Text Shortcuts

Text shortcuts are abbreviated text that Ditto will replace with long repetitive text to help you type faster and avoid typos.

In this section we will go over the following topics:

• Create a Plain Text Shortcut
• Create a Formatted (Rich Text) Shortcut
• Delete a Shortcut
• Edit a Shortcut
• Move a Shortcut Across Groups
• Quick-Add a Shortcut
• Add a Suggested Common Phrase
• Using Shortcuts
• Conditional Space
• Undo a Shortcut
• Functions
• Printing Shortcuts
• Searching Shortcuts
• Sorting Shortcuts

Create a Plain Text Shortcut

The basic way to create a plain-text shortcut is through Ditto's main input screen using the "Text Shortcuts" tab. Text shortcuts is the basic functionality that Ditto was built to do. You type a shortcut, Ditto will substitute it with a longer phrase you have pre-defined. Simple and powerful text expansion is what Ditto excels at. To see how a formatted shortcut is created , go to that section.

To create a shortcut:

1. Enter a shortcut text (typically 3-8 characters long).
2. Enter an optional group (highly recommended) to organize shortcuts.
3. Enter the full phrase you want typed for you.
4. Click "Save".

You can also watch a video on how to create a shortcut.

Create a Formatted (Rich Text) Shortcut

Creating a formatted shortcut works exactly the same as creating a plain-text shortcut with the following two exceptions:

• Formatted text shortcuts must have the "Formatted Text" option selected.
• The phrase must be pasted with the text already formatted.

Creating a formatted shortcut gives you the opportunity to control the appearance and structure of the full text phrase. The best way to do this is to create the phrase in your favorite word processor (Word, Word Perfect, Wordpad, etc.) and paste the text into Ditto's phrase input field.

Select the "Formatted Text" option to force Ditto to keep the formatting. Otherwise, Ditto will strip the formatting and insert the phrase as plain text. Once the shortcut is created, you'll notice a formatted icon in your shortcut list in the lower half of the entry screen to distinguish it from the plain-text shortcuts.

You can edit and delete a formatted shortcut the same way as a plain-text shortcut.

Delete a Shortcut

To delete a shortcut, locate it within its group. You can sort the shortcut rows by shortcut or search the content for a particular keyword. Once selected, right-click and select "Delete Selected".

Edit a Shortcut

To edit a shortcut, locate it within its group. You can sort the shortcut rows by shortcut or search the content for a particular keyword. Once selected, either double-click the row you would like to edit or right-click after selection and click on "Edit Selected".

The shortcut data will get prefilled with the row you selected. Make your changes and click "Save". This will replace your original shortcut.

Move a Shortcut Across Groups

To move a shortcut to another group, simply drag and drop the shortcut into the group. First locate the shortcut you would like to move. Then click and keep your left mouse button down. Start dragging it to your destination group. Your mouse-pointer will change to the following while you drag the shortcut.

When your mouse is finally over the destination group, release the left mouse button. The shortcut is now in the destination group. Multiple shortcuts can be moved at the same time.

Quick-Add a Shortcut

Quick-Add is a simplified way to create a shortcut. By tapping the "Esc" key twice, the Quick-Add dialog will popup. If text is selected at the time, Ditto will attempt to prefill the phrase field with the selected data.

Enter the 3 basic inputs (only shortcut and the full text phrase are required). Click "Save" and the text shortcut is now ready to use.

Add a Suggested Common Phrase

Ditto will suggest phrases it recognizes you have used at least three times. A small, unobtrusive popup will show in your System Tray offering the phrase and if you would like to add it to your shortcut library. To add it, click the popup window like the one show here.

Once clicked, the Quick-Add dialog will popup with the phrase prefilled. All that is required is to enter a memorable shortcut string and an optional group. Click "Save" and the shortcut is now ready to use anywhere on your PC.

If the common phrase popup is ignored, it will disappear after a few seconds. If the phrase is ever typed again, Ditto will ignore it and the common phrase popup will never come up again. Go to the Common Phrase Report section to learn how to review the full list of phrases suggested by Ditto.

Using Shortcuts

Shortcuts can be used on most software in your PC. Some programs where Ditto might not be compatible is in DOS-based systems. Ditto has been tested in hundreds of programs successfully, however the best way to find out if it works in your environment is to try it out.

Ditto installs with a predefined set of "trigger" keys to fire off expansions. See the Preferences section to learn how to customize these triggers. Ditto uses the following punctuations to trigger a shortcut check:

• Space ( )
• Comma (,)
• Period (.)
• Enter Key
• Tab Key

The "Space" key has special meaning when used as an expansion key. Ditto treats the space character as a "tentative" space that will get deleted if a punctuation key is pressed. Punctuation keys include:

• Period
• Comma
• Question Mark
• Exclamation Mark
• Colon
• Semi-Colon

The tentative space method helps avoid typing Backspace whenever a shortcut is expanded. Trigger keys are limited to a limited set. Having the tentative space helps avoid adding trigger keys for all these punctuations.

Ditto keeps an internal buffer of the last few phrases typed. If you backspace a few words and modify a shortcut, Ditto will recognize it and substitute with its full phrase. This gives you the opportunity to correct mistakes while typing. Only the backspace key maintains the proper state. Using the arrow, page up/down, or home/end keys will clear these buffers.

Undoing Shortcuts

To undo a shortcut and keep the original shortcut key, press "Alt-Z". Your original shortcut should appear in the form prior to its expansion. The purpose of this hotkey is in some cases where you might have a shortcut that you would like to use in plain form.

Printing Shortcuts

Printing shortcuts is a great way to start off using Ditto. You can print out a set of shortcut (groups or part of a group) and keep it handy by your computer while you're typing. This can help you tremendously during the memorization process while you learn your full set of shortcuts.

To print a group of shortcuts, go to the lower half "Group" Section of the Text Shortcut tab. Select the group you would like to print. To print the entire group, simply click on the "Print" button. You can also limit the printed list by typing in part of the full phrase and searching for those. Once the phrases are there, you click "Print" to print out the current list of shortcuts.

Embedded Functions

Functions are variables or sequence of variables that control the keyboard. The keys are typically non-visible characters.

Below is the current set of macro variables:

• {backspace} → Simulates pressing the "Backspace" key once.

Searching Shortcuts

Searching for shortcuts is a great way to find out what shortcuts you already have and edit if necessary. You can search full text phrases only. Simply type in part of the phrase in the search field and hit "Enter" or click the search button.

Sorting Shortcuts

You can sort shortcuts within the selected group by clicking on the column you would like to sort. You can sort in ascending or descending order.