Abbrio Help on Zardoz Group | Cloud, AI & Software Engineering Consultancy

Getting started

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Abbrio is a native macOS interface for Espanso; it is not the text-expansion engine. You need a separate Espanso installation and a configuration folder before Abbrio can show and edit your sets.

Before you begin

Use a Mac running macOS 14 or later.
Install Espanso separately and make sure you know where its configuration folder is.
Abbrio’s public repository and release links are not configured on this website yet. When a release is offered, use the instructions supplied with that release; this guide does not promise that a signed or notarized download is available.

Abbrio works with Espanso’s files and command-line tool. It does not bundle Espanso, so the engine must be available on your Mac for expansions that need Espanso to run.

Editing abbreviations

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Choose an abbreviation set in the sidebar, then select an item in the middle pane. The details pane edits the selected item; a search field in the toolbar can find items across sets.

Create and edit an item

Use the sidebar’s + menu to create an abbreviation. Add its trigger (the text Espanso recognizes), then write the expansion. An item without a trigger is not saved. Existing triggers and aliases appear as removable entries in the details pane; keep trigger text distinct when you want a unique expansion.

Sets

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sets group abbreviations and regular-expression rules in Espanso’s configuration. The sidebar shows each set’s enabled state and item count; it also marks duplicate triggers and files that cannot be read.

Create and organize sets

Choose New Abbreviation Set from the sidebar’s + menu and give the set a name. Use the checkbox beside a set to turn it on or off. You can reorder sets within a sidebar section by dragging them. Drag an item onto another set to move it; hold Option while dragging to copy it instead.

Dynamic content

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

The Insert menu in the expansion editor provides controls for dynamic values. The editor displays variables and fields as chips, but the saved content is still the text and Espanso configuration represented by those chips.

Insert variables and fields

Choose an insertion from the menu, configure it in its sheet, and review the resulting chip in the expansion:

Date/Time formats a date and can include an offset, locale, and time zone. Its sheet shows a live preview.
Clipboard inserts clipboard content when the expansion runs.
Cursor Position marks where the insertion cursor should return after the expansion.
Input Field, Pop-up Menu, Choice Dialog, and Random Text add interactive or selected values. A pop-up can offer a list of choices; a form can contain more than one field.
Insert Abbreviation lets one expansion refer to another item.
Global Variables opens Set Info; use the variable name in double braces in the expansion to refer to a set-level value.

Fields and variables are connected to the text that uses them. Removing a reference may remove an unused variable entry when the item is saved. Review the rendered result in the form preview when an item has fields.

Quick Search and the menu bar

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Abbrio’s menu-bar companion keeps engine status and common actions available while the main window is closed. Closing that window does not quit Abbrio; choose Quit Abbrio from the menu to exit.

Find and insert an item

Press Control-Command-S to open Quick Search by default, or choose Quick Search from the menu-bar menu. Search results come from enabled sets that are included in Quick Search. Use the keyboard to select a result:

Application-specific settings

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Espanso can use application-specific configuration. Abbrio’s Apps window helps you review those files and see which sets and packages apply to a particular app.

Open or add an application

Open Apps from the toolbar or the sidebar footer. The list shows non-default application configurations that Abbrio recognizes. Use the add menu to choose a running application, search for one, or select an application file. Adding an app creates its configuration file; removing one asks first and moves that file to the Trash.

Settings and engine controls

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Open Settings from the toolbar or menu-bar menu, or use Command-comma. The Settings window separates Abbrio preferences from Espanso options that are written to the configuration folder.

General preferences

The General tab controls Abbrio itself: launch at login, show the main window at launch, show the menu-bar icon, global shortcuts, Quick Search’s wait before inserting, typing speed for statistics, set-file renaming behavior, expansion in Abbrio’s own windows, and the Espanso binary and configuration-folder locations.

Statistics

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Abbrio’s Statistics window summarizes Espanso’s recorded expansions. Statistics are opt-in: if they are off, choose Turn On Statistics in the window or enable them in Settings.

Read the report

Choose Today, 7, 30, or 365 days, or All time. The window shows summary cards and a table with trigger, set, how the set counts the item, count, and share. Set Info controls whether a set counts abbreviations, corrections, expansions, or none.

Regular expressions

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Regular-expression rules live in their own set type. Choose New Regular Expression Set from the sidebar’s + menu, then create a rule in that set. A regular-expression set contains rules whose triggers are patterns rather than ordinary abbreviations.

Edit and review a rule

Enter the pattern in the Pattern field and the expansion in the details pane. Abbrio warns about constructs Espanso refuses, reports when the pattern may exceed Espanso’s regex buffer size, and notes that rules can match inside words. Use the named-group buttons above the expansion to insert a group reference.

Import and export

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Abbrio’s Action menu and set context menu provide transfer tools for moving plain-text items or preparing a package folder.

Import a CSV or TSV file

Choose Import CSV or TSV from the Action menu, select a comma- or tab-separated file, and review the preview. Abbrio detects the separator and whether the first row is a header; use the header control to correct the choice. The columns are read as abbreviation, expansion, and description. Give the imported items a new set name before confirming.

Packages

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Abbrio’s Packages window has Installed and Browse Hub views. Packages can provide items for Espanso; review the source and contents before you install anything.

Browse the Hub and inspect a package

Open Packages from the toolbar, then search or filter the Hub list. Select a result to review its manifest, README, version, and a preview of its items. Abbrio checks a downloaded archive against its published SHA-256 before reading it; this integrity check does not establish that the package is safe or trustworthy.

Troubleshooting

Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000

Start with the status pill and the configuration path shown in Settings. Abbrio edits Espanso’s files, while Espanso is a separate process; a problem in one does not always mean the other is unavailable.

Espanso or its configuration is not found

Open Settings → General and check the Espanso binary and configuration-folder paths.
Confirm that the selected folder is the one containing the configuration Abbrio should use.
If Espanso is installed but not running, use the engine control only when you intend to start that service.
Reopen the main window and check the status pill again.

An empty or missing match folder may show no sets even when Espanso itself is installed. Do not copy sample or unrelated YAML into the live configuration as a troubleshooting shortcut.