Text Wielder: Service Menu Utility

Text Wielder looks like it has the potential to be very useful. It's a small application that adds a large number of options to the OS X Services Menu, which allow you to execute tasks on selected text. So, for instance, if you were browsing in Safari and came across a word you wanted to look up in an online dictionary, you could select the word, invoke the appropriate Text Wielder script from the Services Menu and it would automatically open the appropriate page.

It comes with 120 scripts for various functions (including web lookups, text processing, and executing UNIX commands), and Text Wielder can apparently be customized with your own "scripts" using its "SFRL(Simple Find and Replace Language)."

Unfortunately, it's a bit pricey at $30 (a demo is available). If you want a cheaper option, we have previously talked about ThisService, which could probably be used to accomplish many of the same things, but it lacks the scripting language. I also think OpenMenu X might be just as useful and much cheaper, but I can imagine how Text Wielder might be helpful to someone who wants to cook up his own scripts.

[Via MacNN]

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Text Wielder looks like it has the potential to be very useful. It's a small application that adds a large number of options to the OS X...

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Leland Scott

One more note... Don't forget the very rich, free catalogue of application services you can utilize through RixStep's ACP Web Services menu. (See http://www.rixstep.com/4/0/aws.shtml.) There are so many services from AWS that TextWielder wants to charge for, it's really a bit embarrassing. In any case, I'm going to try out Text Wielder to see if they're really offering something unique for that rather-outrageous price.

Also, don't forget that Apple provides the best Dictionary service around as part of your good ol' Mac OS X. And it's a lot more convenient than using the Services menu. Just select a word in any Cocoa app, right click, and select "Look Up in Dictionary." This is one of the best features of the Mac operating system and way better than anything like it on Windows.

Cheers,
Leland

January 16 2007 at 1:11 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Leland Scott

I recently blogged (http://www.musingsfrommars.org/index.php?p=1466&postcat=24) about a similar-sounding services utility that's free and uses built-in Unix commands to do text processing. It comes with an array of useful services but is built to be highly extensible for adding your own. This is an early release and hopefully is something that the programmer will build upon.
UnixServices: http://www.smartsoft.com/products/unixservices/unixservices.html

January 16 2007 at 1:03 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply