Possible to Indent on Cornell Note-Taking Page?

delt127 — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 22:03:10 +0000

Is is possible to indent on a Cornell note-taking page? I can’t seem to figure it out.

Thanks,
Sean

t-rex commented

t-rex — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:41:25 +0000

delt127,
“Is is possible to indent on a Cornell note-taking page? I can’t seem to figure it out.”

You can indent a paragraph or line by holding the Option key with the tab.

thomas

delt127 commented

delt127 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:10:18 +0000

t-rex,
Right on, thanks! Now is it possible to modify the distance the newly indented paragraph and/or line travels to the right?

Thanks,
Sean

t-rex commented

t-rex — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 09:35:52 +0000

delt127,
“is it possible to modify the distance…to the right?”

Select View\Ruler (or Cmd+’R’) to make the ruler visible at the top of the screen.

Click-hold & slide the small icons on the ruler to adjust the tab positions.

Thomas

p.dub.e.u@gmail.com commented

p.dub.e.u@gmail.com — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 05:31:19 +0000

is there any way to change it so you can just hit tab?

is there any preference to change the default distance for each tab indent so it applies to all cornell note taking pages?

appreciate the help!

mr.fixit commented

mr.fixit — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:38:38 +0000

I agree. Ideally all panes, or minimally the top/right pane, should function just like an outline page, with indenting, cell formatting, etc. As it is now, the cornell note page is pretty useless for actually taking notes.

Luis Valencia commented

Luis Valencia — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:13:06 +0000

I’m in the same situation. I would love to use the Cornell page for notes, but I need the ability to indent and organize it like a note page. I would like to have the ability to create children, grandchildren, etc.

It’s for this very reason that I recently purchased Curio to add to my software arsenal. In Curio I can customize my own style of Cornell page and do free-form notes. Curio is a pretty fascinating program.

However, overall it lacks in the outline capabilities that NoteBook and OmniOutliner have.

Amafortas commented

Amafortas — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:24:50 +0000

I agree with Luis Valencia. I would be very nice to have some sort of automatic outlining added to the Cornell template.

markditton commented

markditton — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:01:56 +0000

I am in the same boat – I bought this program for its advanced note-taking facility – particularly the Cornel page, and now Im considering migrating to something else as I cant get the most important notetaking page to work..!

This is -very- annoying, any fix planned..??

Kirby commented

Kirby — Mon, 04 May 2009 23:27:54 +0000

Hmm … I came here because of Markdittton’s link in another thread. http://forums.circusponies.com/categories/3/posts/11495#comment-11532

I don’t use Cornell pages or the Cornell system. That said, I think NoteBook might better meet your needs with Note pages than with Cornell pages. The reason is that robust outlining is clearly of top importance, and Note pages allow that (in spades). Version 3.0 added Stickies. Why not use a regular Note page for the notes, then add Sticky Flags for the questions/keywords (Cornell keywords, not NoteBook keywords). Sticky Flags can be attached to NoteBook cells, and they are resizable (you aren’t stuck with the slim size at all). Then later add a blank cell at the bottom and then put your summary below that, at the bottom of the page.

You could even have two top-level cells: “Notes Subject date” and ” Page Summary”. This would give you the advantage of being able to collapse the Notes and see if the summary is adequate. Those who want additional customization can add font formatting by level.

You’d end up with a full-outline page of notes, question/keyword flags attached where you want them, and a nice summary at the bottom.

Does that make sense?

Jayson commented

Jayson — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:43:29 +0000

I’m in the same situation. I would love to use the Cornell page for notes, but I need the ability to indent and organize it like a note page. I would like to have the ability to create children, grandchildren, etc.

For those of you interested in outlining on a CNT page, you are saying that you’d like the right column to allow for outlining, as you can on a note page? That makes sense because you’re taking notes in that space. Then on the left side you would just type review questions as you do today?

Best,

__jayson

ptram commented

ptram — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:29:39 +0000

As for me, sometimes I would like the left column review question to be aligned with the corresponding note paragraph in the right column.

But I use the Cornell Note system in two different ways:

1) taking notes in the right column, not longer than a single page; then writing some sentences in the left column to resume my notes in as few words as possible. In this case, the current CNT system is fine to me, even if having the left column questions aligned to the right column notes could make finding the corresponding notes easier when revising. I also like the fact the left column is exported before the right column notes text.

2) taking notes or jotting down ideas in the right column, and adding brief titles in the left column, similar to a marginalia, like in a manual or a school book. This helps organizing ideas, and quickly jumping to the corresponding text. This cannot be done easily with the current CNT system.

I guess the current CNT can work fine, but a new page type can be added (or just a new option): columns in outline pages. This way, one could write notes in the right column of a line, and a title or question in the left column of the same line. Export options could include a choice between exporting the left column first, or line by line.

I understand this would look more geeky than the current clean appearance of the CNT page; maybe there is a way to make this kink of page look like the current CNT page, but transparently work as a two-columns outline page.

Paolo

ptram commented

ptram — Wed, 06 May 2009 23:35:21 +0000

Kirby,

Why not use a regular Note page for the notes, then add Sticky Flags for the questions/keywords (Cornell keywords, not NoteBook keywords)

Sounds fine to me. Not immediate, but functional and effective. Someone prefers having the review questions on the right, and this might be a different implementation of the CNT system.

However, I would love the CNT page I described above. The CNT just looks inviting!

Paolo

Kirby commented

Kirby — Thu, 07 May 2009 02:55:46 +0000

Not immediate, but functional and effective.

It is easy to set the Toolbar to be a very quick Sticky Flag dispenser.

Someone prefers having the review questions on the right, and this might be a different implementation of the CNT system.

Note sure if this helps, but the Sticky Flags can be positioned right or left of (or anywhere touching) the page.

ptram commented

ptram — Thu, 07 May 2009 08:09:30 +0000

Sticky Flags can be positioned right or left

Yes, but if placed on the left, they cover the note text. Placing them on the right should leave the note text free.

Kirby commented

Kirby — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:42:34 +0000

Yes, but if placed on the left, they cover the note text. Placing them on the right should leave the note text free.

You should be able to place Flags almost completely off the page on the left. You can also increase the left margin by showing more data columns (even if they are empty).

I will try to attach screen shots. My screenshots show the Flags on and half-on the page—they can positioned almost completely off the page.

Kirby commented

Kirby — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:43:08 +0000

Second screen shot attached.

ptram commented

ptram — Fri, 08 May 2009 13:51:23 +0000

Kirby, very clever use of NB!

Kirby commented

Kirby — Fri, 08 May 2009 22:53:41 +0000

It’s a great, incredibly useful and highly customizable program.

Enjoy.

chalfont commented

chalfont — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:18:20 +0000

I’d like to add my voice to those requesting outlining capabilities for the CNT page.

While Kirby’s approach may work in some situations, Jayson is correct in recognizing that conceptually the right column IS the Note page for Cornell Note Takers, and requires all of the same formatting capabilities. While less important, there have also been numerous times where I used such formatting in the other cells as well.

Lacking these, I think it will be difficult for people who rely on CNT to feel comfortable using this product.

Jayson commented

Jayson — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:57:38 +0000

I guess the current CNT can work fine, but a new page type can be added (or just a new option): columns in outline pages.

The good news is that’s coming in a future update.

__jayson

Jayson commented

Jayson — Sun, 10 May 2009 21:01:52 +0000

I’d like to add my voice to those requesting outlining capabilities for the CNT page. [outlining in RHS]

If we’re really talking outlining in the RHS and free-form in the left, that might not be too hard to implement. Trying to do something where there’s a separate outline on both the right and left sides, and items on one side are somehow connected to items on the other, is a lot tougher.

I just want to make sure that if we came out with a CNT page with outlining only in the RHS that people would not be disappointed that it wasn’t also in the LHS.

__jayson

chalfont commented

chalfont — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:19:12 +0000

I can’t speak for everyone else, but I don’t require outlining in the left pane. As a matter of fact, formal outlining as implemented in the Note Page would be counter-productive. What I seek is the ability to quickly text format my free-style notes in a way that might resemble an outline.

Many of my issues would be resolved by simply incorporating Apple’s “CMD – ]” list indentation.

“CMD – ]” would allow me to quickly indent blocks of text spanning multiple lines, while providing a way to create an ad hoc outline. That is all I usually do anyway.

I’d also be interested in being able to compile the bottom frame into a single page. I’ve found this to be a quick and effective way to generate a summary of my notes.

ptram commented

ptram — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:06:37 +0000

Hi,

Just an update to my recent use of the CNT feature for an exam I passed, and a lesson I did at the university.

I used the CNT page to summarize (right column), and then ‘distill’ in a few words (left column) book chapters and lessons. I’m in the humanities, and found that each chapter and each lesson can fit about a single sheet of paper when printed.

So, having the left-column questions/concept one after the other, not aligned with the relevant paragraph in the right column, is convenient instead of a problem. This compactness helped me revise all my notes very quickly – something true marginalia would have not done, due to the uneven space between each of them, making quick reading nearly impossible.

Not that I wouldn’t like true marginalia for other tasks, but I found the current CNT system perfectly useable, and good for taking very good grades, too!

Paolo

bediddleby commented

bediddleby — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:59:18 +0000

I was hopeful that Kirby’s workaround above (with helpful screenshots) would hold-me-over for a future update, but it only works if everything can fit on one screen. When the page scrolls down, the sticky flags scroll, too, causing them to lose their alignment (which makes me wonder why they’re called ‘sticky?’) If the flags (and notes, as well) could somehow be anchored like they are on literal paper, it might work a little better.

So, I’m still craving a good Cornell-style note taking page.

bediddleby commented

bediddleby — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:17:11 +0000

Nevermind… just found the “option” drag trick for Sticky notes/flags in another discussion area. It does exactly what I’m after! Woohoo!

(I think my biggest problem, as one new to the program, is figuring out everything it can do, and how to do it.)

namrog commented

namrog — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 22:21:54 +0000

@jayson when do you think that outlining on the RHS will become available? I would love to be able to implement it in my note taking.

Bernie commented

Bernie — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:12:23 +0000

I know I’m a little late, but I would like to echo chalfont’s request to be able to indent blocks of text on the RHS of CNT pages. I agree that a formal outline like the notes pages would be counter productive unless you can also add free-form text or text boxes by another simple command like a double-click.

I would also like to know if you can create an association between lines of the two columns on a CNT so that when I resize the window I don’t have to search for the answers to the review.

Amafortas commented

Amafortas — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:27:04 +0000

Jayson,

Can you give any insight into when we should start looking for a new version. The two-columned outline sounds useful. I wonder too have you given any thought to ways of streamlining the organization of very large notebooks?

Have a good one,