Designing for users who may want to automate common tasks
I'm working on an application that will be used primarily by expert users who will be improving their efficiency over time. I have found great resources on Progressive Disclosure, Accelerators, Shortcuts, Keyboard Navigation, Skip Links, and Enhancements.
There is some opportunity within our application to provide users with the opportunity to increase their workflow through custom macros or automated tasks. (e.g. Maybe a hotkey to auto-select certain values on a set of form fields, or a series of keystrokes to auto-populate a field with a commonly used paragraph.)
My trouble is I'm having trouble finding any good documentation on best practices when it comes to automating tasks, specifically automation that is initiated by a user in the middle of a task.
To add some clarity, I am less interested in automating common processes behind the scenes, and more interested in offering quick macros to an expert user to more efficiently fill out common form patterns.
Does anyone have a good resources to point me towards? Is it possible I am approaching this problem from the wrong angle and perhaps there are better design solutions available?
Thanks in advance