Author Topic: SQLNotes...what is it exactly? (Read 902792 times)

Armando · « **Reply #825 on:** March 24, 2008, 06:38 PM »

Ok. I just tried it : couldn't past an image by itself , but an image with text, yes. it seems that no image will stick in the html section if there's no text with it. (drag and drop to the html pane or html section of the "add item" window works, but the image won't be saved unless there's text with it... Pierre will be able to tell us why, and hopefully fix that. Will also mention that in Mantis -- or you can if you want : http://mantis.sqlnotes.net/main_page.php).

PPLandry · « **Reply #826 on:** March 24, 2008, 06:50 PM »

Wow... and I thought that this week-end would be quiet... Easter weekend... It's going to take me a couple hours just to catch up

Randomly... the image issue:

Incomplete as many of you have noted. I believe that the current status is that images from web-pages can be drag-dropped onto the HTML pane and local images to sub-items of grid items. Other combinations don't work, namely:
- Web image to the grid
- Image to a main item of a grid
- Local image to the HTML pane

Also, there is no URL translation currently, so drag-dropped images retain their original URL.

Other issues are:
- HTML pane has no insert image function (must insert HTML code <img>)
- I incorrectly check the text content to decide if there is something to save, so if all you have is an image, then nothing is saved. That wil be fixed rapidly.

Not that any of this is particularly difficult to do, it is simply that it hasn't been done.

The HTML editor is incomplete in many ways, and this is one such way. I'm working on using Word as HTML editor. I also found an excellent MHT generator which should help resolve the image issue so common to HTML editors.

Finally, keep in mind that SQLNotes started as an Ecco replacement and the 2nd pane (HTML) has come later in the dev.

More to come later today after I put my near 5 year-old to bed

kartal · « **Reply #827 on:** March 24, 2008, 06:56 PM »

Armando, I could not solve it. It does not paste properly and refreshing does not help me. I am using the version from march 19. I tried this on sample.sndb

here is the kind of error message it is giving as well.

" 3/24/2008 6:53:58 PM -2147217887 3 cmdbar_Execute>Item_Save>Item_SaveValues 3/24/2008 6:53:58 PM -2147217887 Field cannot be updated.(l=0) cmdbar_Execute Item_Save Item_SaveValues "

I'm not questioning your expertise. JUst trying my best to explain...

I didn't say NO need for copy/paste. Not at all.

What I said is just this : copy/paste is not the same as dragging and dropping (And Like I also said : copy/paste is still in development). (And : actually, if you want to mirror/associate items to unopened grids, the fastest way is to tick the appropriate fields. That way you can associate 1000000s of items at once with different grids. Using copy/paste would achieve something completely different : duplication of items, but independent, with different ID numbers. But you can ignore all that if you already understand.)

But you didn't say if you solved your copy/paste problems

You said
created my item with ctrl alt n. I added some features like contact, dates etc. I copied as xml format. When I paste it to another grid none of those values comes with. In fact it does not paste.
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 03:28 PM)

Did you solve that?
Normally copy/paste should work : all values are copied, unless you copy the item in another database (within the limits mentioned in my previous post --> related to automatic grid assignation); in that case, non existing fields won't be automatically created.
-Armando (March 24, 2008, 05:27 PM)

kartal · « **Reply #828 on:** March 24, 2008, 07:05 PM »

I understand that it would normally create a duplicate of the item with different ID. However that is not very user friendly no matter what the technical explanation is. So my suggestion is that when someone press ctrl-c or edit-copy Sqlnotes should ask user if user is trying to clone or duplicate. As a user I do not want to go through mazes of search grids, grid list to assosiate my items to views. Copying and pasting is a quite a legitimate way to instance an item in my view. I love dragging an item to grid tab to assosiate but that has limited use if most of the grids are not visible on tab area.

different grids. Using copy/paste would achieve something completely different : duplication of items, but independent, with different ID numbers. But you can ignore all that if you already understand.)
-Armando (March 24, 2008, 05:27 PM)

PPLandry · « **Reply #829 on:** March 24, 2008, 07:18 PM »

However I am having major issues with copy pasting items from one grid to another. [...]

I created my item with ctrl alt n. I added some features like contact, dates etc. I copied as xml format. When I paste it to another grid none of those values comes with. In fact it does not paste. In Ecco simple copy paste carries the cell values as well, unless you are in edit mode and copying the plain text. It looks like it is copying all the values but pasting is either not working or is an awkward way. I am all for Sqlnotes as a previous Ecco user. But this does not feel right.

-kartal (March 24, 2008, 03:28 PM)

Well it did paste but was not visible in that grid since it created a true clone. Ecco copy/paste copies the item text only, not columns, so it was simpler. Also Ecco data model is simpler. It showed folder content, you could not have as in SQLNotes a source like NOT in FolderX, or FolderX AND FolderY.

That said, copy/paste is another issue which has been much improved in the last version, but needs a bit more improvements:

2 modes: tab delimited and XML

TAB delimited is great to pasting into other programs, Word, Excet, etc.
XML is great to export item information from one database to another and to create item clones

Improvements coming:
- Pasting TAB delmited into SQLNotes does not work well right now.
- Pasting XML from one grid to another should offer what you want to do: (1) simply make the item visible in that grid, (2) make a true clone or (3) make a clone and also make it visible in that grid.

Armando · « **Reply #830 on:** March 24, 2008, 07:22 PM »

So my suggestion is that when someone press ctrl-c or edit-copy Sqlnotes should ask user if user is trying to clone or duplicate.
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 07:05 PM)

Seems like a good idea!

As a user I do not want to go through mazes of search grids, grid list to assosiate my items to views. Copying and pasting is a quite a legitimate way to instance an item in my view. I love dragging an item to grid tab to assosiate but that has limited use if most of the grids are not visible on tab area.
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 07:05 PM)

I agree. Although simple multiple grid association of an item doesn't involve any maze : select the items you want to associate with another grid and tick the right fields (corresponding to the grid's source) in the properties pane. (when I was talking about the search grid, it was only so that you can find your absent or orphaned pasted items -- if any)

Like I said, to use copy/paste to create grid association could also be a good idea. I just hope it will not create more confusion about what a grid is (the grid doesn't "contain" anything, it's merely a view...).

Armando · « **Reply #831 on:** March 24, 2008, 07:23 PM »

Oups... Pierre was first.

kartal · « **Reply #832 on:** March 24, 2008, 08:49 PM »

Thanks guys, I will try to use SqlN Mantis more often to report.

Armando can you please explain this one little more please ?
"select the items you want to associate with another grid and tick the right fields (corresponding to the grid's source) in the properties pane."

PPLandry · « **Reply #833 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:05 PM »

Armando can you please explain this one little more please ?
"select the items you want to associate with another grid and tick the right fields (corresponding to the grid's source) in the properties pane."
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 08:49 PM)

This is actually pure Ecco. If you want an item to be shown under a folder, it requires a value in that folder. True for all folders (in notepad, calendar, phonebook, etc)

So if you have grid1 with source=Field1 and grid2 with source=Field2 then if you want an item that's in grid1 to also show in grid2, simply put something in Field2 for that item.

kartal · « **Reply #834 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:09 PM »

I understand how it works. I just did not understand how to do that in Sqlnotes. His steps were not clear to me. Is he talking about "available fields"?

Armando · « **Reply #835 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:18 PM »

EDIT : pierre answered as I was writing something... his answer is more concise... but here's mine anyways :

Sorry if my explanations weren't clear.

As you probably know, items appear in a specific grid because they conform to its specific source/filters (the source being the main "filter", if I may say so). So, all you have to do for an item to appear in a specific grid is to make sure that it conforms to these filters by putting the appropriate data in the appropriate fields.

To do that you can use the "properties pane" (shift+f4, or F4, or view--> properties pane), and fill the necessary fields in the "available fields" section. You can also use the "forms" section (still in the properties pane) if you made an appropriate form for that.

(Usually, Grid "sources" are Yes/No fields, but this can vary : a source can be any field, and it can even be complex -- ie : inbox AND notes AND itemhtml IS NOT NULL -- although in my limited experience these are more difficult to manage)

kartal · « **Reply #836 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:21 PM »

Armando thanks for the answer. I asked for reiteration because within my test database( that was based on sample database) that idea(ticking in properties pane) was not working so I got confused about it. I tried refreshing as well. But opening a new databae solved my problem, I could actually use the available fields to assign multiple grids. However I need to refresh to see it in the grid

thanks again.

Armando · « **Reply #837 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:24 PM »

However I need to refresh to see it in the grid
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 09:21 PM)

Exactly.

I actually got used to F5 after a little while... And now I actually like the fact that I refresh when I decide... But automatic refreshing is planned -- but Pierre knows all the details... I just read about it in the SQLNotes forum and the mantis webpage.

PPLandry · « **Reply #838 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:31 PM »

EDIT : pierre answered as I was writing something... his answer is more concise... but here's mine anyways :
-Armando (March 24, 2008, 09:18 PM)

Sorry Armando. This is the second time (or third, I'm not sure) that I wrote an answer as you were writing. Bad me

Many thanks for the energy you put in learning SQLNotes and explaining it to others.

@Kartal: refresh
As part of online/offline/sync/multi-user/private item features (à la Ecco), Grids will no longer require refresh (with an option to disable it). Add/Delete/Modify items will raise events on other grids (local instance, and for other users connected to a shared file).

kartal · « **Reply #839 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:34 PM »

Thanks PPLandry and Armando, keep up the great work!

Armando · « **Reply #840 on:** March 24, 2008, 09:53 PM »

Bad me
-PPLandry (March 24, 2008, 09:31 PM)

no no no. I really don't mind!

Thanks PPLandry and Armando, keep up the great work!
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 09:34 PM)

you're welcome.

PPLandry · « **Reply #841 on:** March 25, 2008, 10:52 AM »

Is it possible to create an item without typing it anywhere? I am using wikipad for my notes(which is faboulous tool), and in Wikipad I can just press ctrl+o and type title of my note, if there is a note about it it would open the file, if it there is no such note it will create a new one and I will type the necesssary information in it. These kinds of notes are unlinked to anything but I can call them anytime I need(by just using autocompletion and wiki tags). I was wondering if that is possible to do it in Sqlnotes on the fly like Wikipad.
-kartal (March 24, 2008, 10:48 AM)

This is a good idea.

Right now, you can easily open an item with a Quick Search and Add by:

Press F12 to move to the grid
Press INS to add a new item
Press F12 to move focus to the HTML pane

A minor change could allow it. So if I summarize, you're in the HTML editing pane:

Hit shortcut key. A dialog comes up where you can enter the item title. A drop-down matches existing ones.
If you select an existing one, focus goes to that item
If what you typed does not match an existing one, a new item is created

If you hit a different shortcut (say CTRL-L), the same dialog opens but allows you to create a link to an existing or a new item.

superboyac · « **Reply #842 on:** March 25, 2008, 11:04 AM »

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but it's a great idea:

If you really want to steal Evernote users away, put a docked search box (find as you type of course) on the toolbar. I know there is already all of the other filters up there, but this box will search every item in just the grid that is currently displayed and filter accordingly. That's basically how Evernote works anyway. If you consider Evernote to be one grid, then the evernote search box just searches every single character of that grid and filters the grid accordingly.
The filter bar is great and everything, but sometimes (most of the time in my case) you just want to quickly find that one word you're looking for. You don't want to think about which field its in or anything like that. That's what makes Evernote so great--you just type the word you're looking for and that entire list filters down to a few items.

Dormouse · « **Reply #843 on:** March 25, 2008, 12:25 PM »

Press F12 to move to the grid
Press INS to add a new item
Press F12 to move focus to the HTML pane

Hit shortcut key. A dialog comes up where you can enter the item title. A drop-down matches existing ones.
If you select an existing one, focus goes to that item
If what you typed does not match an existing one, a new item is created

If you hit a different shortcut (say CTRL-L), the same dialog opens but allows you to create a link to an existing or a new item.
-PPLandry (March 25, 2008, 10:52 AM)

This is all well and good for people who do everything by the keyboard, but what about mouse users?

PPLandry · « **Reply #844 on:** March 25, 2008, 12:27 PM »

This is all well and good for people who do everything by the keyboard, but what about mouse users?
-Dormouse (March 25, 2008, 12:25 PM)

Double-click below the list of items (in the grid, adds a new item. Click on the HTML pane to start entering text

Dormouse · « **Reply #845 on:** March 25, 2008, 12:32 PM »

If you really want to steal Evernote users away
...
what makes Evernote so great--you just type the word you're looking for and that entire list filters down to a few items.
-superboyac (March 25, 2008, 11:04 AM)

But a big advantage of Evernote is its ability to read handwriting & images. I had thought that one nice little task that needs doing and I could try SQLnotes on was recording the bottles in my wine cellar (just a little wine cellar in case you are wondering) - what's in the bottles and their position in the racks. Then I realised that the easiest and most comprehensive approach would actually be to photograph the fronts and backs of the bottles and just load the photos into Evernote. No need to write, no need to type, no need to worry about fields etc.

Dormouse · « **Reply #846 on:** March 25, 2008, 12:33 PM »

Double-click below the list of items (in the grid, adds a new item. Click on the HTML pane to start entering text
-PPLandry (March 25, 2008, 12:27 PM)

That's the one; it's always nice to be reassured that everything can be done with mouse or keyboard.

superboyac · « **Reply #847 on:** March 25, 2008, 01:56 PM »

What does the Grid>Column Filter>Auto display mode option do? I turned it on and I don't know where it applies.

PPLandry · « **Reply #848 on:** March 25, 2008, 01:59 PM »

What does the Grid>Column Filter>Auto display mode option do? I turned it on and I don't know where it applies.
-superboyac (March 25, 2008, 01:56 PM)

In auto mode, the column filter buttons are only displayed when there is space for them (calculated for each column, based on the caption and the column width)

Armando · « **Reply #849 on:** March 25, 2008, 05:34 PM »

I don't know if this has been mentioned before, but it's a great idea:

If you really want to steal Evernote users away, put a docked search box (find as you type of course) on the toolbar. I know there is already all of the other filters up there, but this box will search every item in just the grid that is currently displayed and filter accordingly. That's basically how Evernote works anyway. If you consider Evernote to be one grid, then the evernote search box just searches every single character of that grid and filters the grid accordingly.
The filter bar is great and everything, but sometimes (most of the time in my case) you just want to quickly find that one word you're looking for. You don't want to think about which field its in or anything like that. That's what makes Evernote so great--you just type the word you're looking for and that entire list filters down to a few items.
-superboyac (March 25, 2008, 11:04 AM)

Yep, I've asked for this a couple times... ALmost exaclty the same thing.

Quick Search (ctrl+q) is already pretty good, but I suggested a couple ways of "improving" it there :

http://www.sqlnotes....e/posts/Default.aspx
and
http://www.sqlnotes....e/posts/Default.aspx

I also put something in mantis : http://mantis.sqlnot....net/view.php?id=146