Yes, I've noticed that Notebooks still lacks some functions that I would consider essential. Still, it looks promising.

But I'm not really looking for a full-scale outliner on the iPad; I'd just like to find a reliable note-taker capable of producing files that can be exchanged with my computer, where I would be presumably be using a more sophisticated program.

Incidentally, I haven't had the problems you describe in moving text files back and forth between Notebooks and UltraEdit.

WSP wrote:

Incidentally, I haven't had the problems you
describe in moving text files back and forth between Notebooks and UltraEdit.

I think this only happens if you enable the sync between iPod and iPad (which I need). Then it includes some additional files in Dropbox. Though I also don't understand why the paragraph breaks and line breaks vanish...

Sorry, very heads-down at the moment, hence zero contributions! Notebooks is indeed extremely powerful and increasingly stable - I've taken to storing all sorts of stuff in it.

Just spotted Dr. Andus's query about exporting multiple notes from Notebooks:

Yes, there is indeed a way to combine multiple notes in a single document, by tapping on the title of a notebook and then tapping the 'Combine Notes' option. I confess I've never tried it (it's not something I've ever needed to do), but I'd suggest creating a test notebook or two plus a few test notes and seeing what happens if you do "combine" them. And/or, of course, consulting Alfons's comprehensive help files (also on his website).

Cheers,
Bill

An excellent editor/outliner for exchanging data between iPad and computer is WriteUp. The developer is very responsive, it's got some very impressive features (notably a powerful search function and versioning), and it also supports Markdown (if that's of interest). But all the files are text files, and it synchronises fast and easily through Dropbox. I use it in conjunction with MarkdownPad on Windows - it's a great way of shunting large amounts of data between iPad and Windows (or Mac, for that matter) very quickly and easily.

Cheers,
Bill

MadaboutDana wrote:

Yes, there is indeed a way to combine multiple notes in a single
document, by tapping on the title of a notebook and then tapping the 'Combine Notes'
option. I confess I've never tried it (it's not something I've ever needed to do), but
I'd suggest creating a test notebook or two plus a few test notes and seeing what
happens if you do "combine" them. And/or, of course, consulting Alfons's
comprehensive help files (also on his website).

The "Combine Notes" feature in Notebooks for iPad works very well. However, it only combines the notes within a given "book," i.e. within a given folder or hierarchy level. This is OK for merging notes. However, in my view what would be really great is if one could merge all the books (folders or hierarchy levels) and all the notes into a single document, just like Scrivener or Whizfolders do. That would transform Notebooks for iPad from a note-taking software into a powerful writing software. You could literally write an entire book on it while on the go. It would be also great for research as notes and data could be preserved within their original place in the overall hierarchy. Unfortunately not enough people seem to be requesting this feature. But as a Scrivener/Whizfolders user, to me the benefits of this are very clear.

I have had NotePad on my computer for years but only used it as a texteditor. Now, I have 'discovered' the .otl feature and have started to use it in earnest to keep myself up-to-date on 'things I have learnt - or relearnt'

Likes:
1. Very fast. The file can always be converted into HTML and prettified if you wanted to make a more serious document (such as Glossary, FAQs etc.)
2. So simple, there is nothing to go wrong! As its basically text. you can keep it and feed it into whatever after a little bit of basic editing (e.g. to remove H=)
3. I love the way in which links are made automatically and so simply (in the case of typing http:// or by enclosing in square brackets [ ]

Hints on usage:

1. I always make sure that I am working with an 'unsorted' file by ensuring that the first line is =V4 Outline Multiline NoSorting TabWidth=40
IF you decide you want a sorted version (right click menu) be careful to save under a different title (e.g. mytitle_s) so that the original does not get overwritten

2. I always put the heading as the first line of my output screen and then make into a clickable link with [ ] and then underline it with the = character.
This way the screen is ALWAYS accessible with Search and it looks prettier but it's only for my own use

3. Happy to send anyone an email with my scribblings in an .otl file if you would like to have a look at what I mean..(not not happy about making it into a web page yet)

4. I wonder if there is a manual or guide somwehere to it as I am sure that there must be more to it than simple H= parameters

Does anyone know of a free text editor (that works with and saves in .txt files) that 1) can display word count in the window somewhere, and 2) can show a list of the text files in the directory where the files are being saved.

I'm currently using a NoteTab Pro trial to do this. The word count is fine, and there is a "Quick List" feature that shows a list of the text files that are open (which is not the same as 2), but will do).

However, otherwise I'm a 'lite' user of NoteTab, so I'm not sure I want to buy the PRO version just to have word count. Any suggestions?

Oh, and Markdown support would be a bonus :) Maybe there is a way to do it with NoteTab, but I haven't figured out how...

Dr Andus wrote:

Does anyone know of a free text editor (that works with and saves in
.txt files) that 1) can display word count in the window somewhere, and
2) can show a list of the text files in the directory where the files
are being saved.
Oh, and Markdown support would be a bonus :) Maybe there is a way to do
it with NoteTab, but I haven't figured out how...

Just to explain further, I'd like to have a text editor always open, where I keep pasting in text with Markdown, save it for archival purposes in a directory, while also seeing a list of the the previously saved files. I could use The Guide or Mempad for this (with the added benefit of being able to organise the files into an outline--which otherwise would be a nice feature to have), but neither of them save in .txt files.

I'm assuming Windows. There's a Notational Velocity clone that sync with Simplenote, Dropbox, or a vanilla local folder. Keeps plain its notes in plain text. Has the sidebar note list. Renders Markdown (for preview in a browser), and like most NV clones has a search bar linked to the notes list -- when you type characters in Search the note list narrows down to those containing the search string.

nvPY at https://github.com/cpbotha/nvpy

This is a tweaky solution requiring Python and doesn't have a pretty face.

Dr Andus wrote:

Dr Andus wrote:
Does anyone know of a free text editor (that works with and saves in
>.txt files) that 1) can display word count in the window somewhere, and
>2) can show a list of the text files in the directory where the files
>are being saved.
>Oh, and Markdown support would be a bonus :) Maybe there is a way to do
>it with NoteTab, but I haven't figured out how...

Just to explain further, I'd like to have a text editor always open,
where I keep pasting in text with Markdown, save it for archival
purposes in a directory, while also seeing a list of the the previously
saved files. I could use The Guide or Mempad for this (with the added
benefit of being able to organise the files into an outline--which
otherwise would be a nice feature to have), but neither of them save in
.txt files.

If you want a somewhat more aesthetically pleasing solution, Bad Wolf Software is your friend.

You have two options: SmartEdit Lite (which supports text and rich text) or Judoom (which is rather more sophisticated). Judoom not only allows you to view the file manager in the left-hand navigation pane, it also allows you to set up "project folders" in three separate tabs (effectively "hoisted" versions of the file explorer focusing on the subfolders of your choice). Judoom supports text, rich text, Microsoft Office and Open Office (for import and export). Neither of them supports Markdown, unfortunately.

The only (non-free) editor I can think of that would meet your criteria is Knowsysnotes (a reasonably capable Markdown editor that is capable of showing a full set of folders in the right-hand navigation tree, rooted in the folder/subfolder of your choice). It's not free, but it's not expensive either (USD 15).

Hi,

maybe http://writemonkey.com/ could be interesting for you. I think it meets all of your criteria. It's made for writing purposes and has some additional features for this (I especially like the typewriter sound).

best regards

Achim

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Achim wrote:

maybe http://writemonkey.com/ could be interesting for you.

Actually I was keeping my original archive file in WriteMonkey, but as I need to start saving different versions on an ongoing basis, I need a file window, so I can see the existing file names.

Paul Korm wrote:

There's a Notational Velocity clone that sync
with Simplenote, Dropbox, or a vanilla local folder.
nvPY at https://github.com/cpbotha/nvpy
This is a tweaky solution requiring Python and doesn't have a pretty
face.

Interesting. I have Python and don't mind non-pretty, but had some trouble with Simplenote + Resophnotes in the past, so I'd rather not go there...

MadaboutDana wrote:

The only (non-free) editor I can think of that would meet your criteria
is Knowsysnotes (a reasonably capable Markdown editor that is capable of
showing a full set of folders in the right-hand navigation tree, rooted
in the folder/subfolder of your choice). It's not free, but it's not
expensive either (USD 15).

Knowsynotes really ticks all the boxes! The word count is a bit off (from the MS Word method), but I can live with that. It's a little bit annoying that it kicks you out of your current directory, if you change any of the settings, but other than that, it's sweet!

Dr Andus wrote:

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Achim wrote:
>maybe http://writemonkey.com/ could be interesting for you.

Actually I was keeping my original archive file in WriteMonkey, but as I
need to start saving different versions on an ongoing basis, I need a
file window, so I can see the existing file names.

Paul Korm wrote:
>There's a Notational Velocity clone that sync
>with Simplenote, Dropbox, or a vanilla local folder.
>nvPY at https://github.com/cpbotha/nvpy
>This is a tweaky solution requiring Python and doesn't have a pretty
>face.

Interesting. I have Python and don't mind non-pretty, but had some
trouble with Simplenote + Resophnotes in the past, so I'd rather not go
there...

MadaboutDana wrote:
>The only (non-free) editor I can think of that would meet your criteria
>is Knowsysnotes (a reasonably capable Markdown editor that is capable
of
>showing a full set of folders in the right-hand navigation tree, rooted
>in the folder/subfolder of your choice). It's not free, but it's not
>expensive either (USD 15).

Knowsynotes really ticks all the boxes! The word count is a bit off
(from the MS Word method), but I can live with that. It's a little bit
annoying that it kicks you out of your current directory, if you change
any of the settings, but other than that, it's sweet!

You can disable Simplenote sync in Resophnotes and have it save all notes as text files instead.

shatteredmindofbob wrote:

You can disable Simplenote sync in Resophnotes and have it save all
notes as text files instead.

Thanks for the suggestion, RN is indeed a serious contender. I do actually prefer Resophnotes' Markdown rendering to that of Knowsynotes. It would be nice if the Markdown preview pane could be in the same window as the edit pane, but oh, well... I just wish I could change the CTRL+M shortcut for Markdown preview, as I've already assigned that to something else...

For nvPY (and I think all Notational Velocity clones) Simplenote is just an option -- the others are Dropbox and any other folder you wish to use.

Dr Andus wrote:

Interesting. I have Python and don't mind non-pretty, but had some
trouble with Simplenote + Resophnotes in the past, so I'd rather not go
there...

Paul Korm wrote:

For nvPY (and I think all Notational Velocity clones) Simplenote is just
an option -- the others are Dropbox and any other folder you wish to
use.

I don't need sync at all. But does nvPY have a word count feature (displayed in a status bar, like Resophnotes)? That would be essential for me. Even Knowsynotes only displays word count in edit mode, and only if one actually clicks inside the edit pane, which is not ideal.

So far Resophnotes is working the best for me (word count displayed in status bar, list of text files displayed in reverse chronological order, decent Markdown rendering, least no. of steps for creating new files).

Dr Andus wrote:

So far Resophnotes is working the best for me (word count displayed in
status bar, list of text files displayed in reverse chronological order,
decent Markdown rendering, least no. of steps for creating new files).

Hm, after using Resophnotes for a few hours I noticed that it's quite easy to accidentally overwrite your previous files, if you happen to create a new note with the same title/file name as an existing one. I've already lost two files before realising this. And there doesn't seem to be a way to recover them, once you've done that.

As my main need is to be able to save different versions of a developing text for archival purposes (incrementally numbered) and also to be able to compare the word count easily, accidental deletion of files prevents me from doing that.

I think that will conclude my experimentation with Resophnotes, and I'm going back to Knowsynotes for now...

(Boy, do I wish CT had Markdown support...)

Dr Andus wrote:

Actually I was keeping my original archive file in WriteMonkey, but as I
need to start saving different versions on an ongoing basis, I need a
file window, so I can see the existing file names.

If I understand correctly, I think you can do this in WM, using the Jumps function [Alt+J], click 'Files ' at the top, and select a 'Folder' at the bottom. It only picks up txt files in your selected folder.

MenAgerie wrote:

If I understand correctly, I think you can do this in WM, using the
Jumps function [Alt+J], click 'Files ' at the top, and select a 'Folder'
at the bottom. It only picks up txt files in your selected folder.

MenAgerie, thank you so much! This is just fabulous, I had no idea you can do this is in WriteMonkey!

MenAgerie wrote:

If I understand correctly, I think you can do this in WM, using the
Jumps function [Alt+J], click 'Files ' at the top, and select a 'Folder'
at the bottom. It only picks up txt files in your selected folder.

And the Jumps window effectively turns WriteMonkey into a dual-pane outliner! Sweet...

http://writemonkey.com/img/wm_sc3.png

Dr Andus wrote:

MenAgerie wrote:
>If I understand correctly, I think you can do this in WM, using the
>Jumps function [Alt+J], click 'Files ' at the top, and select a
'Folder'
>at the bottom. It only picks up txt files in your selected folder.

And the Jumps window effectively turns WriteMonkey into a dual-pane
outliner! Sweet...

http://writemonkey.com/img/wm_sc3.png

Also, I forget what they keyboard shortcut is, but there's a basic hoist function as well, where it'll display only what's under the current heading.

Dr Andus wrote:

I think that will conclude my experimentation with Resophnotes, and I'm
going back to Knowsynotes for now...

I've switched back permanently to WriteMonkey now, given the cool "Jumps" navigation pane. But I also ran into some problems with Knowsynotes before that. At times KN became unresponsive, and it was always at the moment when I wanted to add a new file. It doesn't seem to be a major problem, but annoying enough when you want to work quickly and when it's about creating and naming new files.

Hey guys, the author of Writemonkey teased a new plugin for the app that should be inserting some ResophNotes/Notational Velocity style functionality:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/writemonkey/zibCZpZ3eAw

You'll need to have a donator's ID file to activate the new plugin engine (which also has some other useful functions already available, like a distinctly different take on "index card" functionality, plus the ability to build you're own if you're of a mind), but seriously, why wouldn't you want to give this guy a few bucks? He's always working on this thing, and lots of stuff he builds for it are things (like this Resophnotes style stuff) meant to scratch writerly itches of his own, so tend to resonate with many of his users, too. Besides, he's a good guy and really active with his community of users.

Personally, I'm dying to test this thing out so I can relegate Resophnotes back to that thing with the universal hotkey that I use to catch random bits of important real life information, rather than the thing that's trying to organize all my fiction odds, ends and tidbits because my brain can't handle them anymore :)

Kensai, thanks for heads up; Iztok has a new donor--it's only fair given how much his software is used.

Your post presents a very interesting approach: instead of keeping all kinds of notes in one place/tool (something that a lot of us here often try to do) maintain them in functional context. In this case, you suggest that notes relevant to writing be kept within the writing tool.

As an approach it may not be brand new--in fact all 'writing environments' such as Scrivener and Sense provide some kind of scratchboard--but I had never considered it within the context of a 'zenware' stripped down environment such as WriteMonkey. Then again, WM is now quite beyond the truly minimal, especially with the plugins. Its advantage is that all the additional tools don't get in the way; you need only access them if you need them.

Yes, the very fact that WM doesn't push any of its extra functionality at you is the reason you still see it mentioned by superficial blog (generally list blogs) as a "stripped down Q10 or Darkroom" (I kid you not, that is a quote, I just can't remember where from, mainly because it showed the author's negligence and I left immediately).

The thing does come with a help file these days, and even just a quick glance at the F1 help card or the right click context menu suggests that something serious is going on beneath the surface. Even positive reviewers who seem as if they are trying to give a detailed view of WM miss all of the most important functionality. Iztok's baby could certainly use some better PR.

I was just really happy to be passing through here and see folk using it seriously, for even more "serious" work than I do with it. I write fiction. Research and exacting outlines play second fiddle to quick capture of ideas, development of ideas and creation of finished content for me, so its very awesome to see WM helping with processes that normally, on the surface, seem to be entirely different to the ones familiar to me.

The most elegant tools allow for the greatest possibilities, I suppose ...