Flatnotes: Simple Markdown Note-Taking

Flatnotes is a straightforward, self-hosted, markdown-based note-taking application. It's designed for simplicity and efficiency, allowing you to quickly capture ideas, draft content, and organize your notes. A key feature in the Changemaker context is its potential to directly feed into your blog or documentation.

Key Features

• Markdown First: Write notes using the familiar and versatile Markdown syntax.
• Live Preview: (Often a feature) See how your Markdown will render as you type.
• Tagging/Organization: Organize notes with tags or a folder-like structure.
• Search: Quickly find the information you need within your notes.
• Automatic Saving: Reduces the risk of losing work.
• Simple Interface: Distraction-free writing environment.
• Self-Hosted: Your notes remain private on your server.
• Potential Blog Integration: Notes can be easily copied or potentially directly published to your MkDocs site or other blog platforms that use Markdown.

Getting Started with Flatnotes

Accessing Flatnotes

1. URL: Access Flatnotes locally via http://localhost:8089/ (or your configured external URL).
2. Login: Flatnotes will have its own authentication. You should have set up credentials during the Changemaker installation or the first time you accessed Flatnotes.

Basic Usage

1. Creating a New Note:

   • Look for a "New Note" button or similar interface element.
   • Give your note a title.
   • Start typing your content in Markdown in the main editor pane.

2. Writing in Markdown:

   • Use standard Markdown syntax for headings, lists, bold/italic text, links, images, code blocks, etc.
   • Example:

     # My Awesome Idea
     
     This is a *brilliant* idea that I need to remember.
     
     ## Steps
     1. Draft initial thoughts.
     2. Research more.
     3. Write a blog post.
     
     [Link to relevant site](https://example.com)
     

3. Saving Notes:

   • Flatnotes typically saves your notes automatically as you type or when you switch to another note.

4. Organizing Notes:

   • Explore options for tagging your notes or organizing them into categories/folders if the interface supports it. This helps in managing a large number of notes.

5. Searching Notes:

   • Use the search bar to find notes based on keywords in their title or content.

Using Flatnotes for Blog/Documentation Content

Flatnotes is excellent for drafting content that will eventually become part of your MkDocs site:

1. Draft Your Article/Page: Write the full content in Flatnotes, focusing on the text and structure.
2. Copy Markdown: Once you're satisfied, select all the text in your note and copy it.
3. Create/Edit MkDocs File:
   • Go to Code Server.
   • Navigate to your mkdocs/docs/ directory (or a subdirectory like blog/posts/).
   • Create a new .md file or open an existing one.
   • Paste the Markdown content you copied from Flatnotes.
4. Save and Preview: Save the file in Code Server. If mkdocs serve is running, your site will update, and you can preview the new content.

Further Information

For more specific details on Flatnotes features, customization, or troubleshooting, refer to the official Flatnotes Documentation (as it's a GitHub-hosted project, the README and repository wiki are the primary sources of documentation).