NetNote

This repository contains the NetNote application, developed as part of the CSE project. NetNote is a distributed note-taking application designed to run in a client-server architecture, enabling seamless note organization, collaboration, and synchronization.

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

To run the project, you need:

• Maven installed on your system or the provided Maven wrapper (mvnw).
• Java 23 or later.

Steps to Build and Run

1. Clone the repository.
2. Use Maven to build the project:

   mvn clean install
   

   This will package and install the artifacts for the three subprojects (client, server, and shared).
3. To start the server:

   cd server
   mvn spring-boot:run
   

4. To start the client:

   cd client
   mvn javafx:run
   

First actions

• To start using the app and taking notes, you must create your first collection. You can do this by selecting the All notes dropdown label and then selecting Add Collection, or by pressing CTRL + N, and then entering a valid name and server.
• To create your first note, click on the Add Note button to the right of the All notes dropdown label.

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Features

1. Basic Requirements

• Host notes on a server for access from multiple clients.
• View all existing notes on the server.
• Create, edit, and delete notes with unique titles.
• Synchronize note changes automatically with the server.
• Markdown support, including a rendered preview.
• Search for notes by keywords.
• Automatic rendering updates and prevention of duplicate titles.

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2. Multi-Collection Support

• Organize notes into multiple collections.
• Create, connect, edit, or delete collections.
• Filter notes by collection or view all collections simultaneously.
• Migrate collections between servers.
• Server status indicators for collection operations (e.g., server unreachable, collection exists).
• Configuration persisted locally using JSON.

Meaningful addition

• Multi-server functionality is implemented, together with a set of extra actions regarding collections, including:
  • creating new collections;
  • connecting to already existing collections
  • deleting collections;
  • forgetting a collection from the client, without deleting it on the server
  • migrating collections from one server to another

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3. Embedded Files

• Embed files (e.g., images) into notes.
• Rename and delete embedded files.
• Automatically remove embedded files when deleting a note.
• Refer to embedded images in Markdown previews.
• Dedicated URLs for embedded files, ensuring accessibility.
• Simplified metadata tooltips displayed on hover.

Meaningful addition

• Hovering above added notes displays a tooltip with meta-data about the file

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4. Interconnected Content

• Use tags (e.g., #tag) for categorizing notes.
• Link notes using [[Note Title]] syntax, with automatic updates on title changes.
• Render links and tags in Markdown previews for easy navigation.
• Visual indicators for unresolved references or missing tags.
• Multi-tag filtering with intuitive dropdown suggestions.

Meaningful addition

• After typing '[[', a context menu pops up with recomendations for references, kind of like autocomplete
• Hovering over a reference shows a tooltip with details about the referred note

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5. Automated Change Synchronization

• Real-time synchronization of changes, including:
  • Note content.
  • Note addition or deletion.
  • Title updates.
  • Embedded file changes.
• WebSocket-based push updates ensure efficiency.

Meaningful addition

• Changes made to Embedded files are also synchronized

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6. Live Language Switching

• Change the application language at runtime.
• Persist language preferences across sessions.
• Supports English, Dutch, and an additional proof-of-concept language.
• Language indicator with flag icons for easy identification.

Meaningful addition

• Added a fourth language

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HCI

1. A high-contrast mode was implemented, which can be toggled on and off using the button at the bottom of the app.
2. Tooltips have been added to all icon-buttons in order to clearly inform the user about the actions of these buttons.

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Other considerations

1. As per the requirements, the config.json and markdown.css files can be found:

   • At "C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\NetNote\"on Windows;
   • At "home/username/.netnote/ on Linux and Mac;

   And can be edited by the user.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Dashboard

• Create/Edit:
  • CTRL + N / ALT + N - New Note
  • CTRL + SHIFT + N / ALT + SHIFT + N - New Collection
  • CTRL + E / ALT + E - Edit current note name
  • CTRL + SHIFT + E / ALT + SHIFT + E - Edit collection
• Delete:
  • ALT + DELETE - Delete current note
• Navigation:
  • ALT + UP/DOWN ARROW - Navigate notes
  • ALT + SHIFT +UP/DOWN ARROW - Select multiple notes
  • ALT + LEFT/RIGHT ARROW - Navigate collections
• Other Actions:
  • CTRL + Zor ALT + Z - Undo last note action
    • Actions include:
      1. Note title changes
      2. Note body changes
      3. Moving notes between collections
      4. Moving multiple notes at the same time
      5. Adding / Editing / Deleting embedded files
  • ESCAPE - Clear search and focus search field
  • F5 - Refresh
  • F11 / ALT + ENTER - Fullscreen

Collections Stage

• CTRL + N or ALT + N - Add new collection

• CTRL + S or ALT + S - Save collection

• ALT + C - Create/Connect collection

• ALT + DELETE - Delete collection

• ALT + SHIFT + DELETE - Forget collection

• UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW - Navigate through collections

• TAB or SHIFT + TAB - Navigate through input fields & buttons

• ESCAPE - Close Stage