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Quick Start Guide

Get your cross-platform snippet system up and running in minutes!

🚀 5-Minute Setup

Step 1: Install Software (5 minutes)

Choose your platform:

Windows

# Download and install:
# 1. Espanso: https://espanso.org/install/win/
# 2. Syncthing (Windows): https://syncthing.net/downloads/
# Optional: schedule Syncthing at login using Task Scheduler

macOS

# Using Homebrew
brew tap espanso/espanso
brew install espanso syncthing

# Register and start Espanso
espanso service register
espanso start

# Start Syncthing
brew services start syncthing

Raspberry Pi (Server)

# Install Syncthing
sudo apt update
sudo apt install syncthing -y

# Install File Browser
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/filebrowser/get/master/get.sh | bash

# Enable Syncthing
systemctl --user enable syncthing
systemctl --user start syncthing

Step 2: Get This Repository (2 minutes)

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/alebmorais/med_auto.git

# Or download ZIP and extract

Step 3: Configure Espanso (2 minutes)

Windows

# In PowerShell (Admin)
cd $env:APPDATA\espanso
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "config" -Target "C:\path\to\med_auto\espanso\config"
New-Item -ItemType SymbolicLink -Path "match" -Target "C:\path\to\med_auto\espanso\match"
espanso restart

macOS

cd ~/Library/Application\ Support/espanso
ln -s ~/path/to/med_auto/espanso/config config
ln -s ~/path/to/med_auto/espanso/match match
espanso restart

Step 4: Configure Syncthing (3 minutes)

  1. Open Syncthing web UI: http://localhost:8384
  2. Add folder:
    • Label: "Espanso Config"
    • Path: /path/to/med_auto/espanso
  3. Add remote devices (get Device ID from each device)
  4. Share the "Espanso Config" folder with all devices
  5. Accept connections on each device

Step 5: Test! (1 minute)

Open any text editor and type:

  • :date → Should insert current date
  • :email → Should insert email template
  • :bp → Should expand to "Blood Pressure"

✅ Verification Checklist

  • Espanso installed and running
  • Syncthing installed and running
  • Repository cloned/downloaded
  • Espanso configured to use repository snippets
  • Syncthing folder added and syncing
  • All devices connected in Syncthing
  • Test snippets working on each device

🔧 Common First-Time Issues

Espanso Not Expanding

Fix:

# Check status
espanso status

# Restart
espanso restart

# Check permissions (macOS)
# System Preferences → Security & Privacy → Accessibility

Devices Not Connecting

Fix:

  1. Get Device ID: Syncthing → Actions → Show ID
  2. Add device on both sides
  3. Accept connection request
  4. Check firewall (allow port 22000)

Changes Not Syncing

Fix:

  1. Check Syncthing web UI - both devices should be "Up to Date"
  2. Restart Espanso after sync completes
  3. Check file permissions

📱 Using Your Snippets

Basic Usage

Type trigger + space/enter:

:bp → Blood Pressure
:email → your.email@example.com
:date → 2025-11-05

Searching Snippets

Press ALT+SPACE to search available snippets

Customizing

Edit files in espanso/match/ directories:

matches:
  - trigger: ":mysnippet"
    replace: "My custom text"

Then restart Espanso:

espanso restart

🎯 Next Steps

  1. Customize snippets: Edit files in espanso/match/
  2. Add categories: Create new folders for your snippet types
  3. Read docs: Check docs/ folder for detailed guides
  4. Set up Raspberry Pi: Optional central server (see docs/setup-raspberry-pi.md)

📚 Documentation

💡 Pro Tips

  1. Backup: Syncthing's file versioning is enabled by default
  2. Performance: Disable categories you don't use
  3. Triggers: Use : prefix to avoid accidental expansions
  4. Testing: Test new snippets in a text editor first
  5. Syncing: Always restart Espanso after adding snippets

🆘 Need Help?

🎉 You're Done!

Your cross-platform snippet system is now set up and syncing across all your devices!

Start typing your triggers and enjoy the productivity boost! 🚀