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Shortcut Guide
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Shortcuts
This guide is an overview of the different types of shortcuts available on the nVoq platform, and offers examples of each for you to view.
**Only "Insert Text" shortcuts work in nVoq.Voice and nVoq.Mobile Voice.**
Insert Text
Shortcuts that insert text are for you if you:
- Type the same things over and over again each day-from a single sentence to your signature block.
- Type or copy paragraphs from other documents.
- Want to include variable text in your transcript. (See Environment Variables)
Try It Yourself
- Click here to download a .csv file with example shortcuts.
- Add the example shortcuts in nVoq.Administrator by uploading the .csv file. See Upload Shortcuts.
- Run the shortcuts to try them out.
- Launch AgentAssist or nVoq.Voice
- Open Microsoft Word or another text editing program.
- Place your cursor in Word (or your program).
- Press the F4 key to open the popup shortcut menu and select these shortcut commands:
- Insert a Sentence
- Insert Paragraphs
- My Signature
Open Web Pages
Shortcuts that open web pages are for you if you:
- Visit the same web pages over and over again
- Have to click, click, and click again to navigate to the information you need
- Access local or network files with your web browser.
Try It Yourself
- Click here to download a .csv file with example shortcuts.
- Add the example shortcuts in nVoq.Administrator by uploading the .csv file. See Upload Shortcuts.
- Run the shortcuts to try them out.
- Launch AgentAssist
- Press the F4 key to open the popup shortcut menu and select these shortcut commands:
- nVoq Home Page
- Support Site
- A Fun Webpage
Open Files, Folders and Applications
Shortcuts that open files, folders, and applications are for you if you:
- Open the same documents and folders over and over again
- Have to click multiple times to navigate to information you need
- Open the same applications every day
Try It Yourself
Because each computer may be different, we won't provide a .csv file with sample shortcuts. They might not work on your machine! Instead use the following examples as patterns to make your own.
Provide a fully qualified path. Spaces in paths are allowed.
- WINDOWS:
C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe
- WINDOWS:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\EXCEL.EXE
Provide a network path.
- WINDOWS:
\\mynetworkhost\Training\AgentAssistUniversity
- WINDOWS:
\\user_apps\Programs\Setup.exe
Tips for Finding a Path
Use Windows Explorer to browse to an item, then copy the path and name.- Example:
C:\Windows\System32
- Example:
C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe
Application Parameters (Optional)
Many applications include support for "parameters" (also known as application arguments, command-line switches, or command-line arguments) that provide additional information to an application when it starts.
- To add in AgentAssist, click the radio button in the shortcut wizard.
Examples with Parameters
Parameters are application-specific. To find information on parameters for your application, try a web search using the name of your application along with following terms: application parameters, application arguments, command-line switches, or command-line arguments.
Parameters with spaces must be quoted (either single or double quotes are OK).
In the following examples, the parameters are shown in red:
Open a file and interpret with ANSI encoding:
- Example:
C:\Windows\System32\notepad.exe /A myFile.txt
Open a file in read-only mode:
- Example:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 15\root\office15\EXCEL.EXE /r "C:\my File.xlsx"
Open a file with a specific program:
- Example:
C:\Windows\System32\notepad++.exe myFile.txt
Open a web page with a specific browser:
TIP: Put the path to the browser as the Written Form, and put the URL to the web page as the application parameter.
- Example:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Firefox https://support.nvoq.com/nvoq-dictation
Insert Template (for Select and Say)
Templates are designed to work with in the "Select and Say" window in AgentAssist.
An Insert Template shortcut allows you to:
- Use templates to help you collect all the information you need for a particular job.
- Include variables in the written form to insert variable text.
A template shortcut launches the Select and Say window in AgentAssist (whether or not it is enabled) and inserts the contents of the template into that window. If the Select and Say window is already open, running an Insert Template shortcut inserts the shortcut text (or template) into the Select and Say window at the location of the cursor.
The written form of the template can be the same as shortcuts that insert text. However, by adding a pair of open and close single square brackets [ ] or double square brackets [[ ]] to a Template shortcut, you create a template that can be navigated in the Select and Say window.
- Single square bracket fields[ ] allow you to advance through the fields within the Select and Say window using shortcut commands, keys on your keyboard, or buttons on a hand-held microphone.
- In SayIt, Double square bracket fields [[ ]] allowed you to advance through the fields automatically after dictating. SayIt was retired in December 2022.
Try It Yourself
- Click here to download a .csv file with example shortcuts.
- Add the example shortcuts in nVoq.Administrator by uploading the .csv file. See Upload Shortcuts.
- Run the shortcuts to try them out.
- Launch AgentAssist
- Press the F4 key to open the popup shortcut menu and select these shortcut commands:
- Patient Notes
- Change Plan
- Invoice Adjustment
- Complete each template, then open Microsoft Word (or another text program) and place your cursor in that program before you click the checkmark button in the Select and Say window.
Keyboard Automations
Shortcuts that simulate keyboard input are for you if you:
- Use the Tab key, directional arrows, or click multiple times to navigate through forms, menus, and dialogs
- Don't use keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys because they are too hard to remember.
For example, in some spreadsheet applications, the following key sequence fills the current cell with yellow: ALT, H, H, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN, RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT
. But that's a lot of keys to remember and type in.
Try It Yourself
Because keyboard shortcuts and hotkeys are application-specific, we won't provide a .csv file with sample shortcuts. Instead, use the following examples as patterns to make your own.
In a Firefox browser, open a new tab:
Alt F, T
In Windows 10, open onscreen keyboard:
WINDOWS Ctrl O
In a text field or document, highlight the previous word and delete it.
shift ctrl LEFT, DELETE
Send("+^{LEFT}")
Send("{DELETE}")
In Microsoft Outlook, open a new message, type into the subject line (My Subject) and type some text in the body of the message (This is an example.)
ALT, H, N, TAB, TAB, SHIFT M, y, SPACE, SHIFT S, u, b, j, e, c, t, TAB, SHIFT T, h, i, s, SPACE, i, s, SPACE, a, n, SPACE, e, x, a, m, p, l, e, PERIOD
How Do I Enter Keys?
Generally, enter a key (e) or a key combination (Shift S) separated by a comma (,) as shown in the examples above.
All characters on US English keyboard are allowed in a keyboard automation. Characters that are not on a US English keyboard (like ø
, Æ
, or þ
) are automatically removed when you save the shortcut.
To enter your key combination:
- In the AgentAssist "New Shortcut" window, select Keyboard Automation.
- On the screen when you enter the key combination, click the Insert a Key button and press a key or combination of keys on your keyboard, then click OK.
- Alternatively, you can enter your key sequence manually. Some combinations are prohibited or must be entered manually. See Known Limitations.
Be sure to test your shortcut in AgentAssist as you're working to quickly find problems or where you might need to add delays.
SHIFT
key may not be recognized while running automations if the Num Lock key is enabled. As a work-around, run your keyboard automation with Num Lock disabled. UP
, DOWN
, RIGHT
, and LEFT
arrow keys may be recognized as NUMPAD8
, NUMPAD2
, NUMPAD 6
, and NUMPAD4
(respecitvely) when Num Lock is enabled. As a work-around you can run keyboard automations with Num Lock disabled, or you can use a Workflow Automation shortcut that includes the command Send("+^{LEFT}")
in place of LEFT
.
Why Do I Need a Delay?
A delay causes AgentAssist to pause briefly before sending the next key(s). In some cases AgentAssist can send simulated keystrokes faster than your application, computer, or network can respond.
If your shortcut doesn't work as expected, you may need to add a delay to pause your shortcut while your application or computer catches up.
To add a delay:
- In the Keyboard Automation window where you enter the key combination, click the Insert a Delay button to add a default delay (200 milliseconds).
Each single "delay" = 200 milliseconds (5 delays = 1000 milliseconds or 1 second).
- You can add multiple "delays" or you can put an equal sign after a delay (
delay=
) with a specific time parameter after it to specify the length of a delay.For example: delay=1000
is a 1 second delay.You may specify a delay up to 120000
milliseconds (2 minutes).
Delay Examples
- Default Delay:
WINDOWS, UP, delay, RIGHT
- Multiple Delays:
WINDOWS, UP, delay, delay, delay, delay, delay, RIGHT
- Time-specified delay:
WINDOWS, UP, delay=1000,
RIGHT
In our previous example, insert a delay where you need to enter the pause in the key sequence.
In AgentAssist, open a New Shortcut dialog: Alt C, Alt C, delay, Alt N, Alt S
Shortcut is Running Message
A message will appear while a keyboard automation (that includes 10 commands or more) is running to notify the user that the automation is in progress. This message serves to minimize the possibility that the shortcut will malfunction or fail as a result of the user moving the cursor or changing focus of a window before AgentAssist completes the automation. It also gives the user the ability to stop the automation, if necessary.

Known Limitations of Keyboard Automations
- Keyboard automations have a 900,000 character limit. (A character is a typed symbol, not a keystroke. For example, "SHIFT" is 5 characters, even though it is 1 keystroke.)
- You cannot use your dictation or shortcut hotkeys in keyboard automations. (By default these are F2 and F3, but yours may be different.)
- Certain commands may be prohibited by your operating system. For example,
WINDOWS L
orCtrl + Alt + DELETE
. - Toggling the Num Lock key On or Off changes the behavior of other keys.
- The AgentAssist Insert a Key button may not allow all key combinations. Some must be entered manually.
- The Insert a Key button only enters capital letters. To type lowercase, enter the key manually.
- The
SHIFT
key may not be recognized in automations if the Num Lock key is enabled. As a work-around, run your keyboard automation with Num Lock disabled. - Due to a defect in Java, the
UP
,DOWN
,RIGHT
, andLEFT
arrow keys may be recognized asNUMPAD8
,NUMPAD2
,NUMPAD 6
, andNUMPAD4
(respecitvely) when Num Lock is enabled. As a work-around you can run keyboard automations with Num Lock disabled, or you can use a Workflow Automation shortcut that includes the commandSend("+^{LEFT}")
in place ofLEFT
. - Shortcuts are not encrypted on the AgentAssist server. We do not recommend including passwords in shortcuts.
HTML Automations
HTML Automations are shortcuts that open browser-based forms designed to input data.
- HTML automations can be written in any text editor, but we recommend that you use nVoq.Administrator to create and edit them.
- HTML Automations NOT written in nVoq.Administrator must have the following tag in order to report usage of the shortcut correctly in Review & Correct, on the Shortcut Monitor report, and on the Shortcut Usage report:
<script id="nvoqAutomationLib" src="js/nvoq-html-automation-library.js"></script>
Try It Yourself
- Click here to download a .csv file with example shortcut.
- Add the example shortcuts in nVoq.Administrator by uploading the .csv file. See Upload Shortcuts.
- Run the shortcut to try it out.
- Launch AgentAssist. If you're just opening AgentAssist for the first time, resources required to run HTML shortcuts will download (if your account is enabled to do so).
- Press the F4 key to open the popup shortcut menu and select this shortcut command:
- Example HTML Automation
- Complete the HTML Automation form, then open Microsoft Word (or another text program) and place your cursor in that program before you click the "Paste" button in the HTML automation.
Enable HTML Automations for AgentAssist Users
The ability to launch HTML Automation shortcuts in AgentAssist must be configured in nVoq.Administrator for the account.
- Go to the Accounts page and find the account for which you want to enable HTML Automations.
- On Edit Account page for that account look towards the bottom of the page for three radio buttons under HTML Shortcuts.
- Select HTML Shortcuts Version 2.
- Click Save.
- If the user was logged in when you made this change, they will need to close AgentAssist and re-launch it to pick up the change.
Known Limitations of HTML Automations
- HTML Automation shortcuts that were NOT created in nVoq.Administrator may not report usage correctly on the Review & Correct page, on the Monitor Shortcuts report, or on the Shortcut Usage report. The code needs to include this tag in order to report usage of the shortcut: <script id="nvoqAutomationLib" src="js/nvoq-html-automation-library.js"></script>
Workflow Automations
Workflow automations combine the ability to insert text and simulate keyboard input with scripting capabilities to automate repetitive tasks.
Shortcuts that automate workflow are for you if:
- Your work includes repetitive tasks
- You want to save time typing, opening web pages, launching applications and files, filling in repetitive information
- You want to be able to complete multiple tasks with a single command
Try It Yourself
- Click here to download a .csv file with example shortcuts.
- Add the example shortcuts in nVoq.Administrator by uploading the .csv file. See Upload Shortcuts.
- Run the shortcuts to try them out.
- Launch AgentAssist.
- Press the F4 key to open the popup shortcut menu and select this shortcut command:
- My Message
- Request Input
- Run Notepad
- Run Then Send
- Run Then Send Fast
- Shell Execute
Getting Started with Workflow Automations
AgentAssist is the only software required to use workflow automations. Below is information to help you learn to write workflow automations.
- Workflow automations are built on AutoIt software. Scripts can be written in any text editor, and there are several tools available to help. See www.autoitscript.com for examples, tutorials, function lists, documentation, and tools for writing scripts.
- An AutoIt editor is available in AgentAssist. Press Ctrl + ? (the Help icon), then select AU3 Editor or AU3Info for the window information utility.
- See also Known Limitations of Workflow Automations
Syntax at a Glance
Workflow automations are written using a BASIC-like scripting language. This table provides a few examples of workflow automation syntax.
I want to...
Add a comment to a script
Example Code Fragment: ; a semicolon indicates a comment
Note: Use a semicolon at the start of each line in a comment.
Start a program
Example Code Fragment: run ("notepad.exe")
Note: The run function can open programs such as Notepad.
Open a web page
Example Code Fragment: shellexecute ("www.nvoq.com")
Note: The shellexecute function can open a web page in your default web browser.
Open a file
Example Code Fragment: shellexecute ("C:\tmp\my_example.docx")
Note: The shellexecute function can open a file.
Simulate keyboard input
Example Code Fragment: send ("Hello {ENTER}")
Note: The send function can simulate typing, including keys such as ENTER or TAB.
Simulate repeated keyboard input
Example Code Fragment: send ("{TAB 4}")
Note: The send function can simulate typing the same key multiple times.
Simulate keyboard input of reserved characters
Example Code Fragment: send ("Use reserved characters like #, and !" , 1 )
Note: Function parameters configure the behavior of functions. In this example, reserved characters are sent as literals using the send function 1 parameter.
Simulate keyboard input and dynamic data
Example Code Fragment: send ("Thank you, " & $myName)
Note: Variables are supported and can be combined with stock text. See also Environment Variables.
Quickly simulate keyboard input
Example Code Fragment:
AutoItSetOption ("SendKeyDownDelay", 0)
AutoItSetOption ("SendKeyDelay", 0)
send("Here is a block of plain text")
Note: Options such as AutoItSetOption configure the behavior of your script.
Pause for a certain amount of time before doing the next action in a script
Example Code Fragment: sleep (3000)
Note: This sleep function hard codes a 3 second pause.
Paste Text from Clipboard
Example Code Fragment: send ("^v")
Note: If text is not already on the clipboard, you may have to add a sleep command like sleep ("100")
before this command in the code.
Wait for a particular window to open before doing the next action in a script
Example Code Fragment: WinWaitActive ("Gmail: Email from Google")
Note: The WinWaitActive function dynamically pauses the script until a named window is open and active.
About Timeouts
- By default, workflow automations timeout and exit after 10 minutes. The timeout is a fail-safe mechanism to prevent user-abandoned or improperly written scripts from continuing to run, consuming resources on the AgentAssist user’s computer.
- In most cases, AutoIt functions provide timeout parameters that are appropriate for the function. For example, the MsgBox function includes a timeout parameter that causes it to exit after a specified time without user intervention.
- You can configure a script timeout by adding a single line comment with this keyword:
;nvoq-timeout-seconds: <seconds>
(For example:;nvoq-timeout-seconds: 30
causes a script to exit after 30 seconds)- The comment can be added anywhere in the script.
- It must be on a line by itself.
- To disable the timeout entirely:
;nvoq-timeout-seconds: 0
- As a fail safe, scripts are now automatically terminated when the user exits AgentAssist. However, use caution when disabling the timeout as there may be unintended consequences.
Leverage Your Work with #include Statements
Use #include
statements to refer to standard scripts included with AgentAssist and your custom scripts.
Example #include Statements
- Use double quotes -OR- angled brackets around the file name.
#include <GUIConstantsEx.au3>
#include "GUIConstantsEx.au3"
- To refer to a custom script, make it into a AgentAssist shortcut and reference it by name.
#include <my shortcut command.au3>
#include "my shortcut command.au3"
- Be sure to include the
.au3
file extension. - The
#include-once
keyword specifies that include file(s) should only be included once.
The AutoIt Standard Script Library
The AutoIt standard library of scripts is downloaded to the user’s computer when AgentAssist is launched, and removed when the user exits AgentAssist. To see which scripts are included in the library, go to: %userprofile%\AppData\Local\temp\sayit_shortcuts\Include
Known Limitations of Workflow Automations
- Workflow automations have a 900,000 character limit including files referenced with #include statements.
- Excel supports a maximum number of 32,767 characters per cell.
- Exiting AgentAssist terminates any workflow automations that may still be running.