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CHALLENGE: InstantText vs. Shorthand - Referee

Posted: Aug 26, 2011

I am a very spoiled MT, having worked with Dictaphone's ESP expander for years (which I love!). However, in the next week I will need to purchase a shortcut program/phrase expander to use with Microsoft Word.

Please explain the differences between features of Shorthand 10 and Instant Text. Can you copy and paste text (entries) into each one? Can you import entries from other programs? What about copying, deleting, etc. -- can you do all that from the main menu/list of entries? How about speed -- is there a pronounced lag time with either of these programs as you wait for expanded text to appear on the screen?

Instant Text is decidedly more expensive ($100 per year) than Shorthand ($30 per year). Is the cost difference justified? If so, what, in your opinion, makes Instant Text worth the extra money?

Thanks for your input!! :)

Comparison - MMK

[ In Reply To ..]

A comparison is available at link below.

InstantText - CB

[ In Reply To ..]
I think it's funny you say you were spoiled by ESP because if you think so, you'll definitely love Instant Text. I've never used SH, but went from ESP to IT. You can import your ESP into IT easily. Some of the reasons I love IT is you can make different glossaries for different accounts. Also, it automatically puts in phrases for you so if there is something a doctor says often, you don't even have to put in for it to be there. It's an adjustment from EP but I think it's worth it. For example, I recently typed a doctor I hadn't done recently and couldn't for the life of me figure out a sentence he was saying. I typed in the first few words and looked down. Voila! IT had it right there.

IT - ruby

[ In Reply To ..]
I tried to go from IT to SH and it was a mess. With IT you can choose your keys to expand, don't have to use space bar so you don't have a short word turning into the expander phrase. IT converts everything very quickly, all other expander programs I think. I like it much better than SH but IT was my first and my fingers had a hard time trying to adjust to SH. Once you but IT upgrades are discounted. IT does a free 30 day trial to let you try it.

Wow! - Referee

[ In Reply To ..]
IT sounds great!

Are you able to import entries from SH into IT?

NEXT ?: Importer Page on Free Trial? - Referee

[ In Reply To ..]
Thanks for all the great responses!

OK, I have the free trial. Now how do I get to the importer page to upload my Shorthand entries? I clicked on some of the icons in upper R corner of trial version box but don't see how to get to the import page. Thanks.

To use the Instant Text menus - right-click on the advisory headings

[ In Reply To ..]

To open the Importer window right-click on the Phrase advisory heading and then on Importer. In the Importer window just click on the Dictaphone button to import your esp file and on the Shorthand button to import your spf file.

You can also look at the Help file to learn more about the menus and how to access them:
http://www.textware.com/ithelp/help/html/phrase_menu.htm

http://www.textware.com/ithelp/help/html/glossary_menu.htm

Once you have converted your esp and spf files into Instant Text glossaries, in Instant Text open them into the active glossary list. You can combine them by including one into the other. You can also merge them.

A very short guide is available at link below.

Great! Now I have... - Referee

[ In Reply To ..]
That's awesome! Thanks so much for those links.

The SH10 entries were successfully imported, but now I have another issue. I'm not sure where those entries went.... I don't want to use the "Address, Business, Medstart," or "Drugs" glossaries listed. So I right click on Glossaries, and the list comes up. It's not those either... So how do I find the right list that contains my SH entries and select it as the default glossary? Thanks.

In the Glossary menu you click on Open - and select your list

[ In Reply To ..]

which should be visible as a .glo file in the C:InstTextGlossary folder where it was saved when you imported it. Click on Open and it will appear in the active Glossary list as the current glossary ready to be used.

You can close the other glossaries and just keep the one(s) you want in your active Glossary list.

To take a glossary off the active Glossary list, just highlight it, right-click and click on "Close current glossary".

Thank you!! - Referee

[ In Reply To ..]
That was VERY helpful. Good, clear instructions -- thanks!!

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