msix to install with Windows App Installer).

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🚀 Building and Running Locally

Prerequisites

• Windows 11 (build 22621 or later recommended) or Windows 10
• .NET 10 SDK
• Microsoft PowerToys with Command Palette enabled

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/manuelcontrera/TextSnippets-CommandPalette.git
cd TextSnippets-CommandPalette

2. Build and Register the Extension

Run the build script from PowerShell:

# Build both the WinUI 3 editor and the Command Palette COM extension
dotnet build "src\SnippetEditorApp\SnippetEditorApp.csproj" -c Release -r win-x64
dotnet build "src\SnippetsCmdPal\SnippetsCmdPal.csproj" -c Release -r win-x64

# Copy editor binaries and assets into package directory
Copy-Item -Path "src\SnippetEditorApp\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\*" -Destination "src\SnippetsCmdPal\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\win-x64\SnippetEditorApp\" -Recurse -Force
Copy-Item -Path "src\SnippetEditorApp\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\SnippetEditorApp.*" -Destination "src\SnippetsCmdPal\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\win-x64\" -Force
Copy-Item -Path "src\SnippetsCmdPal\Assets\*" -Destination "src\SnippetsCmdPal\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\win-x64\Assets\" -Recurse -Force
Copy-Item -Path "src\SnippetsCmdPal\Assets\*" -Destination "src\SnippetsCmdPal\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\win-x64\SnippetEditorApp\Assets\" -Recurse -Force

# Register package locally
Add-AppxPackage -Register "src\SnippetsCmdPal\bin\Release\net10.0-windows10.0.26100.0\win-x64\AppxManifest.xml" -ForceApplicationShutdown

3. Open Command Palette

Press Alt + Space (or your configured shortcut). Search for Text Snippets or type !.

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⌨️ Variables & Triggers Guide

Variable	Output Example	Description
{date}	2026-09-12	Current date in ISO format
{date:dd/MM/yyyy}	12/09/2026	Current date with custom format
{time}	17:45	Current time (hours and minutes)
{datetime}	2026-09-12 17:45:00	Full date and time
{clipboard}	[Copied text]	Inserts current text from clipboard
{uuid} / {guid}	c9a646d3-9c61-4cc9-bcaf-b223067f965b	New random unique identifier
{year}	2026	Current 4-digit year
{month}	09	Current 2-digit month
{day}	12	Current 2-digit day of the month

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🔒 Privacy & Security

This extension does not connect to the internet.

• No Analytics / Telemetry: No tracking, usage metrics, or error telemetry are collected.
• Local Storage Only: Snippets and user settings are kept exclusively on local disk.
• Open Source: Complete C# and XAML codebase is publicly auditable.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Developed with ❤️ by manuelcontrera.