Note: The snippet abbreviation is in quotes (remove if pasting into TE), followed by the snippet.
Faster Markdown Links
These two are brazenly borrowed from Practically Efficient:
abbreviation: uurl snippet: [%clipboard](%|)
Use this when you have the url in clipboard: inserts link syntax, pastes the url in the right spot, and puts your curser into the anchor text brackets.
abbreviation: llink snippet: [%|](%clipboard)
Use this when you have the anchor text but not the url: inserts link syntax, pastes anchor text, and puts your curser into the url parens.
Faster Markdown Bold
abbreviation: ___ snippet: __%|__
abbreviation: *** snippet: **%|**
Two different ways of getting depending on your preference, three asterisks or three dashes insert the Markdown syntax for bold and puts the cursor smack the middle, ready for writing.
Faster Markdown Italics
abbreviation: _+ snippet: _%|_
abbreviation: *( snippet: *%|*
I choose this key combination because “_+” and “*(” are each character combinations which are next to each other on the keyboard. Again the cursor is placed right in the middle of the Markdown syntax letting you keep writing.
Brett Terpstra, NValt developer and writer for TUAW, also has a great list of TextExpander snippets for Markdown and other uses. Let me know what you thing and you favorite Markdown/TextExpander snippets!