Modula
Modula documentation
The tools
The insertion form
When a SmartText contains fields, Modula opens the insertion form before inserting: you fill it in, you see the result, you confirm. Everything works from the keyboard, and AutoCopy fills fields from the page.
Filling in and seeing the result Basic
On the left, the fields, in the order they appear in the text; on the right, the final text, which updates as you type. A field that appears several times in the text is asked for only once.
Camille types !appt. The form asks for the customer's name and the date, already filled in with today. She types “Smith”, sees on the right “Hello Mr Smith, I confirm our appointment on 28/09/2026”, and confirms.
Confirming with Enter Basic
Enter moves to the next field; on the last field, it confirms and inserts. Esc closes the form without inserting anything.
Shift+Enter and Ctrl+Enter Advanced
| Keys | Effect |
|---|---|
| Shift+Enter | New line in a multi-line field |
| Ctrl+Enter (⌘+Enter on Mac) | Confirm right away, from any field |
Choosing a date, a time Basic
Date and time fields are pre-filled with the present moment. For another value, type it or use the picker. The time is chosen from a list of times, every quarter of an hour by default.
The interval between the times offered (1, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 minutes) is set in Settings → Options.
A date on its own also opens the form Basic
A SmartText that contains only a date opens the form, pre-filled: Enter is enough. That's intentional: you can correct the date before inserting — an appointment tomorrow, an invoice from yesterday.
Checkboxes Advanced
A multiple-choice list appears as checkboxes, in the order of the list. From four choices up, All and None tick or untick everything in one click. If the list requires at least one choice, the form refuses to confirm as long as nothing is ticked, and says so below the field.
AutoCopy: filling a field from the page Advanced
Each input field has a small button on its right. Click it: the field is outlined in blue, AutoCopy is armed. Then select some text on the page, behind the form: it is written into the field at once. No more copy and paste.
To answer a ticket, Camille arms the “Reference” field and selects the reference in the ticket; then arms “Name” and selects the customer's name. Two selections, no copy and paste.
- Only one field is armed at a time: arming another field, or clicking in another field, disarms the previous one.
- A second click on the button disarms AutoCopy.
- Lists have no button: their value is imposed.
AutoCopy on dates and times Advanced
On a date or time field, AutoCopy doesn't copy the text: it looks for the date or time in it and puts it in the field. Select “Delivery expected on 12 September 2026”: the field shows 12/09/2026.
| Recognised | Examples |
|---|---|
| Dates | 12/09/2026 · 12.09.2026 · 12/09/26 · 12/09 (current year) · 2026-09-12 · 12 September 2026 · 14 Sept 2026 — months in English, French, Spanish, German or Portuguese |
| Times | 14:30 · 14:30:05 · 2:30 PM · 14h30 · 9h |
If nothing is recognised, the field keeps its value. Minutes are aligned to the time interval: with 15 minutes, 14:37 becomes 14:30.
AutoCopy or the Selection field? Advanced
| Selection field | AutoCopy | |
|---|---|---|
| When | what was selected before triggering the SmartText | after, with the form open |
| How many | a single selection | as many as there are fields, one per field |
| Set up | planned in the SmartText | on demand, on any field |
Fields filled by AutoFetch Advanced Pro
A field linked by AutoFetch fills itself when the form opens, with “from …” underneath. In red, the element wasn't found on the open page; in grey, the page isn't open. The ⚡ AutoFetch button, above the fields, opens the panel on this item.
Two items for the same keyword Expert
If several items have the keyword you type, Modula opens a small list below the cursor before the form: choose with ↑ ↓ and Enter. See Expander.