(Archived) Annoying behavior when changing notebooks

[Squarelover 1]

I've been a long time Evernote user, and there's one annoyance that has bugged me endlessly about the desktop app. When I first started using Evernote, I figured it was a minor bug that would get corrected in later versions. It's so glaringly obvious. But 2 years now, and not seeing it corrected makes me want to scream.

If you create a new note, and then immediately change the notebook it should belong in, the note you are working on disappears, and a nearby note is displayed instead. I then have to click on the targeted notebook, find the note and start working again. This issue is so disruptive and frustrating. I have messed up many notes thinking I was editing my new note, when actually I am changing a different one. This happens even in the "All Notebooks" category.

The behavior should be whatever it takes to not have your new note disappear from you as you are working on it. I don't care what else is really required to prevent this, if it has to change my search view or current viewing notebook, than so be it. Just don't make me have to click around to continue working.

[peterfmartin 221]

Got it. Yes, this is different in Mac, as previously explained:

As far as the "All Notebooks" behavior, If I'm in "All Notebooks" and choose, "New Note", it takes me to "usernames's notebook" and sets the new note as that Notebook. Right at this moment, I will need to change the note to the desired notebook, which will cause the note do disappear. If I'm in "All Notebooks" why doesn't it just stay in that view when I create a new note?

Ah, yes, I see what you mean. And yeah, that's really annoying. The answer to your "why" question is the logic that BNF and I explained earlier, but your frustration also makes sense. It would be far more rational if, when creating a new note while All Notebooks is selected, even though that note will be assigned to the default notebook, All Notebooks remains selected, so that the problem you're describing doesn't happen. Thought I don't encounter this issue often, I second your request for the change, since it's not logical or helpful.

[jbenson2 2,147]

And yes, since I didn't fall off a turnip truck yesterday, I understand what "disappear"means.

It simply means "not in sight", which is correct.

Wow...you continue to amaze me.

That type of sarcastic comment serves no purpose and is not needed from an Evernote Evangelist.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

And yes, since I didn't fall off a turnip truck yesterday, I understand what "disappear"means.

It simply means "not in sight", which is correct.

Wow...you continue to amaze me.

[peterfmartin 221]

Surely you are not trying to defend the difference in behavior of this particular feature as having anything to do with the platform???

There is nothing about the Mac platform that would make anyone want this behavior.

You can also see, however, that squarelover and I have requested that Evernote change this, so you can be the third voice making that request if you'd like.

Let us know how the support staff respond to your ticket.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Surely you are not trying to defend the difference in behavior of this particular feature as having anything to do with the platform???

There is nothing about the Mac platform that would make anyone want this behavior.

And yes, since I didn't fall off a turnip truck yesterday, I understand what "disappear"means.

It simply means "not in sight", which is correct.

[peterfmartin 221]

You know that lots of features are different across clients and that Evernote does not consider these bugs, right? As a regular forum participant, I'm sure you've seen that discussed before, and I imagine you've seen Evernote staff explain why those differences exist.

(Also, when you say "disappear," you realize the note only disappears from view and that it still exists, as squarelover and I explained earlier, right?)

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Well, there is either a bug in EN Mac or in EN Win, since they do NOT behave the same.

EN Win behaves as I expect it should:

• The new Note does NOT disappear
  
• The selected NB remains at "All Notebooks".
  

So, I will report it as an EN Mac bug.

EDIT:

DONE: Ticket #16051-45798.

[peterfmartin 221]

Yes, that is what squarelover and I said happened to us. For the reasons BNF and I said, it's not a bug; it's what Evernote means to happen, so a support ticket won't do anything. You can also see, however, that squarelover and I have requested that Evernote change this, so you can be the third voice making that request if you'd like.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

I believe there is a BUG in the EN Mac client.

BUG: New Note Disappears when NB field on Note is changed

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Click "All Notes" button
   
2. Click "New Note"
   
3. This creates a new Note in my default NB ("Inbox").
   
4. Enter some stuff into this new Note
   
5. On the Note NB dropdown field, change the NB to something else.
   
6. This new Note disappears
   

This is very counter-intuitive, counter-productive, and NOT the same as EN Win.

The reason this happens:

• When you create a NEW Note, and there is NO NB currently selected, EN selects the default NB.
  

I believe that this is what was reported above, but I just wanted to make sure for myself that I am seeing the same issue as reported above.

Has anyone reported this as a bug to EN Support?

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Yes, this works the same on both clients.

While you're right to point out that squarelover has a workaround he/she can use, he/she also has a point that there's no reason Evernote has to change the view to the default notebook when a note is automatically added to it. Squarelover is not complaining that the note is added to the default notebook; he/she is complaining about the fact that the default notebook is viewed automatically when this happens. The note could be added to the default notebook while the user is still left viewing all notes, eliminating the problem we're talking about, no? Is there a technical reason why that's unfeasible? The current situation may be "normal/expected behavior" currently, but it's not critical to the logic of this action, and it is unhelpful in this use case.

I deleted that post b/c I saw your post & it doesn't seem like Mac works the same as Windows. In Windows, when creating a new note, it does not take the focus from "all notes". So I select "all notes", create a new note, it's sent to my default notebook (_inbox). I'm still at "all notes", so if I change the notebook from "_inbox" to "_followup", I'm still seeing the note b/c I'm still in "all notes".

But if OP simply went to the notebook he wants to create the note in, before creating the note, or use the workaround suggested above, then it would greatly reduce his frustration, I'd think. IDK why the Mac version changes focus. But there are a couple of feasible workarounds.

[peterfmartin 221]

As far as the "All Notebooks" behavior, If I'm in "All Notebooks" and choose, "New Note", it takes me to "usernames's notebook" and sets the new note as that Notebook. Right at this moment, I will need to change the note to the desired notebook, which will cause the note do disappear. If I'm in "All Notebooks" why doesn't it just stay in that view when I create a new note?

It's putting the note in your default or selected notebook. ("all notes" is not a notebook. - it's just displaying all notes in all notebooks) Again, this is normal/expected behaviour.

Right at this moment, I will need to change the note to the desired notebook, which will cause the note do disappear. If I'm in "All Notebooks" why doesn't it just stay in that view when I create a new note?

If the Windows desktop, new notes are created in your selected/active notebook. If you select the notebook you want before making your note, it will be put into that notebook. PeterFMartin (or someone else) can confirm if this is the behaviour in the Mac client as well.

Yes, this works the same on both clients.

While you're right to point out that squarelover has a workaround he/she can use, he/she also has a point that there's no reason Evernote has to change the view to the default notebook when a note is automatically added to it. Squarelover is not complaining that the note is added to the default notebook; he/she is complaining about the fact that the default notebook is viewed automatically when this happens. The note could be added to the default notebook while the user is still left viewing all notes, eliminating the problem we're talking about, no? Is there a technical reason why that's unfeasible? The current situation may be "normal/expected behavior" currently, but it's not critical to the logic of this action, and it is unhelpful in this use case.

[peterfmartin 221]

As far as the "All Notebooks" behavior, If I'm in "All Notebooks" and choose, "New Note", it takes me to "usernames's notebook" and sets the new note as that Notebook. Right at this moment, I will need to change the note to the desired notebook, which will cause the note do disappear. If I'm in "All Notebooks" why doesn't it just stay in that view when I create a new note?

Ah, yes, I see what you mean. And yeah, that's really annoying. The answer to your "why" question is the logic that BNF and I explained earlier, but your frustration also makes sense. It would be far more rational if, when creating a new note while All Notebooks is selected, even though that note will be assigned to the default notebook, All Notebooks remains selected, so that the problem you're describing doesn't happen. Thought I don't encounter this issue often, I second your request for the change, since it's not logical or helpful.

[Squarelover 1]

I'd say, at least give us a choice in the preferences to choose the behavior when a note changes Notebooks. I care more about the current note I'm working on rather than the search filter screen when I'm editing the note.

Contrary, if I dragged and dropped it from the filter list, that would behave differently.

As far as the "All Notebooks" behavior, If I'm in "All Notebooks" and choose, "New Note", it takes me to "usernames's notebook" and sets the new note as that Notebook. Right at this moment, I will need to change the note to the desired notebook, which will cause the note do disappear. If I'm in "All Notebooks" why doesn't it just stay in that view when I create a new note?

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Yes, I'm strictly Windows, iPhone & Android (Kindle Fire.)

BTW, the way around this behaviour is to open the note in it's own window. You can then modify it to your heart's desire & it will stay in that window, regardless of the search criteria you currently have in play. (Although it will/may disappear from the results pane in the EN main window.) (At least in the Windows client.)

[peterfmartin 221]

I think jbenson and BNF both use Windows exclusively or almost exclusively, but I can confirm that on my Mac client this does not function as you describe.

As you describe, if I have selected Notebook1 and am editing a note currently in that notebook, if I move that note to Notebook2, it no longer appears on my screen, since I'm still "inside" Notebook1, and now that note isn't. But, contrary to what you described, if I have selected All Notebooks, when I change a note from one notebook to another, I still see it on the screen, since I'm still viewing all my notes.

This latter action (when in All Notebooks) doesn't happen to you? If not, you might want to open a support case.

I agree with BNF that, when you are viewing one notebook and move a note out of that notebook, its disappearance is "desired behavior," at least from Evernote's point of view and from mine. One example of when that's perfect is: I have a notebook ("Feeds") just for RSS feed items. When I read an item that I want to save, I move it from Feeds to my main notebook. That note then disappears from view and I can keep reading my feed items. Of course, this use case may be particular to me, but it shows me the logic of this behavior, at least in some cases..

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

This happens even in the "All Notebooks" category.

This shouldn't happen when you're selected "all notebooks". But if you're in a different notebook and it's not the one you moved the note to, then this would be considered desired behaviour. IOW, if you have certain search criteria in play & you change a note so it no longer matches that search criteria, then the expected behaviour would be for the note to no longer appear in the results pane.

[jbenson2 2,147]

This happens even in the "All Notebooks" category.

In Windows, there is a notebook in italics called All Notes.

I can change anything, while inside "All Notes", without losing the note. Even if the notebook name changes, it remains visible in "All Notes".

It will disappear if I change the notebook name inside a different notebook. This usually happens if I am in my default notebook (jbenson2's notebook). To avoid losing the note, I open the note into a 2nd window. The note remains visible (even if the notebook name is changed) until I close that 2nd window.

I wonder if this is another example of the Windows client doing one thing and the Mac client doing something entirely different.