Write faster and better with inline AI commands
How to use Type's in-document AI to stay in flow
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.
Press cmd+k to get instant AI writing assistance in Type
When you press ⌘K (or ctrl + K on Windows), 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.
Writing a blog post in minutes using inline AI commands
One of our customers used inline commands to create an FAQ blog post in just a few minutes.
They wrote an outline for the post, then ran the "Write paragraph" command underneath each section header:
They didn't need to tell Type what each paragraph should be about; it automatically figured that out based on where the cursor was. When the cursor was under the introduction section header, Type knew to write a paragraph that would work as an introduction.
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):
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.
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.
Freewrite (⌘/): 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: Generates and inserts a section header that describes the content below the cursor.
Generate content (⌘;): Generates and inserts any type of text based on custom instructions (ex. "a funny conclusion").
Transform text (⌘P): Rewrites text you've highlighted based on custom instructions (ex. "Shorten this" or "Make this friendlier").
Generate code block (⌘O): Generates code in any programming languages and inserts it into the document as a code block.
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 hit ⌘K and find your next note.
Happy writing!
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