Goldbug Software

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Second Notes for Mac

What's New

Aug 10, 2024 Second Notes for Mac 2.1.5 is released.

• Stability improvements and bug fixes.

Jun 1, 2024 Second Notes Script for Mac 2.1.4 is released.

• Stability improvements and bug fixes.
• You can modify Notes and insert strings by executing Python Script.

This can be downladed from here. This is free app.

The difference from App Store Second Notes is that sharing notes with Second Notes for iOS via iCloud does not work, and only works at Apple Silicon.

And Python scrip doesn't work at Second Notes for Mac.

Activities

Second Notes for Mac

Second Notes is an app for making a note with Live Markdown.

You can share the note with your iOS devices via Second Notes for iOS. And Live Markdown automatically indents lists and quoted strings, and changes font to bold or italic.

Features

• Typing text with Live Markdown
• Preview via converted HTML
• iCloud and Second Notes for iOS
• Create a outline by using Markdown headers
• Search text in the whole Notes
• Autosaving
• Arithmetic function
• HTML snippet via "Copy as HTML"
• Select folder of Notes

Typing text with Live Markdown

Second Notes uses Markdown like text formatting, and automatically indents text in a list and quote paragraph, and make strings bold or italic. The preview button shows HTML converted text in the web view.

• A line begins with sharps # converts to bold string. The line converts to <hN> html tagged block where N means number of sharp.

• A paragraph begins with hyphens - or asterisks * is indented and converts to a list html block.

  If multiple hyphens or asterisks are placed, indent depth is multiplied accordingly. The paragraph ends with a blank line which contains only a newline.

• A paragraph begins with > character is indented and converts to a block quote html block. If multiple > is used, indent depth is multiplied accordingly. The paragraph ends with a blank line.

• A line begins with a tab or more than 4 spaces converts to a html code block and is shown by a monospace font.

• If a word is wrapped by asterisks or underscores, the word is shown by a italic font. If a word is wrapped by double asterisks or double underscores, the word is shown by a bold font. If a word is wrapped by double tildes ~~, the word is struck through.

• If square blankets are used as blow, the string convert as a html link block.

  [title](url options)  --> <a href="url" options></a>
  ![title](url options)  --> <img src="url" options></img>

  If the line begins with a square blanket [, the line treated with a reference link definition as below.

  [identifier]: url options

  The identifier is an arbitral word to identify the link definition.

  You can use the reference link from any link element like this.

  [title][identifier]   --> <a href="url" options></a>
  ![title][identifier]   --> <img src="url" options></img>

  

If you can't see bold or italic, please check if the selected font has a italic or bold font in its family. For example "Lucida Grande" that is used as a system font doesn't have a italic in the family.

If you want to show a local image in the preview, the image has to be located in you picture folder due to the security protection of Mac OSX.

Preview via converted HTML

The split view button in the toolbar shows Preview of your Note in the right size of the window. It is readonly but you can change the style by adding your own stlye sheet(CSS).

iCloud and Second Notes for iOS

Second Notes saves a note in your iCloud folder. You can share the note with your iOS devices, iPhone, iPad via Second Notes for iOS which has the same Live Markdown feature.

Second Notes for Mac

Second Notes for iOS

Create a outline by using Markdown headers

Second Notes can create a outline of Note by using Markdown headers. It is triggerd by clicking the outline button in the upper of the Note list. The disclosure triangle is shown if the Note has the outline while the button is ON.

And also there is a button in the toolbar for showing the header list. When you select the row, the cursor of the Note will move the selected header.

Search text in the whole Notes

When you enter a word in the search field in the toolbar, Second Notes search the word in the whole notes and shown them in the Note view as a orange highlighted background.
And the disclosure triangle will be shown in the Note list, if the Note has the word.

Also the headers button in the toolbar will show the list of the search results.

Autosaving

Second Notes doesn't have a save button or menu. The text in a note is automatically saved when note is switched or a certain interval.

Arithmetic Function

Type a fomula and click the Arithmetic button, the result is inserted after the fomula.

HTML snippet

The menu "Copy as HTML" in the edit menu can be used to copy a HTML snippet. Here is the example. When you copy the following lines, the HTML snippet will be the following string.

Example of "Copy as HTML".

# Sep 30th
            - 10:00 Meeting

<h1>Sep 30th</h1>
            <ul><li><p>10:00 Meeting</p></li></ul>

Select folder of Notes

You can choose the folder in which you want to save your Note by selecting "Open Folder" from the File menu.

Search in Notes

The search field in the toolbar is used for searching a word in the whole notes listed in the list. The results are shown in the note by highlighting the word.

How to use

Start Second Notes at first

When you start Second Notes at first, new note is created and it is shown in the iCloud folder. The title is also created the date and time automatically, but you can change it anytime.

Make sure iCloud is enabled

If the first note is created in the "On My Mac" folder, please make sure if iCloud is enabled of the Second Notes in the System Preferences. It is located in the "Document & Data" menu in the iCloud setting as below.

Title and filename

The title of a note shown in the Note list is taken from the first line of the note. It is not same as the filename. You can see the actual filename through the "Note Info" menu in the file menu.

Changing font

You can change the font which is used in the note view from the font menu in the format menu. The default font is taken from the system text font, typically Helvetica.

Moving a note

You can move a note between iCloud and "On My Mac" from the "Move To" menu in the file menu.

Import and export a note

The "Import From" and "Export As" in the file menu are used to export and import a note. You can import a plain text which has "txt" or "md" extension. And when you export a note. you can select a plain text or HTML.

Keyboard shortcuts

Second Notes has a standard keyboard shortcuts, ctrl+tab, and tab.

• ctrl+tab: Move focus between the search field, the Note list and the note.
• tab: Move focus between the search field and the Note list view.
• Up/Down arrow moves the Note on the Note list.
• Up/Down arrow moves the curson of Note view when the Headers popover is shown.

• Cursor movement of the Note view:
  Command+Up-arrow: Beginning of the document
  Command+Down-arrow: End of the document
  Command+Left-arrow: Beginning of the current line
  Command+Right-arrow: End of the current line
  Option+Up-arrow: Beginning of the current paragraph
  Option+Down-arrow: End of the current paragraph Option+Left-arrow: Beginning of the current word
  Option+Right-arrow: End of the current word

Export as PDF

According to the view type, the contents of the note shown in the window is converted as PDF.

Printing

Same as "Export as PDF". the contents of the note shown in the window is printed.

Tips

Italic font

If you can't see italic text, please check if the selected font has a italic family. For example the system font, Lucida Grande doesn't have a italic family.

Upside down image

If you see the image upside down, please check the orientation embedded in exif.

Image file referring in the Markdown Image Tag

When you click the image button in the toolbar, the image tag of Markdown is inserted in the Note. At that time the Open panel is shown, so you can select the file as the image URL of the tag.
And then you click the image tag, the image is shown in the popover. However it is only shown until Second Notes is terminated, if the file is not under the iCloud "Second Notes" folder or Picture folder. This is restriction of the macOS sandbox.
In that case, please re-select the file with following the button in the popover.

Markdown tags are supported by Live Markdown and HTML Preview