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<title>The KNotes Handbook
<author>Bernd Johannes Wuebben, <tt/wuebben@kde.org/
<date>Version 0.3, 1 June 1997
<abstract>This Handbook describes KNotes Version 0.3

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<sect>Introduction

<p>


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

The first stage of the KNotes project has been completed. Most, if not all 
basic functionality has been implemented. The second phase of this project will
consist of attempting to closely integrate KNotes with the KDE desktop in
particular 
kwm and kpanel. Currently this integration has only been achieved in a 
rudimentary fashion. The reason for this is that I have reached the 
boundaries of what can currently be done with the kwm communication protocol. 

This brings me to mention the second and more serious reason for implementing
KNotes: to test and extend the kwm communications protocol. It is at present
for example not possible for a KNotes note to remember its position AND virtual 
desktop on exit and place itself exactly on the same position the next time
it is maped onto the desktop. I am currently working with Matthias on this and 
similar problems.

KNotes can:
<itemize>
<item>accept drag and drop (even from a remote ftp site)
<item>mail your note
<item>print your note ( try it, it looks great )
<item>insert the date or a calendar of the current month
<item>associate an alarm timer to a note and notify you when the timer expires.
<item>have arbitrary colors for background and text
<item>have arbitrary sized note
<item>use an arbitrary font for a note.
<item>do auto-indentation
<item>do two different frame styles
</itemize>
<p>

and remembers all this on a per note basis on exit.
<p>
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.
<p>
What is your opinion, should KNotes have a simpler window title-bar?
<p>

Best Regards
Bernd 
wuebben@kde.org



<p>
I hope you will enjoy KNotes
<p>
<tt>Bernd Johannes Wuebben</tt>
<p>
<htmlurl url="mailto:wuebben@kde.org" name="wuebben@kde.org">
<p>

<sect>Installation
<p>
<sect1>How to obtain KNotes
<p>
KNotes is a  KDE application  <url url="http://www.kde.org">.
KNotes can be found on <url url="ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/">, the main ftp site
of the KDE project.

<sect1>Requirements
<p>
In order to successfully compile KNotes, you need the latest versions of <tt> libkdecore</tt>
and <tt> libkfm</tt>. All required libraries as well as KNotes itself can be found
on <url url="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.

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

<descrip>
<tag/Tip/ a2ps together with GNU enscript are the most essential printing utilities in 
the UNIX world. Make sure you know them well.

</descrip>
<p>

<sect1>Compilation and installation
<p>

In order to compile and install KNotes on your system, type the following in the base 
directory of the KNotes distribution:
<tscreen><verb>
% ./configure
% make
% make install
</verb></tscreen>


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

<descrip>
<tag/Note/
In order to most productively use KNotes, place KNotes on the kpanel.
</descrip>

<p>
<sect>Onscreen Fundamentals
<p>

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

<p>
<sect1>Drag and Drop
<p>
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. 

<sect1> Printing
<p>
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.
<p>

<descrip>
<tag/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 <url
url="http://www.hut.fi/~mtr/genscript/">, or any GNU mirror.

<tag/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:
<url url="http://www-inf.enst.fr/~demaille/a2ps.html">
</descrip>

<p>
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
<tt>kdehelp</tt>. 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.
<p>

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
<url url="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. 

<p>

<sect>The Menu Entries
<p>
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.

<p>
<sect1>Insert Date
<p>
Insert the current Date and Time into the current KNotes not.

<p>
<sect1>Clear
<p>
Clears the current KNotes note.

<p>
<sect1>New KNote
<P>
Creates a new KNotes

<p>
<sect1>Quit
<p>
Quits the KNotes application. All notes, alarms, and options are saved.
<p>
<sect1>Delete KNote
<P>
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.
<p>

<sect1>Rename KNote
<p>
Rename the current KNotes note. You need to choose a unique new name.
<p>

<sect1>Alarm ...
<p>
Brings up the Alarm Timer dialog corresponding to the current KNotes note. 
You can set or unset an alarm for the current KNotes.
<p>

<sect1>Calendar
<p>
Exectutes the command <tt>cal</tt> 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.

<p>
<sect1>Mail Note
<p>
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".

<p>
<sect1>Print Note
<p>
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.

<p>
<sect1>3D Frame
<p>
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.
<p>

<sect1>Auto Indent
<p>
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.
<p>

<sect1>Font
<p>
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.
<p>

<sect1>Colors
<p>
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.

<sect1>Set Defaults
<p>
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 "%s" place holders
to supply the argument to the mail and print commands. 


<p>
<sect1> Key Bindings
<p>
KNotes honors the following key bindings.

<itemize>
<item><tt/Left Arrow/ Move the cursor one character leftwards 
<item><tt/Right Arrow/ Move the cursor one character rightwards 
<item><tt/Up Arrow/ Move the cursor one line upwards 
<item><tt/Down Arrow/ Move the cursor one line downwards 
<item><tt/Page Up/ Move the cursor one page upwards 
<item><tt/Page Down/ Move the cursor one page downwards 
<item><tt/Backspace/ Delete the character to the left of the cursor 
<item><tt/Home/ Move the cursor to the beginning of the line 
<item><tt/End/ Move the cursor to the end of the line 
<item><tt/Delete/ Delete the character to the right of the cursor 
<item><tt/Shift - Left Arrow/ Mark text one character leftwards 
<item><tt/Shift - Right Arrow/ Mark text one character rightwards 
<item><tt/Control-A/ Move the cursor to the beginning of the line 
<item><tt/Control-B/ Move the cursor one character leftwards 
<item><tt/Control-C/ Copy the marked text to the clipboard. 
<item><tt/Control-D/ Delete the character to the right of the cursor 
<item><tt/Control-E/ Move the cursor to the end of the line 
<item><tt/Control-F/ Move the cursor one character rightwards 
<item><tt/Control-H/ Delete the character to the left of the cursor 
<item><tt/Control-K/ Delete to end of line 
<item><tt/Control-N/ Move the cursor one line downwards 
<item><tt/Control-P/ Move the cursor one line upwards 
<item><tt/Control-V/ Paste the clipboard text into line edit. 
<item><tt/Control-X/ Cut the marked text, copy to clipboard. 
</itemize>


<sect>Questions and answers



<p>
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