Xournal note taking app ported

[dusadrian]

Dear all,

Let me thank very much for your efforts, there are users who follow this thread even without having too many computer skills to get involved directly.
I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to create a dedicated webpage to this project, where the latest an greatest of the versions would be uploaded, along with the necessary instructions.
I raise this suggestion because (although being very helpful and informative), this thread is getting larger and larger, and I read very often: "see the previous messages". For a few messages it would not be a problem, but with already 8 pages one can easily overlook important information and advice.

Thanks again, I appreciate very much your work,
Adrian

[RobbieClarken]

Originally Posted by dusadrian

Let me thank very much for your efforts, there are users who follow this thread even without having too many computer skills to get involved directly.
I wonder if it wouldn't be easier to create a dedicated webpage to this project, where the latest an greatest of the versions would be uploaded, along with the necessary instructions.

Good idea. MobileRead's wiki is perfect for this.

[junkyardwillie]

Question, so it looks like me reader timed out while my xournal was open and now it can't reopen the file. Does this normally happen? Is there a way to get the file uncorrupted or is it just gone now?

[tjdean256]

Originally Posted by junkyardwillie

Question, so it looks like me reader timed out while my xournal was open and now it can't reopen the file. Does this normally happen? Is there a way to get the file uncorrupted or is it just gone now?

Can you open the folder containing the file via the menu system? When my SD card was failing, the reader could not close out the sqlite file when timing out and left a journal file in the folder (named metadata.db-journal). If that file was present, I could not open the folder until I deleted the journal file.

td

[junkyardwillie]

no luck, deleted a metadata.db file that was in the folder (didn't have one with the -journal) but the file still comes up as can not open when I try to open it through Xournal. Quite odd

[RobbieClarken]

Originally Posted by junkyardwillie

no luck, deleted a metadata.db file that was in the folder (didn't have one with the -journal) but the file still comes up as can not open when I try to open it through Xournal. Quite odd

I'd try opening it with the PC version of Xournal and resaving the file. If you don't have access to a linux computer you can use a virtual box (eg the VMWare image Adam set up) or post the xoj file here and someone else can try resaving it for you.

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by junkyardwillie

Question, so it looks like me reader timed out while my xournal was open and now it can't reopen the file. Does this normally happen? Is there a way to get the file uncorrupted or is it just gone now?

I have build in a mechanism to save the current (unsaved) file when the DR shutsdown (the DR issues a card unmounted event when it shuts down). Can you check if you have a .xournal_sav.xoj file in the Programs/_xournal folder?
(Although that file should have been loaded automatically the next time you started xournal.)

You might also need to look in other locations (folder were document was located?), the code uses: "g_get_current_dir()", I am not sure what that will result into when xournal is started via the ctb. (I better change the code to a fixed location.)

[Mackx]

I created a new update for Xournal. Given the requests above, I created a new thread to post Xournal updates. This allows me to add updates in the first message so people can more easily find the latest version of Xournal.

[pthwaite]

This just gets better all the time.
Now that I'm starting to use it more often, I think I'll try a variety of screen protectors as I find writing with the pens a bit "slippery". I thnk I need a bit of stiction.

Well done Mackx

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by Mackx

I have build in a mechanism to save the current (unsaved) file when the DR shutsdown (the DR issues a card unmounted event when it shuts down). Can you check if you have a .xournal_sav.xoj file in the Programs/_xournal folder?
(Although that file should have been loaded automatically the next time you started xournal.)

You might also need to look in other locations (folder were document was located?), the code uses: "g_get_current_dir()", I am not sure what that will result into when xournal is started via the ctb. (I better change the code to a fixed location.)

I looked a little better at the code, I have build a mechanism that, on shutdown, writes the file to its original name if that is known, or to a temp file. Maybe if the file is big, there is not enough time to write to flash before the firmware shutsdown. I will change the behaviour, just to be save. Sorry if this caused you a lot of troubles ...

[curbarthedog]

I think this is really good work. Thank you.

I think this is nearly perfect. If it was possible to annotate pdf's I think that really would be the icing on the cake.

The only other thing would be the ability to export the journal to MyScript notes.

I realise both of these are probably a real stretch or indeed not possible

Anyway, thank you for all of they hard work. It is very much appreciated.

[junkyardwillie]

Originally Posted by Mackx

I have build in a mechanism to save the current (unsaved) file when the DR shutsdown (the DR issues a card unmounted event when it shuts down). Can you check if you have a .xournal_sav.xoj file in the Programs/_xournal folder?
(Although that file should have been loaded automatically the next time you started xournal.)

You might also need to look in other locations (folder were document was located?), the code uses: "g_get_current_dir()", I am not sure what that will result into when xournal is started via the ctb. (I better change the code to a fixed location.)

No I didn't have the xournal_sav file, it might have got overwritten when I reopened the Xournal app but it didn't open the old file I was working on when I opened Xournal. I think the moral is to save as different versions if you do a lot of notes so you can roll back to an earlier version if something goes off. Thanks for the help, I'll see how V5 works.

[kadbr0]

Mackx a.o.,
thanks for your reply, helps me a bit further!

I am using V4 on a daily basis to take notes in meetings and during other conversations. There seems to be a pattern in the lock-ups, since they always appear after ca. 30-40 mins and after i have written a couple of pages (and have saved many times ;-). Could there be some kind of buffer that becomes overloaded after that period of time?

Another genuine improvement would be if the page buttons on the DR would actually move a full page in Xournal, instead of just a single line. They should do what the on-screen buttons on the top do.

Regards, Dik

[Mackx]

Originally Posted by kadbr0

Mackx a.o.,
thanks for your reply, helps me a bit further!

I am using V4 on a daily basis to take notes in meetings and during other conversations. There seems to be a pattern in the lock-ups, since they always appear after ca. 30-40 mins and after i have written a couple of pages (and have saved many times ;-). Could there be some kind of buffer that becomes overloaded after that period of time?

Another genuine improvement would be if the page buttons on the DR would actually move a full page in Xournal, instead of just a single line. They should do what the on-screen buttons on the top do.

Regards, Dik

Well ... I can crash the program in 10 seconds (press buttons in multi-page doc while scribbling) so I do not think it has to do with a buffer overload.

Page up/down works if you use menu:View->One Page and then press the up/down buttons long enough to get a 'long tap' (led get less intensive), this is the DR-way to generate a GDK_Page_Up/Down event. More people complain about the behaviour of the keys in Xournal, so I have put ot on my ToDo-list, Xournal is originally written for PC, so it assumes a full keyboard.
Note: I normally have all keys disabled when I am working with Xournal (I put the Next/Prev DR-menu-items in the toolbar) since that is the best way to avoid the crash. Although I can imagine that (right handed people) leave the left-hand side keys enabled.

[kadbr0]

Originally Posted by Mackx

Well ... I can crash the program in 10 seconds (press buttons in multi-page doc while scribbling) so I do not think it has to do with a buffer overload.

Page up/down works if you use menu:View->One Page and then press the up/down buttons long enough to get a 'long tap' (led get less intensive), this is the DR-way to generate a GDK_Page_Up/Down event. More people complain about the behaviour of the keys in Xournal, so I have put ot on my ToDo-list, Xournal is originally written for PC, so it assumes a full keyboard.
Note: I normally have all keys disabled when I am working with Xournal (I put the Next/Prev DR-menu-items in the toolbar) since that is the best way to avoid the crash. Although I can imagine that (right handed people) leave the left-hand side keys enabled.

Mackx, thx, will disable all the keys as you prescribe. However, i do encounter crashes -after a couple of pages as described- at moments that i am not touching the DR at all.