Quick Text Guide

Quick Text is a text expansion feature that helps you caption images faster. Instead of typing out full names and descriptions repeatedly, you define short codes that expand into longer text when triggered.

For example, if you're photographing a sports event, you might type v04 and have it expand to "Colts QB Ted Jorge" instantly. No trigger character needed — delimiter-free mode matches as you type. This saves time and reduces typing errors, especially when working on deadline.

1. Start typing your code in any caption field — in delimiter-free mode, just type the code directly (or type the trigger character first, if you've set one)
2. Wait for the dropdown to appear with replacement options (minimum 2 characters required)
3. Select an option using arrow keys + Enter, or click/tap on the desired replacement
4. The code is replaced with your selected text

Example in Action

Say you have a Quick Text rule for jersey number 04:

• Code: v04
• Option 1: "Colts QB Ted Jorge"
• Option 2: "Ted Jorge (4)"
• Option 3: "Ted Jorge"

When captioning, you type v04 in the Caption field. A dropdown appears with all three options. Select "Colts QB Ted Jorge" for a full identification, or "Ted Jorge" for just the name.

Quick Text rules are imported via CSV (comma-separated) or TSV (tab-separated) files. Each row defines one code with up to 3 replacement options.

Format

key,replacement1,replacement2,replacement3

Example CSV File

v04,Colts QB Ted Jorge,Ted Jorge (4),Ted Jorge
v12,Patriots WR Mike Smith,Mike Smith (12),Mike Smith
v88,Chiefs TE John Davis,John Davis (88),John Davis
coach1,Head Coach Bill Johnson,Coach Johnson,Bill Johnson
ref,Referee signals a penalty,Referee,Official

Using a Spreadsheet (Recommended)

1. Open Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers
2. Create 4 columns: Key, Replacement 1, Replacement 2, Replacement 3
3. Enter your codes and replacement text
4. Export as CSV or copy-paste into a text file

Using a Text Editor

1. Open any text editor (Notepad, TextEdit, VS Code)
2. Type each rule on its own line
3. Separate columns with commas or tabs
4. Save with a .csv or .txt extension

1. Open the gallery in DeadlineFTP
2. Click the menu icon (three dots) in the header
3. Select "Quick Text Settings"
4. Click "Choose File" and select your CSV/TSV file
5. Review the imported rules in the preview list
6. Click "Save All Changes" to apply

Instead of building roster files by hand, DeadlineFTP can generate Quick Text for you by pulling live roster data for major sports — the same built-in roster generator that ships in Deadline Editor:

• NFL — Professional football rosters
• NBA — Professional basketball rosters
• MLB — Professional baseball rosters
• NHL — Professional hockey rosters
• College sports — NCAA team rosters

Generate a roster into a gallery's Quick Text:

1. Open Quick Text Settings from the gallery menu
2. Open the Sports Roster Generator
3. Pick a league and roster source, then choose the teams playing
4. Set home/visitor prefixes and generate
5. Review the generated entries and click Save All Changes

Generated entries include player codes based on jersey numbers, team prefixes (home/visitor), and full player descriptions ready for captioning — and they merge into your existing Quick Text just like an imported file.

Plain audio-to-caption transcription turns a voice memo into caption text. Enhanced roster ID goes a step further: DeadlineFTP matches the player names and jersey numbers you speak against your loaded roster — the same Quick Text roster data from the Sports Roster Generator — and resolves them to the correct player identification in the caption.

The Workflow

1. Record a short voice memo on the camera naming players or calling out jersey numbers as you shoot (e.g., "touchdown, number 4 to number 88")
2. The camera transmits the memo with the image over FTP, just like any transcription (matched by base filename — no separate upload)
3. The server transcribes the memo to text
4. Numbers and names are matched to your roster — the Quick Text roster you loaded or generated for the game
5. The proper player IDs are written into the caption, so "number 4" becomes the full identification from your roster

By default, Quick Text uses delimiter-free mode — just start typing a code directly and matches appear automatically. No trigger character required.

Optional: Custom trigger character

If you prefer to use a trigger character instead of delimiter-free mode, you can set one for desktop and/or mobile separately. This is useful if you find delimiter-free mode too aggressive for your workflow.

To set a trigger character:

1. Open Quick Text Settings from the menu
2. Find the Desktop Delimiter and Mobile Delimiter fields
3. Enter your preferred character, or leave blank for delimiter-free mode
4. Click Save All Changes

When you use Quick Text in the Caption field, the system can automatically populate the Persons (Person in Image) field with the name-only version of your selection.

How it works

• The third replacement option (column 4) is used as the "name only" value
• When you select any option in the Caption field, the third option is added to Persons
• The first Quick Text use on an image replaces any existing Persons value
• Subsequent uses append names with commas (avoiding duplicates)

• Keep codes short - 2-4 characters work best for fast typing
• Use consistent naming - Prefix codes by type (v = visitor, h = home, s = staff)
• Include name-only options - Always add a third column for the Persons field
• Prepare files in advance - Build rosters before events when possible
• Test before deadlines - Import and verify rules before critical shoots
• Back up your files - Keep CSV files organized by event/team for reuse