📝 PowerToys Run: QuickNotes Plugin

SHA256 Checksums

f69e72fdf4088a61c6f0c909f3fb1eaa52c6223d46aa0adccee8a63af2e7125b  QuickNotes-1.0.8-x64.zip
27ccca1bdfd83844301da68a3dfcd5854fad6c96322cf613b7a4b49dfa019c00  QuickNotes-1.0.8-arm64.zip

✨ QuickNotes for PowerToys Run ✨

Create, manage, and search notes directly from PowerToys Run

🚀 New in v1.0.8: Now fully compliant with PowerToys Run plugin validation requirements. Fixed file naming conventions, added proper checksums, and optimized dependencies. Also includes previous improvements for duplicate timestamps and export functionality. See changelog

🔄 Previous Update in v1.0.7: Enhanced note deletion system with improved user experience. The deletion process now provides clearer confirmation dialogs, better error handling, and more reliable identification of notes using their unique IDs. Release notes

📝 v1.0.6: Completely reworked note management system that fixes critical bugs with note deletion and editing. The plugin now reliably identifies notes by their content rather than position, ensuring operations always target the correct note.

📚 Documentation & Wiki

Looking for detailed documentation, usage examples, or troubleshooting? Check out the full QuickNotes Wiki for:

• Installation instructions
• Main commands & usage
• Features
• FAQ
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing guidelines

📋 Table of Contents

• 📋 Overview
• ⚡ Easy Install
• ✨ Features
• 🎬 Demo Gallery
• 🚀 Installation
• 🔧 Usage
• 📁 Data Storage
• 🛠️ Building from Source
• 📊 Project Structure
• 🤝 Contributing
• ❓ FAQ
• ✨ Why You'll Love QuickNotes
• ☕ Support & Donate
• 📄 License
• 🙏 Acknowledgements
• 🛠️ Implementation Details

📋 Overview

QuickNotes is a plugin for Microsoft PowerToys Run that allows you to quickly create, manage, and search notes directly from your PowerToys Run interface. Simply type qq followed by your note text to save it, or use various commands to manage your notes collection.

⚡ Easy Install

Quick Installation Steps:
1. Download using the button above
2. Extract to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\
3. Restart PowerToys
4. Start using with Alt+Space then type qq

🔄 Automatic Installation (PowerShell)

For a one-command installation, run this in PowerShell (as Administrator):

# Download and install the latest version
$url = "https://github.com/ruslanlap/CommunityPowerToysRunPlugin-QuickNotes/releases/download/v1.0.8/QuickNotes-1.0.8-x64.zip"
$pluginPath = "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\QuickNotes"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $pluginPath | Out-Null
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri $url -OutFile "$env:TEMP\QuickNotes.zip"
Expand-Archive -Path "$env:TEMP\QuickNotes.zip" -DestinationPath $pluginPath -Force
Remove-Item "$env:TEMP\QuickNotes.zip"
Write-Host "QuickNotes plugin has been installed. Please restart PowerToys." -ForegroundColor Green

Or for ARM64 systems:

$url = "https://github.com/ruslanlap/CommunityPowerToysRunPlugin-QuickNotes/releases/download/v1.0.8/QuickNotes-1.0.8-arm64.zip"
# Rest of the script remains the same

🏆 PowerToys Run Plugin Certified

✅ Fully Validated - Passes all PowerToys Run plugin validation checks

✅ Optimized Dependencies - Only includes necessary components

✅ Secure - Includes SHA256 checksums for package verification

✨ Features

• 📝 Quick Note Creation - Instantly save notes with a simple command
• 🔍 Powerful Search - Find notes with highlighted search terms
• 🏷️ Tag Support - Add #tags to notes and search by tag
• 📌 Pin Important Notes - Pin critical notes to keep them at the top
• 🔄 Sorting Options - Sort notes by date or alphabetically
• ✏️ Easy Editing - Modify existing notes with a simple interface
• 🗑️ Enhanced Note Deletion - Delete individual notes with improved confirmation dialogs, better error handling, and reliable ID-based identification
• ↩️ Undo Delete - Restore recently deleted notes
• 💾 Simple Backup - Create backups of your notes collection and view them in File Explorer
• 📋 Clipboard Integration - Copy notes to clipboard with a single click
• 🌓 Theme Support - Works with both light and dark PowerToys themes
• ⏱️ Timestamp Recording - Each note is saved with a timestamp for easy reference
• 🔔 Notification System - Get confirmation when notes are saved, edited, or deleted
• 🔗 URL Detection - Automatically detects and allows opening URLs in notes
• ✨ Text Formatting - Format notes with Markdown-style syntax for bold, italic, and highlights
• 🏷️ Customizable Tag Style - Toggle between bold or italic formatting for tags
• 💡 Command Auto-suggestions - Get real-time command suggestions as you type use Tab key it's easy

🎬 Demo Gallery

📝 Creating Notes

Simply type qq followed by your note text to save it instantly

🔍 Searching Notes

Use qq search <term> to find notes with highlighted matches

✏️ Editing Notes

Edit existing notes with qq edit <number>

🗑️ Deleting Notes

Delete notes with qq del <number> or all notes with qq delall

💾 Exporting Notes

Create backups with qq backup or qq export

📋 Copying Notes

Copy notes with timestamp included

Copy notes without timestamp and tags

👀 Viewing Notes

View note details with qq view <number>

❓ Help Command

Get help on available commands with qq help

✨ Text Formatting

Format your notes with **bold**, *italic*, ==highlight==, and #tags

💡 Command Auto-suggestions

Get command suggestions as you type for faster note-taking

🚀 Installation

📋 Prerequisites

• Microsoft PowerToys installed
• Windows 10 or later

📥 Installation Steps

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract the ZIP file to:

   %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\PowerToys Run\Plugins\
   

3. Restart PowerToys

🔧 Usage

1. Open PowerToys Run (default: Alt + Space)
2. Use the following commands:

Command	Description	Example
qq <text>	Create a new note	qq Buy milk and eggs
qq help	Show help information	qq help
qq search <term>	Search notes (matched words highlighted)	qq search milk
qq searchtag <tag>	Search notes by tag	qq searchtag work
qq view <number>	View note details	qq view 1
qq edit <number>	Edit a specific note	qq edit 2
qq del <number>	Delete a specific note	qq del 3
qq delall	Delete all notes	qq delall
qq undo	Restore last deleted note	qq undo
qq pin <number>	Pin a note to the top	qq pin 4
qq unpin <number>	Unpin a note	qq unpin 4
qq sort date	Sort notes by date	qq sort date
qq sort alpha	Sort notes alphabetically	qq sort alpha
qq backup or qq export	Backup notes (opens file explorer)	qq backup
qq tagstyle bold	Set tag style to bold	qq tagstyle bold
qq tagstyle italic	Set tag style to italic	qq tagstyle italic

🎯 Quick Tips

• Press Enter on a note to copy it to clipboard

• Right-click on a note for additional options (copy, edit, delete, pin/unpin)

• Add #tags to your notes (e.g., qq Meeting with John #work #important)

• Use qq searchtag work to find all notes with the #work tag

• Notes are automatically saved with timestamps

• Pinned notes always appear at the top of your notes list

• Sort notes with qq sort date (newest first) or qq sort alpha (A-Z)

• Add desc to sort in reverse order (e.g., qq sort date desc)

• Use qq undo to restore the last deleted note

• URLs in notes are automatically detected and can be opened via the context menu

• Use qq help anytime to see all available commands

• Type any command partially to see auto-suggestions (e.g., type qq s to see search, sort, etc.)

• Format your notes with Markdown-style syntax:

  • Bold text: Use **text** or __text__
  • Italic text: Use *text* or _text_
  • ==Highlighted text==: Use ==text==
  • #tags are automatically formatted based on your tag style setting

• Toggle tag formatting style with qq tagstyle bold or qq tagstyle italic

• Intelligent Copy Options:

  • Press Enter on a note to copy clean content (without timestamp and tags)
  • Use Ctrl+C to copy the full note with timestamp
  • Use Ctrl+Shift+C for clean content (alternative to Enter)
  • Right-click menu provides all copy options with clear descriptions

📁 Data Storage

QuickNotes stores all your notes in a simple text file at:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\PowerToys\QuickNotes\notes.txt

Each note is stored with a timestamp for easy reference in the format:

[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS] Your note text here

Pinned notes are stored with a special prefix:

[PINNED] [YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS] Your important note here

🛠️ Building from Source

📋 Prerequisites

• Visual Studio 2022 or later
• .NET SDK

🔨 Build Steps

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/ruslanlap/CommunityPowerToysRunPlugin-QuickNotes.git
   

2. Open the solution in Visual Studio

3. Build the solution:

   dotnet build -c Release
   

4. Find the output in the bin/Release directory

📊 Project Structure

The QuickNotes plugin has a clean, modular architecture designed for maintainability and extensibility.

High-level project structure overview

For a detailed breakdown of the project structure, see the structure.md file.

ℹ️ Learn more about PowerToys Run plugins and discover other third-party plugins in the official PowerToys Third-Party Plugins Directory.

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

❓ FAQ

How do I update the plugin?

Download the latest release and replace the files in your PowerToys Plugins directory. Restart PowerToys afterward.

Can I sync my notes across devices?

The plugin doesn't have built-in sync, but you can place the notes.txt file in a cloud-synced folder and create a symbolic link to it.

What if I accidentally delete all my notes?

If you've created backups using the qq backup command, you can restore from those. Otherwise, you might be able to recover from Windows File History if enabled.

Can I change the storage location?

Currently, the storage location is fixed. A future update may add customizable storage locations.

✨ Why You'll Love QuickNotes

• ⚡ Lightning Fast - From thought to saved note in under 3 seconds
• 🔍 Smart Search - Find notes with highlighted search terms as you type
• 🧠 Distraction-Free - No need to switch applications or contexts
• 🔄 Seamless Workflow - Create, find, edit, and manage notes without leaving your keyboard
• 📋 Clipboard Integration - Copy any note to clipboard with a single keystroke
• 🛠️ Powerfully Simple - Sophisticated features hidden behind simple commands

**Powerful context menu features: Edit notes, Copy to clipboard, Pin important items, Delete notes, and Detect URL and Open URLs directly from your notes in your browser**

Feature Ideas We'd Love to See:

• Tag system for notes
• Easy copy notes
• Autosuggestions commands
• Rich text formatting
• Cloud sync options
• Reminder functionality
• Git integration
• More effect
• More styled
• Notes to be pinned

☕ Support & Donate

If you find QuickNotes useful and want to support further development, you can buy me a coffee!

Thank you for your support! ❤️

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgements

• Microsoft PowerToys team for creating the extensible PowerToys Run platform
• All contributors who have helped improve this plugin
• Icons and visual elements from various open-source projects

🛠️ Implementation Details

The QuickNotes plugin is built around a robust and well-structured implementation in the Main.cs file, which serves as the heart of the plugin. Here's what makes it special:

🏗️ Architecture

• Modular Design: The code follows a clean, modular approach with well-defined responsibilities
• NoteEntry Structure: Uses a dedicated class to handle note metadata (timestamps, pinning status, etc.)
• Command Pattern: Implements a command-based architecture for all operations

🔑 Key Components

• Command Processing: Centralized command handling via the GetCommandResults method
• Text Formatting: Rich text formatting with support for bold, italic, highlighting, and tags
• Context Menu: Comprehensive right-click options for each note
• File I/O: Robust file operations with proper error handling
• Theme Support: Adapts to PowerToys light/dark themes automatically

🧩 Notable Features

• Timestamp Management: Automatically adds timestamps to notes and provides options to display or hide them
• Tag Detection: Identifies and formats #tags with customizable styling (bold or italic)
• URL Detection: Uses regex to find and make URLs clickable in notes
• Undo Functionality: Tracks deleted notes to enable undo operations
• Sort Capabilities: Implements flexible sorting by date or alphabetically
• Autocomplete: Provides intelligent command suggestions as you type

The implementation prioritizes user experience with features like:

• Clean content copying (stripping timestamps and tags)
• Intelligent display of pinned vs. regular notes
• Comprehensive error handling
• Helpful tooltips and notifications
• Flexible search capabilities

This robust architecture makes QuickNotes not just a simple note-taking plugin, but a powerful productivity tool that seamlessly integrates with PowerToys Run.

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Made with ❤️ by ruslanlap

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