User's Guide
Tools
Ditto comes with Tools that enable it to perform additional functions useful for increasing your productivity further. The tools menu can be accessed from the main entry window or by right-clicking the Ditto icon in the System Tray.
Below are the items covered in this section:
- Shortcut Generator
- Phrase Finder
- Common Phrase Report
- Importing
- Download - Free Groups
- Backup and Recovery
- Statistics Report
Phrase Finder
The Phrase Finder is a utility within Ditto that will scan your documents or files for commonly used phrases. It can scan multiple files at once and compile a list of common phrases by the number of times they appeared in your files. Use the Phrase Finder to harvest your shortcut and phrase dictionary.
With the Phrase Finder, you can avoid manually entering in your common phrases.
Opening Phrase Finder
You can open the Phrase Finder in any of the following places:
- Startup Wizard
- "Tools" menu in the main entry screen
- "Tools" menu by right-clicking the System Tray icon
File Selection
The file selection screen is the first screen in the Phrase Finder wizard.
In this step you highlight the file, on the left side of the window, and press the right-arrow button between the two lists to add them to the "List of Files to Scan for Phrases" window.
To add multiple files, hold the "Ctrl" down as you click the file and then press the right-arrow button. To add all the files in the current folder, press the double right-arrow button.
The Phrase Finder only scans plain text files (any file that ends in ".txt") or Word document files (any file that ends in ".doc"). Note, the Phrase Finder will not read a Word file unless Word is installed on you computer. If Word is not installed on your computer, you can save the contents of your Word Documents as "Plain Text" before having it scanned.
Once the list of files to scan is ready, press the "Next" button in the lower-right corner of the screen.
Run Finder
In the finder screen, you can scan your files multiple times using parameters to configure the output.
Parameters & File Section
The parameters section consists of 3 inputs you can change to control how the Phrase Finder searches for phrases and what output it decides to show.
Minimum letters in a phrase This parameter will force the finder to ignore phrases with less than this many letters. For instance, a parameter of 6 will force the finder to ignore any phrase that is 5 letters or less. Here are some examples:
- "according to" → Would be allowed.
- "and a" → Would be ignored.
- "is the" → Would be allowed.
Maximum letters in a phrase This parameter will force the finder to ignore phrases with more than this many letters. For instance, a parameter of 30 will force the finder to ignore any phrase that is 31 letters or more.
Minimum occurrences of a phrase This parameter will force the finder to ignore phrases that don't appear this many times in your documents. You define what is "common enough" by changing this parameter. A value of 3 will force the finder to ignore phrases that occur once or twice.
Press the "Find Phrases" button to start the process. The Finder will start reading each file in the "Files" section. Each file in the file section has a colored light icon to the left. Here are the definitions of each color:
- Yellow Light → Pending Read.
- Red Light → Error Reading File.
- Green Light → Successfully Read & Processed File.
The "Reset All" button sets the parameters to its default values.
Output Section
The output table in the lower half of the screen displays each phrase with the following fields:
- Include → Include this phrase for importing
- Occurrences → Number of times the phrase appeared
- Phrase → The common phrase found by the "Phrase Finder"
All columns in the output table are sortable by clicking on the title. Click again to toggle sorting.
To exclude a phrase from the import, un-check the "Include" box. You can highlight multiple rows and right-click to change whether to include or exclude all highlighted rows.
Import Type Section
There are 2 possible destinations for your phrases.
- As Text Shortcuts Choose this type if you would like to use shortcuts to to type these phrasees.
- As Text Blocks Choose this type if you would like to start typing the phrase, and let the Visual Advisory window offer to complete it for you.
Choosing the "Text Shortcuts" import type will link to the "Shortcut Generator" in the next step to automatically assign shortcuts to these phrases. To read more about the "Shortcut Generator" tool, go to that section.
Press "Next" when your phrases are ready for importing. If you chose "As Text Shortcuts", the next step in the wizard will be the Shortcut Generator If you chose "As Text Blocks", the next step will be the import screen.
Shortcut Generator
The Shortcut Generator is a utility that will use the conventional "ABC" method to automatically generate shortcuts for a list of phrases. It's embedded as part of the import process. You can use it to import a file that you don't have shortcuts for. It's also used by the Phrase Finder once it compiles a list of phrases from your documents. The Shortcut Generator is exclusively for text shortcuts. Text Blocks don't require shortcuts.
The Shortcut Generator accepts 4 parameters before it attempts to generate shortcuts.
- Min Shortcut Length This is the minimum number of characters required to produce a shortcut. The shortcut length includes any prepended and appended characters. Note, a high value increases the likelihood of creating shortcuts longer than the actual phrase.
- Max Shortcut Length This is the maximum number of characters required to produce a shortcut. The shortcut length includes any prepended and appended characters. Note, a low value increases the likelihood of creating duplicate shortcuts.
- Shortcut Prepend Any fixed characters you may want to prepend to every shortcut as they get generated. This is typically useful if you would like to remember phrase types by a specific character.
- Shortcut Append Any fixed characters you may want to append to every shortcut as they get generated. This is typically useful if you would like to remember phrase endings by a certain character.
Once the parameters are defined, press "Generate" to begin the process. The importer will take over from this point on with the newly generated shortcuts. The invalid shortcuts shortcuts will show any errors the Shortcut Generator may have produced. You can fix them and re-run the generator with new parameters or phrases.
Below are a listing of typical errors used by the Shortcut Generator:
- Length of phrase smaller than shortcut A shortcut won't be generated in this case since the productivity gain by using the shortcut is lost.
- Failed to generate a unique shortcut This is typically caused by a small "Max Shortcut Length" value. Increasing this parameter will solve this issue.
Additional errors are generated by the "Importer" and are related to issues with importing the shortcuts and phrases to your groups. Go to the import shortcuts section to read more about importing and relevant import errors.
Importing Shortcuts
Importing shortcuts is a fast way to load shortcuts in bulk. Along with basic text files in "shortcut, long phrase" format, Ditto can import from the following file formats:
- MS Word AutoCorrect Dictionary
- MS Word AutoText Dictionary
- Emdat Inscribe AutoText Shortcuts
- Instant Text Glossaries
Palabrio Software is constantly updating this list with additional libraries.
Here is a spreadsheet file that includes the shortcuts and long phrases in the proper format. Save the spreadsheet as a CSV file type so Ditto can recognize it during the import.
You can also watch a video on how to prepare and import a plain-text file in your favorite spreadsheet program.
Using the "Tools" menu, go to "Import" sub-menu.
To import shortcuts, click on "Text File - As Text Shortcut".
To import phrases, click on "Text File - As Text Blocks".
In the "Import Datafile" dialog. Click the "Select..." button to locate the file you would like to import.
Once you select the datafile to import, Ditto will attempt to parse it. The "Group Name" field will be filled with the name of the file. You can edit this to a currently available group or type in a new name to create a group for this set of shortcuts.
Ditto will report errors if it can't parse the file. The file will fail to import if it's in an invalid format. The format requirements for a "Text File - As Text Shortcuts" are:
- Each line is in "shortcut, long phrase" format.
- The delimiter between the two columns is either a comma or a TAB
If Ditto successfully imports the data file, you should see a breakdown of the imported shortcuts between "Valid" and "Invalid". Your shortcuts are not imported yet, this is only a preliminary import that validates whether the file is legible by Ditto's Importer.
Valid shortcuts means Ditto will successfully import the file once you click the "Import" button. Invalid shortcuts means those particular shortcuts failed validation. Typical reasons a shortcut fails to validate are:
- Invalid Character In Shortcut. There are characters like tab and space that break up a shortcut string.
- Duplicate Shortcut. The shortcut you are trying to import is already defined in one of your groups. Shortcuts are unique system-wide, regardless of the group they are in.
Once you are satisfied with the valid shortcuts, click "Import". Your shortcuts should appear in the group you assigned to the imported shortcuts.
Import MS Word® AutoCorrect
Importing AutoCorrect and AutoText entries is easier than importing from a text file because Ditto automatically finds your dictionaries. All that is required is to review the entries and import.
First, select the dictionary you would like to import to Ditto. AutoCorrect and AutoText are distinct dictionaries within Word. Be sure to know the difference between the two before performing the import. Ditto will recognize AutoCorrect entries as having a "shortcut" → "long phrase" relationship, and therefore import them to your Text Shortcuts.
Alternatively, AutoText entries get imported to your Text Blocks since there is only a full phrase without a shortcut. Go to the Text Blocks section in the user's guide to see how to import AutoText entries.
Once the import is verified, you can review your valid and invalid entries. Click "Import" to load your AutoCorrect shortcuts to Ditto.
You'll be notified to turn off AutoCorrect in MS Word. Please do so to avoid duplicate expansions in your documents.
In this example, you can see "Word AutoCorrect" under its own group. You have the option of changing the group name by selecting a predefined group or typing in a new one. These shortcuts are now ready to use anywhere on your PC.
Import MS Word® AutoText
Importing AutoText entries is easier than importing from a text file because Ditto automatically finds your dictionaries. All that is required is to review the entries and import.
First, select the dictionary you would like to import to Ditto. AutoCorrect and AutoText are distinct dictionaries within Word. Be sure to know the difference between the two before performing the import. Ditto will recognize AutoText entries as only holding a single block of text, and therefore import them to your Text Blocks.
Alternatively, AutoCorrect entries get imported to your Text Shortcuts since there is a "shortcut" → "long phrase" relationship. Go to the Text Shortcuts section to see how to import AutoCorrect entries.
Once the import is verified, you can review your valid and invalid entries. Click "Import" to load your AutoText text blocks to Ditto.
You'll be notified to turn off AutoText in MS Word. Please do so to avoid duplicate expansions in your documents.
In this example, you can see "Word AutoText" under its own group. You have the option of changing the group name by selecting a predefined group or typing in a new one. These text blocks are now ready to use anywhere on your PC.
Common Phrase Report
The Common Phrase Report uses the same data that the auto-suggest feature uses. It, however, keeps a running total of the number of times you've used a specific phrase. This is a great way to review the phrases you might want to add to your shortcut library. You could review this report periodically if you find that the popups are counterproductive while you type.
To add a shortcut from the Common Phrase Report, select the row you would like to add, and click on "Add Selection". Alternatively, you can double-click a row to add it. The Quick-Add dialog will pop up with the full phrase field filled in with the common phrase. All that is required is to type in a shortcut and optional group. Click "Save" to add the new shortcut to Ditto.
Free Shortcut Downloader
You can download a list of text shortcuts from Palabrio Software In the "Tools" menu, under "Download". There are free shortcuts available for instant download and importing. It's a great way to get started using shortcuts while you build your own library. Shortcuts are broken up by category and downloadable as groups.
Select the category you would like to view groups for on the left side. Then, select from the list of available groups. Once a group is selected, press the "Download" button. This will bring up the importer where you can proceed to add the new group to your list of shortcuts.
Backup and Recovery
Ditto provides full backup and recovery of all your data and preferences. The backup file is fully compressed and portable.
Select "Backup Data" in the "Tools" menu to bring up the backup location selection screen. Name the file (or use the default) and find a location where you would like to keep the backup. It's highly advised to keep a backup file in a separate hard drive or portable media in case of hard drive failure. Press "Backup" when complete.
Select "Recover Data" in the "Tools" menu to bring up the recover location selection screen. Find the backup file and press "Recover" when complete. Note, any shortcuts and preferences currently saved in Ditto will be completely replaced with the data from the backup file.
Show Statistics
Ditto compiles useful statistics as you type to keep track of your typing productivity. You can see how much Ditto is helping you and whether you need to utilize Ditto more to become a faster typer.
Count of Words You Typed. This is a rolling counter of the number of words you've typed on your computer while Ditto was open. This figure is used to calculate your typing speed.
Count of Words Ditto Typed. This gives you a relative figure to see how much you are utilizing Ditto. Statistics show that most words we type are repetitive. If you aren't utilizing Ditto's ability to reduce repetitive typing, this figure will be low relative to the number of words you've typed.
Your Avg Words Per Minute. This figure is the average words you type per minute without using Ditto. It's a rough estimate of your typing speed excluding any intervention from Ditto shortcut substitutions.
Your Avg Words Per Minute Using Ditto. This figure is the average words including the assistance of Ditto. You can compare your typing productivity improvement versus not using a text expander.
Percent Improvement Using Ditto. This number is the increase in productivity of using Ditto in percentage terms. This figure utilizes the prior two values to derive a percentage improvement.
Count of Keys Saved Using Ditto. This is a basic count of the number of keys Ditto typed for you.
Amount of Time Saved Using Ditto. This value calculates the number of minutes saved using Ditto. It's a great way to measure the value of using Ditto.
The statistics show how much you are utilizing the power of Ditto Text Expander. There are many ways to improve your productivity and save more time. The more you use Ditto the more value you can get from it.