3. SnippetsLab Assistant

SnippetsLab Assistant is a menu bar companion designed to provide quick access to your library. Advanced users who prefer a keyboard-centric workflow will also find the extensive keyboard shortcut support helpful.

Activate the assistant by clicking the assistant button in the menu bar. You can also assign a custom keyboard shortcut in Settings > Assistant. The assistant is enabled by default, but can be disabled in Settings, if desired.

Open the main app window when the assistant is open by clicking the house.fill button, or pressing Shift-Command-0.

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3.1. Browse Mode

To switch to browse mode, click the list.bullet.rectangle.portrait Browse button at the top of the window, or press Shift-Command-1 when the assistant is active.

You can navigate the snippets list with these keyboard shortcuts:

Action

Keyboard Shortcut

Go to the previous or next item

or

Go to the previous or next page

Option- or Option-

Jump to the top of bottom

Command- or Command-

Scroll up or down without changing selection

Fn- or Fn-

3.1.1. Default Snippets

By default, the assistant displays all snippets in the same order as the main window. You can customize the default view in Settings > Assistant > Default Snippets. For example, to show a subset of snippets that you frequently access from the menu bar.

3.1.3. Snippet Actions

You can perform the following actions on snippets in the list:

Action

How To Perform

Copy to Clipboard

Single-click, or press Return, or press Command-C

Open in Main Window

Option-click, or press Option-Return

Paste to Active App

(unassigned by default)

Quick Look

Double-click, press ▶︎, or swipe right

Dismiss Quick Look

Press ◀︎ or Esc

You can customize the keyboard shortcuts of these actions in Settings > Assistant. You can also swipe left to reveal the primary and secondary options.

Important

The “Paste to active app” action requires accessibility permission because it uses Apple Events to perform the paste operation. You will be prompted to grant access the first time you select this action in Settings. You can also manually grant or revoke access at any time in System Settings > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Accessibility.

3.1.4. Quick Look

With Quick Look active, press Command-1 ~ Command-9 to jump to the first nine fragments. The keyboard shortcuts for snippet actions also work on the currently displayed fragment.

For more convenient access, you can detach a Quick Look by dragging it away from the assistant by the edge. A detached Quick Look stays on top of other windows, and can be resized.

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3.2. Create Mode

To switch to create mode, click the square.and.pencil Create button at the top of the window, or press Shift-Command-2 when the assistant is open.