heynote/README.md
Noah Andrews bb7c4168da
Explicitly document that Math blocks use math.js expressions (#143)
* Explicitly document that Math blocks use math.js expressions
* Links to general docs instead of reference docs
* Adds explicit link to docs about expression syntax
2024-01-07 01:09:09 +01:00

139 lines
5.3 KiB
Markdown

# Heynote
[![GitHub release (latest SemVer)](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/heyman/heynote)](https://github.com/heyman/heynote/releases)
[![Build Status](https://github.com/heyman/heynote/workflows/Tests/badge.svg)](https://github.com/heyman/heynote/actions?query=workflow%3ATests)
Heynote is a dedicated scratchpad for developers. It functions as a large persistent text buffer where you can write down anything you like. Works great for that Slack message you don't want to accidentally send, a JSON response from an API you're working with, notes from a meeting, your daily to-do list, etc.
The Heynote buffer is divided into blocks, and each block can have its own Language set (e.g. JavaScript, JSON, Markdown, etc.). This gives you syntax highlighting and lets you auto-format that JSON response.
Available for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
## Features
- Persistent text buffer
- Block-based
- Syntax highlighting:
C++, C#, Clojure, CSS, Erlang, Go, Groovy, HTML, Java, JavaScript, JSX, Kotlin, TypeScript, TOML, TSX, JSON, Lezer, Markdown, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Shell, SQL, Swift, XML, YAML
- Language auto-detection
- Auto-formatting
- Math/Calculator mode
- Currency conversion
- Multi-cursor editing
- Dark & Light themes
- Option to set a global hotkey to show/hide the app
- Default or Emacs-like key bindings
## Installation
Download the appropriate (Mac, Windows or Linux) version from the latest Github release (or from [heynote.com](https://heynote.com)). The Windows build is not signed, so you might see some scary warning (I can not justify paying a yearly fee for a certificate just to get rid of that).
### Notes on Linux installation
It's been reported [(#48)](https://github.com/heyman/heynote/issues/48) that ChromeOS's Debian VM need the following packages installed to run the Heynote AppImage:
```
libfuse2
libnss3
libnspr4
```
## Development
To develop Heynote you need Node.js and you should (hopefully) just need to check out the code and then run:
```
> npm install
> npm run dev
```
### Run Tests
To run the tests:
```
> npm run test
```
To run the tests in the Playwright UI:
```
> npm run test:ui
```
### Contributions
I'm happy to merge contributions that fit my vision for the app. Bug fixes are always welcome.
## FAQ
### Where is the buffer data stored?
The default paths for the buffer data for the respective OS are:
- Mac: `~/Library/Application Support/Heynote/buffer.txt`
- Windows: `%APPDATA%\Heynote\buffer.txt`
- Linux: `~/.config/Heynote/buffer.txt`
From version >=1.5.0, symlinks will be supported and you'll be able to configure the path where `buffer.txt` is stored.
### Can you make a mobile app?
No, at the moment this is out of scope, sorry.
### Can you add a feature for naming blocks and/or adding tags? [(#44)](https://github.com/heyman/heynote/issues/44)
Currently, I'm not planning on adding this. The main reason is that it goes against the scratchpadness of the program.
I can totally see the usefulness of such a feature, and it's definitely something that I would expect from a more traditional Notes app. However a large part of Heynote's appeal is it's simplicity, and if that is to remain so, I'm going to have to say no to a lot of actually useful features.
### What are the default keyboard shortcuts?
**On Mac**
```
⌘ + Enter Add new block below the current block
⌥ + Enter Add new block before the current block
⌘ + Shift + Enter Add new block at the end of the buffer
⌥ + Shift + Enter Add new block at the start of the buffer
⌘ + ⌥ + Enter Split the current block at cursor position
⌘ + L Change block language
⌘ + Down Goto next block
⌘ + Up Goto previous block
⌘ + A Select all text in a note block. Press again to select the whole buffer
⌘ + ⌥ + Up/Down Add additional cursor above/below
⌥ + Shift + F Format block content (works for JSON, JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Markdown)
```
**On Windows and Linux**
```
Ctrl + Enter Add new block below the current block
Alt + Enter Add new block before the current block
Ctrl + Shift + Enter Add new block at the end of the buffer
Alt + Shift + Enter Add new block at the start of the buffer
Ctrl + Alt + Enter Split the current block at cursor position
Ctrl + L Change block language
Ctrl + Down Goto next block
Ctrl + Up Goto previous block
Ctrl + A Select all text in a note block. Press again to select the whole buffer
Ctrl + Alt + Up/Down Add additional cursor above/below
Alt + Shift + F Format block content (works for JSON, JavaScript, HTML, CSS and Markdown)
Alt Show menu
```
### Can Math blocks do X?
Heynote's Math blocks are powered by [Math.js expressions](https://mathjs.org/docs/expressions). Checkout their [documentation](https://mathjs.org/docs/) to see what [syntax](https://mathjs.org/docs/expressions/syntax.html), [functions](https://mathjs.org/docs/reference/functions.html), and [constants](https://mathjs.org/docs/reference/constants.html) are available.
## Thanks!
Heynote is built upon [CodeMirror](https://codemirror.net/), [Vue](https://vuejs.org/), [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/), [Math.js](https://mathjs.org/), [Prettier](https://prettier.io/) and other great open-source projects.