A tool/add-on to add text-shortcuts (canned text) to thunderbird

Question

To my dismay Thunderbird does not support canned-text or shortcuts for text editing.

I type some URLs or sentences a couple of times a week and would like to find something that allows me to define some text shortcuts like "support-download" that expand into an url, sentence or paragraph of text.

It's mainly intended for Tunderbird under Windows, but would not hurt if it could do that to WinWord or Libre Office too.

Answer 1

AutoHotKey will allow you to create canned text that can be used across applications. From the websites blurb:

Expand abbreviations as you type them. For example, typing "btw" can automatically produce "by the way".

Answer 2

Slightly more than boilerplate text – which it performs admirably – I use the incomparable Ditto clipboard manager.

It allows me to store multiple clipboard copies and past them when I want, which is invaluable. Plus, of course, your desired boilerplate, plus is it is free, works with images & much, much, more:

Ditto is an extension to the standard windows clipboard. It saves each item placed on the clipboard allowing you access to any of those items at a later time. Ditto allows you to save any type of information that can be put on the clipboard, text, images, html, custom formats, .....

Features
• Easy to use interface
• Search and paste previous copy entries
• Keep multiple computer's clipboards in sync
• Data is encrypted when sent over the network
• Accessed from tray icon or global hot key
• Select entry by double click, enter key or drag drop
• Paste into any window that excepts standard copy/paste entries
• Display thumbnail of copied images in list
• Full Unicode support(display foreign characters)
• UTF-8 support for language files(create language files in any language)
• Uses sqlite database (www.sqlite.org)

It also lets you edit stored clips, pin "sitcky" clips, autodelete old or duplicate clips ...

64 bit available , as is a portable version.

Obligatory screenshot :