May 22, 2023

Write faster and better with inline AI commands

Stew Fortier

Co-Founder & CEO, Type

@stewfortier
Table of contents

You might know the feeling.

You're writing. Like, really writing. Your mind is unleashing a torrent of ideas, and your fingers can barely keep up. You’re in flow. But then, it happens...

Your supply of new ideas evaporates. You slam into a wall. You stare at your cursor; it blinks back at you helplessly. Your fingers hover over the keyboard, unsure they'll ever find another key worth pressing.

In Type, you only need to tap one key: /.

Tap "/" to get instant AI writing assistance in Type

When you press "/", Type's command palette will appear:

Type's command palette contains a library of AI writing commands you can run directly inside of your document.

Type's inline commands know what's in your document, where your cursor is, and what help you might need. In most cases, you don’t need to provide any additional instructions.

Exploring Type's inline AI commands

Below is a breakdown of every command you can access in the command palette. Many of them have their own keyboard shortcuts for convenience (listed in parentheses below):

  • Generate content (⌘;): Generates and inserts any type of text based on custom instructions (ex. "a funny conclusion").
  • Write sentence (⌘.): Generates and inserts a new sentence where your cursor is. It can also finish incomplete sentences you write.
  • Write paragraph (⌘/): Generates and inserts a new paragraph where your cursor is. It can also finish incomplete paragraphs you write.
  • Write list (⌘J): Generates and inserts a list where your cursor is. If you run this at the end of an existing list, this command will append new items to it.
  • Continue writing(⌥⌘/): Generates and inserts freeform text based on what's already in the document. This is most helpful when you're stuck but not sure what you need.
  • Generate section headline (⌘⇧U): Generates and inserts a section header that describes the content below the cursor.
  • Generate document headline (⌘⇧Y): Generates and inserts a headline that describes the content of the document. It will auto-insert the headline as an H1 at the top of your document.

As an aside, Type also has keyboard shortcuts that help out with common non-AI writing tasks like formatting text, moving blocks, and creating new documents.

To see the full list of keyboard shortcuts, just press  ctrl+H or click on "Show Shortcuts" in the Help menu on your Type home screen.

Why use inline AI commands?

While Type Chat or ChatGPT can be useful for brainstorming, writing, and rewriting text, they can break your flow. It feels like you need to stop and get them up to speed, when really you just want to keep moving fast.

With inline commands, you can get unstuck without leaving your document – or even your cursor. You don't need to prompt or instruct a chat bot. You can just have Type's AI instantly generate useful text where you're already working.

As an added bonus, inline commands tend to do a better job of matching your writing style since they have the full context of your document.

Conclusion

With inline AI commands, you become a writing maestro of sorts.

Your cursor is your baton, ready to compose a symphony with every subtle, nuanced movement.

The next time you hit a wall, just tap "/" and find your next note.

Happy writing!

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