If you've ever had to create a dummy page, or if you've ever had to demonstrate using the Rich Content Editor to a group of learners, you've probably had the need for a text generator, and most of us are familiar with Lorem Ipsum text. I recently mentioned this in an impromptu CanvasLIVE chat (and if you want to know more about how that works, have a look at CanvasLIVE: 24/7 LIVE Chatrooms), and suggestions of other, more entertaining text generators started flying about.
So I decided to create a shared document to which we can all contribute our favorite text generators as well as methods of generating text. Please share your idea in the table below, and be sure to tag yourself in the last column.
| Text generator | Link | Sample text | Options | Comments (optional) | Contributed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lorem ipsum generator | http://www.webpagefx.com/tools/lorem-ipsum-generator/ | Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer nec odio. Praesent libero. Sed cursus ante dapibus diam. Sed nisi. Nulla quis sem at nibh elementum imperdiet. Duis sagittis ipsum. Praesent mauris. Fusce nec tellus sed augue semper porta. Mauris massa. Vestibulum... | Number of paragraphs, words, or sentences | stefaniesanders | |
| Bacon ipsum: A Meatier Lorem Ipsum Generator | Bacon Ipsum - A Meatier Lorem Ipsum Generator | Bacon ipsum dolor amet tenderloin leberkas jowl, kevin ham chuck landjaeger bresaola shank pancetta. Tail ham cupim kielbasa shank. Filet mignon jerky meatloaf meatball picanha beef shank burgdoggen capicola kielbasa ... | All Meat, Meat and Filler, Make it Spicy | Deactivated user | |
| Pirate Ipsum | http://pirateipsum.me/ | Chain Shot Nelsons folly Jolly Roger topgallant cable yardarm Gold Road swab gally rum. Snow parrel man-of-war grog blossom ahoy Privateer come about run a rig Cat o'nine tails booty. Nipperkin chase guns... | Number of words per sentence, sentences per paragraph, number of paragraphs | @Chris_Hofer | |
| Veggie Ipsum | Veggie Ipsum - the vegetarian lorem ipsum generator | Veggies es bonus vobis, proinde vos postulo essum magis kohlrabi welsh onion daikon amaranth tatsoi tomatillo melon azuki bean garlic.... | Copy existing text or "grow" new text | Equal time for vegans! | stefaniesanders |
Lyric Ipsum as of 1/11/2019 this site is not working | Lyric Ipsum | I'll write home every day. Whisper words of wisdom, let it be. (1409607566242). She is standing right in front of me. Living in the world agree. the lips I am missing. Remember I'll always be... | Enter the name of your favorite band in the search box |
| stefaniesanders |
| Lyric Ipsum! | Lyric Ipsum! | Let it be, let it be. Let it be. And when the night is cloudy. Living in the world agree. Let it be. Yeah, let it be, let it be. Let it be, yeah, let it be. Speaking words of wisdom.... | Name of band, name of song, number of paragraphs, Latin/No Latin | stefaniesanders | |
| Cupcake Ipsum | Cupcake Ipsum - Sugar-coated Lorem Ipsum Generator | Powder cake tootsie roll. Cake chocolate cake wafer pie. Liquorice ice cream cookie gummi bears sesame snaps gummi bears icing pie gummi bears. Lemon drops sweet roll croissant sweet... | Number of short/medium/long paragraphs, "Give your text some 'love'" | Warning: This will make you want a cupcake.  | @stuart_ryan |
| aText | aText - Typing accelerator - Text macro utility for Mac. | n/a | Add shortcuts for your favorite Ipsum generator(s) to this app for Mac | Deactivated user | |
| PhraseExpress | Autotext - Text Expander for Windows - Snippets Manager | n/a | Generate boilerplate templates of your choosing | This is my go-to for making the same comment on every student's submission in SpeedGrader. | stefaniesanders |
| Riker Ipsum | Riker Ipsum | I'm afraid I still don't understand, sir. Captain, why are we out here chasing comets? I can't. As much as I care about you, my first duty is to the ship. and attack the Romulans. We could cause a diplomatic crisis. Take the ship into the Neutral Zone | Can click "more" to create longer paragraphs | All STNG Riker quotes, all the time | @tdelillo |
| Cat Ipsum | Cat Ipsum | Cat ipsum dolor sit amet, paw at beetle and eat it before it gets away. See owner, run in terror put butt in owner's face yet curl up and sleep on the freshly laundered towels yet chase dog then run away stare at ceiling light find something else more interesting. Paw at your fat belly i like big cats and i can not lie lounge in doorway or toy mouse squeak roll over attack the dog then pretend like nothing happened or purr for no reason. | # of paragraphs, [Standard || Lorem Only || Just Breeds], title, sub copy, start with "Cat ipsum dolor" | Vets have told me that appreciate its humor | @hsiao_62 |
| Hipster Ipsum | https://hipsum.co/ | Esse ex tacos, synth flexitarian edison bulb gluten-free mlkshk twee sriracha mixtape. Succulents veniam shoreditch, disrupt irony organic squid dolore butcher cred ad dolor ea. Cred chicharrones plaid commodo velit, try-hard williamsburg activated charcoal consectetur iceland chia selvage fanny pack. | Choose between "Hipster, neat" and "Hipster, with a shot of Latin" | Possibly offensive; review text before publishing. | snufer |
| Postmodernism | Communications from Elsewhere | If one examines subpatriarchial theory, one is faced with a choice: either | Parses random grammar to generate random postmodern essays, complete with fake bibliographies. | This is fun, but could confuse students who might perceive it as actual text—so use sparingly. | @nathanatkinson |
| Office Ipsum | Office Ipsum - Dummy Copy for the Corporate World | Focus on the customer journey. Big data. Drink from the firehose i don't want to drain the whole swamp, i just want to shoot some alligators we’re starting... | Choose from Office Ipsum ("what you've heard in every meeting ever"), Client Ipsum ("typical feedback clients like to give"), and good old fashioned Lorem Ipsum. | Review for suitability with intended audience. | @nathanatkinson |
| Corporate Ipsum | https://www.cipsum.com/ | Leverage agile frameworks to provide a robust synopsis for high level overviews. Iterative approaches to corporate strategy foster collaborative thinking to further the overall value proposition... | Corporate-speak, simplified. | Review for suitability with intended audience. | @nathanatkinson |
| Trollem Ipsum | Trollem Ipsum - Having trouble finding the right words? | (from an Apple Fanboy who is "new at this"): Battery drain apparently best design, this is why profit. | Choose from the dropdown list of troll types. | Use at your own risk.  | @nathanatkinson |
