April 3, 2016
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Product: Cloud Outliner Pro 2
Price: $6.99 for Mac version, $2.99 for iOS Universal app.
I discovered that I suffer from glazomania. It is defined as a passion for making lists. I learned about the condition from Listful Thinking: Using Lists to Be More Productive, Successful and Less Stressed Kindle Edition by Julie Morgenstern Paula Rizzo. This is an informative little book which improves your list-taking processes.
I like lists. So, I have been looking around for an outliner on the iPad. I have OmniOutliner 2, but it strikes me as overkill for most of the quick outlines I am interested in. It is a great product. If you live in outlines, it is a product you should investigate. But I was looking for something simpler. Something I could make lists in without reading a manual. Something quick and simple.
I came across Cloud Outliner Pro 2 and decided to see what that was all about. The product is a cross-platform outliner, in the sense that it has both an iOS version and a Mac version. It is also priced very reasonably, $6.99 for the Mac version and $2.99 for the iOS version.
iOS version
Both on iOS, and on Mac OS X, Cloud Outliner Pro 2, is well designed and efficient at managing lists. It has all the usual features, this is a non-comprehensive list of features I consider important in an outliner:
- Optional checkboxes.
- Optional automatic numbering (three styles).
- Ability to add notes to items.
- Customizable text size, color and style.
- Ability to move items by both keyboard commands and drag and drop.
- View completed tasks.
- Filters for displaying only checked or only unchecked items.
- Collapse/Expand functionality for all itmes.
- Automatic highlighting of links and phone numbers.
- On iOS, portrait and landscape support.
- On iOS, wireless keyboard support and a wide range of keyboard commands.
- On iOS, swipe left and right to change indentation level.
- Password protection.
- Customizable document templates.
- Flexible document manager.
- Sync documents across all devices through iCloud.
- Sync outlines through Evernote. (I have not tested this feature. I am not into Evernote).
- Export of outlines to PDF and HTML. (I would have preferred an additional option to export as markdown).
- Import and export of OPML files.
- Light and Dark themes.
Mac OS version
On both platforms this is a well-designed and feature-rich outliner. Distinguished by being quick, and keyboard friendly, I am happy to recommend this to anyone looking for a cross-platform outliner.
You can buy the products by using the following links and sending a few cents my way. Thank you for the support.
Cloud Outliner Pro 2 $6.99
Cloud Outline Pro 2 for iOS $2.99
macosxguru at the gmail thingie
Outliner
February 19, 2016
LightPaper Update(1.3) Hits the Spot
I wrote about LightPaper here.
On the whole, I liked the program but I had some suggestions for improvement:
- I asked for multiple folder support in the sidebar. LightPaper has those now. You can now add as many folders as you want to the sidebar, and they are completely accessible there.
- I observed that Shadow Notes didn’t contain the URL of the site I was taking a note on. It has been enabled as a preference. Making Shadow Notes even more useful.
- I noted the restricted nature of Quick Open. That is no longer true with the applications support for multiple folders. The fuzzy search has also been improved.
- I pointed out that the outline hierarchy would have been more useful if it was available in the editing window instead of the preview window. Now it is. You can move between sections of your document by using the hierarchy and that is convenient.
- You can now select your markdown text and copy it as rich formatted text including images. You can also copy it as HTML.
- Added an export menu for quick access to exporting and copying features.
- In LightPaper Mini, ⌘ + S now saves the scratch or shadow note instead of saving to a file. The function Save to File… is now accessible through the File>Save to File… menu item, or by the keyboard command ⌘ + ⌥ + S.
- There are a whole host of other improvements.
Overall, this is a great upgrade to what is an already strong entrant in the markdown editing space.
I heartily recommend LightPaper.
On a personal note, it is gratifying to run across a developer who is interested in consistently improving his/her product, listens to feedback, considers the suggestions and acts on the ones which make sense. Thank you.
macosxguru at the gmail thingie
LightPaper
Markdown
text editor
February 15, 2016
FromScratch, a Place to Doodle With Words.
Product: FromScratch
Price: Free
FromScratch is a simple and smart note-taking application.
- No User Interface, except the text you type.
- Launches instantly.
- Tiny memory footprint.
- Saves automatically.
- Indents automatically.
- Replaces common syntax with symbols, such as arrows.
- Cross-platform and open source. It is available for Linux, Windows and OS X.
FromScratch is a small little app you can keep open all the time and take notes in. You can use it as a task list. A depository of thoughts. A place you store the links you run into while web browsing. Just a bucket to drop random notes into.
Saves automatically, so you never lose the content. At the end of the day, you can transfer what you need to individual files in a text editor. FromScratch is just a place to doodle with words.
FromScratch has no preferences. It uses a font called Fira Code and it has only three keyboard commands:
- ⌃ + Up Arrow: Move current line up.
- ⌃ + Dn Arrow: Move current line dn.
- ⌃ + d: Delete current line
That is it.
I like it.
macosxguru at the gmail thingie
FromScratch
note-taking
free
February 14, 2016
Links of Note 2016-02-14
Part 1 of a discussion on San Francisco, the Apple font.
Why San Francisco — MartianCraft — The Syndicate — Medium
Part 2 of a discussion on San Francisco, the Apple font.
Arriving at San Francisco
A lot of folks are looking forward to this release.
Introducing Day One 2 | Day One
Be inspired.
Desktop Fruit - Mac App Design Inspiration
San Francisco
Day One 2
Design
Bicycle For Your Mind