The Usual Suspects
Shortcuts are a great way to save time and reduce typos. The key to using Ditto is to create shortcuts for phrases you tend to use often. I'm sure some phrases come to mind right away, but there are others you might not notice because they are so ingrained in our routine. Fortunately, Ditto helps you create those shortcuts with a few nice features like Auto-Suggest and Quick-Add.
Anyway... you're here because you want to answer this question: How do I add a shortcut? Lets start with the basics.
The Basics
Adding shortcuts to Ditto is simple and fast. The basic way to add and organize shortcuts is by opening up the program from your system tray. Right-click on the Ditto icon and select "Open Shortcuts":
This will open up the application for editing. You'll notice the shortcut entry is on the top half of the window. Here you can enter the your shortcut. See our articles page for some ideas on how to select a good shortcut.
Although the group selection is optional, we strongly recommend you create logical groups. Organizing shortcuts into groups is convenient for future edits, printing shortcuts, and searching phrases. No matter which group you assign, though, the abbreviation will expand in any application. You can also disable shortcuts by group.
At this point you can begin typing the phrase you want Ditto to type for you whenever it notices your shortcut. You can type multiple lines of text and even assign the cursor to be placed within your phrase after expansion.
Press "Save" to store your new shortcut and you're done!
Check It Out
You can view your shortcut in the lower have of the window. Simply click on the group you assigned the shortcut to (or DEFAULT if you didn't assign a shortcut). You're all set. You can use this shortcut to type the full phrase anywhere on your PC.
Ditto Text Expander
Ditto is the perfect tool to improve your typing productivity. It works with any program on your PC to substitute shortcuts you type with full phrases.
No memorization required: you can also add text blocks to auto-complete phrases as you type. Ditto is easy to learn and easy to use. You'll be more productive instantly with a utility that grows with your skills... seamlessly.
Some common uses for Ditto are medical transcription, programming, instant messaging, professional job-related software, and any repetitive typing tasks that are time consuming and error prone.