Give Google Docs powerful new shortcuts


            Escuchen, escuchen, mis compañeros habitantes de Google Docs: ¿acabo de tener el regalo para ustedes?
This is a clever new system of top-level shortcuts that you can add to the Google Docs website – shortcuts that go beyond the basic options already built into the service and give you a more Slack-like method. and command line to perform advanced actions. . I've been using them myself for a few days, and let me tell you: they totally change the way you use Google Docs, for the better. The shortcuts are provided by a tasty and relatively new little Chrome extension called gSweets. The way it works is simple: just add the extension to your browser, and the next time you open a document in Docs on your computer, you'll see a new gray message at the beginning of each new line.

Accesos directos de Google Docs (1)JR This message tells you pretty much everything you need to know. From anywhere in a document, you can now press the forward slash key on your keyboard, just like you would in Slack, and you'll be greeted with a drop-down list of quick and simple commands that you can then type: Accesos directos de Google Docs (2)JR So, for example, you can type /h1 from anywhere in a document to start formatting the text as a large section header: Accesos directos de Google Docs (3)JR And the second you hit enter, bam: the change is applied, just like that. But wait! This function, you might be thinking, overlaps with one of Docs' built-in keyboard shortcuts, doesn't it? Indeed it is, you're a nifty little antelope, something awesome known as Ctrl-Alt-1. I knew I could count on you to pick this up! But still, it's arguably easier to find and remember the function this way, especially when it's part of a larger system of shortcuts that more closely resembles what you see in Slack and more. other contemporary productivity tools. And some of the other shortcuts in gSweets are things you couldn't do as easily with the options that Docs gives you. An example is /table, which you can write with any specific column and row dimensions - /5x5 table, /3x2 table, or whatever your data-loving heart desires - to create a fancy new table in the -field, right-hand side. , with any height and width you need. Accesos directos de Google Docs (3)JR The system even introduces completely new possibilities for commands that are not present in Google Docs by default. The /unsplash shortcut, for example, lets you search the library of free-to-use stock images on Unsplash.com without having to put down your document or fiddle with manual downloads. Just type the command directly into your document and follow it up with whatever kind of image you want to find, and well, would you like to take a look at it? Accesos directos de Google Docs (5)JR Once you've selected an image you like from the results, gSweets will confirm that you have the correct one... Accesos directos de Google Docs (6)JR And then all that's left is to hit that Insert button to get your cute new image into your document. Accesos directos de Google Docs (7)JR Similarly, the /gif command allows you to search for animated GIFs from Giphy and then insert them directly into your document in the same way: Accesos directos de Google Docs (8)JR Y/emoji lets you browse or search for, yes, you guessed it, tons of emoji to find the right piece of (probably inappropriate) levity for your most important manuscript. Accesos directos de Google Docs (9)JR The list of possibilities in gSweets is still quite short, but the idea behind it is impressive, and the options that are present are absolutely useful. The concept around it also makes so much sense that it feels like a natural addition and almost native part of the Google Docs experience, one of those things that feels like it has to be there from the start. And here's the best part: The app's co-founder, a product management professional named Jeremy Kovac, tells me there's a lot more to come, including a command-driven Google Docs dark mode. bar, a simple action to adjust a document's sharing permissions, and on-demand access to your own collection of snippets and custom templates. Kovac and his partner, developer and designer Christoph Knes, also hope to incorporate many of the same concepts into Presentations at some point. For now, the expansion is completely free, although the final plan is to introduce a freemium model, in which the basic features will remain free and available to everyone and some advanced options will be provided as part of it. an optional premium plan. . The software can also optionally offer group plans for businesses and other organizations. As for the ever-important area of ​​privacy, gSweets requires access to view and edit the Google Docs website, as you'd imagine, because, you know, it couldn't function and do what it does without it. this type of authorization. - and that also requires access to your email address (which I think is for customer service only). However, its creators insist that the extension is privacy-aware and doesn't see anything you type, collect, or share as personal data. Overall, this is an impressive productivity addition that not only makes Google Docs easier to use, but also makes it more modern. It's smart and carefully crafted software, and especially with the promise of what's in store for you in the future, it's a tool worth looking at. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter for more practical tips, personal recommendations, and easy-to-follow perspective on the big news. Boletín de AI
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