Intelligent insert: dictating into the middle of a sentence
To dictate into the middle of a sentence on a Mac, put the cursor where the words belong, tap Right Command, say them, and tap it again. YapToText's Intelligent insert reads the words immediately around the cursor before the text lands and fixes what would normally go wrong: a capital letter that should be lowercase, a missing space, and a period that closes a sentence you meant to continue.
I dictate everything. Text dropped into the middle of existing writing usually needs fixing up afterwards, and Intelligent insert exists so that it does not. It is on by default, and an app that cannot answer the read simply gets the transcript unchanged.
What it changes
Three things. The rest of the transcript is left alone.
- Case. When you are mid-sentence, the first word of the transcript is lowercased. Names, acronyms, and the word I keep their capitals.
- Spacing. Exactly one space is added where words would otherwise collide.
- The trailing period. The transcript's closing period is dropped when the sentence continues after the cursor, or when a period is already sitting there.
Where the switch is
Intelligent insert is on by default. The switch is called Intelligent insert and lives in the Quick controls on the Home page. Off means the transcript goes in unchanged, whatever surrounds the cursor.
One thing holds either way: dictating over a selection always replaces that selection rather than adapting to it.
How it reads around the cursor
YapToText is sandboxed, and a sandboxed app is not allowed to read another app's text directly. So the reading happens with a few invisible keystrokes. When you stop a dictation, the app briefly selects a few words on each side of your cursor, copies them, and puts your clipboard straight back. Nothing it copies is stored, and nothing leaves your Mac.
The read uses the same Accessibility permission as automatic typing. Without it, your text goes to the clipboard instead; the privacy page explains each permission.
The beep, and the one-slider cure
Some apps refuse a keystroke they do not expect, a copy with nothing selected, for example. macOS plays the alert sound for each one. That is the app declining the key, not an error, and the transcript is inserted either way.
The cure is one slider: Alert volume, in System Settings under Sound, dragged all the way down. Only alert beeps go quiet. Music, video, and YapToText's own dictation sounds are unaffected. Since 1.4, a notice under the Intelligent insert switch explains the beep and how to silence it in Sound settings. Switching Intelligent insert off also ends the beeps.
Version 1.4 also cut the beeps down, with fewer keystrokes in web and Electron apps. If an app still beeps after every dictation, that is worth a report on the issues page with the app's name.
When it is skipped
Where an app cannot answer the read, the transcript is inserted unchanged, the same result as having the switch off.
- Apps that never answer. If an app never answers, YapToText stops asking it and inserts plainly.
- A live selection. If something is selected when you stop, the dictation replaces it rather than adapting to it.
- An empty field. Nothing on either side means nothing to adapt to. The text goes in as dictated.
Coming in 1.4.1: a fix for chat apps, where eight dictations started in an empty message box used to mark the app as unreadable, so Intelligent insert went quiet there. Any app silenced that way comes back on the first launch of that update.
Questions
Why does my Mac beep after I dictate with YapToText?
Reading the words around the cursor sends a few invisible keystrokes into the app you are in, and some apps refuse one of them, a copy with nothing selected, for example. macOS plays the alert sound for each refused key. Drag the Alert volume slider in System Settings, under Sound, all the way down, or switch Intelligent insert off.
Does YapToText read my whole document?
No. It briefly selects a few words on each side of your cursor, copies them, and puts your clipboard straight back. Nothing is stored and nothing leaves your Mac.
Will it lowercase a name I dictate mid-sentence?
Names, acronyms, and the word I keep their capitals. Only an ordinary capitalized first word is lowercased, and only when you are mid-sentence.
How do I turn Intelligent insert off?
The Intelligent insert switch is in the Quick controls on the Home page. Off means the transcript is inserted exactly as it came out.
Does Intelligent insert work in every app?
No. Apps that do not expose their text get the transcript unchanged, and if an app never answers, YapToText stops asking it and inserts plainly. Since 1.3.1 it works in far more apps than it used to.
What happens if I dictate over selected text?
The dictation replaces the selection. Dictating over a selection always replaces it rather than adapting to it.