anotepad

Anotepad

Minimal local note app for Android built with Kotlin 2.0 and Jetpack Compose. It works directly with files in a folder you choose (SAF), so notes are just .txt or .md files.

Features and advantages

• Synchronization with Google Drive
• Drive sync controls: Wi‑Fi only, charging only, pause, ignore remote deletes, and manual sync.
• Undo/redo controls: on-screen undo/redo buttons (Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Shift+Z); redo is available only after an undo.
• Folder-based workflow: pick a root directory and browse subfolders; create folders and notes inside it.
• Plain-text first: supports .txt and .md and keeps notes readable outside the app.
• Fast browsing: batched listing with a small cache; list view or feed view with inline previews.
• Powerful search: recursive search inside the chosen tree with optional regex and contextual snippets.
• Smooth editing: auto-save with debounce, manual save button, and save-on-background.
• Smart file naming: first line becomes the filename for new notes; optional “sync title” keeps name updated.
• Templates: reusable snippets (plain, time-based, numbered); insert on demand; auto-insert a date/time template for new notes.
• Customization: font size controls, sort order, default extension, and linkify toggles (web/email/phone).
• Long tap on the file: shows the menu to open, delete, rename, copy or move file.

How it works

• Storage access: FileRepository uses the Storage Access Framework (DocumentFile/DocumentsContract) to read/write files in the user-picked tree. Only .txt and .md files are listed or searched.
• Browser: BrowserViewModel loads folder contents in batches, caches recent listings, and exposes list or feed modes. Feed mode reads note text in pages to keep scrolling smooth.
• Editor: EditorViewModel keeps state, performs debounced auto-save, creates a new file on first save, and optionally renames the file based on the first line (sync title).
• Search: SearchViewModel walks the tree, reads each note, and matches either a plain query or a regex; results include a short snippet.
• Templates & preferences: templates and settings live in DataStore; templates can format current time or auto-numbered items.
• Drive sync: WorkManager runs a periodic sync (every 8 hours) and schedules a debounced sync about 10 seconds after local saves. Auto/periodic sync respects Wi-Fi/charging/battery constraints; manual sync only requires network connectivity. Sync auto-selects a Drive folder by name and can be triggered manually from settings.

Google Drive sync (detailed)

Folder selection

• Sign in with Google.
• The app searches Drive for folders with the configured name (default: Anotepad).
• If exactly one folder is found, it is connected automatically.
• If none are found, a new folder is created.
• If multiple folders are found, the app shows a native list and the user chooses one.
• The chosen folder ID and name are stored locally; the user can disconnect and re-run auto-setup.

Local metadata

The app maintains a small local sync database:

• sync_items: local relative path, Drive file ID, hashes, last modified, last sync time, and state.
• sync_folders: mapping of local folder paths to Drive folder IDs.
• sync_meta: metadata such as the Drive startPageToken and timestamps for full scans.

Each uploaded Drive file stores appProperties.localRelativePath so the app can map Drive changes back to local paths.

Sync algorithm

Sync runs on a manual tap, on a debounced schedule after local edits, and on a periodic WorkManager job.

1) Pre-checks

• Sync is skipped if it is disabled or paused.
• A local root folder and a valid Google account are required.

2) Ensure Drive folder

• If a Drive folder ID is not stored yet, the app creates the folder (or reuses one from auto-setup) and stores the ID.

3) Initial sync (first run or after reset) When there is no saved startPageToken, the app performs a one-time bootstrap:

• Remote scan: walk the Drive folder tree and build a map of relative path -> Drive file.
• Merge by timestamp:
  • Local only: upload to Drive (creates a new Drive file).
  • Remote only: download to local.
  • Both exist: compare timestamps. If local is newer, update the existing Drive file; if Drive is newer, overwrite the local file.
• Store a fresh startPageToken for incremental changes going forward.

This prevents duplicate files on Drive when local files already exist.

4) Regular sync (incremental)

• Push local changes: upload modified files, create missing files, and optionally trash/delete Drive files that were removed locally (policy-driven).
• Pull remote changes: use the Drive Changes API with startPageToken to apply adds/updates/moves/deletes. Folder moves are reflected locally.

Conflicts and deletes

• If the same file changed both locally and remotely since the last sync, the app writes a conflict ... copy to avoid data loss.
• Remote deletions are ignored when “Ignore deletions from Drive” is enabled.

Limitations

• No encrypted file support (unlike Tombo).
• Only .txt and .md files are supported; other file types are ignored.

Tech stack

• Kotlin 2.0
• Android / Jetpack Compose
• DataStore
• Gradle Kotlin DSL

Project structure

• app/ — main Android app
  • src/main/java/com/anotepad/
    • MainActivity.kt — entry point, theme, navigation
    • AppNav.kt — Compose navigation graph
    • ui/ — Compose screens and ViewModels
    • data/ — DataStore models and repositories
    • file/ — SAF file access
    • sync/ — Drive auth/client, sync engine, WorkManager workers
  • src/main/res/ — strings, themes
• build.gradle.kts, settings.gradle.kts — build configuration

Build

./gradlew assembleDebug

Run on device/emulator

./gradlew installDebug

Privacy policy link

http://anotepad.tirmudam.org/PRIVACY_POLICY