DDO wiki:Shortcut

A shortcut is a specialized type of redirect page that provides an abbreviated wikilink to a project page or one of its sections, usually from the DDO_wiki namespace. They are commonly used on community pages and talk pages rather than in articles themselves. If there is a shortcut for a page or section, it is usually displayed in an information box labeled 'shortcuts:', as can be seen at the top of this page.

Shortcuts are created for the convenience of editors. It is possible to create a shortcut for any page at all.

How to Use a DDO wiki Shortcut
A DDO wiki shortcut can be entered into the DDO wiki search box to quickly bring you to a project page. For example, you can type DDO:R into the search box and then press the enter key (or click the magnifying glass icon), to get to the DDO_wiki:Redirect page, instead of having to type in the complete phrase. Alternatively, you can use a shortcut in the URL in your browser's address bar. For example, you are currently viewing the DDO_wiki:Shortcut page. The URL for this page is. You could then get from here to the DDO_wiki:Redirect page by replacing DDO_wiki:Shortcut with DDO:R in the address bar, followed by pressing the enter key. (If your browser has relative URL entry, simply prefix the shortcut with ./ instead of having to edit the existing URL.)

Shortcuts are presented in all capital letters (ALL CAPS); however, the search box is case-insensitive. For example, in the search box, you can type ddo:r, instead of DDO:R. However, when using the URL method (or when making links) it is generally necessary to match the capitalization of the shortcut itself.

Readability
Shortcuts are often used on talk pages in their abbreviated form, without any piped links, decreasing readability for the general reader. For example, some editors are familiar with the bulk of the DDO_wiki namespace shortcuts, even recognizing what they stand for on sight; however, others are faced with pages full of incomprehensible jargon, the meanings of which are not immediately decipherable, if the reader happens to be offline.

While shortcuts can help with linking, it is best, when referring to a project page, to be mindful of the general reader and not use the shortcuts as a title, without piping their links. For example, the piped link: shortcuts, gives readers an idea of the subject of the target page, while just using the abbreviation DDO:SHC is unintelligible to those unfamiliar with the term. For this reason, many shortcuts are also created as common English words that are easily identifiable and memorable.

Link Boxes
Small link boxes, listing the names of the page's shortcuts, appear at the top of many pages, especially those on policies and guidelines. A shortcut link box can be added to a page, by placing the template  at the top of the page's text, while editing.

The point of these template boxes is not to list every single redirect for any given page (indeed, that's what Special:Whatlinkshere is for); instead, they generally should list only one or two common and easily remembered redirects.