SymWin : Type various special characters by just holding down Caps Lock, pressing a key and selecting the right symbol from a pop-up, with this open-source utility
If you frequently need to type various special characters, you probably waste a lot of time inserting them or switching between languages. Thankfully, third-party applications can help make things a bit easier.SymWin is a relatively simple program that provides you with a quick way to select and insert various characters. It is not perfect, but it can save you a lot of effort if you regularly type using special characters.
Insert various symbols with a simple hotkey
Once the application is running, you just need to hold Caps Lock and then press any key that has associated characters. You will be able to select the right one from a pop-up, using either the arrow keys or your mouse.To change the symbol’s case, simply press Shift while holding down Caps Lock. When you release all these keys, the selected character will be inserted.
You can customize the bindings, but not the default hotkey
From the configuration window, you can select any of the available keys and add the characters that should be bound to them. Lowercase and uppercase symbols need to be added separately.Unfortunately, though, it is not possible to use a different modifier, so you are stuck with Caps Lock. If you don’t often use this key, it should be fine, but many users would likely have preferred a different one.
Unobtrusive and intuitive program that still needs work
It is worth keeping in mind that SymWin is still in the early stages of development, so you can expect to run into the occasional bug. Sadly, it doesn’t seem likely that the application will receive updates in the near future.In short, this program can prove helpful if you often need to type special characters and find the classic methods to be too cumbersome. It is easy to use, and it can save you a lot of time, but it still needs a few improvements.
Windows 10 64 bit / Windows 10 / Windows 8 64 bit / Windows 8 / Windows 7 64 bit / Windows 7 / Windows Vista 64 bit / Windows Vista / Windows XP 64 bit / Windows XP
SymWin runs on
Windows 10/11
and is available under the
OpenSource under LGPL
license
— the installer is 118 KB.
We’ve catalogued it under
Word Processing.
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