Auto typer for online course portals

What it does in a course portal

You copy text you are allowed to submit, paste it into copypaster's pill instead of into the portal, click into the portal's editor, and press play. After a 3-2-1 countdown copypaster types the text into the editor one character at a time, at the speed you set, with the pauses and occasional corrected typo of a person typing. The portal receives ordinary keyboard input, because that is what it is: real operating-system keystrokes sent to the window in front, not a script running inside the page. So an editor that refuses a paste, or ignores it, takes the text the same way it takes your own typing.

Where people use it

Any portal with a text box works, because the keystrokes go to whichever window has focus. These are examples, not a complete list:

• Edmentum and Imagine Edgenuity written responses and essays.
• Schoology, Google Classroom, Canvas and Moodle assignment and discussion boxes.
• CodeHS and zyBooks, whose code editors run in the browser.
• NoRedInk writing exercises.
• Lab portals such as NetLab+, including the consoles they open in the browser.
• Acellus, a Windows desktop app rather than a website, so it works there too.

Why some portals do not accept pasted text

There are a few common reasons, and none of them is about the words. Some portals use a locked-down editor that turns paste off so answers are entered in the box itself. Browser code editors often only act on keystrokes: they auto-indent, close brackets and run checks as you type, and a paste skips or confuses all of that. And some forms validate on each key press, so a paste can leave a field that looks filled but counts as empty. In every case the editor accepts typing, which is what copypaster sends. The why paste does not work guide covers the mechanics in more detail.

How to auto type into a course portal

1. Download and open copypaster (free trial - 5 pastes, no card).
2. Copy your text, then paste it into copypaster's pill - not into the portal.
3. Set a speed. 60-90 WPM reads like an average typist.
4. Leave realistic timing on for natural pauses and the occasional corrected typo. For a code editor, turn on code mode.
5. Click into the portal's editor where you want the text to start, so the portal has focus.
6. Press play. After the 3-2-1 countdown, copypaster types the text into the editor.

Keep the portal tab or window in front until the run finishes: the keystrokes go to whichever window has focus, so switching to another window mid-run sends the rest of the text there instead. You can pause or stop at any time, and whatever has already been typed stays in the editor.

Speed settings

• 60-90 WPM - reads as a typist. The best choice when the portal keeps an edit history or a draft that saves as you go.
• 100-150 WPM - a fast typist, for longer answers.
• 150 WPM and up - faster than most people type. Use it when getting the text in matters more than how the typing reads.

Free trial and pricing

The download is free and includes 5 pastes with every feature unlocked, no credit card. After that, plans start at a few euros a month, and there is a one-time lifetime licence for people who use it every week. Current prices are on the pricing section.

What it changes, and what it does not

An auto typer changes how text arrives: as simulated keystrokes, at a typing pace, instead of as one paste. It does not change the words. Anyone or anything that reads the text, a teacher included, sees the same words whether they were typed or pasted. It is for text you are allowed to submit: your own writing, or text your course lets you use. If what you need is different writing, this is the wrong tool; if what you need is text you already have entered into an editor that only takes typing, it is the right one.

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