Ask HN: What feature does your dream note taking app have?

[ZaninAndrea]

I am creating a note taking app based on markdown with live preview. I already implemented all the basic features and would like new ideas for cool features.

If you want to check it out, the repo is https://github.com/ZaninAndrea/mdeditor If you want to contribute the code is thoroughly documented and you can always write me if you have any doubts

[agitator]

I use Evernote a lot, for all sorts of things. Here are some improvements I would love and frustrations I've experienced.

- A clever and clean way for tracking changes and additions for hand written notes.

- Evernote allows adding hand written notes, but they go page by page, which is frustrating when notes or designs span longer lengths. Allowing a continuous stream of hand writing would be great.

- Better merge resolution. When you happen to make a change on the web (clip a web page for example) while writing notes on the iPad, I often lose notes.

[chauhankiran]

Following I like to see ( If possible ):

Many app are stop, if issue with net connection or send a big notification about my internet connection issue. Why I have to see it? Can app not manage sync & net issue with local storage or something. I mean I am just taking a note and for taking a note, a real time internet connection is not needed., Right? it's not email app where connection is more important.

[twobyfour]

1) Merge resolution is a big one. I often muse that a note-taking app with a Git backend and three-way merge facility would be kind of awesome.

2) Combine that with offline note taking that auto-syncs when you have a network connection again (even if the note-taking app is backgrounded on your phone), and you'd have a winner. Give me that and I wouldn't even care about support for any formats other than plain text.

3) The ability to organize notes into folders and subfolders with no limit to levels of nesting.

OK, yeah, I really just want an auto-syncing Git client on my phone.

[ZaninAndrea]

That's why I started the project in the first place, glad to hear that I'm not the only one wanting this! ;)

[twobyfour]

What platforms are you planning to support, or will this be web-only?

[ZaninAndrea]

I am building the app with electron, so all desktop platforms will be supported right away, I am considering mobile apps porting most of my React code to React Native and web replacing the filesystem interactions with a cloud server

[fosco]

I want to merge org-mode with workflowy in a gnu free locally hosted instance. That is my dream.

For now I settle with org-mode in terminal because I avoid the cloud.

[tbirrell]

Pagedown integration. I use Stack Overflow on a daily basis, so if I could write and save my questions and answers in an editor while preserving the syntax (especially the key commands I'm use to), I'd get behind that.

[tedmiston]

TIL Pagedown is Stack Overflow's markdown editor - https://github.com/StackExchange/pagedown

[scalesolved]

I'd love to see a timeline feature where I can play back a session of note taking from a day or plot it out into a nice JS timelined graph automatically based on journal entries.

[sjs382]

Ability to take photos on a mobile, mark them up (with a pen), and have full-text search of the contents of the photos and the notes.

[abawany]

I use OneNote. The features that make it indispensable for me are as follows:

* Excellent synchronization across devices

* Support for handwriting

* Web viewer

[ZaninAndrea]

I'd like to use git in order to ensure a good reconciliation between edits made on multiple devices. Handwriting is not really the goal for my application, since it's a markdown editor.

As far as the web viewer is concerned would you like most a web editor or a static site generator (with hosting included). The web editor is more useful for personal use, but the static site allows everyone to access (I'm thinking about implementing both)

[abawany]

I think a static site generator sounds useful. Not only for viewing when one is without one's apps, but also for sharing as you say.

[kerrsclyde]

Search by image, so show notes containing similar images.

I am a very heavy Evernote user but it has nothing like this.

[fairpx]

Auto calculate writte equations

[ZaninAndrea]

I was thinking about a function grapher (like geogebra function plotting), is that what you meant or something like a calculator?

[fairpx]

A simple calculator. When brainstorming ideas and potential financial outcomes its handy to have basic mah built in.

[fiftyacorn]

ive tried lots of note taking apps and ended up blogging my tech notes