Notecamp documentation
Note Camp keeps your notes in folders, which it calls directories. You can nest directories as deep as you like, and each one holds its own notes and checklists. Everything works from the keyboard and with a screen reader.
The window
The window has three parts:
- The directory tree. The top entry, "Note Camp", holds everything else.
- The note list, which shows the notes in the selected directory.
- The editor, which appears when you open a note.
Press Tab to move between them. The status bar at the bottom tells you what just happened, such as "Saved" or "Pasted into Work". When you select a note, it shows when that note was created and when it last changed.
Directories
Select where the new directory should go in the tree and press Ctrl+D, then type a name. Press F2 to rename the selected directory and Delete to remove it. Deleting a directory also deletes everything inside it, so Note Camp asks first. It also makes a backup before deleting, in case you change your mind (see "If something goes wrong").
Right-click a directory, or press the Applications key, for the full list of actions.
Notes
Press Ctrl+N to create a note in the selected directory. It opens straight away, so you can start typing.
To open an existing note, select it in the list and press Enter. The changes you make aren't saved until you press Ctrl+S. The title bar shows when there are unsaved changes. Press Esc to close the note; if you haven't saved, Note Camp asks whether to save or discard your changes.
A few things in the editor:
- F5 types the current time and date at the cursor.
- Right-click (or press the Applications key) and choose Generate Password... to type a random password at the cursor. You can choose its length and which kinds of characters it uses.
In the note list, F2 renames a note and Delete removes it. Use Shift or Ctrl with the arrow keys or the mouse to select more than one note.
Checklists
Press Ctrl+Shift+N to create a checklist. Instead of a text box you get a "New item" field and a list of items.
- Type an item and press Enter to add it. Press Enter on an empty field to jump to the list.
- Space checks or unchecks the selected item.
- F2 edits an item, and Delete removes it.
- Ctrl+Up and Ctrl+Down move an item up or down.
- Right-click the list to remove all checked items or uncheck everything.
Checklists save themselves after every change, so there's no need to press Ctrl+S. Press Esc to close one.
Moving and copying
Select one or more notes, or a directory, and press Ctrl+X to cut or Ctrl+C to copy. Then select the place you want them and press Ctrl+V.
This uses the normal Windows clipboard, so it works with other programs too:
- Copy a note in Note Camp and paste it into File Explorer, and you get a text file. That's always a copy, even if you cut the note.
- Copy text files or folders in File Explorer and paste them into Note Camp to bring them in as notes.
Searching
Press Ctrl+F, type what you're looking for and press Enter. Note Camp looks through note names and saved text. Select a result and choose Open to go to that note. Changes you haven't saved yet won't show up in the results.
Exporting, importing and printing
File > Export all notes... saves everything as ordinary files, either in a
folder or in a zip. Directories become folders, notes become .txt files, and
checklists become .md files that apps like Obsidian show with checkboxes. To
export just one directory, right-click it and choose Export directory....
Ctrl+E exports the open or selected note on its own, as a text file, a Markdown file or a web page. If you choose a web page, you can tick "Render Markdown formatting" so headings and lists look formatted instead of showing the symbols you typed.
File > Import notes... brings in a folder or zip of text, Markdown or web
page files. It creates a new directory under the one you have selected. A
Markdown file made up only of - [ ] lines comes in as a checklist. Files
Note Camp can't read are skipped, and it tells you which ones.
Ctrl+P prints the open or selected note.
If something goes wrong
Note Camp closed while you were typing. It keeps a copy of your unsaved text every few seconds. The next time you start it, it offers to put those changes back. If you say yes, press Ctrl+S to keep them.
You deleted something by mistake. Note Camp makes a backup before you delete a note or a directory and before each database cleanup, and keeps the last 20. Go to Actions > Restore backup... and choose one. Restoring replaces all your notes with the backup, but your current notes are backed up first as "before restore", so you can go back if you picked the wrong one.
Keeping things tidy
Actions > Cleanup database compacts the file your notes are stored in and frees disk space. It's worth running now and then after deleting a lot.
Your notes live in db.dat, in the same folder as Note Camp, and backups are
in the backups folder next to it. If you want your own copy of everything,
copying that file somewhere safe while Note Camp is closed is enough.
Updates
Note Camp checks for a new version when it starts. You can also check any time with Actions > Check for updates. If there's a new version, you'll see what's changed and can install it. Note Camp closes, updates itself and starts again.
Keyboard shortcuts
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New note |
| Ctrl+Shift+N | New checklist |
| Ctrl+D | New directory |
| Ctrl+F | Search |
| Ctrl+E | Export the open or selected note |
| Ctrl+P | Print the open or selected note |
| Ctrl+Q | Quit |
| Ctrl+S | Save the open note |
| F5 | Type the time and date (in a note) |
| Esc | Close the open note or checklist |
| F2 | Rename, or edit a checklist item |
| Delete | Delete |
| Ctrl+X, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V | Cut, copy, paste |
| Space | Check or uncheck a checklist item |
| Ctrl+Up, Ctrl+Down | Move a checklist item |