TriX is a free productivity tool that packs a host of useful tools in a single, hotkey-enabled app.
Generally speaking, the user would select some text then perform an action such as case transformation (sentence case, uppercase, lowercase, format stripping, etc), text-to-speech, instant web search via Google, YouTube, or any of a number of search engines, instant translation via Google translate, unit conversion or calculation, etc. There are also other kinds of functions such as mute/raise/lower volume, color picker, and a host of others.
Commands are executed via keyboard shortcuts or, for those who are not hotkey-inclined, via the TriX popup menu pictured in the screenshots above.
This is the sort of ambitious collection of tools similar to previously mentioned Transfz that lets you manipulate text, search multiple internet resources, etc, on-demand.
Some issues to be addressed are as follows:
1- The functions: is there a good collection of tools?, are they well made in general? to what extent are there unnecessary tools that merely add clutter and make the tool difficult to use?.
There are some really good tools in there. My favorites are the text manipulation tools (including strip formatting), the unit conversion tool, the translation tool, and the volume tools. The main interface opens up to the “popular commands” section which actually keeps track of what you use most and collects it there, which helps avoid cluttering up your space with a lot of stuff which you may not be too keen on.
Personally, I’ve never liked the highlight-some-text-and-search-Google or some other web resource style tools. It just never happens that way in real life, at least not with me.
2- The process: most functions work by selecting a bunch of text and then using the keyboard shortcuts or the popup menu to launch a tool. Typically, the selected text is itself transformed, such as changing the text case, but in many instances (such as translation for example) the program will give the option of either sending the output to the clipboard or displaying via tooltip. I picked the tooltip option to create the screenshots below, just to demonstrate what using this program is like.
3- Resource usage: takes up 19 megs in memory, which is not a lot but certainly not lightweight. Well worth it though, in my opinion.
4- Portable: unzip and run; does not need to be installed.
5- The hotkeys: are user definable.
The verdict: overall a very nice tool. Depending on how you use your computer some of the tools on offer can be extremely useful. Overall highly recommended.
http://cipherdon.com/TriX.aspx
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