--- a/Allura/allura/model/artifact.py
+++ b/Allura/allura/model/artifact.py
@@ -221,6 +221,15 @@
         this should have a strong correlation to the URL.
         '''
         return str(self._id) # pragma no cover
+
+    def link_text(self):
+        '''The link text that will be used when a shortlink to this artifact
+        is expanded into an <a></a> tag.
+
+        By default this method returns shorthand_id(). Subclasses should
+        override this method to provide more descriptive link text.
+        '''
+        return self.shorthand_id()
 
     def get_discussion_thread(self, data=None):
         '''Return the discussion thread for this artifact (possibly made more