Adventures with Notenik

Step 1: Create an Apps Catalog

This is pretty easy to do. Create a new Collection somewhere handy, such as the Notenik Folder within iCloud Drive. You can just pick Basic Notes as your starting point. Call it whatever makes sense to you, such as Apps Catalog.

Step 2: Import your Applications Metadata

Now it’s time to Import your Apps Folder by selecting File > Import > Apps Catalog.

You’ll then see the Import Settings window. Make sure Additional Fields is set to Add, and Rows (aka Notes) is set to Match and Add.

Now pick your primary Applications folder as the import source, and click OK.

Notenik will then import the names of those applications, along with a few metadata fields, into your Apps Catalog.

Note that this step can be repeated later as changes are made to your Applications folder. New applications will be added, and any firm metadata changes will be updated.

Step 3: Add Any Useful Info

In particular, you can use the Tags field to categorize your apps in any way that is meaningful to you. For example, I’ve assigned markdown to the various apps that can be used as Markdown editors/parsers. Note that, although the Tags field may be initially populated with an app’s Application Category, it will not be overridden by a later import if the field has been user-modified.

Step 4: Set a Keyboard Shortcut

Start by using the Collection > Copy Notenik URL for Collection item to get a Notenik Custom URL into your system clipboard.

Here’s what this might look like, when you paste it into an empty document using your text editor.

notenik://open?path=/Users/hbowie/Library/Mobile%20Documents/iCloud~com~powersurgepub~notenik~shared/Documents/Apps%20Catalog

Now add &select=action to the end of this string, with no intervening spaces or punctuation, so that the result looks something like this.

notenik://open?path=/Users/hbowie/Library/Mobile%20Documents/iCloud~com~powersurgepub~notenik~shared/Documents/Apps%20Catalog&select=action

Now assign this URL to an available keyboard shortcut, using whatever app/tool you prefer.

I’m using Keyboard Maestro.

I’ve assigned the Hot Key CTRL-OPT-R to a Macro titled ‘Notenik Apps Catalog’. The Macro only contains one Action, of type Open a URL. Then paste the complete URL you’ve created into the URL field.

Step 5: Type Your Keyboard Shortcut

Now when you type your new Keyboard Shortcut, two things will happen:

1. Notenik will open your Apps Catalog (or bring it to the front, if it’s already open);
2. Notenik will pop up its Note Selector window.

Step 6: Select Your Application

Now you can select one of your applications, via either of two means:

• Type three or more letters found anywhere in the name of the application;
• Type a pound sign, followed by three or more letters found in the Tags field of any of your App Notes.

Whichever method you use, select the desired app from the list that results (if it’s not already selected).

Next make sure the Action popup at the bottom of the Note Selector window is set to Launch Link. (Note that this popup will default to whatever value was last selected for the the given Collection, so you should only have to pick this once.)

Then hit the OK button, or simply press return on your keyboard.

Then your App should launch, using the Link to Launch field!

Voila!