View on Google Play
Google Translate
- User Guide
Welcome
NoteLynX is an Outliner, Hierarchical Tree Note Editor and Information Manager for text, data and images.
Multiple parents feature allows a child note to be linked to more than one parent although defined only once... very useful when something doesn't fit into a single category.
NoteLynX also has the unique ability in an Outliner to cross reference notes using 'Friend' links and to embed images in notes (Pro).NB.
The coloured arrow icons indicate the type of note (parent, friend or child) and will be explained fully elsewhere in this guide. Usually, it is a green down arrow, denoting a child note.Version 2.16
- Features
- multiple parents & cross-references
- images in notes (Pro)
- multi-select operations
- search, using 'Wild Cards' and 'Regular Expressions'
- format text eg Size, Bold
- bookmarks
- sort lists alphabetically (Pro)
- import/export to backup or share
- night reading Mode (Pro)
- import/export Natara Bonsai 5 .csv files
- insert: URL,email,telephone,date (Pro)
- large notes
- clone outline sections for use as Templates
- create multiple tree roots within an outline
- export to HTML (makes printing possible) (Pro)
- set any tree node as the current tree root
- create Task/Todo lists (not dated) (Pro)
- set text size and appearance
- set note font using style sheets (Pro)
- hierarchical and non-hierarchical links
- multiple parents & cross-references
- Quick Start
You control the outline via the toolbar, main menu and two context menus, activated by a long tap on either a Note Title or on the Link Icon (colored arrow) to its left.
New Project
To add a new project, "Example"- Tap the '+' icon on the the Project List toolbar.
- Type, "Example" and tap OK.
New Notes
To add three sub-notes, "Color", "Red" & "Blue"- Tap project 'Example' to view the outline. You can see that it acts as the tree root node.
- Long tap this note and select 'New Sub-Note'
- Type "Color" and Tap the '+' (ok+next) button.
- Type "Red" and Tap the '+' button again.
- Type "Blue" and tap OK.
Moving Notes
To make 'Red' & 'Blue' children of 'Color'- Tap the 'Link Icons' (colored arrows) to the left of 'Red' & 'Blue' to select them.
- Long tap the Link Icon of 'Color', select 'Move Sub-Links' and tap OK.
Re-ordering Notes
To list 'Red' below 'Blue'- Select 'Red' (as described above).
- Execute 'Move Links' on 'Blue'.
Finally
To make a backup, long tap your project from the project list and select 'Export'. The rest of the User Guide details the many other features, gestures and keyboard shortcuts. - Tap the '+' icon on the the Project List toolbar.
- Commands
Reference guide to all menu commands and gestures.
Expand this note to access the commands
- Project List
The Project List is the screen you first see on starting. It displays a list of all the separate projects you create.
To quit the Project List, use the Android return button or tap the NoteLynX icon to the left of the title. - Main Menu
To access, tap the android menu button. These menu options are global. - New
Create a new Project. You will be presented with the editor screen. Enter the project name in the title area. Add a description below in the text area if you wish, but this will only be visible when you switch to Tree View. - Import
Import a previously exported NoteLynX project. A dialog will appear with all valid files to choose from. These are held in a folder called "NoteLynX" on the internal sd card of your device. - NoteLynX SD Card Folder
Initially, this User Guide will be the only project in the NoteLynX export folder on the internal SD card of your Android device. But if you are upgrading from a previous version of NoteLynX and you wish to import projects from it, just export them here first. - Import CSV
Import a Natara Bonsai 5 Windows Desktop .csv file. This is an outline that has been exported as comma separated values. The .csv file to be imported must be placed in the NoteLynX folder on your device's internal SD card. Only the basic outline structure is currently supported. - Settings
Set global parameters - Note Text Size
Sets the global text size in Note View [Range 0.5-2.0, Default 1.0] - General Text Size
Sets the size of text in Tree View, Context Menus and Project List (requires re-start) [Range 0.5-2.0, Default 1.0] - General Line Spacing
Sets the space between lines on the Project List and Context Menus. Takes decimal values 0.0 - 2.0 with a default value of 1.0. Requires you to restart NoteLynX to take effect. - Outline Subtitle
Sets the maximum number of lines displayed below titles in Tree View (default 3). - Outine Title Wrap
Line wrap Tree View note titles. Default is ON. - Auto Export
Automatically export a modified project each time you return to the Project List.
When used in conjunction with cloud storage & synchronisation apps such as DropBox and FolderSync you can set up automatic periodic cloud backup.
After FolderSync (or cloud sync app of your choice) is installed, set up a sync between the NoteLynX export folder and a folder in your remote cloud storage account. Remember to turn on Auto Export in Settings. - Restore User Guide
Use this option if the User Guide is not in the Project List or the NoteLynX export folder. Check the box, quit NoteLynX and then restart it.
Use this option also after a market update to access the latest version of the User Guide. - Version
Version History logs all changes in each release of NoteLynX. - Context Menu
Activate by a long tap on a project name. These menu options will apply to that project specifically. - Edit
Change the project name. - Export
Export this project to your device's internal SD card. It will be sent to the folder "NoteLynX" as an XML file with the same name as the title of this project. If the file already exists, it will be overwritten.NB
There is a restriction on the characters currently allowed within file names: alpha-numeric, spaces, underscore & hyphen. Other characters will be omitted. - NoteLynX SD Card Folder
Initially, this User Guide will be the only project in the NoteLynX export folder on the internal SD card of your Android device. But if you are upgrading from a previous version of NoteLynX and you wish to import projects from it, just export them here first. - Export to HTML (Pro)
Export a project outline as HTML (file extension .htm) with all formatting preserved. You may then view this in a web browser to send to a printer, embed in a web page online or view independently of NoteLynX.Images
If there are images, these are placed in a folder with the same project name and must be kept with the HTML document if moved from the NoteLynX export folder.Compatibility
Some word processors (eg Microsoft Word) can open this HTML file as a web document. If you then switch to standard view, it can be saved as a normal document (eg file extension .doc, .docx). This may be convenient if you wish to send an outline as an email attachment to someone without NoteLynX.NB
There is a restriction on the characters currently allowed within HTML file names: alpha-numeric, underscore & hyphen. Other characters will be omitted. - Export to CSV
Export to Natara Bonsai 5 Windows Desktop .csv file. The export file will be placed in the NoteLynX folder on your device's internal SD card. Only the basic outline structure is currently supported. - Optimise
Scans the project to ensure optimal performance. A scan may be initiated by the system when necessary. - Delete
Delete this project: cannot be undone - a confirmation dialog will be shown. Offers the option to also delete any exported .xml project file. - Tree View
Tree View displays your outline as a hierarchy of collapsible nodes. You access this view by tapping on a particular project in the Project List.Tree Root
Initially, the displayed Tree Root is your project title, but this can change, for example, when you go to a bookmark or perform a search. To return to the initial display, you can use the default (home) bookmark.Scrolling
Tree View scrolls both vertically and horizontally. The latter may be needed if you expand the tree many levels.
Tree Nodes
To expand a tree node, tap the + symbol to the left of a note. The number to the immediate left of the + symbol indicates the number of notes that are hidden.
To collapse the tree at a note, hit the - symbol to its left. The tree root is expanded by default and cannot be collapsed. You can collapse all nodes below the root via the main menu option.NB.
To exit back to the Project List, use the Android return button or tap the NoteLynX icon to the left of the title. - Note Link Types
There are three types of note link denoted by different colored arrows to the left of a note title. You choose the link type when creating or editing a note or when pasting a link from clipboard dialog.
See the FAQ section at the end of the user guide for examples of how to use them.Expand this note to view them
- ^ Parent
A link to a parent note has a red up-arrow. NoteLynX supports multiple parents, so there may be more than one. Think of this as like a folder that can contain other notes (or folders). - > Friend
A link to a friend note has a yellow right-arrow. Think of this as either a cross referencing or non-hierarchical link type. - Child
Links to child notes have green down-arrows. Think of these as like items in a folder. - Toolbar
The toolbar has the following six commands and scrolls on narrower screens. - Cut Links
This option will remove all selected note links from their current positions and place them on the clipboard. You may then if you wish paste the links back into the tree at another location. - Copy Links
This copies selected note links (ie note references) to the clipboard. It does not copy the notes themselves. - Collapse Tree
Collapse all nodes in the Tree View. - Bookmarks
Displays a list of all current bookmarks. Initially, there is just the default - the project title note.
To go to a bookmarked note, select it from this list and that note will appear as the current tree view root. To return to the default view, select 'Home' from bookmarks - Done (Pro)
Marks all currently selected notes as Done by striking out the title. Apply a second time to Reset. - Find
Search Terms
Type in a search term and a list of all notes in the project containing it will be displayed.
You can now either:-- Tap the desired note to go to it. It will appear as the current tree root. To return to the default view, select 'Home' from bookmarks.
- Tap the return button to dismiss the dialog. You will find that all notes found are highlighted. This is useful if you wish to locate the note in a long list.
Wild Cards
The symbol '.' acts as a wild card and represents any single character. For example, a search in the User Guide for l.st will find notes containing list as well as last.Regular Expressions
A regular expression is a syntax used for pattern matching. For example, the combination .* (dot asterix) means zero or more of any character. So a search for ex.* will match both export and expand. For further information, search online for java regular expressions. suggested linkTIP:
To find out the number of notes in a project, use find without a search term, as this matches ALL notes. - Tap the desired note to go to it. It will appear as the current tree root. To return to the default view, select 'Home' from bookmarks.
- Case Sensitive (Pro)
Distinguishes between upper and lower case letters. eg When this option is checked, a search in the User Guide for the word "Number" will find just this note, but when unchecked will also match "number" in several other notes. - Whole Words (Pro)
This option seeks out word boundaries. For example, when this option is left unchecked, a search for "work" in the User Guide will also find "network" in several notes because "work" is a substring. - Search Title (Pro)
Scan the title for matches when making a search - Search Text (Pro)
Scan the text for matches when making a search - Main Menu
These options are global and don't relate to any specific note. - Cancel Selected
De-selects all currently selected note links as well as any notes highlighted by Find. - Empty Clipboard
Empty the clipboard of all copied and cut note links. Not usually needed, as the clipboard auto clears on the first copy or cut after the last paste operation.
If you wish to cut links without pasting them back then an explicit Empty Clipboard action is convenient to re-initialise the clipboard before you next use copy or cut. - Orphan Scan
What are Orphan notes?
An orphan note is one that has become detached from the main body of the outline and is therefore hidden and inaccessible to you.How do they occur?
- Using Delete from the Note context menu. Any notes linked to that note may become orphaned if they are not linked elsewhere.
- Using Empty Clipboard from the main menu. Any note links that have not been pasted back into the outline may become orphaned if they are not linked elsewhere.
- When Optimise detects and resolves issues, notes may become orphaned
Orphan Scan
This menu command will search the outline for orphaned notes. If found, they will be displayed in a dialog, with options to:-- Recover : they will be sent to the Clipboard where you can paste them back into the outline
- Purge : they will be removed permanently from the outline
- Using Delete from the Note context menu. Any notes linked to that note may become orphaned if they are not linked elsewhere.
- Reset Tasks (Pro)
Reset all tasks in this project. - Global Sort [ OFF / ON ] (Pro)
Set global sorting for this project [ON] or [OFF], current status is shown in brackets. When [ON], all lists in the project will be kept sorted by name, although individual list settings can override this.
For example, using the Sort option on the Link Context Menu, you can specify that certain lists will NOT be sorted, even if global sort is [ON], or that certain others WILL be sorted, even if global sort is [OFF].NB.
If you are uncertain, make a backup of your project first, as previous manual ordering of lists will be lost and cannot be recovered. - Style Sheets (Pro)
Advanced feature requiring some knowledge of CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).The Style Sheets
There are three style sheets controlling the appearance of your project notes. "Main" contains general definitions such as font and text size, whereas "Day" and "Night" contain definitions specific to the two reading modes, such as background color.Example 1
The default font is Arial. To set a Serif font, change the font-family definition in the body section of the Main stylesheet as follows:-
font-family: "Times";
Remember to terminate the code with a semi-colon else it will not work.Example 2
The toolbar text size option inserts header tags, h1- h6. To change the definition of h1 to green, underlined text, insert the following into a project's Main stylesheet:
h1 {
color: green;
text-decoration: underline;
}Color Picker
Use the toolbar option to set color attributes. Works differently to the color picker for general notes in that it only inserts the RGB color code. You must delete the existing color name or code before use.Learning CSS
Here is a suggested link in case you wish to study the subject further. - Note Context Menu
Commands to create, edit and delete notes, accessed by a long tap on the title or subtitle of a note. - New Note
Create a new note in the current list directly below the current note. You have the option to choose the Link Type in the edit screen by tapping on the Link Icon (arrow). New notes are automatically sorted by Link Type in the order Parent, Friend, Child. - New Sub-Note
Create a new note, indented at the top of the current note's Sub-List. You have the option to choose the Link Type in the edit screen by tapping on the Link Icon (arrow). Notes are sorted by Link Type in the order Parent, Friend, Child. - Edit
Edit the Title, Text and Link Type of this note. If there are multiple links to this note, the changes will be immediately apparent at all locations in the tree. - Delete
Delete this note from the outline. All links from this note to other notes will also be removed.
This action may result in Orphaned notes ie invisible notes detached from the project title note. You can search for these using the Orphan Scan command on the main menu. - Bookmark
Bookmark this note or, if it is already bookmarked then remove it. - Copy Note
Copy this note to the internal clipboard.
A dialog will ask if you wish to copy all its Sub-Notes as well. In this way, you can use a Note or an entire Sub Tree as a Template. (Pro)
Take Care: If Sub-Notes are to be copied, the process will follow ALL links, even Friends and Multiple Parents. This could result in an entire outline being inadvertently copied.NB
This is not the same as Copy Link which copies only a reference to the note. Copy Note makes a 'Clone' of the note and possibly all its Sub-Notes. - Paste Note
Paste a copied note into the current list, directly below the current note. Works even if the copied note was in a different project. - Paste Sub-Note
Paste a copied note, indented, at the top of the current note's Sub-List. Works even if the copied note was in a different project. - Link Context Menu
Commands mostly to control links between notes, accessed by a long tap on the link type icon ie the arrow symbol to the left of each note. - Move Links
Moves selected note links to directly below the current position in the outline. Use this command between lists or within the same list to change the order.
To make a selection, tap each link icon required or use Invert Selected to select multiple items. - Move Sub-Links
Moves selected note links to the top of the current note's sub-list or creates a new sub-list if it is a leaf node. Use this command between lists or within the same list to change the order.
To make a selection, tap each link icon required or use Invert Selected to select multiple items. - Paste Links
Paste note links, from the clipboard, to directly below the current position in the outline . You have the option to choose the Link Type in the clipboard dialog by tapping on the Link Icon (arrow).
This option is usually used after Cut Links in order to move notes in the tree. It can also be used after Copy Links to create multiple parents.
NB. Pasted note links are automatically sorted according to link type in the order Parent, Friend, Child. - Paste Sub-Links
Paste note links, from the clipboard, to the top of the current note's sub-list or creates a new sub-list if it is a leaf node. You have the option to choose the Link Type in the clipboard dialog by tapping on the Link Icon (arrow).
This option is usually used after Cut Links in order to move notes in the tree. It can also be used after Copy Link to create multiple parents.
NB. Pasted note links are automatically sorted according to link type in the order Parent, Friend, Child. - Invert Selected
Inverts the selection in the current list. All Note Links that are not selected become selected and vice-a-versa. - Set Tree Root
Make this note the new Tree View root. It will now appear at the top of the screen. This is useful when the tree is over expanded. It is used also to go to a bookmarked or found note and to explore an alternative parent.
To return to the default Tree View, use this command on the current tree root or use the Home bookmark.NB
This operation only alters how the outline appears to you. It does not change the actual structure of the outline. - Sort [ OFF/AUTO/ON ] (Pro)
Set the sort mode for this note's list of linked notes, current mode is displayed in brackets. Sorting is by name and changes of mode take effect immediately.Sort [ OFF ]
Never sort, even if global sort is [ON]Sort [ AUTO ]
Only sort if global sort is [ON]Sort [ ON ]
Always sort, even if global sort is [OFF] - Note View
Displays a note in full via a tap on the title of a note in Tree View.
A position indicator, top left, indicates your current position in a list. eg. 3/4 means you are viewing note 3 in a list of 4 - Previous
Go to previous note in the current listUse
- Toolbar Icon
- Swipe Right
- Left arrow (hard keyboard)
- Menu
- Toolbar Icon
- Next
Go to next note in the current listUse
- Toolbar Icon
- Swipe Left
- Right arrow (hard keyboard)
- Menu
- Toolbar Icon
- Edit
Edit this note.Use
- Toolbar Icon
- Double tap
- Enter key (hard keyboard)
- Menu
- Toolbar Icon
- Copy
Copy this note as plain text to the Android Clipboard.Use
- Toolbar Icon
- Menu
- Toolbar Icon
- Night (Pro)
Toggle between Night & Day viewing mode. You can customise this using the Stylesheets menu option in Tree ViewUse
- Toolbar Icon
- Menu
- Toolbar Icon
- Exit
Exit to Tree ViewUse
- NoteLynX Icon
- Android back button
- Menu
- NoteLynX Icon
- Edit Screen
Here you can modify the Title, Text and Link Type of a note.NB.
When editing the title, the Enter key will move the cursor to the note area. - Formatting Tool Bar
You can add text formatting using options from the toolbar (which scrolls on smaller screens).
Formatting works by inserting HTML tags around the text to be formatted. You will need to confirm changes to see the results.
At present, if you have used the toolbar to apply formatting and you wish to change it, you must first remove the unwanted HTML tags and then re-apply.NB.
- Only Date works in the title.
- Except for Date and Size, tool bar options are Pro features.
- Only Date works in the title.
- Date & Time
Inserts the current date and time. Uses your android device date format settings. - Size, Bold, Italic, Underline, Center, Bullet List, Color
Using prior to entering text
Place the cursor where you wish to insert formatted text. Tap the toolbar option and the formatting tags will be inserted, leaving the cursor ready for you to enter text between them.Using on pre-existing text
If the text to be formatted is already present, select the text before tapping the toolbar option and the formatting tags will be placed around the text.NB.
The Text Size option is most useful for creating section headers (as on this page). It inserts HTML tags <h1> to <h6>, where <h1> is the largest. The User Guide has additionally re-defined the styles of some of them via the stylesheets. - Web, Email, Telephone
You can insert a web address (URL), email address or telephone number in either of the following two ways.Using prior to entering text
Place the cursor where you wish to insert a link. Tap the toolbar option and a dialog will ask you for the address or number. You may leave the name field empty and tap ok, in which case the address or number becomes the visible link. If you supply a name then that is used instead.Using on pre-existing text
If the address or number is selected before the dialog appears then the relevant dialog field is filled in for you. The name is optional. Or if any other text is pre-selected then the dialog name field will be filled in and you need only supply the address or number.Usage
When in Note View, you can tap on the link. This will either invoke the web browser, your email client or telephone dialer.Examples
Web: Google
Email: someone@gmail.com
Tel: 123
Image as Click-to-Dial
To achieve the above, first insert a picture of your choice (see following note in User Guide) then select the HTML code for that image before tapping the telephone toolbar option. Now just enter the number to dial. Also works with web and email addresses.NB.
A valid web URL must start with "http". An international telephone number may be preceded with "+". - Picture
Allows you to select and insert a picture from the Android picture gallery. - HTML Tag
This is an advanced feature and requires some knowledge of HTML/CSS. It is an aid to enter generic HTML tags that aren't on the toolbar.Example 1
To insert a horizontal line as a page divider (see below), choose the Html Tag option from the toolbar, supply tag name "hr" and do not check the "Twin" box (as this needs only a single tag).Example 2
The toolbar has options for bold, italic and underline, but no "subscript". To insert subscripted text like this (H2O), type HO and place the cursor between the H and the O. Now choose the Html Tag option, supply a tag name of "sub", check the "Twin" checkbox (because in this instance, there will be a pair of tags) and tap OK. Now type the number 2 between the two HTML tags. This option also works on pre-existing text if you highlight it first.Example 3
You can also construct HTML tags with attribute value pairs. For example, to use a different font (like Courier) do as follows. Bring up the Html tag dialog, and with the "Twin" check box selected, enter the following comma separated string:
span,style,font-family:Courier;
This will insert the following HTML:
<span style="font-family:Courier;"></span>
Now just enter the intended text at the current cursor position.NB.
Do not enter <html>, <head> or <body> sections, as NoteLynX automatically appends these to each note.Learning HTML
Here is a suggested link in case you wish to study the subject further. - Edit Modes
Text Mode
Ordinarily, the editor is in text mode. This means that new-lines and spaces are automatically converted into HTML equivalents <br> and . Sometimes, this may be undesirable.HTML Mode
To switch to HTML mode where spaces and newlines are not significant, start the note with the sequence: </>. This is easier if you use the Html Tag dialog with just a single "/" as the tag name and the "Twin" checkbox unchecked.<br> and
For convenience, when in HTML mode, the Html Tag dialog will insert a <br> tag if you leave the tag name empty. It can also insert (non-break space) if you enter just a space for the tag name. In both cases, leave the "Twin" checkbox unchecked.NB.
See the following "Table Example". - Table Example
TABLE
Row 1 Col 1 Row 1 Col 2 Row 2 Col 1 Row 2 Col 2 Row 3 Col 1 Row 3 Col 2 - Menu
- OK
Commit changes and exit.Use
- Double tap
- Shift Enter (hard keyboard)
- Double tap
- OK + Next
Commit changes and add another new note.
This option is only available after creating a new note, not when modifying an existing note.
Use
- Swipe Left
- Ctrl Enter (hard keyboard)
- Swipe Left
- Night (Pro)
Toggle between Night & Day viewing mode.NB.
You can customise this using the Stylesheets menu option in Tree View - Cancel
Cancel changes and exit edit mode.Use
- Swipe Right
- Android back key
- NoteLynX Icon
- Swipe Right
- FAQ
Frequently asked questions. - How can I use Multiple Parents?
When you create a Sub-Note with Link Type 'Child', the note one level up is its 'Parent'. It is possible, and often very useful, for the same 'Child' linked note to appear in multiple locations in an outline, thus having multiple 'Parents'.Example
Suppose you have notes 'Living Things' & 'Large Things' to be used as categories. You could create a Sub-Note 'Elephant' under 'Living Things' with Link Type 'Child'. To make 'Elephant' also a 'Child' of 'Large Things', do the following:-- Long tap on the Link icon for 'Elephant' and select 'Copy Link'.
- Paste this link as a Child into 'Large Things'. To do this, long tap on the Link icon of 'Large Things' and select 'Paste Sub-Note'.
- In the clipboard paste dialog which appears, ensure the Link icon is set to Child (Green Arrow) and tap OK.
- Long tap on the Link icon for 'Elephant' and select 'Copy Link'.
- How can I use Friend links?
Use Friend links to cross-reference two notes.Method
- Go to one of the notes and long tap its link icon.
- Select 'Copy Link' from the context menu.
- Go to the other note and long tap its link icon.
- Select 'Paste Sub-Link' from the context menu.
- When the clipboard appears, tap the link type selector icon until it shows 'Friend' (yellow right arrow), then tap OK.
- How can a Sub-Note be a Parent?
In most other outliners, a Sub-Note is always a Child, but this is not the case in NoteLynX because it needs to be able to represent Multiple Parents and/or Friend links.
A single Parent of a Child note is implicit by its position above and to the left of a note, but additional Parents cannot be shown in this way. NoteLynX solves this by displaying extra Parent/Friend links in the same Sub-List as the Children and using special link type icons to differentiate them. - Why do tree nodes sometimes repeat?
Sometimes you may find that your outline expands without limit. This may occur when there are multiple Parent and/or Friend links that span Tree branches causing a loop. It is not a fault and simply implies that you are traversing a circular path.
