(Archived) HELP: Note title keeps changing to match note content

[Evernot 6]

How peculiar. In similar apps, when I select "New Note" or equivalent, I usually get taken to a 1-line note title field to be typed in, then when I hit Enter, I am taken to the note editor (content) field to begin entering text or whatever. But not in EN.

Pressing Ctrl+N takes me straight to the note content field, where I am expected to enter the note's title, then I click the title field and the title gets copied there. However, I side with those who don't require the first line of note content to duplicate the title; rule #1 of database design is don't duplicate data unnecessarily!

Well, ok, I guess it helps those who are in a hurry and are happy for the title to mirror the first line of data, such as a date. But it soon becomes a royal PIA:

• If I clear the title from the note content (after clicking the note title field to copy it there), leaving it empty, then click another note on the list, the title of the newly created note reverts to Untitled note. So it seems one cannot create a titled, but empty note.
  
• If I create a new note, type "hello" in the content, click the title field to make this the title, then change "hello" to "stupid" in the content field, after 30 seconds without entering further data, the note title changes automagically to "stupid".
  

Can this "feature" be disabled? See also this thread from 2010. Seems nothing has been done about it. Isn't there some way I can prevent the title from changing on me like this?

(Added)

Solution: Avoid this mess altogether by creating a node named #Template (preceded by the hash sign # to float it to the top of the list). Every time you want a new note, Copy it to the same (or another) Notebook. Then just edit the title. Done.

[Liam Gretton 86]

• If I create a new note, type "hello" in the content, click the title field to make this the title, then change "hello" to "stupid" in the content field, after 30 seconds without entering further data, the note title changes automagically to "stupid".
  

I've found a similar problem in cleaning up historic notes which originated from older versions of EN in which there was no separate title. Back then I used the first line of the note as the title.

In that case the following also causes EN to get the title messed up:

1. Cut the first line of a note - the note title will quickly become whatever is the new first line;
   
2. Paste the old title back into the note title;
   
3. On synchronising, the newly pasted title will revert back to the (usually meaningless) previous title.
   

As a workaround to this I force a sync on each edit until the title is fixed. Slightly awkward but better than having to dig out EN2 and work through it to find the original note title and fix it again.

[thameera 5]

It's not a bug, just a feature. If you don't specify a title, it's automatically generated according to the note's content.

If you need a title that wouldn't change with the content, manually add one.

eg: When you've opened a note, press F2. That will take you to the Title field. Type a title you like and press Enter to go back to note's content. This new title won't change even if you deleted all content of the note.

Anyway I also wish there was an option to make the cursor go straight to the Title field instead of the content when creating a new note.

[Evernot 6]

Thanks thameera, I didn't know about using F2. Will remember that.

[kvitekp 298]

Evernot,

The releases after revision 245320 (4.5.5+) support HKCU/Software/Evernote/Evernote/SetNewNoteFocusToTitle registry value: if it is set to 1, the new note focus will be set to its title. By default, the new note focus is still set to the note body. Currently, this setting is not exposed in Evernote UI, so using registry editor is the only way you can change the default behavior.

/Peter

[Evernot 6]

Thank you Peter. Noted.

[Evernot 6]

Anyway I also wish there was an option to make the cursor go straight to the Title field instead of the content when creating a new note.

You can do it yourself using a 3rd party script or macro language such as AutoHotkey such that when it recognizes that EN is open, i.e., a window containing Evernote in its title is on top, pressing Ctrl+N not only creates a new note but appends an F2 command. A bit of a kludge, but handy if you are doing this all the time. HTH

[spg SCOTT 736]

Evernot,

The releases after revision 245320 (4.5.5+) support HKCU/Software/Evernote/Evernote/SetNewNoteFocusToTitle registry value: if it is set to 1, the new note focus will be set to its title. By default, the new note focus is still set to the note body. Currently, this setting is not exposed in Evernote UI, so using registry editor is the only way you can change the default behavior.

/Peter

Tested with the GA pre-release -> 4.5.5.6796 (246180), works for me

I prefer this, with the title being the first thing that I fill in most of the time.

Thanks.

p.s. For those that want to test, since it is not mentioned, before editing the registry entry, ensure to completely quit EN before changing the setting.

Do this by: File -> Quit

[luckman212 165]

I would like to request an option (hidden in Registry is fine if EN thinks this wouldn't appeal to the masses)

 

PLEASE DO NOT EVER CHANGE THE TITLE OF THE NOTE UNLESS I DO IT MYSELF

 

I am finding lots of notes are automatically having their titles changed to the 1st line of text in a note after editing them with the latest 5.x Windows releases. This is not only annoying & unwanted behavior but it also makes it difficult to search for information when I have relied on certain data being in the note titles.