# The KNotes Handbook

Bernd Johannes
Wuebben

    wuebben@kde.org

Version 1.0, 1 April 1998

This Handbook describes KNotes Version 1.0

## Introduction

KNotes is my attempt to write usable and good looking notes application for the KDE project.

KNotes can:

- accept drag and drop (even from a remote ftp site)

- mail your note

- print your note ( try it, it looks great )

- insert the date or a calendar of the current month

- associate an alarm timer to a note and notify you when the timer expires.

- have arbitrary colors for background and text

- have arbitrary sized note

- use an arbitrary font for a note.

- do auto-indentation

- do two different frame styles

- open urls in a kfm browser window on double click.

and remembers all this on a per note basis on exit.

For optimal usage, place the KNotes icon on the kpanel. To get started, point the mouse pointer on a KNotes note and use the right mouse button to bring up the KNotes pop-up menu.

What is your opinion, should KNotes have a simpler window title-bar?

Best Regards Bernd wuebben@kde.org

I hope you will enjoy KNotes

`Bernd Johannes Wuebben`

wuebben@kde.org

## Installation

### How to obtain KNotes

KNotes is a KDE application http://www.kde.org. KNotes can be found on ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/, the main ftp site of the KDE project.

### Requirements

In order to successfully compile KNotes, you need the latest versions of `libkdecore` and `libkfm`. All required libraries as well as KNotes itself can be found on ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/.

You need to have sendmail up and running in order to be able to mail you notes. Once kmail is finished this might change.

You need a2ps for printing. If you don't have it -- get it. http://www.enst.fr/~demaille/a2ps.html

Tip

  a2ps together with GNU enscript are the most essential printing utilities in the UNIX world. Make sure you know them well.

### Compilation and installation

In order to compile and install KNotes on your system, type the following in the base directory of the KNotes distribution:

    % ./configure
    % make
    % make install

Since KNotes uses `autoconf` you should have not trouble compiling it. Should you run into problems please report them to the KDE mailing lists.

Note

  In order to most productively use KNotes, place KNotes on the kpanel.

## Onscreen Fundamentals

KNotes is very simply to use. I am sure that will have no problems with KNotes.

### Drag and Drop

KNotes makes use of the KDE Drag and Drop protocol. This means that you can darg and drop files form the Desktop or kfm or some remote ftp site that you have open in one of kfm's windows on to KNotes.

### Double Click on URL's

KNotes recognizes URL's. By double clicking on a URL knotes will open a kfm browser window and attempt to open the URL.

### Resizing Knotes

Press the `ALT` key and the right mouse buttun at the same time, then move your mouse pointer to resize a KNote.

### Printing

KNotes supports printing. You can specify the printing command of your choice in the "Set Defaults" tab dialog. There exist a number of printing utilities in the Unix world which are excellent. It would make little sense to try re-implement their efforts. Explicitly let me mention to you the following two printing utilities.

GNU enscript.

  Markku Rossi has written a powerful reincarnation of Adobe's enscript ascii to postscript utility. My favorite usage is enscript -2rG text.txt, but GNU enscript goes far beyond that. Make sure you have the latest version from http://www.hut.fi/~mtr/genscript/, or any GNU mirror.

a2ps

  Akim Demaille and Miguel Santana have written a powerful ascii to Postscript conversion utility which will format your output depending on the document type. Whether you want to print out C++ sources or a email message, the default styles are very nice. Get it from: http://www-inf.enst.fr/~demaille/a2ps.html

The above two utilities are an absolute must. If you don't have them, get them and become familiar with their usage. Learning how to use them is no longer a problem due to our great html/texinfo/man viewer `kdehelp`. These utilities are your friends when it comes to printing in the UNIX world. Due to their power and many options once you know how to use them properly, you will always miss them should they ever not be available to you, even under Windows95.

Make sure your system is set up for printing PostScript documents. If you don't have a native PostScript printer ( who does?) get yourself ghostscript/ghostview version 4.03 or higher from http://www.cs.wisc.edu/%7Eghost/. Note, that there are now commercial grade ps fonts available that come with the ghostview/ghostscript package. These fonts are a must for any quality printing of Postscript documents on a non-postscript printer. If you were dissapointed by the results you got from ghostscript on your printer so far - get the new fonts, this will give you the best possible results.

## The Menu Entries

All popup menu operations are local to the KNotes on which you pressed the right mouse button and apply only to that particular KNotes note. This KNotes note will be referred to as "current KNotes" in the following. The only exception is the "Set Defaults" menu entry. "Set Defaults" will let you specify the global defaults which will apply to all KNotes notes.

### Insert Date

Insert the current Date and Time into the current KNotes not.

### Clear

Clears the current KNotes note.

### New KNote

Creates a new KNotes

### Quit

Quits the KNotes application. All notes, alarms, and options are saved.

### Delete KNote

Deletes the current KNotes note permanently and cancels any associated alarm. If you just want to close a KNotes note, use the close button on the window bar.

### Rename KNote

Rename the current KNotes note. You need to choose a unique new name.

### Alarm ...

Brings up the Alarm Timer dialog corresponding to the current KNotes note. You can set or unset an alarm for the current KNotes.

### Calendar

Exectutes the command `cal` on you system and inserts the output into the current KNotes. This should result in a calendar of the current month in your current note.

### Mail Note

This will bring up a dialog which will allow you to mail the content of the current KNotes note. You can specify the command used by KNotes to mail the current note, on the Defaults Tab dialog under "Set Defaults".

### Print Note

This will print the current note using the print command, which you can specify in the Defaults Tab dialog under "Set Defaults". The default is a2ps. I recommend you install a2ps if you don't have it on your system yet.

### 3D Frame

Toggles the current note between a note with a 3D frame and one with a plain frame. This options is local to the current note and will be saved on exit.

### Auto Indent

Toggles between auto indent mode and no auto indent mode in the current KNotes note. In auto indent mode, the cursor will be place underneath the first non character on the first nonempty line above the current line. The mode will be saved on exit.

### Font

Brings up the font dialog, which lets you choose the font of the current KNotes This option is local to the current note and will be saved on exit.

### Colors

Allows you to change the text and background color of the current KNotes. This option is local to the current note and will be saved on exit.

### Set Defaults

Allows you to set the defaults for all options. All newly created KNotes notes will will obsereve the defaults set here. All options should be self explanatory. KNotes uses "&percnt;s" place holders to supply the argument to the mail and print commands.

### Key Bindings

KNotes honors the following key bindings.

- `Left Arrow` Move the cursor one character leftwards

- `Right Arrow` Move the cursor one character rightwards

- `Up Arrow` Move the cursor one line upwards

- `Down Arrow` Move the cursor one line downwards

- `Page Up` Move the cursor one page upwards

- `Page Down` Move the cursor one page downwards

- `Backspace` Delete the character to the left of the cursor

- `Home` Move the cursor to the beginning of the line

- `End` Move the cursor to the end of the line

- `Delete` Delete the character to the right of the cursor

- `Shift - Left Arrow` Mark text one character leftwards

- `Shift - Right Arrow` Mark text one character rightwards

- `Control-A` Move the cursor to the beginning of the line

- `Control-B` Move the cursor one character leftwards

- `Control-C` Copy the marked text to the clipboard.

- `Control-D` Delete the character to the right of the cursor

- `Control-E` Move the cursor to the end of the line

- `Control-F` Move the cursor one character rightwards

- `Control-H` Delete the character to the left of the cursor

- `Control-K` Delete to end of line

- `Control-N` Move the cursor one line downwards

- `Control-P` Move the cursor one line upwards

- `Control-V` Paste the clipboard text into line edit.

- `Control-X` Cut the marked text, copy to clipboard.

## Questions and answers

### How do you resize a knotes?

Press the `ALT` key and the right mouse buttun at the same time, then move your mouse pointer.