Patch: Notes app cover

Rating: 
5
Your rating: None Average: 5 (7 votes)

It's highly recommended to first UNAPPLY and then uninstall old versions (i.e. 2.1.4-1, 0.3-1 and older) before installing any other versions.

Modifies Notes app cover to:

1. Make the note text legible – good for using as a simple task/shopping list;

2. Add cover actions to switch between notes;

3. Show note color tag.

1.1.9+

Requires patchmanager.

Donations are welcome ;)

PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!

Screenshots: 
Changelog: 

3.3.0-1: Compatibility update with SFOS 3.3.0

3.0.0-1: New wide range of colors – probably works on 2.1.4 too

2.1.4-5: solved possible compatibility issue with patchmanager 3

2.1.4-4: minor improvements in line height and text alignment

2.1.4-3

  • App cover now remembers the last opened note
  • Note color shown on the cover

2.1.4-2: Added cover actions to switch between notes (thanks to olf for the idea)

0.3: Compatibility update with SFOS 2.1.1

Comments

malibu's picture

Thanks for updating. Nice & usefull patch.

olf's picture

Unfortunately Notes app cover 3.0.0 fails to apply in Patchmanager under SailfishOS 3.2.0.12.

Tested on an Xperia X with Patchmanager 3.0.61 to 3.0.63.

kuba77's picture

I have fixed patch which working on 3.2.0.12 but I don't know if original author is still active or not...

olf's picture

May I suggest to specify, which "old versions" are addressed by the warning on the front-page (in its current state, it sounds as if this measure shall always be carried out, when updating):
It is strongly recommended to first UNAPPLY and then uninstall old versions (i.e. 2.1.4-1, 0.3-1 and older), before installing any other version.

olf's picture

Thanks for the SPEC file fixes.
No reason to apologise (especially in the light of all the nice Patches you create): Errors do happen. IMO more important than striving for "perfect code" is proper maintenance, which you perform very well.

And by unapplying v0.3-1, removing it via pkcon and rebooting (just to reinitialise the RPM database for sure), Storeman finally installed v2.1.4 (-2, now) on my "production" phone.

olf's picture

@alina, there seems to be a packaging flaw in v2.1.4-1:

  • Updating in Storeman does not work: Although it shows "Installed version: 0.3.1-1" and "Available version: 2.1.4-1" after refreshing its repository caches, it does not offer "Update" in its pulley menu for "Notes app cover".
  • When removing "Notes app cover" 0.3.1-1 manually in Storeman, the Patch is not unapplied, in contrast to updating or uninstalling other Patches (some of them also yours).

Tested on two Jolla 1 phones under SFOS 2.1.4.14 with Storeman 0.0.21.

But while these following, manual (still at the GUI) steps did work on my testing phone, they did not (a little later) on my "production" phone:

  • Only by performing all steps manually, Storeman seemed to update "Notes app cover" 0.3.1-1 to 2.1.4-1: Unapply in Patchmanager, uninstall, install v2.1.4-1, apply it.
    But in the end (after restarting Lipstick), Storeman stated "Installed version: 0.3.1-1" and "Available version: 0.3.1-1" on the "production" phone! On my testing phone v2.4.1-1 installed, applied and is working fine.
  • Well, uninstalling v0.3.1-1 directly followed by installing v2.1.4-1 in Storeman also seems to be working, but would leave the old Patch applied while having the new one installed, which is exactly the situation strongly recommended to avoid.
    But Storeman ultimately states "Installed version: 0.3.1-1" and "Available version: 0.3.1-1" too, but only on my "production" phone.
  • Finally Storeman on my "production" phone settled on "Available version: 0.3.1-1", while on the testing phone still "Available version: 2.1.4-1" was shown, not matter how often I refreshed Storeman's repository caches!?!

HTH

alina's picture

Oh, thanks so much for your report. To be honest, yeah, there was an old flaw in the SPEC file involving all versions. I updated both 0.3 and 2.1.4 versions with new SPEC file.
Now, if you couldn't update yet, please (1) unapply the patch, (2) then remove it completely, preferably thru Terminal:
devel-su pkcon remove sailfishos-patch-notes-cover
After that, it's safe to install the right version.
Again I'm really sorry for the flaw. Since I hadn't updated this patch for a long time, I forgot to correct the spec.

olf's picture

@alina, thanks a lot for v2.1.4

olf's picture

@alina: I really like "Notes app cover", which enables one to read short notes, while the Jolla Notes app is minimised (another great, little tool you implemented: Thanks a lot!).

But unfortunately this only works for the (single) currently active note in the Notes app, thus I thought of:

[Feature suggestion / enhancement] If technically feasible, please implement a "left arrow: <--" and a "right arrow: -->" on the cover of the Notes app, which allow to cycle through all notes without maximising the Notes app.

explit's picture

Hi Alina. I can't activate this patch on Jolla C / 2.1.1.26. Does it somehow conflicts with some other patches?

alina's picture

I don't think so. It just modifies the single file of Notes app cover. Please make sure you've installed the latest version (0.3).

olf's picture

@alina, I concur with @explit, "Notes app cover" v0.3-1 --is indeed-- seemed to be conflicting, with at least one of the Patches I have installed. After disabling a few Patches, without finding a conflicting one, I put this issue aside, yesterday. Now, seeing that others are facing the same issue, I may try to spend some more time determining which Patches this one conflicts with, next weekend.

@explit, please report, if you discover a specific, conflicting Patch (as I would restrict my testing to check, if there is another conflicting Patch in my set of installed Patches, then).

olf's picture

@alina: Sorry this seems to have been a "false alarm".  Reinstalled "Notes app cover" (I had uninstalled the RPM meanwhile), retested applying it: No Patch conflict, anymore!?!

Well, nice to have "Notes app cover" applied now, but this experience (I tried on two Jolla 1 phones yesterday, which have a slightly different set of Patches installed; now it applied nicely on both) leaves an uneasy feeling behind WRT Patchmanager's functions.  BTW, it was seeing the update to v0.3-1, which made me install "Notes app cover", hence it is unlikely (unless I really missed to update the repo data before installing it, twice) that I originally installed an older version.

Well, supposedly not your business, so what ...

@explit: Can you reproduce that or does "Notes app cover" still fails to apply on your device(s), after having v0.3-1 (and definitely this version) reinstalled?

alina's picture

Thank you for your effort and explanation BTW.

olf's picture

Well, meanwhile (and in accordance with your comment below), I believe @explit and me may really have accidentally installed an older version of "Notes app cover" (thus Patchmanager 2 correctly refuses to apply it).  Why else would reinstalling it fix the issue (for me, at least).

alina's picture

If you use Warehouse it's very probable. As I've seen for many packages, updating the repp won't update the current package version; you need to go back once and enter the app page again to see the up-to-date version.

olf's picture

I absolutely agree (and still primarily use Warehouse; should finally switch to using Storeman) and believe that this bug in Warehouse consistently (i.e. always) occurs.  That's why I wondered, if I really forgot about it, twice.  Well, seemingly I did (and supposedly @explit, too).

olf's picture

This is a bug in Warehouse, it happens with other repositories in OpenRepos (which contain freshly uploaded RPMs), too.

The only reliable way to update metadata of a repository in Warehouse seems to be its "Check for updates" function, which updates all repositories' metadata.

The evil usability flaw of Warehouse is, that fresh RPMs are nicely displayed on its front page, but without running a complete "Check for updates" (which is quite slow), one may end up installing an older RPM, even if one tries to update a single repository's metadata on a specific application pages (which does not immediately update the displayed version number there), goes back to the front page, enters the application page again (then the fresh version number is displayed), and finally installs the application.

So it is really time to switch to Storeman, which already is a lot faster, looks way nicer, has sophisticated comment functions, etc.  Up to now I did not trust it as much as Warehouse, as Storeman is quite new (so this is more caution than a real reason), but now I realise that there are substantial reasons not put much trust in Warehouse.

melmoth's picture

totally agree with Alina. everytime I see cover I want to close this app. but I have a request, i do no use any patches but would like to implement this one but without patchmanager. does it require editing CoverPage.qml and what exactly to chage/which parameter? lightly checked that file and it seems 'textwrap' can be one parameter. what do you suggest.

thanx, robert

alina's picture

You can see the patch diff file to see what changes you should make in what files. You should remove the lines starting with minus (-) and add the ones with plus (+). Before making any changes, you'd better to take a backup of the original file.

You can save this file and replace the original file.

melmoth's picture

file is backed up. i used your file. everything is OK. beautyful, thanks a LOT.

OrpsJolla16's picture

I prefer a lot more default theme by jolla, it's actually cool and well done. Notes is one od the most well done jolla apps in my opinion. Just open the app to see the note when you need it, if you need for shopping you're first using the wrong app(you want something like check list app, I described the difference on a comment on Jolla store), notes as the name implies is just a note taking app, and second if you really want to use it then open it and lock the screen with the note opened

alina's picture

Ok, so you don't need to use this patch.

But I completely disagree, because the app cover is to preview the content – whatever it is – and the preview should be legible and usable.

Edit: Oh, I just checked the Notes app description in the store, the developer themselves meant this app for tasks. Please see the screenshots in the store.