Copyright: Copyright ©1996-1998 By Ted Mastrandonas


A Tool Box
Toolbox

Contains commonly used commands.


Adjusting the Brightness of a Note

A DeskNote has a built in dimmer control. Use it to dynamically brighten or darken its background.
Follow these steps to use the dimmer control:

1.	Move the mouse pointer near the TOP or LEFT edge of a note.

2.	Hold down the SHIFT key.

3.	Slowly drag the mouse left and right or up and down.

As you move the mouse, the background color will brighten or darken, depending on the direction you move it.

Tip

If you've moved the mouse too far, let go of the mouse button, and move it back near the edge.


Adjusting the Brightness of the Note Text

Follow these steps to dynamically adjust the brightness of a note's text:

1.	Move the mouse pointer near the BOTTOM edge a note.

2.	Hold down the SHIFT key.

3.	Slowly drag the mouse up and down.

 As you move the mouse, the text will brighten or darken, depending on the direction you move it.

Tip

If you've moved the mouse too far, let go of the mouse button, and move it back near the edge.


Adjusting the Brightness of the Shadow
Adjusting the Brightness of the Shadow Text

Follow these steps to dynamically adjust the brightness of a note's shadow text:

1.	Move the mouse pointer near the RIGHT edge a note.

2.	Hold down the SHIFT key.

3.	Slowly drag the mouse up and down.

As you move the mouse, the shadow will brighten or darken, depending on the direction you move it.

Note

If shadow text is not enabled, select it from the Text Property page.

Tip

If you've moved the mouse too far, let go of the mouse button, and move it back near the edge.


Altering It's Appearance

The first thing you will probably want to do is to customize the appearance of the view containing notes. You do this by selecting "View Options" from the menu or by using the properties button on the tool bar.

You can change color, fonts, and the method with which items are selected. This last option is the most interesting so let's examine it for a moment.

In most list view windows you have to click on an items icon or text to select it. In the Attribute browser you can click anywhere on the row to select an item This is called full row selection.

When full row selection is on, remember that lassoing a group of notes works the same as if it was off. You must still click and drag near the right-most edge of the first column to lasso items. Ctrl and Shift clicks can also be used to select ranges of items.

Note

The full row selection and grid line features available in the Attribute Browser depend on the version of Windows you have. If you have Windows 95 or NT 4.0, these features are only available if you have installed Internet Explorer. In Windows 98 and NT 5.0 they should be included with the system.

If these features don't work for you, don't worry, all you've lost is a cosmetic effect.


Appearance Properties

Use this dialog to customize the appearance of the Attribute Browser.

You can change color, fonts, and the method with which items are selected.

Tip

When full row selection is on, lassoing a group of notes works the same as if it was off. You must still click and drag near the right-most edge of the first column to lasso items. Ctrl and Shift clicks can also be used to select ranges of items.

Note

The full row selection and grid line features available in the Attribute Browser depend on the version of Windows you have. If you have Windows 95 or NT 4.0, these features are only available if you have installed Internet Explorer. In Windows 98 and NT 5.0 they should be included with the system.


Changes the background color of the Attribute Browser window.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Changes the font used in the Attribute Browser window.


Select this option if you want to be able to select an item by clicking anywhere on a row. When this option is off, you have to click in the left-most column to select an item.

Note

This feature is implemented by taking advantage of enhancements added to the operating system, since its initial release. If you don't see an entire row highlighted after applying this option, your system is not capable of this feature. The Attribute Browser will function just as well without it.


Select this option to draw grid lines between items in the Attribute Browser.

Note

This feature is implemented by taking advantage of enhancements added to the operating system, since its initial release. If you don't see grid lines after applying this option, your system is not capable of drawing them. The Attribute Browser will function just as well without them.


Select this option to use the colors that Windows is using to display text in windows.


Select this option to use the font that Windows is using to display text in windows.


These options are used to alter the colors used in the Attribute Browser Window.


These options enable some special effects.


These options are used to alter the font used in the Attribute Browser Window.


Changes the color of the text in the Attribute Browser window.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Displays a dialog that is used to define new attributes.


Displays a dialog asking you to confirm that you really want to remove the highlighted attribute.

Warning!

If you remove an attribute, all of the data you may have entered in this column in the Attribute Browser will be lost.


This list box contains all of the attributes defined for your notes. The ones that are checked will be displayed in the Attribute Browser. Use the arrow buttons to change the display order.


Use the arrow buttons to change the display order of the checked attributes in the Attribute Browser. Highlight an item and click on one of the buttons to move it up or down.


Displays how the highlighted item will be aligned in the Attribute Browser.

Alignment

Left
Center
Right


Displays the class of the highlighted item.

An attribute can be either system or user defined. System defined items can not be deleted They can be turned off by unchecking them in the list box.


Displays the data type of the highlighted item.

Data types

Text
Integer
Decimal
Event


Displays the default value of the highlighted attribute.


Attribute Browser Keys

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts with the Attribute Browser.

Press	To

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESC	Cancel attribute edit

ENTER	Open or close the selected DeskNotes

CTRL+X	Cut

CTRL+C	Copy

CTRL+V	Paste

DEL	Delete the selected DeskNotes

F1	Help

F3	Find Next

F4	Find Previous

TAB	Navigates to the next editable field

ARROWS	Navigate within and to editable fields


Attribute Properties

This dialog is used to define new attributes and to change the order in which they are displayed in the Attribute Browser. You can also toggle the display of an attribute on or off.

Rick click each control for an explanation.

Note

If you remove an attribute, all data associated with it will be lost.


Awards
Awards We've Won

     Ziff-Davis Shareware of the Year Finalist for 1997 and 1999!


Backup Your Notes
How To Backup Your Notes

Not to be an alarmist, but eventually your computer will crash and your hard drive will fail. A proper backup plan will allow you to recover your data when this happens.

To backup your notes, you export them to files. The files must then be copied onto removable media, like a floppy disk. To restore them, you copy the files back onto your computer, and use the Import command.

There are two methods you can use to backup your notes and settings:

Manual Backup

1.	Right click a note or the DeskNotes tray icon
2.	Select the Backup command from the menu
3.	Choose a directory to store your backup in
4.	Click the OK button

A copy of all your notes, schemes, and sound settings, will be created in the directory you selected.

Automatic Backup

You can use the DeskNotes Scheduler or an external scheduler such as the one that comes with Windows to schedule regular backups of your notes. For example, let's suppose DeskNotes.exe is located in C:\Program Files\DeskNotes and you would like to create a backup in the directory C:\temp. Here is the command line to do this:

"C:\Program Files\DeskNotes\DeskNotes.exe" /backup c:\temp

The general format of the command is: Desknotes.exe /backup directory. In this example quotation marks were used around the program name because the path contains a space in it. You can test your backup command from a command prompt to ensure that it will execute correctly in your scheduler.

If the directory does not exist, DeskNotes will create it. Each time a backup is performed, existing files in the directory will be overwritten.

Tip

The Backup command can be used to transfer your notes and settings to another computer.


Before You Begin

Unlike most applications, when you use DeskNotes, you aren't focused around an application window. In DeskNotes, the notes are the application. For quick access to commonly used commands, DeskNotes places an icon in the tray area of your taskbar. Think of this as the control center.

A DeskNote does not look like any other window. It doesn’t have a titlebar, scrollbar, statusbar, or even a toolbar. It's completely devoid of all the standard window decorations. By right clicking a DeskNote, you customize its appearance by adjusting over a hundred different properties.

DeskNotes was not designed to be a word processor. It was designed for quickly jotting down ideas. All the standard text editing keys can be used in DeskNotes. You can also cut, copy and paste text or image files onto your DeskNotes.


Before You Begin Note Manager
Before You Begin

There are two incarnations of the Note Manager. There’s the Mini-Note Manager on the General Properties Page and the standalone Note Manager Window that is opened by selecting the Open Note Manager command from the context menu.

Both versions do the same thing. The one on the property page can be used to view general information about a DeskNote, such as creation date and author. Even though it has no menu or toolbar, you can:

Right click to pick commands from context menus.

Use drag and drop to move or copy notes and notebooks.

Double click notes to open or close them.

Press delete to delete them.

The standalone version is almost an entire application in itself. Because it displays as much of a note’s text as possible, it can be used to quickly review a lot of notes, without opening them.

It also includes a search dialog so you can locate information scattered amongst many notes.


Changes the color of the border.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Select this option to display a border around the note.

Tip

A transparent note, with no text in it, can be kind a hard to find. Turning the border on may help you find it.


Select this option to make the bottom edge of the note rounded.

Note

The re-paint performance of notes with chamfered corners may be less than that of notes that do not have chamfered corners. This is because Windows is drawing the area of the note cut off by the chamfer, not DeskNotes Try using a small chamfer radius if this is a problem.

Only notes that have a simple rectangular border, or no border, can have chamfers.


Specifies that the edges of a note should be drawn rounded.

Note

The re-paint performance of notes with chamfered corners may be less than that of notes that do not have chamfered corners. This is because Windows is drawing the area of the note cut off by the chamfer, not DeskNotes Try using a small chamfer radius if this is a problem.

Only notes that have a simple rectangular border, or no border, can have chamfers.


Select this option to make the top edge of the note rounded.

Note

The re-paint performance of notes with chamfered corners may be less than that of notes that do not have chamfered corners. This is because Windows is drawing the area of the note cut off by the chamfer, not DeskNotes Try using a small chamfer radius if this is a problem.

Only notes that have a simple rectangular border, or no border, can have chamfers.


Specifies the radius of the arc used to draw the corners of the note in pixels.


Specifies how many pixels wide to draw the border.


Draws a three-dimensional border using the selected color to convey depth.


Uses your current desktop colors to draw a border in a style that appears both raised and sunken.


Specifies that a custom color should be used to draw the border.


Makes the border the same color as the note text.


Draws a dashed border around your note.


Draws a border with alternating dashes and dots around your note.


Draws a border with alternating dashes and double dots around your note.


Draws a dotted border around your note.


Uses your current desktop colors to draw an etched border.


Uses your current desktop colors to draw a border with a raised edge.


Draws a border using a solid fill of the selected color.


Draws a border using a color that is a combination of the selected color, and the note background color, but not both.

This is a mathematical operation also known as the "Bitwise Boolean exclusive OR".

It's commonly used to create a color that doesn't blend into the background of the object being drawn on. Imagine what you could do if you could buy one of these pens!


Draws a solid border.


Draws a solid border around your note.


Uses your current desktop colors to draw a border with a sunken edge.


Borders
Border Properties

The Border Property Page is used to define the border attributes of a DeskNote. You can create an endless number of border styles by playing with the settings on this page.

Want a postage stamp look? Select:

1.	Simple rectangle.

2.	Dotted line style.

3.	Custom color that is the same as your Windows Desktop.

4.	Solid Pen.

5.	Width 3.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.


Cascade All

Arranges all the DeskNotes on the screen into a cascade.

Unlike the standard Window Cascade function, DeskNotes can create a cascade in any direction. The direction depends on where you right clicked the note when opening the context menu. DeskNotes will create the cascade in a direction from the point clicked to the farthest edge or corner of the note clicked.

This is very useful for arranging groups of DeskNotes along the edges of the screen, or in the corners.

For example, to group some notes near the bottom right corner of the screen:

1.	Move a DeskNote so it is located near the bottom right corner of the screen.

2.	Right click the DeskNote near its bottom right corner, to define the Cascade point, and to display the context menu.

4.	Select a cascade command.

A cascade of notes from bottom-right to top-left will be created.


Cascade Notebook

Arranges all the DeskNotes on the screen that belong to the notebook selected, into a cascade.

Unlike the standard Windows Cascade function, DeskNotes can create a cascade in any direction. The direction depends on where you right clicked the note when opening the context menu. DeskNotes will create the cascade in a direction from the point clicked to the farthest edge or corner of the note clicked.

This is very useful for arranging groups of DeskNotes along the edges of the screen or in the corners.

For example, to group some notes near the bottom right corner of the screen:

1.	Move a DeskNote so it is located near the bottom right corner of the screen.

2.	Right click the DeskNote near its bottom right corner, to define the cascade point, and to display the context menu.

3.	Select a cascade command.

A cascade of notes from bottom-right to top-left will be created.


Cascade This Notebook

Arranges all the DeskNotes on the screen that belong to the same notebook as the note clicked, into a cascade.

Unlike the standard Windows Cascade function, DeskNotes can create a cascade in any direction. The direction depends on where you right clicked the note when opening the context menu. DeskNotes will create the cascade in a direction from the point clicked to the farthest edge or corner of the note clicked.

This is very useful for arranging groups of DeskNotes along the edges of the screen or in the corners.

For example, to group some notes near the bottom right corner of the screen:

1.	Move a DeskNote so it is located near the bottom right corner of the screen.

2.	Right click the DeskNote near its bottom right corner, to define the cascade point, and to display the context menu.

3.	Select a cascade command.

A cascade of notes from bottom-right to top-left will be created.


Close All

Close all open DeskNotes.


Close Notebook

Closes any notes that may be open in the selected notebook.


Close This Note

Closes the note clicked.


Close This Notebook

Closes all notes in the notebook that the selected note is a member of.


Command Line Options

DeskNotes [/NEW] [/ONM] [/OAB] [/FIND] [/BACKUP path]

Only one command line option can be specified at a time.

/NEW	Creates a new DeskNote.
/ONM	Opens the Note Manager.
/OAB	Opens the Attribute Browser.
/FIND	Opens the Find Dialog.
/BACKUP	Creates a backup of all notes, schemes, and sound settings, into path.


Command Tips

Command tips display help about the currently highlighted command on the DeskNotes context menu.

Try this:

1.	Right click a DeskNote or the tray icon.

2.	Select Help Command Tips.

3.	Right click again on a DeskNote or the tray icon.

As you move the mouse up and down the context menu, the Commands Tips dialog will display the purpose of the highlighted command.


Constants

The following is a list of built-in constants.

E	2.71828182845904523536
PI	3.14159265358979323846


Contents
What is DeskNotes?

DeskNotes is an application for quickly recording information that you want to remember - without cluttering up your desk with scraps of paper. With it you can create realistic looking notes right on your desktop.

It was designed to be as handy as reaching for a pad of paper or a sticky note. With DeskNotes you’ll never run out of paper!

Use it to quickly jot down ideas before they are lost. Its Note Manager can be used to organize your notes into notebooks for ease of retrieval. Search functions are provided for quickly locating information.

With the Attribute Browser you can extend your notes to include things such as priorities and alarms, or to even schedule notes to open and programs to be run automatically.

Need to do some quick math? DeskNotes does math. Just type an expression on a note and DeskNotes will compute the result.

DeskNotes includes a built in Note Server. Use it to send and receive notes from other DeskNotes users.

DeskNotes was also designed to be fun! Each DeskNote has over 100 different properties that can be modified to change the appearance of a note. Sounds can be assigned to Note Events, to further customize DeskNotes.

To help you get started, DeskNotes includes a starter kit of predefined note templates and a collection of over 200 image files that make great looking note backgrounds.

DeskNotes runs on Windows 95, 98, and NT 4.0. With a P90 or better, it can display hundreds of notes at once with flicker free redraws. Try it. I’ll bet you never opened 200 windows at once.

I hope you enjoy this product, as it certainly could not have been created without it.


Copy

Copies the text on a DeskNote to the clipboard.

Use this command to paste your note text into other applications.


Creating Events

After you have defined an event attribute, you can begin to create events. To do this, click on a note in the Attribute browser, within the event column you defined. This will display the Event Properties Dialog for that event.

All events must have a name. The name is what you will see displayed in the event column of the Attribute Browser.Once you have named your event use the rest of the controls on the dialog to define when the event should be run and what it should do.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Tips

When you right click a note, all events defined for it will be listed under the "Set" command on the context menu.

You can enable event logging to make the Note Scheduler record all of its actions to a file.


Customizing - Getting Started

Every DeskNote has over a hundred properties that you can adjust to change its appearance. To change the properties of a DeskNote, right click it and select Properties from the menu.

You can apply changes to a single note, a group of notes, or to all the notes open on the desktop by selecting the options that appear at the bottom of the Properties Dialog.

Right click any control to see an explanation of its purpose.

After you've created your masterpiece, you can make it the default note by right clicking the note and selecting Use as Default from the context menu. Now when you click on the taskbar icon you will get a note just like it.

The following topics explain the purpose of each of the property pages.


Cut Copy Paste
Cut

Removes all of the text on a DeskNote and places it in the clipboard.

Use this command to paste your note text into other applications.


Date Time Format Codes
Date/Time Format Codes

Press CTRL+D or F5 to insert a date/time string onto a DeskNote.

All format codes are preceded by a percent sign (%). Characters that do not begin with % are copied unchanged onto the note.

%N 	Notebook name (not a date or time, but handy!)

%a 	Abbreviated weekday name
%A 	Full weekday name
%b 	Abbreviated month name
%B 	Full month name
%c 	Date and time representation appropriate for locale
%d 	Day of month as decimal number (01 - 31)
%H 	Hour in 24-hour format (00 - 23)
%I 	Hour in 12-hour format (01 - 12)
%j 	Day of year as decimal number (001 - 366)
%m 	Month as decimal number (01 - 12)
%M 	Minute as decimal number (00 - 59)
%p 	Current locale's A.M./P.M. indicator for 12-hour clock
%S 	Second as decimal number (00 - 59)
%U 	Week of year as decimal number, with Sunday as first day of week (00 - 51)
%w 	Weekday as decimal number (0 - 6; Sunday is 0)
%W 	Week of year as decimal number, with Monday as first day of week (00 - 51)
%x 	Date representation for current locale
%X 	Time representation for current locale
%y 	Year without century, as decimal number (00 - 99)
%Y 	Year with century, as decimal number
%Z 	Time-zone name or abbreviation; no characters if time zone is unknown
%% 	Percent sign

The # flag may prefix any formatting code. In that case, the meaning of the format code is changed as follows.

Format Code	Meaning
%#a, %#A, %#b, %#B, %#p, %#X, %#z, %#Z, %#%	# flag is ignored.
%#c	Long date and time representation, appropriate for current locale. For example: "Tuesday, March 14, 1995, 12:41:29".
%#x	Long date representation, appropriate to current locale. For example: "Tuesday, March 14, 1995".
%#d, %#H, %#I, %#j, %#m, %#M, %#S, %#U, %#w, %#W, %#y, %#Y	Remove leading zeros (if any).


Defining New Attributes

This is where the real power of the Attribute Browser comes in. On the "View Options" "Attributes" property page you can define your own attributes to hold extra information that you would like to store with your notes.

You can define character, numeric, and event attributes. Once you have defined an attribute and made it visible in the Attribute Browser, you can click on it to edit the value for a particular note.

Suggestions:

Use numeric attributes to prioritize your notes.

Use events to create alarms.

Use events to pop open notes according to a schedule.

Use events to schedule external programs to be run.

Use character attributes to hold information you don't want visible on a note itself.

Tip

You can define multiple attributes of the same type, having different names, including events.


Delete

Deletes the selected note. For your convenience, deleted notes are put into the recycle bin. When you restore a note from the recycle bin, a note file is created on your desktop. Double click it, or right click and select Open, to import it back into DeskNotes. You can delete the file after importing the note.

You can bypass the Recycle Bin by pressing the shift key while deleting the note.

The Attribute Browser can be used to select and delete a group of notes.


Deleting Notebooks

To save you from actually deleting an entire notebook of DeskNotes, you can’t really delete a notebook. You can "remove" it by selecting Remove from its context menu.

When you remove a notebook, all of its notes remain intact, but are "unassigned" to any notebook. The Note Manager will show them attached to the topmost item.

If you really want to delete the notes, select the first unassigned note and repeatedly press the delete key to remove them.

Don’t worry if you make a mistake and delete something you didn’t intend to. DeskNotes is watching out for you. Whenever you delete a note, it’s placed in the Recycle Bin.


Deleting Notes

Delete a DeskNote by right clicking it and selecting Delete from the menu or by pressing ALT-D. Whenever a DeskNote is deleted, it's put into the Recycle Bin.

Note

If you don't want the note to go to the Recycle Bin, press the Shift key while deleting it.


DeskNotes is a Calculator

DeskNotes knows how to do math. With DeskNotes around you don't need to reach for a separate calculator. Just type a mathematical expression anywhere on a line and press CTRL+E or F9. DeskNotes will evaluate the expression and insert the result.


Dialog Group Box
Help is available for each item in this group. Click "?" at the top of the dialog box, and then click the specific item you want information about.


Applies any changes you have made in this dialog box.


Closes this dialog box without saving any changes you have made.


Click this to display an overview of this dialog box.

For Help on an item, click the "?" at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.


Closes this dialog box and saves any changes you have made.


As you type in the Format String edit box, the text you have entered is evaluated, and the result is displayed here.


Click this to search for a file to be run or opened at the scheduled time.


Click this to search for a sound (.wav) file to be played at the scheduled time.


Copies this event for later use.

Tip
It would take a lot of typing to create a series of events that occur say every hour, but only differ by a parameter or two. Use the copy and paste buttons to quickly duplicate an event onto multiple notes.


Deletes this event.


Click this to enable or disable the logging of all scheduled actions to a log file.


Sets the start date and time for the event to the current time.


Pastes a previously copied event.

Tip
It would take a lot of typing to create a series of events that occur say every hour, but only differ by a parameter or two. Use the copy and paste buttons to quickly duplicate an event onto multiple notes.


Click here to play the currently selected sound file.


Select this option to enable this event.


Check this if the event should repeat continuously at the specified frequency in minutes.


Schedules the event to run on Fridays.


Schedules the event to run on Mondays.


Select this option to open this note and optionally place it on top of all other windows, at the scheduled time.


Select this option to have a sound played at the scheduled time.


Select this option to run a command at the scheduled time.

Tip

This option is not limited to just program files. Any file that you can open by double clicking it can be scheduled to be run or opened.


Schedules the event to run on Saturdays.


Schedules the event to run on Sundays.


Schedules the event to run on Tuesdays.


Schedules the event to run on Thursdays.


Schedules the event to run on Wednesdays.


Contains the name of a file to be run or opened at the scheduled time.


Specifies the number of days between occurrences of this daily event.


Specifies the day of the month that this monthly event occurs on.


Specifies in minutes, the frequency of a repeating event.


Specifies the number of months between occurrences of this monthly event.


Contains the name of a sound file to be played at the scheduled time.


Specifies the number of weeks between occurrences of this weekly event.


Click this to search for an existing event log file or to specify the location for a new one.


Select this option to keep a log of all actions performed by the DeskNotes Event Scheduler.


Contains the name of the event log file. This file will be created if it does not exist.


Contains the name of the event. The name is what appears in the Attribute Browser.


Event Properties

Use this dialog to define an event for a note. An event must have at a minimum, a name, a frequency of occurance, and at least one action to perform.

Use the "At This Time" group of controls to set the earliest date and time that the event can run. If an event is not running when you think it should, use the logging option to cause all actions of the Note Scheduler to be written to a text file.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Note

DeskNotes must be running and the Note Scheduler must be On, for events to be run. Use the "Set" sub-menu on the DeskNotes tray menu to see if the Note Scheduler is on.

Tip

The copy and paste buttons can be used to quickly duplicate an event from one note to another.


Schedules this event to run during the day.


Specifies that the event occurs once every day.


Specifies that the event occurs monthly, on the day of the month specified.


Specifies that the event occurs one time only or repeatedly after the specified number of minutes has elapsed.


Schedules this event to run at night.


Specifies that the event occurs weekly, on the days specified.


Use these controls to set the start date for this event.


Use these controls to set the start time for this event.


Use these controls to set the start time and date for this event.


Examples

Here are some examples of mathematical expressions.

60*60/2.5
(sin(.5)/4)*2^4
PI*180
756%2
(((10+20+30+40+50+60+70+80+90)/100)/2)*4


Exit

Exits DeskNotes.


Export All

Exports all open notes to files.

This group of commands is used to create files from notes. Each DeskNote exported will be in a separate file and have a ".not" extension.

Use this command to:

Create a backup of your notes.

E-mail them to another DeskNotes user.

Copy them to another computer.


Export Notebook

Exports all open notes to files that are a member of the notebook selected.

This group of commands is used to create files from notes. Each DeskNote exported will be in a separate file and have a ".not" extension.

Use this command to:

Create a backup of your notes.

E-mail them to another DeskNotes user.

Copy them to another computer.


Export This Note

Exports the note clicked to a file.

This group of commands is used to create files from notes. Each DeskNote exported will be in a separate file and have a ".not" extension.

Use this command to:

Create a backup of your notes.

E-mail them to another DeskNotes user.

Copy them to another computer.


Export This Notebook

Exports to files any open notes that are a member of the same notebook as the noted selected.

This group of commands is used to create files from notes. Each DeskNote exported will be in a separate file and have a ".not" extension.

Use this command to:

Create a backup of your notes.

E-mail them to another DeskNotes user.

Copy them to another computer.


Expressions

Expressions can not include any white space or an equals (=) sign!

When you press CTRL+E or F9 to evaluate an expression, DeskNotes looks at where the text caret is located, and then grabs all of the text to the left and right of it to determine the start and end of the expression.


Find

This group of commands is used to quickly locate information. There are three variations.

Find In Notes

Searches for words or phrases in your notes.

Find Note

Lists all open notes. Selecting one will locate and center it under your mouse pointer.

Find All

Brings to the top of any other windows, all open notes on your desktop.


Closes this dialog box without saving any changes you have made.


Select this option to search all notes for the selected text.


Select this option if you want the text of all matching notes copied to the clipboard.


Select this option if you want the search to distinguish between upper and lower case letters.


Select this option to search for words or phrases that match the search text.


Select this option if you want notes that match the search to be opened.

Note

If neither the Note Manager or Attribute Browser is open, you should select this option to see the result of the search.


Type the text to be searched for here, or select a previous entry from the drop down list box.


Begins the search.


Find In Notes

Use this dialog to quickly search all your notes for keywords or phrases.

Notes that match the search criteria will be marked with a splatter of green paint on their icon in the Note Manager or Attribute Browser.

You can also open notes that match by selecting the option provided.


This list box displays the names of all of your notebooks. Use it to constrain the search to include only those notebooks that have a check mark beside they're name.


Displays the progress of the search.


Finding Stuff

You can quickly search all your notes for keywords or phrases by using the Find command in the Note Manager or the Attribute Browser.

Notes that meet the search criteria are marked with a splatter of green paint on their icons.

Find Next and Find Previous buttons are provided for quick navigation through you notes. You can also use F3 and F4 navigate.


Lists the available fonts.


Lists the available point sizes for the specified font.


Lists the available styles for the specified font.


Font Properties

This dialog is used to change a note's font. A preview window is provided so that you can see how it will appear if applied. You can quickly find a font that you like by using the arrow keys to scroll up and down in the font listbox. The preview window is continuously updated to display the current font.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.


Displays a preview of the note as it would appear if the selected properties are applied.  More interestingly, for transparent notes, the sample will also be transparent, and contain the contents of the desktop behind it.


The text you enter here is displayed on your note when you select the Edit Date/Time command. You can use this to put a time stamp on your notes in the format that you like.

You can also use this as a quick method for inserting a commonly used message onto a note. It doesn't have to contain Date/Time formatting codes.


Resets the Format String to the factory default:

%#I:%M %p %#m/%#d/%Y


Functions

The following is a list of built-in mathematical functions.

Abs	Return absolute value of integer
Acos	Calculate arc-cosine
Asin	Calculate arc-sine
Atan	Calculate arc-tangent
Ceil	Find integer ceiling
Cos	Calculate cosine
Cosh	Calculate hyperbolic cosine
Deg	Convert radians to degrees
Exp	Calculate exponential function
Floor	Find largest integer less than or equal to argument
Hypot	Calculate hypotenuse of right triangle
Log	Calculate natural logarithm
Log10	Calculate base-10 logarithm
Rad	Convert degrees to radians
Sin 	Calculate sine
Sinh	Calculate hyperbolic sine
Sqrt	Find square root
Tan	Calculate tangent
Tanh	Calculate hyperbolic tangent


Select this option to display text with shadows.


General DeskNote Keys

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts with a DeskNote.

Press	To

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESC	Close a DeskNote

ALT+D	Delete a DeskNote

ALT+SHIFT+D	Delete a DeskNote bypassing Recycle Bin

ALT+F	Display the context menu

ALT+P	Display the properties dialog

ALT+S	Display the send note dialog

ALT+X	Exit DeskNotes

CTRL+A	Select all text

CTRL+E	Evaluate mathematical expression

CTRL+P	Print

CTRL+X	Cut

CTRL+C	Copy

CTRL+INSERT	Copy

CTRL+V	Paste

CTRL+D	Insert Date/Time stamp

DEL	Delete

HOME	Move the caret to the beginning of the line

END	Move the caret to the end of the line

CTRL+HOME	Move the caret to the beginning of the DeskNote

CTRL+END	Move the caret to the end of the DeskNote

F1	Help

F5	Insert Date/Time stamp

Mouse wheel	Move the caret up or down a line


Displays general information about the selected note.

Tip

Select My DeskNotes or the topmost item if you have renamed it, to see the program installation date in the Created field.


General Properties

This dialog displays information about a note. It shows when a note was created, last modified, and which notebook it's in.

The bottom half of the dialog contains a mini Note Manager. It works just like the real thing, but without the menu and tool bars. You can use drag and drop to move notes around. Double click to open them, or right click them to see a menu. See the Note Manager topic for a complete discussion of this tool.


Displays the title of the selected note.


Help About

Displays the really neat looking About Box that shows where to get more information about DeskNotes.


Help Contents

Displays the help file contents file.


Help Register

Select this item to view the DeskNotes order form.


Help Tip of The Day

Opens the Tip of The Day dialog. This is a non-modal dialog. You can leave it open all the time if you like.


Click this to display an overview of this dialog box.

For help on an item, click the question mark at the top of the dialog box, and then click the item.


Hiding and Re-Arranging Columns

Select "View Options" from the menu to display the Options dialog. Select the Attributes tab. On this property page is a list containing all of the attributes of a DeskNote that can be displayed in the Attribute Browser.

The listbox controls both the visibility and order of the attributes. To hide a column, un-check its checkbox. To show it, check it.

The vertical up/down control moves the highlighted attribute up or down in the list, changing its order in the Attribute Browser.


Highlight Properties

Use this dialog to adjust the appearance of highlighted text.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Tip

You can create a text strikeout effect by selecting a dark swipe color with a large gap between the lines.

Try a yellow or blue pastel for the swipe, leaving the text color unchanged, and with a 1 or 2 pixel gap, to simulate a highlighter.


Selects a cross hatch for drawing the background of highlighted text.


Specifies that a custom color should be used to draw the background of highlighted text.


Click this button to select a custom color for the background of highlighted text.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Selects a diagonal cross hatch for drawing the background of highlighted text.


Selects a downward diagonal hatch for drawing the background of highlighted text.


Select this option to leave a gap between adjacent lines of highlighted text that is not drawn highlighted.

Tip

You can create a text strikeout effect by selecting a dark swipe color with a large gap between the lines.

Try a yellow or blue pastel for the swipe, leaving the text color unchanged, and with a 1 or 2 pixel gap, to simulate a highlighter.


Specifies the width of the gap in pixels.

Tip

You can create a text strikeout effect by selecting a dark swipe color with a large gap between the lines.

Try a yellow or blue pastel for the swipe, leaving the text color unchanged, and with a 1 or 2 pixel gap, to simulate a highlighter.


Draws the background of highlighted text with a hatched pattern.


Selects a horizontal hatch for drawing the background of highlighted text.


Draws the background of highlighted text the inverse color of the note background.


Draws the background of highlighted text the same color as un-highlighted text.


Draws the background of highlighted text with a solid color.


Selects an upward diagonal hatch for drawing the background of highlighted text.


Selects a vertical hatch for drawing the background of highlighted text.


Specifies that a custom color should be used to draw highlighted text.


Click this button to select a custom color for highlighted text.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Draws highlighted text the inverse color of un-highlighted text.


Draws highlighted text the same color as un-highlighted text.


Hot Keys

A hot key is a keyboard combination that when pressed, is sent to the application that defined it, even if that application does not have the keyboard focus.

You can define hot keys for quick access to DeskNotes functions while working in other applications. Hot keys are defined by selecting "Set Hot Keys" from the DeskNotes tray menu.

The following is a list of functions that you can define hot keys for.

New Note

Open All Notes

Close All Notes

Find In Notes

Open Note Manager

Open Attribute Browser


Enables system wide hot keys for accessing key DeskNotes functions while working in other applications.


Use this list box to select the DeskNotes function that you want to define a hot key for.


This control is used to define the hot key for the selected DeskNotes function. As you press a key the hot key combination will be displayed here.

You can use any combination of ALT, CTRL, and SHIFT, along with a regular keyboard character to define the hot key.

Tip

It's possible to define an invalid hot key or to override a combination typically used by most applications. You should use a little care in defining your hot keys. After pressing OK to save, test them to make sure that they work correctly.


Hotkeys Dialog
Hot Keys

Use this dialog to define hot keys for quickly accessing DeskNotes functions.

After using the function combo box to select a function, use the hot key control to define a hot key for that function. As you type a sequence of ALT, CTRL, SHIFT, and a regular character, the hot key combination is displayed in the hot key control.

Although you can type almost any sequence of keys, it's best not to use combinations commonly used in other applications. ALT+F for example would be a bad choice, as this combination is used in most applications to display the File menu.

When you've finished you should test your hot keys, as it is possible to define an invalid combination.

Tip

Make sure you define a hot key for the new note function! This hot key will let you quickly create a new note from the keyboard while working in any application.


How To Register

By Mail

You can order by mail by following the instructions on the order form. If you supply an e-mail address with your order, it usually takes less than a week to receive your registration for locations in North America.

On-Line or By Telephone

To order on-line or by phone, please visit the DeskNotes web site at http://www.mindspring.com/~tmastran/ and follow the instructions on the page.


Image Effects Color Region
Click and drag the mouse to select a color.


Image Effects Dialog
Image Effects

Most images that look best as a background of a DeskNote have low contrast and use soft pastel colors. Images with these characteristics generally have a pleasing appearance without affecting the readabilty of the text on the note.

Use this dialog to modify the appearance of images that would normally be to harsh to be used as a background. You can adjust the hue, saturation, brightness, and opacity of the image with the three slider controls below the preview window.

Left click and drag the mouse in the slider controls to alter the image.

Notes

Only the appearance of the image is changed. The original file is not altered.

These effects require that your video card be set to display more than 256 colors.


Image Effects Effect Region
Displays a preview of the image as it will appear if the currently selected properties are applied.


Image Effects Hue Region
Click and drag the mouse to select a hue.


Image Effects Opacity Region
Click and drag the mouse to define the opacity of the image.


Import

Imports DeskNote files. Use this to recover backups of your notes, or when receiving them from another DeskNotes user, say via E-mail.

You can also import a DeskNotes file by double clicking it, or by right clicking and selecting Open from the context menu.

DeskNotes note files have a ".not" file extension.


In The Note Manager Tree
Drag & Drop In The Note Manager Tree

The Note Manager Tree makes extensive use of drag and drop. Some of its more advanced functions, such as merging and copying notebooks can only be accomplished through drag and drop.

Click here to read more, or just open the Note Manager and try it! Don’t forget to try dragging and dropping with the right mouse also.


In Version 2.0
New Features in DeskNotes 2.0

The Attribute Browser

The Attribute Browser is kind of like a Swiss Army knife. It contains a lot of tools to help you manipulate and extend the functionality of your notes.

Basically it's a list view of your notes, with columns that display non-graphical information such as Notebook, Author, and Modified Date, along with the note's text. You can click on the column headers to sort your notes by attribute. You can also select multiple notes to perform an operation on groups of notes that may not belong to the same notebook.

But that's only the beginning, you can also:

Define your own attributes, such as "Priority".
Create Alarms.
Schedule notes to open automatically.
Schedule external commands to be run.

Date/Time Strings

You can now have custom formatted date/time strings inserted onto your notes. They can be inserted automatically when a new note is created, or any time thereafter from the context menu.

This feature can also be used to insert the notebook name onto a note, or any standard boilerplate text you want.

Note Highlighter

The new Note Highlighter is used to highlight sections of text for cut and paste operations. An entire property page is provided so that you can customize the look of highlighted text for each note.

Mathematical Expressions

DeskNotes is a Calculator!

With DeskNotes around you don't need to reach for a separate calculator. Just type a mathematical expression anywhere on a line and press CTRL+E or F9. DeskNotes will evaluate the expression and insert the result.

Don't put any spaces in your expression because DeskNotes will locate it's start and end for you, so you don't have to highlight it. Just make sure the text caret is anywhere inside or at the end of the expression when you press the evaluate key.

Events and The Note Scheduler

You can define events for your notes in the Attribute Browser. Use events to:

Open notes at a certain time.
Create an alarm by playing sounds on a schedule.
Schedule external commands to be run.

A Tool Box

The tool box provides quick access to frequently used commands.

Command Tips

Command tips display help about the currently highlighted command on the DeskNotes context menu.

As you move the mouse up and down the context menu, the Commands Tips dialog will display the purpose of the highlighted command.

Rounded note edges

You can create a neat effect by making the edges of a note rounded.

Right click the desktop to make a new note

You can now right click on the Windows desktop and select New DeskNote from the standard windows context menu.

A Faster way to close a note

To quickly close a note, move the mouse to the upper right hand corner of the note and the pointer will turn into an "X". Click to close the note.

Y2K Ready

DeskNotes is ready for the Year 2000. It will operate correctly after January 1, 2000 if the hardware and operating system it is running on is also Year 2000 ready.

There are also many new commands and improvements that were suggested by DeskNotes users. Thanks for the suggestions!


In Version 3.0
New Features in DeskNotes 3.0

Image Effects

There's a new, cool, image effects dialog that you can use to change the hue, saturation, and opacity of background images. You can find it on the Paper Properties page and on the Set Background Image dialog.

JPEG Image File Support

DeskNotes now supports both BMP and JPG files. Most image files in the product have been converted to JPG, thereby dramatically reducing disk space requirements. If you're installing over a previous version you should delete any BMP files so you don't wind up with duplicate images.

New Background Images

Over 40 new images have been added. Check out the new "hole" images.

Improved, Quick and Easy Alarm Creation.

The command Set->Alarm has been added to the context menu for quickly defining alarms and other types of Note Events. Don't forget to turn the scheduler on.

Event Notification

A flashing bell will appear on all notes opened as a result of an alarm or event going off.

Mouse Wheel Support

The mouse wheel can be used to move up and down in a note.

Find In Notes

Text searching functions are now eaiser and more convienient to use. New features such as copy matching text to the clipboard and open matching notes, has been added.

Backup Command

There's a new backup command on the tray menu that you can use to do a quick one step backup of all your notes and settings. No more excuses now.

Hot Keys

You can define hot keys for quick access to common DeskNotes functions, such as creating a new note, while working in another application.

Sound File Preview

A sound preview button on the Event Properties Page can be used to pick a sound to be played when an event occurs.

More Keyboard Shortcuts

New keyboard shortcuts make working with notes even faster.

Improved Note Delete Command

The recycle bin can be bypassed when deleting a note by holding the shift key down.

Text Selection With The Keyboard

You can now select text using either the shift-arrow or shift-click methods.

Tray Icon Auto-Reload

Have you ever had the Explorer crash and re-start on you? Generally when this happens you lose all icons that were in the tray. DeskNotes will now put its icon back into the tray automatically, if this should happen

Streamlined Context Menus

The note and tray context menus have been streamlined for faster navigation. Most of the non-note related commands have been moved to the tray menu.

Floppy Friendly Install Files

The product files have been re-sized so that when they're un-zipped, they will fit on floppy disks.

Auto-Completion

All combo boxes now remember your last entries.

New Notebook Command

You can now create a new notebook from the command menu.

Command Line Options

Access to key DeskNotes components is now available from the command line. This can be used to create shortcuts, or to schedule DeskNotes actions in other applications, or even in itself.


Just An Icon
This is just a picture. It doesn't do anything. Cute though, isn't it?


Just Some Suggestions
Some Suggestions

Here are some ideas for possible uses of DeskNotes. If you come up with some neat things to use it for, e-mail them to us and we’ll post them on our web page.


Keep The Attribute Browser Handy
Keep it Handy!

The Attribute Browser, like all DeskNotes windows and dialogs, remembers its size and location on the desktop. The next time you start DeskNotes, it will restore itself to its previous position.

To make it open every time you start DeskNotes, make sure it’s open when you exit DeskNotes. To make it start minimized on the taskbar whenever DeskNotes is started, minimize it before exiting DeskNotes.


Keep it Handy!

For quick access to all your notes, put DeskNotes in your Startup Folder. DeskNotes remembers it’s previous state so that it can start up as it was when last run.

How to make DeskNotes run every time Windows is started:

1.	Right click the Start Button.

2.	Click Open.

3.	Double click on Programs Startup.

4.	Open the folder containing DeskNotes.

5.	Use the right mouse button to drag and drop DeskNotes into your Startup Folder.


Keep the Note Manager Handy
Keep it Handy!

The Note Manager, like all DeskNotes windows and dialogs, remembers its size and location on the desktop. The next time you start DeskNotes, it will restore itself to its previous position.

To make it open every time you start DeskNotes, make sure it’s open when you exit DeskNotes. To make it start minimized on the taskbar whenever DeskNotes is started, minimize it before exiting DeskNotes.


Contains a list of format codes that can be used to create a custom Date/Time string.


Make "To Do" Lists

1.	Open the Note Manager.

2.	Right click the top level icon in the tree.

3.	Select New Notebook.

4.	Call it "To Do List".

5.	Make another and call it "Completed".

6.	Create notes in the "To Do List" notebook by right clicking it and selecting New.

7.	Jot down your note.

8.	When an item is completed, drag the note from the "To Do List" and drop it onto the "Completed" notebook.


Make a "Note Explorer"

Open both the Note Manager and the Attribute Browser, tiling them on the screen so they are about the same size, with the Note Manager on the left. Make sure both have "AutoScroll" enabled on the View menu.

As you click in one window, the other will automatically scroll to select the same note.


Making More DeskNotes

Caution. This may be fun! The boring way to make a new note is by left clicking the taskbar icon, or by right clicking the context menu and selecting New.

Try This:

1.	Move the mouse pointer over a note.

2.	Somewhat quickly, right click it and drag, as if you were going to move it.

Got a new note? Great! You just tore off a new note. If you didn’t, try it again.

Here’s a secret. Because DeskNotes are not real paper notes (they just think they are), they can do things ordinary notes can't. Every DeskNote is actually and infinite pad of notes. The fun way to make a new note is to tear one off the pad!

When you right click a note, DeskNotes starts timing your actions. If you right click and immediately begin moving the mouse, it makes a new note. Otherwise it displays the context menu.

Tip

You can also right click the Windows Desktop and select "New DeskNote" to create a new note.


Making Notebooks

Here's how:

1.	Right click on the topmost item in the Note Manager.

2.	Select New Notebook.

3.	Type a name for the notebook into the edit box.

4.	Press enter to finish creating the notebook.

Tip

You can change the name of the topmost item, "My DeskNotes", by right clicking it and selecting Rename from the menu.


Making a Copy of a Notebook

You won’t find a command on the menubar for this trick.
Here’s how to copy a Notebook:

1.	Right click the topmost item and select New Notebook, to make a new, empty notebook.

2.	Type its name into the edit box and press Return.

3.	Select the notebook you want to copy, and with the right mouse button, drag it over the notebook you just created.

4.	Release the mouse button and select Copy from the context menu.

You can also use the left mouse button to do this. When you drag items in the Note Manager, the default action is to move the item to the new location when it’s dropped. To make a copy, hold down the CTRL key while dragging.

Note

When you use the left button for moving or copying, be careful, because you won’t be asked to confirm the action.


Manage Projects

Create a notebook for each task.

Place notes related to a task into its respective notebook.

Move completed items to a "Completed" notebook.

Use the Note Manager statusbar to see how many tasks you have.

Define a numeric priority attribute in the Attribute Browser to prioritize your tasks.

Schedule notes to open automatically, reminding you of important milestones.


Manipulating Groups of Notes

When multiple notes are selected, most of the commands on the menu can be applied to all of the notes at once.

Some of the things you can do are:

Copy all text from the notes selected to the clipboard at once.

Open, close, export, print, and yes delete, all the selected notes.


Merging One Notebook Into Another

You won’t find a command on the menubar for this trick.
Here’s how to do it:

1.	Select the notebook whose contents you want to merge, or move, into another notebook, and with the right mouse button, drag it over the target notebook.

2.	Release the mouse button and select Move from the context menu.

Note

When you use the left button for moving or copying, be careful, because you won’t be asked to confirm the action.


Click me for more info about this feature!


Messages

The Messages Property Page is used to set the initial contents of a new DeskNote. When you create a new DeskNote by tearing one off another, or by selecting New from a note’s context menu, you get an exact duplicate of the original. But, if you create a new note by clicking the taskbar icon, or by selecting New from the taskbar menu, an empty note is created.

If the Messages option is enabled, DeskNotes will put the message text you define onto the note.

You can also use Date/Time format codes to put a timestamp on new notes or "%N" to insert the notebook name.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.


Messages Button Delay Test
Click this button to hear the first few words of the message.


When creating a new note from an existing note, DeskNotes will copy the text of the original note to the new note, if this option is selected.


Messages Check New
Check this box to have DeskNotes automatically type the message below into new notes you create.

Tip

You can use Date/Time Format Codes, along with your own text, to have time stamps automatically placed on new notes.


Messages Check Welcome
Check this box to have DeskNotes automatically type the message below into the first new note you create.

The purpose of this feature is primarily for transparent notes. If you create a transparent note by selecting New on the taskbar menu, a new empty note will appear on your screen. The problem is that if it's transparent, and doesn't have a border, you won't know where it is! If this option is selected, the message you enter here will be placed on the note, so you can find it. A quick Ctrl-X can be used to cut out this text before typing on the note.


Messages Edit Key Delay
If the Keystroke event on the Sounds Page has a sound file assigned to it, the messages defined here will be played at this speed, when new notes are created.

Use this option to hear a nice typewriter effect - with the proper sound file of course!


Messages Edit New
Enter the message you would like to appear on new notes.

Tip

You can use Date/Time Format Codes, along with your own text, to have time stamps automatically placed on new notes.


Messages Edit Welecome
Enter the message you would like displayed on the very first note created.


Messages Spin Key Delay
If the Keystroke event on the Sounds Page has a sound file assigned to it, the messages defined here will be played at this speed, when new notes are created.

Use this option to hear a nice typewriter effect - with the proper sound file of course!


Messages Static Key Delay
If the Keystroke event on the Sounds Page has a sound file assigned to it, the messages defined here will be played at this speed, when new notes are created.

Use this option to hear a nice typewriter effect - with the proper sound file of course!


Messages Static Msecs
If the Keystroke event on the Sounds Page has a sound file assigned to it, the messages defined here will be played at this speed, when new notes are created.

Use this option to hear a nice typewriter effect - with the proper sound file of course!


Move a Note When The Highlighter is On
How To Move a Note When The Highlighter is On

Grab the note near its top border, where the mouse pointer will change to an arrow.

When the note highlighter is on, the mouse pointer changes to an I-Beam when the mouse is over text, so that you can highlight text for cut, copy, or paste operations. But this makes it a little more difficult to move a note. You can only move a note when the mouse pointer is an arrow.

To move a note when the note highlighter is on, you must grab it near one of its borders. The border is the area between the outside edges of the note, and the text area. The thickness of the borders can be defined for each edge of the note on the Paper Properties Page.

Generally most people find it pleasing if the top border of a note is thicker than the left, right, and bottom border. This makes it easy to move a note when the note highlighter is on, by grabbing it near the top of the note.


Moving a DeskNote

You move a DeskNote just like any other window, except that you can grab it anywhere. Just click and drag with the left mouse button anywhere in the body of the note.


Network
Network Properties

The Network Property Page is used to enable or disable the DeskNotes Note Server. It also contains an address book that you can use to store the host names of computers running DeskNotes and who you send notes to.

The DeskNote server receives notes sent to it from other users on the Network. When a note's received, it's displayed on your screen as it appeared on the senders.

A sender must know your host name (and be able to resolve it), or know your TCP/IP address, to send a note to you.

You can send notes anytime. It doesn't matter if the DeskNote server is on or off.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Tip

If you are using a dial-up account to access the Internet you can use the TCP/IP address assigned to you as your host name. Use the IP Config tool to determine your TCP/IP address. It should be on your Windows 95 CD.

Security Note

DeskNotes uses a private, internal protocol to communicate to another machine running DeskNotes. There is no way anyone could access your machine with the server enabled. The worst that could happen is that you could receive an ugly note (and I mean esthetically, not content-wise).


Select this option to turn on the built in DeskNote server.

The DeskNote server receives notes sent to it from other users on the Network. When a note's received, it's displayed on your screen as it appeared on the senders.

A sender must know your host name (and be able to resolve it), or know your TCP/IP address, to send a note to you.

You can send notes anytime. It doesn't matter if the DeskNote server is on or off.

Security Note: DeskNotes uses a private, internal protocol to communicate to another machine running DeskNotes. There is no way anyone could access your machine with the server enabled. The worst that could happen is that you could receive an ugly note (and I mean esthetically, not content-wise).


When this option is selected, DeskNotes will load Winsock.dll when DeskNotes is started, or when you click the Ok or Apply button on this dialog. If you de-select this option, Winsock.dll will be unloaded when the Ok or Apply button is clicked.

Winsock.dll is a Windows component used to create network connections to other computers via the TCP/IP protocol. You must enable this option if you want to send or receive notes.

In most cases you can leave this checked, even if you don't want to send or receive DeskNotes from other users.

This option is provided for the rare situation in which you are using a non-standard Winsock implementation, and loading Windows Winsock.dll interferes with it.


Displays a dialog that is used to edit the selected entry in your address book.


This is your address book. Use it to store a list of computers you frequently send notes to.


Displays a dialog that is used to add a new entry to your address book.


Removes the selected entry from your address book.


New

Creates a new note.


Use this list box to set how data for this attribute is aligned in the Attribute Browser.


Use this list box to select a data type for the new attribute.


Use this edit to define a default value for this attribute. If you define a default value, it will be applied to all notes that do not have a value for this attribute.


Enter a name for the new attribute here. This is what will appear on the column header of the Attribute Browser.


New Attribute

Use this dialog to define new attributes.

After you have defined an attribute, make sure there is a check mark beside it's name in the Attributes Dialog, or it won't be displayed in the Attribute Browser. Use the up/down control in the Attributes Dialog to changes it position in the Attribute Browser.

You set the value of an attribute by clicking in the Attribute browser at the intersection of the note and attribute you want to set.


Not Your Normal Notes

DeskNotes are not your normal notes. A DeskNote will do a whole lot of neat things if you hold down certain keys while re-sizing it. Read on to see what they can do.


Note Highlighter

The note highlighter allows you to select a region of text for cut and paste operations. The mouse will change to an I-beam when the mouse is over the text area of a note if the note highlighter is on.

When the mouse is near the edges of a note it will change to a pointer so that you can move or resize the note.

You can toggle the Note Highlighter on or off from either the tool box or from the DeskNotes context menu.

Tip

Use the Highlight Properties Page to adjust the color of highlighted text.


Note Manager Keys

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts with the Note Manager.

Press	To

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ESC	Cancel the notebook rename command

ENTER	Open or close the selected DeskNote

DEL	Delete the selected DeskNote

F1	Help

F3	Find Next

F4	Find Previous

CTRL while dragging	Copy a DeskNote

a DeskNote


On A DeskNote
Drag & Drop On A DeskNote

You can drag and drop text files (txt), and image files (bmp, jpg, jpe, jpeg), onto a DeskNote. When a text file is dropped onto a DeskNote, its contents are replaced with what is in the text file.

When an image file is dropped on a DeskNote, the image is displayed on the DeskNote.

If you use the right mouse button during drag and drop operations, a context menu will display additional choices. Use right drag and drop to drop files that you know are text files but do not have a ".txt" file extension. Also use it to when dropping an image to toggle the display mode between scaled and tiled.


On-Line or by Telephone
On-Line or Telephone Orders

To order on-line or by phone, please visit the DeskNotes web site at http://www.mindspring.com/~tmastran/ and follow the instructions on the page.


Open All

Opens all of your notes. Because DeskNotes has no limit on the number of notes you can have, this command will warn you when opening large numbers of notes. By default the warning appears after 100 notes are opened. You can increase this on the warning dialog.


Open Internet Location

If your note contains URLs, and you have a Web Browser installed, all of the URLs on your note will be displayed here.

Select a URL to launch your Web browser to the selected site.


Open Note Manager

Opens the Note Manager window. The Note Manager is used to organize your notes.


Open Notebook

Opens all of the notes in the selected Notebook.


Operators

+	Addition
-	Subtraction
*	Multiplication
/	Division
%	Modulus
^	Exponentiation
|	Bitwise OR
&	Bitwise AND
(	Grouping
)	Grouping


Order Form
DeskNotes Order Form

Use this form for easy ordering. Select "Print" from the menu, to print this form.

How To Order

To order on-line or by phone, visit our web site at http://www.mindspring.com/~tmastran and follow the instructions.

To order by mail, send this form with a check or money order drawn on a US bank, payable to Ted Mastrandonas, to:

Ted Mastrandonas

P.O. Box 1626

Pelham, AL 35124

USA

When your order is received you will be sent a registration code that will turn your shareware copy of DeskNotes into a full-featured version.

Order Information

____ Copies of DeskNotes	@24.95 each	_____________
Total		_____________

Customer Information

Name	_____________________________________
Address	_____________________________________
	_____________________________________
City	_________________State________________
Zip Code	_________________Country______________
Telephone	_____________________________________
E-Mail Address	_____________________________________

How do you want to receive your registration code?

By Postal Mail	Yes    No
By E-Mail	Yes    No

Thanks for your order!

You can send comments to:	tmastran@mindspring.com

For more information, or to download the latest version, visit our web site at

http://www.mindspring.com/~tmastran


Click this to search for an image file to use as a background on your note. DeskNotes supports bitmap and JPEG image formats.


Paper Button Image Effects
Opens the image effects dialog.


Changes the color of the note background.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Prevents DeskNotes from automatically increasing the height of a note as you type.

Normally, DeskNotes will automatically adjust your note size, as you type, to ensure that all the text is visible.


Prevents DeskNotes from automatically increasing the width of a note as you type.

Normally, DeskNotes will automatically adjust your note size, as you type, to ensure that all the text is visible.


Enables the image effects that you have selected.


Select this option to make this note stay on top of all other windows.


Select this option to make all notes stick to the desktop, behind all other windows.

This is a "global" option that applies to all notes. It will take effect after the Ok button is pressed. DeskNotes will quickly close and then reopen your notes to make this change. It's a Windows z-order thing.


Select this option if you want DeskNotes to wrap the text on this note when you re-size it.

Note

Word wrap does not occur as you type. You must re-size the note to have the text re-formatted.


Displays the name of the currently selected image file.


Defines the number pixels to skip on the top and bottom edge of the paper when drawing vertical rule lines.


Defines the number pixels to skip on the left edge of the note when drawing horizontal rule lines.

This effects text placement even if horizontal rules are not displayed. You can set this to precisely position the left edge of the text on a note.


Defines the number pixels to skip on the right edge of the paper when drawing horizontal rule lines.


Defines the number pixels from the top of the note to the top of the first line of text.


Paper Properties

This dialog is used to set the attributes that define the style of paper your DeskNote is using.

It also contains the global setting, "Sticks to DeskTop". When selected, your notes will be stuck behind all other windows on your desktop. This is handy for keeping them from interfering with whatever other work you may be doing.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.


Draws two punch holes along the left edge of the paper.


Draws three punch holes along the left edge of the paper.


Draws the note using the selected image as the background.


Draws two rectangular holes along the bottom edge of a note to simulate the look of a card pulled from a rotary note holder.


Do not draw punch holes.


Draws enough punch holes along the left edge of the paper, to make the note look like a page torn from a spiral bound notebook.


Stretches the selected image to fit your note.


Repeats the selected image to fill your note.


Draws two holes along the top edge of the paper.


Draws the note on a transparent background so that it appears to float on top of the screen.


Defines the number pixels to skip on the top and bottom edge of the paper when drawing vertical rule lines.


Defines the number pixels to skip on the left edge of the paper when drawing horizontal rule lines.

This effects text placement even if horizontal rules are not displayed so that you can position the left edge of text on a note.


Defines the number pixels to skip on the right edge of the paper when drawing horizontal rule lines.


Defines the number pixels from the top edge of the note to the top of the first line of text.


Paste

Pastes any text in the clipboard, onto your DeskNote. The text is inserted at the location of the cursor.


People Are Talking About it
People Are Talking About it...

"On behalf of MyDesktop.com software development team, I would like to congratulate you for winning: MyDesktop.com Award of Excellence for DeskNotes v1.0 as well as our highest rating of 7 monitors, or 'AWESOME!!!' - www.mydesktop.com"

"I think your program is one of the neatest, most innovative, that I've seen in a while" - Bryan

"I would like to thank you for developing a useful piece of shareware. There are entirely too many self claimed programmers writing all sorts of programs, that while useful in purpose, are not well laid, planned or executed. DeskNotes is unique because it's not only useful, but the interface is easy to understand and straight forward. The extra features embedded within give it character without becoming cumbersome or gaudy." - Stuart

"I downloaded DeskNotes today and was very impressed with the program. I particularly appreciated it's degree of sophistication coupled with it's ease of use." - Roger

"I have just downloaded and installed DeskNotes from WinFiles.com on our network - and have never been so impressed with a piece of software as this. Even the users are raving about it - high praise indeed. Well Done!" - Andy


Print All

Prints all the notes that are open on your desktop.

You can print ALL notes, open or closed, by using the Print commands in the Note Manager.


Print Notebook

Prints all of the open notes that are in the selected notebook.

You can print ALL notes, open or closed, by using the Print commands in the Note Manager.


Print This Note

Prints the selected note.


Print This Notebook

Prints all of the open notes that are in the same notebook as the note selected.

You can print ALL notes, open or closed, by using the Print commands in the Note Manager.


Properties

When this command is selected from the taskbar context menu, it is used to change the default properties for notes created from the taskbar menu.

When this command is selected from a DeskNotes context menu, it can be used to change the properties of:

the note selected

all open notes that belong to the same notebook as the selected note

all open notes


Properties Check Global Apply
Causes the appearance of all open notes to be changed according to the settings on the property pages.

The current setting of this option is kept even if the cancel button is pressed.


Properties Check Group Apply
Causes the appearance of all open notes, in the current notebook, to be changed according to the settings on the property pages.

The current setting of this option is kept even if the cancel button is pressed.


Quality Is Contagious

I stole this expression. But hey, isn’t that the point?

With all the noise out there, I’ve really begun to notice and to appreciate quality lately. Quality as in really great music (Dave Matthews Band), software (Microsoft Image Composer, VC++, JASC Paint Shop Pro), tools (Bridge City),  and even Out Houses (yes I have a really great book on Out House Design) and other things such as those moments with the kids.

This software was created with this in mind. It does not leak memory, alter your system files, or install any files anywhere, except for the directory YOU tell it to. It took almost a year to create and contains so many features, I’m sure I’ve forgotten to document half of them. It was created for the love of it by a developer who remembers when the number one software company didn't even have a C compiler.

If you appreciate or have done a quality job on something, you know what I’m talking about. As soon as this is released the hackers will have created a free cracked version. Forget about they’re philosophy, they’ll tell you why software should be free for all. They’ll even complement the authors for the hard work that went into producing it.

Disregard them, They are Children and are narrow in they’re thinking.

Sure, it's a good thing to add to the benefit of all society. But it can't be done if everyone is working for free. If you like this, register it. If you want some code snipits to learn how to do something you've seen here, send some e-mail.

All we have is time. And some of that must create income. The oil change is not free. Nor is the Dave Matthews Band CD, or the Bridge City Tool Works Square. (Well maybe it is for some, but this is not for them)

Ted Mastrandonas
NoteMaster
January 30, 1997


Quickly Define an Alarm or Event
How to Quickly Define an Event or Alarm

Actually, here are two methods. The fastest is by right clicking a note and selecting Set Alarm from the menu. "Alarm" is a pre-defined event name. When you create an event with this command you are given a chance to rename it. The next time you click on the menu the name you specified will be listed. In DeskNotes you can have multiple events or alarms per note. Additional events can be created in the Attribute Browser.

Events are defined and maintained in the Attribute Browser. Here's a little longer, but more flexible procedure for defining events and other types of note attributes with the Attribute Browser.

First - Define an event attribute:

1.	Open the Attribute Browser.
2.	Select "View Options" --> Attributes Tab.
3.	Click the New button.
4.	Give the attribute a name, like "My Alarms".
5.	Set data type to "Event".
6.	Click OK to create the attribute.
7.	It should now appear checked in the bottom of the list.
8.	Use the up/down arrows to position it where you prefer it.
9.	Click OK and the Attribute Browser will add the new column..

Next - Define an event for a note:

1.	Click under the event attribute column you just created and on the note you want to attach an event to. The cursor should change to an I-Beam.
2.	The Event Properties dialog will appear.
3.	Define your event in this dialog and press Ok.
4.	You can click on other notes to define additional events.

Comment

This may sound complicated, but it's actually quite easy once you have defined an event attribute. Attributes and events are general purpose tools that were designed to be flexible, rather than implement a specific feature like alarm or priority.


Re-sizing a DeskNote

You resize a DeskNote just like any other window. Grab near an edge or corner and pull on it with the left mouse button down.


Resets the Format String to the factory default value.


Restoring Deleted Notes

Whenever a DeskNote is deleted it's put into the Recycle Bin.

To restore it:

1.	Open the Recycle Bin.

2.	Select the note to be restored.

3.	Choose File Restore from the menu.

Windows will put it onto your Desktop. You can import it back into DeskNotes by double clicking it. Once it has been imported you can delete the file on your Desktop, which of course goes back to the recycle bin, which could then be restored.....


Right click the desktop to make a new note

You can now right click on the Windows desktop and select New DeskNote from the standard windows context menu.


Rounded Note Edges

You can add rounded edges to your note on the Border Properties Page.


Changes the color of horizontal rule lines.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Specifies how many pixels wide to draw the rule lines.


Specifies that a custom color should be used to draw the rule lines.


Makes the rule lines the same color as the note shadow text.


Makes the rule lines the same color as the note text.


Draws dashed rule lines on your note.


Draws rule lines with alternating dashes and dots on your note.


Draws rule lines with alternating dashes and double dots on your note.


Draws dotted rule lines on your note.


Draw rule lines using a solid fill of the selected color.


Draw rule lines with a color that is a combination of the selected color, and the note background color, but not both.

This is a mathematical operation also known as the "Bitwise Boolean Exclusive OR".

It is commonly used to create a color that will not blend into the background of the object being drawn on. Imagine what you could do if you could buy one of these pens!


Draws solid rule lines on your note.


Rule Line Properties

Use this dialog to add some rule lines to your DeskNotes, making them more realistic looking.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Tip

Try the XOR option with backgrounds that are not a solid color.


Draws horizontal ruler lines on your note.

The position of the first line is affected by the top margin setting on the Paper tab. The line spacing is proportional to your font size.


Draws vertical rule lines along the left edge of your note.

The placement is proportional to your font size, such that it looks like rule lines on a piece of notebook paper.


Makes the border the same color as the note shadow text.


Changes the color of vertical rule lines.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Specifies the number of vertical rule lines to be drawn on the note.


Specifies the number of pixels between each vertical rule line.


Specifies how many pixels wide to draw the rule lines.


Specifies that a custom color should be used to draw the rule lines.


Makes the rule lines the same color as the note shadow text.


Makes the rule lines the same color as the note text.


Draws dashed rule lines on your note.


Draws rule lines with alternating dashes and dots on your note.


Draws rule lines with alternating dashes and double dots on your note.


Draws dotted rule lines on your note.


Draw rule lines with using a solid fill of the selected color.


Draw rule lines with using a color that is a combination of the selected color, and the note background color, but not both.

This is a mathematical operation also known as the "Bitwise Boolean exclusive OR".

It is commonly used to create a color that will not blend into the background of the object being drawn on. Imagine what you could do if you could buy one of these pens!


Draws solid rule lines on your note.


Specifies how many pixels wide to draw the rule lines.


Scaling A Note
Scaling A DeskNote

The scale of a DeskNote can be changed dynamically.
Follow these steps to scale a note dynamically:

1.	Move the mouse pointer near the edge of a note.

2.	Hold down the CTRL key.

3.	Slowly move the mouse.

As you move the mouse, the note will be scaled up or down, depending on the direction you move it.

Tip

If the note becomes to small or to large, relative to its contents, just let go of the CTRL key while continuing to drag the mouse. This will stop the scaling action. When you've got it the size you want, press the CTRL key to continue scaling it.


Schemes

The Schemes Property Page is used to save the properties of a DeskNote for later use. If you make a really cool looking note, save its properties to a scheme.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Tip

You could also use the Export command to indirectly save a scheme, as an exported note contains the scheme needed to create it.


Deletes the scheme that is selected in the Scheme box.


Exports all of your note schemes to a file of your choosing.

Tip

Use this if you want to backup your note schemes or copy them to another computer.


Click here to import an existing note scheme file into DeskNotes. A note scheme file contains all of the schemes that were defined when the scheme file was created.

Tip

Use this if you want to take your note schemes from one computer to another.


Saves your current note properties so you can reuse them at a later time.


When this option is selected, any new notes created with this scheme will be placed on the screen at the specified position.


Select this option if you want notes created with this scheme to use the specified width and height.


Lists previously saved note schemes that can be used to change all note properties simultaneously.


Specifies the height of notes created with this scheme.


Specifies where to locate the left edge of notes created with this scheme.


Specifies where to locate the top edge of notes created with this scheme.


Specifies the width of notes created with this scheme.


Displays a preview of the note as it will appear if the currently selected properties are applied. More interestingly, for transparent notes, the sample will also be transparent and contain the contents of the desktop behind it.


Send Them to Your Friends

Use the Send to Somebody command to send them across a network to another user running DeskNotes.


Send To Bottom

Moves an open DeskNote behind all other windows on your Desktop. This comes in handy for moving a large note out of the way to see what’s behind it.

You can also double click a DeskNote to move it to the bottom.


Closes this dialog box without saving any changes you have made.


If this option is selected, DeskNotes will automatically add any hosts that you send a note to, to your address book, if they are not already in it.


Toggles between showing hostnames, and friendly names in the hostname drop-down list.


Use this field to enter a name or description for a hostname that is easier to remember than its real name.


Enter the name of the computer that you want to send your DeskNote to.

You can also enter an IP address. An IP address has the form n.n.n.n, where n is a number between 0 and 255.


Send To Notebook

This command has no visual effect. So you may find that you’ve selected it and nothing has happened. What it does is to move the note from the notebook it is currently in to the one you selected.

This comes in handy for those occasions where you quickly create a note to record something, by either tearing off a new note, or by clicking the taskbar icon, with out regard for the notebook the note will belong in.


Send To Somebody

Sends the selected DeskNote to another DeskNotes user.  The DeskNote will appear on the recipient's screen exactly as it appears on yours.

The receiver must have DeskNotes running and have the "Receive DeskNotes From Other Users" option enabled on the Network property page. DeskNotes uses a separate thread to send the note so that you can continue working while the note is being sent.


Sends your DeskNote to the hostname you entered above.


Setting the Value of Note Attributes

As you move the mouse over the view it will change from an arrow to an I-beam as it passes over an editable column. If you click when the arrow is an I-beam, either an edit box or a dialog will appear, depending on the datatype of the attribute clicked.

Once you're in edit mode, you can use the tab and arrow keys to move from one editable field to the next. ESC will cancel the edit and Cancel will close the dialog.


Show All Borders

Toggles the display of all DeskNotes borders on and off. This command comes in handy when working with transparent notes. If you have a transparent DeskNote on your desktop, and it has no text, you can use this command to help find it.

Tip

Another way to find lost transparent notes is by using the Note Manager. When a note does not contain any text, it appears as an "Untitled" item in the Note Manager.


Show Border

Toggles the display of a DeskNotes border on and off. You can also mark the checkbox at the top of the Border Property page to turn on the border.

This command comes in handy when working with transparent notes.


Sorting Your Notes

The easiest way to sort your notes is by clicking on the column headers.

When a column is sorted, a triangle is displayed beside its name. The direction of the triangle indicates the direction of the sort. If you click the header again, the sort direction will be reversed.


Sounds

The Sounds Property Page is used assign sounds to DeskNote events. DeskNotes comes with some sound files to get you started, but you can use any ".wav" file.

If you figure out what the default sound for the "close" event is, this Bud’s for you!

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.

Tip

You can use any of the sound files that come with Windows for DeskNotes sound events.


Click this to search for a sound (.wav) file to assign to the event.


Deletes the scheme that is selected in the scheme box.


Exports all of your sound schemes to a file.

Tip

Use this if you want to backup your sound schemes or copy them to another computer.


Click here to import an existing sound scheme file into DeskNotes. A sound scheme file contains all of the schemes that were defined when the scheme file was created.

Tip

Use this if you want to take your sound schemes from one computer to another.


Click here to play the currently selected sound file.


Click this to remove a sound assignment from an event.


Saves your current sound settings so you can reuse them at a later time.


Select this option if you would like DeskNotes to play sounds for the events defined below.


Lists previously saved sound schemes that can be used to change all sound event assignments simultaneously.


Displays the name of the file to be played for the selected event.


Displays all of the events for which DeskNotes can play a sound.

Events with sounds assigned to them will have an icon in front of the event name.

You can double-click an event to quickly browse for a sound (".wav") file to assign to it.

You can press delete to remove an assignment.


Special DeskNote Keys

You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to do things only a DeskNote can do.

Press	To

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CTRL while	Scale the entire note

re-sizing

SHIFT while re-sizing	Change the intensity of the background color

near the top or left edge

SHIFT while re-sizing	Change the note text color intensity

near the bottom edge

SHIFT while re-sizing	Change the shadow text color intensity

near the left edge


Changes the shadow text color.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Exchanges the colors of the note text and shadow text.


Changes the text color.

The current color is displayed on the button.


Makes the shadow text color the same hue as the note text, but at the intensity level specified in the edit box.

This option can be used to create a 3D look instead of a standard shadow effect.


Enter the shadow text intensity level here, or use the spinner to increase or decrease it.


Text Properties

Use this dialog to change the color of a note’s text and to add a shadow behind the text. All kinds of neat effects can be created by careful selection of the text and shadow colors.

Things to try:

Use contrasting colors to create a shadow effect.

Use similar shades with the shadow darker than the text to create an embossed look.

Use similar shades with the text darker than the shadow to create a sunken look.

Right click each control for a detailed explanation.


Displays a preview of the note as it will appear if the currently selected properties are applied. More interestingly, for transparent notes, the sample will also be transparent and contain the contents of the desktop behind it. To try this out, go to the "Paper" page, select transparent paper, come back here and then drag the dialog around the screen.


Text Selection Keys

Select text by holding down SHIFT and pressing the key that moves the caret.

Press	To

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CTRL+A	Select all text

SHIFT+LEFT ARROW	Extend selection one character to the left

SHIFT+RIGHT ARROW	Extend selection one character to the right

SHIFT+HOME	Extend selection to the beginning of the line

SHIFT+END	Extend selection to the end of the line

CTRL+SHIFT+HOME	Extend selection to the beginning of the note

CTRL+SHIFT+END	Extend selection to the end of the note


Changes the horizontal offset of the text shadow. The sample window is updated in real time to show the effect of the change


Changes the vertical offset of the text shadow. The sample window is updated in real time to show the effect of the change


The Context Menus

Context Menus are used to interact with DeskNotes. There is no traditional application window to take up screen space. Context menus are provided for EVERY object that DeskNotes creates. Right click EVERYTHING, and especially your notes.


Displays the next tip.


Displays the previous tip.


Causes this dialog to be opened when DeskNotes starts.


This dialog displays tips to help you become more productive using DeskNotes.


URL

Uniform Resource Locator. Internet jargon for the name of a location on the Internet. URL's usually begin with strings like, "http://", or "ftp://".


Undo Close

Opens all of the notes last closed.


Use As Default

Use this command to set the properties used when creating a new note from the taskbar icon, to be the same as the selected note.

You can fine-tune the default properties by right clicking the DeskNotes taskbar icon, and selecting Properties.


Use The Help System
How To Use The Help System

In addition to this help file, DeskNotes includes context sensitive help for every dialog control, a Tip of the Day dialog, and Command Tips for the DeskNote context menu.

Right click on a dialog control to read help on its use.

Use the "Help Command Tips" command to display help for the DeskNote context menu.

Use the "Help Tip of the Day" command to learn tricks and shortcuts.

Tip

Included with DeskNotes is a file called "answers.txt" that contains questions and answers to frequently asked questions.


Use Them to Get to a Web Site

1.	Right click a DeskNote that contains URLs.

2.	Select Open Internet Location.

3.	Pick a URL.

DeskNotes will take you there!


Using the Menubar and Toolbar

Both the menubar and the toolbar are context aware. As you select items in the Note Manager, the contents will change to show commands that apply to the type of item selected.

For example, let's say you want to open all 400 of your notes. If the current item selected is a notebook or a note, the menubar and toolbar will only show commands for that type of item.

Select the topmost item to select commands that operate on all notes.


Using the TaskBar or Desktop Icon
Using the Taskbar

DeskNotes places an icon in your taskbar. Use it to quickly create new notes or to manipulate existing notes.

Left click the icon to create a new note. It will have the appearance of your default note.

Right click to make a selection from the context menu.


Very Contagious

A year and a half has gone by, and it's still contagious.

It's been a long road to version 2.0. Version 1.0 lived up to my hopes that I could release a quality product without a rapid succession of intermediate bug fixes. There have been no bug fix releases since then because there have been no bugs. After all the work and testing that has gone into this version, I know it will live up to its predecessor.

When I finished version 1.0, I thought, what else could I possibly put into this? Well surprise, you told me! A lot of what's in this version is what you asked for.

Thanks for helping me make this product

Ted Mastrandonas
NoteMaster
June 11, 1998

Here We Go Again...

Thanks for all the great feedback that was used to make Version 3.0. DeskNotes has now been picked twice as a Ziff-Davis Shareware of The Year Finalist.

Your suggestions have made DeskNotes the premier note management tool. As you use this version you will see that it reflects what you asked for. If a feature was missed, please let us know.

Ted Mastrandonas
NoteMaster
June 27, 1999.


Watch That Mouse
Watch That Mouse!

The Attribute Browser is more than a scrollable view of your notes. It is also used to edit the values of attributes that you may have defined.

As you move the mouse over the view, the cursor will change from an arrow to an I-beam as it passes over an editable column. If you click when the arrow is an I-beam, either an edit box or a dialog will appear, depending on the datatype of the attribute clicked.

You can click ESC to cancel the edit or Cancel to close the dialog.


What All the Attribute Browser Icons Represent
What All the Different Icons Represent

A DeskNote can be in one of many "states". The Attribute Browser changes a note’s icon when it’s state changes, so you can instantly tell what state it's in

DeskNote States:

  Open

  Closed

  Open, matches last search criteria

  Closed, matches last search criteria


What All the Different Icons Represent

A DeskNote can be in one of many "states". The Note Manager changes a note’s icon when it’s state changes, so you can instantly tell what state it's in

DeskNote States:

  Open

  Active

  Closed

  Open, matches last search criteria

  Closed, matches last search criteria


What is The Attribute Browser
What is The Attribute Browser?

The Attribute Browser is kind of like a Swiss Army knife.  It contains a lot of tools to help you manipulate and extend the functionality of your notes.

Basically it's a list view of your notes, with columns that display non-graphical information such as Notebook, Author, and Modified Date, along with the note's text. You can click on the column headers to sort your notes by attribute. You can also select multiple notes to perform an operation on groups of notes that may not belong to the same notebook.

But that's only the beginning, you can also:

Define your own attributes, such as "Priority".

Create Alarms.

Schedule notes to open automatically.

Schedule external commands to be run.

Backup your notes.

Tip

Not only can you schedule commands, you can enter the name of any file or internet site also. Anything you can double click to open or run from the Windows Start Run menu, can be scheduled by DeskNotes.

Hint

You can also pass arguments to commands by specifing them as part of the run command.


What is The Note Manager
What is The Note Manager?

The Note Manager is a tool for organizing and manipulating groups of DeskNotes, called notebooks. If you’re one of those people that basically likes a lot of clutter, and enjoys the challenges that disorganization presents, you might want to just skip this section.


Where Are They?

By now you've made some notes, and may have even started and stopped DeskNotes a couple of times. Do you wonder where your notes are kept?

One of the real nice things about DeskNotes is that it keeps up with your notes for you. You never have to ask yourself, where did I put that? Or, what directory is that in? That's because a DeskNote is not a file object, unless you export it as one.

DeskNotes keeps your notes in a database that comes with Windows, the Registry. If you use a user name to login into Windows, they're kept separated by user name, so only you have access to your notes.


Working With a Single Note

Once a note is highlighted you can:

Select a menu command to apply to it.

Right click it to use the context-menu.

Press return to open or close it.

Press CTRL-C to copy its text to the clipboard.

Press CTRL-V to replace its text with the clipboard contents.

Press DEL to delete it.
(If you do this by accident, just get it out of the Recycle Bin.)


Yes No Web Jump
On-Line and Telephone Registration

Would you like DeskNotes to open your web browser and take you to our web site so you can read about on-line or telephone registration?     Yes


Your First DeskNote

To make your first DeskNote, either left click the taskbar icon or right click it and select New. You should now have a brand new DeskNote in the upper left-hand corner of your desktop, ready to be typed into.

New DeskNotes are created with the keyboard focus. You don’t have to click them to start typing. They’re ready to go!


e-mail
Our E-Mail Address

tmastran@mindspring.com


global setting
Global Settings

Settings that apply to all DeskNotes.


Notebooks are a logical grouping of DeskNotes.