diff --git a/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js b/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
index 9b0623d4..ef57e12f 100644
--- a/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
+++ b/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
@@ -286,6 +286,10 @@ function fragmentHash(fragmentId) {
     return '#' + fragmentId;
 }
 
+function getShortName(longname) {
+    return name.shorten(longname).name;
+}
+
 /**
  * Build an HTML link to the symbol with the specified longname. If the longname is not
  * associated with a URL, this method simply returns the link text, if provided, or the longname.
@@ -308,6 +312,8 @@ function fragmentHash(fragmentId) {
  * @param {string=} options.linkMap - The link map in which to look up the longname.
  * @param {boolean=} options.monospace - Indicates whether to display the link text in a monospace
  * font.
+ * @param {boolean=} options.shortenName - Indicates whether to extract the short name from the
+ * longname and display the short name in the link text. Ignored if `linkText` is specified.
  * @return {string} The HTML link, or the link text if the link is not available.
  */
 function buildLink(longname, linkText, options) {
@@ -337,7 +343,7 @@ function buildLink(longname, linkText, options) {
     }
     else {
         fileUrl = hasOwnProp.call(options.linkMap, longname) ? options.linkMap[longname] : '';
-        text = linkText || longname;
+        text = linkText || (options.shortenName ? getShortName(longname) : longname);
     }
 
     text = options.monospace ? '<code>' + text + '</code>' : text;
@@ -503,6 +509,14 @@ var toTutorial = exports.toTutorial = function(tutorial, content, missingOpts) {
     return '<a href="' + tutorialToUrl(tutorial) + '">' + content + '</a>';
 };
 
+function shouldShortenLongname() {
+    if (env.conf && env.conf.templates && env.conf.templates.useShortNamesInLinks) {
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    return false;
+}
+
 /**
  * Find `{@link ...}` and `{@tutorial ...}` inline tags and turn them into HTML links.
  *
@@ -552,7 +566,8 @@ exports.resolveLinks = function(str) {
 
         return string.replace( tagInfo.completeTag, buildLink(target, linkText, {
             linkMap: longnameToUrl,
-            monospace: monospace
+            monospace: monospace,
+            shortenName: shouldShortenLongname()
         }) );
     }
 
diff --git a/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js b/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
index 6a363108..47215f5b 100644
--- a/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
+++ b/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
@@ -1432,30 +1432,17 @@ describe("jsdoc/util/templateHelper", function() {
         });
     });
 
-    // couple of convenience functions letting me set conf variables and restore
-    // them back to the originals later.
-    function setConfTemplatesVariables(hash) {
-        var keys = Object.keys(hash);
-        var storage = {};
-
-        for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; ++i) {
-            storage[keys[i]] = env.conf.templates[keys[i]];
-            // works because hash[key] is a scalar not an array/object
-            env.conf.templates[keys[i]] = hash[keys[i]];
-        }
-
-        return storage;
-    }
-
-    function restoreConfTemplates(storage) {
-        var keys = Object.keys(storage);
-
-        for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; ++i) {
-            env.conf.templates[keys[i]] = storage[keys[i]];
-        }
-    }
-
     describe("resolveLinks", function() {
+        var conf;
+
+        beforeEach(function() {
+            conf = doop(env.conf.templates);
+        });
+
+        afterEach(function() {
+            env.conf.templates = conf;
+        });
+
         it('should translate {@link test} into a HTML link.', function() {
             var input = 'This is a {@link test}.';
             var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
@@ -1606,84 +1593,103 @@ describe("jsdoc/util/templateHelper", function() {
         // conf.monospaceLinks. check that
         // a) it works
         it('if conf.monospaceLinks is true, all {@link} should be monospace', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({monospaceLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@link test}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.monospaceLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html"><code>test</code></a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         // b) linkcode and linkplain are still respected
         it('if conf.monospaceLinks is true, all {@linkcode} should still be monospace', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({monospaceLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@linkcode test}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.monospaceLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html"><code>test</code></a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         it('if conf.monospaceLinks is true, all {@linkplain} should still be plain', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({monospaceLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@linkplain test}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.monospaceLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html">test</a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         // conf.cleverLinks. check that
         // a) it works
         it('if conf.cleverLinks is true, {@link symbol} should be in monospace', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({cleverLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@link test}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.cleverLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html"><code>test</code></a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         it('if conf.cleverLinks is true, {@link URL} should be in plain text', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({cleverLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@link http://github.com}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.cleverLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="http://github.com">http://github.com</a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         // b) linkcode and linkplain are still respected
         it('if conf.cleverLinks is true, all {@linkcode} should still be clever', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({cleverLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@linkcode test}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.cleverLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html"><code>test</code></a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         it('if conf.cleverLinks is true, all {@linkplain} should still be plain', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({cleverLinks: true});
             var input = 'Link to {@linkplain test}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.cleverLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html">test</a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
         });
 
         // c) if monospaceLinks is additionally `true` it is ignored in favour
         //    of cleverLinks
         it('if conf.cleverLinks is true and so is conf.monospaceLinks, cleverLinks overrides', function() {
-            var storage = setConfTemplatesVariables({
-                cleverLinks: true,
-                monospaceLinks: true
-            });
             var input = 'Link to {@link test} and {@link http://github.com}';
-            var output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.cleverLinks = true;
+            env.conf.templates.monospaceLinks = true;
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
 
             expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="path/to/test.html"><code>test</code></a> and <a href="http://github.com">http://github.com</a>');
-            restoreConfTemplates(storage);
+        });
+
+        it('if conf.useShortNamesInLinks is true, it uses the short name in links', function() {
+            var input = 'Link to {@link my.long.namespace}';
+            var output;
+
+            env.conf.templates.useShortNamesInLinks = true;
+            helper.registerLink('my.long.namespace', 'asdf.html');
+            output = helper.resolveLinks(input);
+
+            expect(output).toBe('Link to <a href="asdf.html">namespace</a>');
+
+            delete helper.longnameToUrl['my.long.namespace'];
         });
     });