Dave's Linux Adoration Page

Noteapp

A prototype Star Trek Log

Noteapp - A Star Trek Themed Log Book Project

The noteapp root directory is here.

Noteapp - .noteapp/

The noteapp configuration directory is here.

Noteapp - Just the Screenshots (A Gallery)

A "mkgallery" view of the screenshots

Noteapp Screenshot

01 - Initial Startup

Procedure to get the background into the gnome-terminal.

Start a gnome terminal. When Noteapp is started, you are presented
with a normal looking terminal window with some text. To get the
cool Star Trek LCARS theme you have to do a few things.

From the menu do Edit, Profiles, and add a new profile called Noteapp.
Initial Startup - Setting up a Profile

On the General tab, change to not use the system fixed width font
and select to use Font: Liberation Mono with font size of 10
Initial Startup - Setting up general tab

On the Colors tab, change to use the built-in scheme "White on Black"
Initial Startup - Setting up colors tab

On the background tab, select background image and select background.jpg
(provided with my app) for the image file.
Initial Startup - Setting up background tab

Add a launcher to the top panel

Right click on the top panel

Select "Add to Panel"

Double-click on "Application Launcher"

Click on the little triangle to the left of "Accessories"

Select "Terminal" and click the "Add" button. Close the window.

Right click on the icon added to the top panel and select "Properties"

Change the text to as follows:

Name: Noteapp
Command: gnome-terminal --window-with-profile=Noteapp --geometry=100x50 --command /path-to-the-application/noteapp-dev
Comment: Launcher

Initial Startup - Setting up, add a launcher to the top panel

Just some additional notes:

The Date and Time are shown at the top of the app.
Right now, the date/time are not updated in real time, but coincide
with starting and completion of "single letter commands" such as
(C)reate, (V)iew, (D)elete, (S)ave, Save (A)s, and (Q)uit.
Something that will change when the app is converted into a GTK/Gnome one.
The buttons on the left are not currently active, but will be in the final app.
Right now, all I am doing is changing the text displayed inside the buttons
When files are created they appear in the bottom section in two-columns, sorted by most
recent first and going down into the past.
Another feature is showing the total number of files, total space used, and free space below
the file listings.
The sorting may be changed to alphabetical using this command:
/set rc fm_sort A
when at the "initial screen"
The sorting may be changed to back to "by time" using this command:
/set rc fm_sort T
when at the "initial screen"
No idea yet what to do with the blue section to the right of the file listings.

02 - Create File

Entering "c and [enter]" at the "Input" line gets you here.

The created filename (based on the date/time of it's creation) is displayed and is designated
as [empty].
The empty file is created in the DATA subdirectory, so the created filename also appears in the
listing in the lower section.

03 - Opened Editor

Entering "y and [enter]" at the "Input" line gets you into file editing mode.

Right now the editor is hard coded to use Gedit, but is planned to use your preferred default editor.
Really, you thought I'd code up a new editor with so many available?

04 - After Edits

Save your edits and close the editor, and Noteapp presents your new log entry and prompts for
"(S)ave" or "Save (A)s".

At this time there are two files, the empty one in the DATA subdirectory and the one with your
edits in the TEMP subdirectory.
(S)ave moves the edited file from the TEMP subdirectory into the DATA subdirectory keeping the name as created.
Save (A)s keeps the created empty file in the DATA subdirectory and moves the edited file from the TEMP subdirectory
into the DATA subdirectory with your new chosen filename.
The Save As option is more likely to be used at some future time after viewing/editing the original file and to save
it as a revision under a new name. Think of "Original_Filename-Rev-001 for example.
80 columns fit nicely. How convenient is that?

05 - After Save or Save As

You now have a blank upper section and your new files shown in the file listing below.

Ready for your next task, viewing previously created log files.

06 - View File setup

Entering "v and [enter]" at the "Input" line then prompts for the filename to view.

Here, I have already used the mouse to copy and paste an existing filename from the lower section into the input field.
Finally! A use for the mouse, the only mouse feature in the prototype version. More to come in the GTK/Gnome final version.

07 - Viewing File

After entering the filename of your choice, the file contents are shown in the upper section.

Note that there is room for 80 characters per line.

08 - Editing the Viewed File

After a "y [Enter]", the original file is copied from the DATA subdirectory into the TEMP subdirectory for editing.

Cool, huh? Editing does not endanger your original file and it is not overwritten until a Save operation.
You could also elect to either "save as" with a new filename, or not save at all by simply pressing "c [Enter] for
"Cancel Save".

09 -After Editing the Viewed File

Save, Save As or Cancel Save

An additional note, at this point the edited temporary file (under TEMP) is not yet being displayed.
I'm considering making a revision that at this point actually shows the newly edited temporay file's contents.

10 - Save As, with a new filename

Here, Save As was chosen. I cut and pasted the original filename (from the lower section) onto the input line
and added "-R-01" to it.

I suppose I could pre-enter the original filename into the input line, but how to make it actually go into the
read buffer? Don't know, so I settled for cut and paste.

11 - Save As completed

With a Save As operation, it is asked if the old file should be deleted "Delete the original (y/n)?
I elected to delete it.

The top section is cleared of the viewed file.
The new filename appears in the lower section.
Awaiting your next command.

12 - File TBD

Here, I am creating a new file to use in the "(D)elete" example.

Humor is good for the soul, especially after long coding hours.

13 - File TBD listed

Showing the new file, to be deleted, in the file listing.

Notice how the listing is filling up. (Redundant!)

14 - File TBD doomed

Entering "d and [enter]" at the Input line gets you a prompt for a filename.

Again, cut and paste the filename from the listing below.

15 - File TBD

Another [Enter] and the contents are now displayed in the upper section to allow verying this is the correct file.

Doomed! And now doomer!

Moar doomer. Doomeder?

Typical computer prompt for the user ... are you SURE you want to delete this file?

16 - File deletion done

Enetering "y and [enter]" results with a deleted file sure enough.

First a message is display that the file in being deleted, then waiting for command.
Note that the filename is removed from the lower section file listing. Voila!

17 - Quitted

Entering "q and [enter]" closes the program, but not the window. This is a gnome-terminal, still with
a graphic background shown.

Notice the Input Line is now showing the bash prompt text, enter "exit and [enter]" now and really "quit".
Man, oh man, it's hard to quit!

18 - Screen.Ruler

An example is shown of an 80 column wide file.

19 - Latest Screenshot of the Noteapp

Work is continuing, see the ChangeLog entries.
Noteapp-prog ChangeLog

To Do List - A little help, please.
To-do List

Dave's Linux Adoration Page - Noteapp

A Star Trek Themed Log Book Project

Noteapp

A prototype Star Trek Log