Add ability to set a default note title to enable quicker new note creation

[elyahw]

⚠️ This issue respects the following points: ⚠️

• This is a enhancement/feature request. Not a bug or question.
• The topic is not already reported at Issues. (I've searched it).
• Markor is up to date. See Releases for the latest version. Updates are available from F-Droid and GitHub.
• The wanted feature/enhancement is not present in the latest development version (git master). (Please download and try the test version of Markor, named Marder. Don't worry; Markor and Marder appear as completely separate applications. You can install both side-by-side, and Markor's settings are not touched. If your desired feature is present, you don't need to open this issue. The change will be part of the next Markor update.)

Description

The suggestion:
I suggest to add a default note title, for example yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm-ss.md for the Empty file template.

Why?
This will enable a quicker creation of a new note in two clicks: (1) press '+' button, (2) press ok.

How is this an enhancement?

1. This is an enhancement over the current behaviour which requires the entry of a new note name. Thinking about a new name for the idea you just had is not very important as the idea itself. Currently new notes have a default name of my_note, but it is greyed out and never used.

2. Adding this simple default title will perhaps allow us to get rid of the QuickNote tab which is titled "Quicknote.md" by default.

3. Another way of solving this problem is to add the ability to customise the title of the quick note, for example: yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm-ss Quicknote.md. After thinking about it again, I think this is better perhaps. I will leave this to be discussed.

Information

Android version: 13
Device: Pixel 5a
App Version: 2.11.1

Source

F-Droid

Format / File type

Markdown

[gsantner]

Not speaking about everything, but

for example |yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm-ss.md| f

There is a template option called Jekyll. It makes a date related filename.

Adding this simple default title will perhaps allow us to get rid of

the *QuickNote* tab which is titled "Quicknote.md" by default. No, don't want to get rid of it. You may personally not have a use for QuickNote but others do. If you want to have every new info in a new file feel free to do that. QuickNote is there for a different reason, to quickly gather info and see everything at one glance. I use it i.e. as a kind of inbox where I remove things shortly after if I checked it out... or move it off to a dedicated file if it's something to keep.

Another way of solving this problem is to add the ability to customise the title of the quick note, for example: yyyy-mm-dd hh-mm-ss Quicknote.md|. After thinking about it again, I think this is better perhaps. I will leave this to be discussed.

This means you create a own file for everyday. Then you end up with like 300 files a year, each with maybe 5 lines of text...and then you have to guess where you had the info :D. Overall your points sounds a lot like you are looking for some "daily journal" kind of feature. You can search the Discussions I recall some cool script by users which help with that.

[elyahw]

Thanks for your response.

There is a template option called Jekyll. It makes a date related filename.

Yes, this is what I normally do (I actually choose the one titled zettelasken). But it makes the creation process of a new note take double the time as I need to click 4 clicks instead of 2: '+' > 'Template' > 'zettelasken' > 'OK'. Compare this with '+' > 'OK'

No, don't want to get rid of it. You may personally not have a use for QuickNote but others do.

That is fine.

Have every new info in a new file... quickly gather info and see everything at one glance... remove things shortly after

I think this depends on how one uses the notes app and for what reason. Over the years I found that dating the separate notes/ideas/todos that I write is very useful. I will end up with 10s even 100s of notes (easily searchable using the search dialog) which I eventually revisit and combine, the date helps in this sorting a lot (when you wrote what). I do not always during the week have the time to copy/paste what I write, and I find that to keep everything in a single draft note is disorganised. Especially that it takes time to figure out the best organisation structure.

This means you create a own file for everyday.

Exactly.

Consider this list of files:

20240218 todo.md
20240218 work.md
20240219 people names.md
20240219 todo.md
20240219 firefox tabs.md
20240220 firefox tabs.md

If all these were combined in a single draft file (or Quicknote.md as it is called in the app), it would take much more time to organise them than if they were separated over dated and titled files (each one containing a single topic/category). I usually git push them and organise them on my pc.

then you have to guess where you had the info

No, because this is the exact purpose of the search dialog. All you need to remember is a keyword. You have the note title as well.

"daily journal" kind of feature

Leavning the Quicknote.md untouched for the use that you suggested, whether you use the app as a "daily journal" or not, all I'm saying that it is useful to have the date in the filename of newly created notes, the same way it is useful to date a jekyll post.

[harshad1]

This is an alternate approach.

#2137 (comment)

[elyahw]

Okay. After thinking about it for some time, why not add a button to insert date at the file creation dialog?

This would alow users to use Markor both ways, either as it is, or as a 'journal' as @gsantner calls it..

[gsantner]

Android Dialogs generally are expected to have maximum 3 buttons: Positive (i.e. OK), Negative (i.e. Cancel), Neutral (i.e. More info). That's also what all the API's support.Message ID: ***@***.***>

[elyahw]

Alright. I found a simple solution:

Currently if the 'Name' field is empty as on the left, if you press OK, nothing happens.

I suggest to change the default text my_note to the current date, and if OK is pressed:

1. If the user enters nothing in the box, a new note is created an opened 2024-03-01.md perhaps add hh-mm-ss
2. If a text is entered into the box, the current behaviour remains (date is removed and new note is written custom_title.md)
3. If the user presses space into the Name field, the date is appended (no longer greyed out) and custom name inserted e.g. 2024-03-01 custom_title.md

[harshad1]

IMO the solution proposed here is nice. I will try adding it when I start working on improving the new file dialog.

Not sure if I will be able to get to it before mid-april though.

[gsantner]

Suggestion: To rename template to "Content template", and add a third dropdown section - Filename template. Which can include i.e. what we have currently in terms of Jekyll special rules, among others.

[Toremok]

Hi,
I was redirected here and wanted to vocalize that i'd also like an option to "auto-date" the filename before creation. Ideally that would happen on my own custom template, so I can create journal-like files for recordkeeping with boilerplate information in the file. Just adding my name to the list for the feature request.

Thanks!