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Shorten URLs in TextExpander

If your Twitter client doesn't automatically shorten URLs for you, you can use TextExpander to shrink those long links to tweetable lengths. First, add the Internet Productivity group by choosing File > Add Predefined Group > Internet Productivity Snippets. Then, to shorten a URL using a service like TinyURL, copy the destination URL to the clipboard, and type the abbreviation /tinyurl to insert the shortened URL at the insertion point.

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PopChar X 6.2

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Ergonis Software has released PopChar X 6.2 with a couple of improvements for quickly finding special characters in the font discovery utility. The update adds a Command-F keyboard shortcut to enter the search field, and you can also start typing a search string when the cursor is in PopChar’s character table. The contextual menu gets a couple of additions, including a Copy Character Description command that copies a brief summary of the selected Unicode character and a Copy Font List command that copies a list of font names. The release also adds support for Unicode 6.2, improves appearance of the group pop-up button (particularly for Retina displays), fixes a bug that prevented some fonts from being detected in certain apps (such as Microsoft Word), and provides a workaround for window flickering on OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. Finally, you can now manually launch PopChar and open the PopChar window by double-clicking its icon in the Finder. Previously, double-clicking the Finder icon closed the PopChar window if it had already been open. (€29.99 new with a 25-percent discount for TidBITS members, free update, 3.6 MB, release notes)

 

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