Picking a Unique Shortcut
There is a science to selecting the right shortcut for any Text Expander. We like to follow a "trigger" key convention that always relates to a group of shortcuts. Although not required to use triggers in text expanders, it is a highly recommended convention to use in practice.
The trigger key has the following properties:
- It's one character long
- It's unique, so we don't use it inadvertently
- It's easy to use
Selecting a Trigger
One Character Long. Since we are creating shortcuts, we want to select a trigger character that is brief.
Unique. We don't want the trigger character to overlap with a character we would use in an actual word or phrase. Let's say we chose "a" as a trigger key and we have an abbreviation "pple" for the phrase "Please provide legal explanation: ". Combining the trigger key and the shortcut would give us the abbreviation "apple".
Do you see the problem here? We might just want to type the word "apple", but our trigger wasn't unique enough and the word would get expanded inadvertently. By the way, this would be a problem even if you don't follow the trigger convention. Use a unique trigger key that you would never use to start a word.
Easy to Use. We want to minimize the amount of time it takes to use the trigger key, so function keys or any keys that require us to use the shift key are out of the question. Here is a list of easy to use triggers that follow our guidelines and have a high probability of not causing erroneous expansions.
- ";" → Semicolon key lands right under your pinky, no Shift Key required.
- "'" → Single quote key is to the right of the semicolon, no Shift Key required.
- "`" → Accent key is slightly above your left pinky, no Shift Key required.
- "/" → Forward slash key is below your right pinky, no Shift Key required.
- "," → Comma key is below your middle finger, no Shift Key required.
- "." → Period key is below your ring finger, no Shift Key required.
We want a trigger because it allows you to designate unique shortcuts that don't collide with other conventional words, phrases, acronyms, or terms.
Select Proper Shortcut. The shortcut is the characters used after the trigger to abbreviate the phrase or word we want Ditto to type for us. This choice is mostly a matter of preference and should be based on how easy it is to remember. The common choice is to select a shortcut based on the first letter of the words in the phrase. This allows you to initially remember the phrase while you memorize it through constant use. Then, it becomes second nature and you don't need to think to type.
Choosing a shortcut might seem difficult now, but investing some time in a convention-based methodology will pay off huge dividends when you start building a large library of shortcuts.
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.
Related Articles
- How to Create a Shortcut
- Easy Shortcut Conventions
- Video: Quick-Add a Shortcut
- How Auto-Suggest Works