Evernote for Mac 6.1 Beta Candidate for Download

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

The Evernote for Mac 6.1 Beta Candidate has a number of features and fixes.  If you are running into these issues you may want to download this build and try it out.

 

The key fixes in this release are:

• A fix for users who run both Evernote for Windows and Mac and encrypt text on Windows with blank lines or tables.
• A fix for Lion users who are seeing weird selection issues after deleting text.
• A printing fix where text would get cut off on the right side of the note.
• A change in the way tags in an Evernote business account are displayed.  Basically business tags that have 0 accessible notes to the user will no longer be displayed.
• A number of bug fixes in presentation mode.
• Fixed a bunch of crashing issues.

 

There are some new things as well. 

• The most obvious one is we’ve made the sidebar dark to better differentiate the sections.  If you’ve grown accustomed to the Yosemite style light side bar you can keep it.  Just select the View : Sidebar Options menu and select Use Light Sidebar.  Let us know what you think of the new dark sidebar.

 

We are aware of a few issue in this beta candidate.

• We’re actually doing quite a bit of work under the hood in our communication and collaboration infrastructure.  Because of this Work Chat and sharing notes or notebooks have a few bugs.  As you can guess, we as a company are some of the most active users of these features and we’re using it full time so it’s in pretty good shape but we know there are bugs.  We’re working on fixings these as we speak.
• Resizing the columns of a table will reset the cursor to the top of the note.  We’ll fix this in a future beta update.

 

Here’s a link to download the 6.1 Beta candidate.  Please give it a try and let us know if you find any issues.  For those of you that are Lion or Mountain Lion users, please try this beta and future beta versions out.  This will be your last release so lets make sure that note editing is in really good shape before we call 6.1 done. 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

 

I must concur with JMichael. 

 

What's strange about your explanation, Marcus, is that earlier versions of EN had no problem highlighting Notebooks and Tags in the sidebar and I do not recall anyone siting problems with the variables you allude to. Has the code changed so much since that such expected, user friendly behavior is no longer feasible?

 

This was well before my time but I was told that it hasn't worked that way since way before version 5 so I think it was definitely a different code base.  In any case, you might be right that we're over thinking it.  The bottom line is I know many in these forums would like a different behavior and we're looking at it.  I just wanted everyone to know that this wasn't a bug and it was a design decision by someone years ago and it's not necessarily easily undone.

 

 

@Marcus:

 

RE:  Selected Notebook Should Maintain Highlight

 

Thanks for your candor and sharing the design history.

 

I just wanted to highlight (pun intended  ) the fact that all of the other Evernote apps *do* maintain the highlight of the selected Notebook.

 

I fully appreciate that EN Mac is designed independently of the other apps, but I see no reason from a Mac UX that EN Mac should be different in this case.  If their egos will permit it, you might ask the Mac devs to consult with the Win devs on how they achieve this.

 

For me, this is not a huge issue, but I do think that the current EN Mac design probably confuses a number of users.  Who knows how many?  Others may differ, but from my perspective, a change in the EN Mac design should be added to the queue, but not at the top.  You know what's at the top of my list:  Fix All Major Bugs.  

 

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

 

Yep, I noticed the same strange, counter-intuitive behavior in EN Mac 6.0.16, and reported it there, but got no response.

 

OK, I'm testing EN Mac as I write this, and to my surprise, when I click on a NB in the Side Panel, it sets the filter and BRIEFLY highlights in the Side Panel, but then, without me doing anything, the Notebook highlight is removed.  This is counter-intuitive to me, and feels like a bug.

 

@Marcus:  Is this a bug?

 

 

Not a bug.  Evernote has had this same behavior for the past few years.  It was designed to work this way.  As I think I described in another forum post changing this is not technically easy and from a user experience perspective it's not easy either.  The issue is not what happens when you click on an item in the sidebar.  The issue is what happens when you click on a note on the right side after a search or by changing the notebook list.  

 

 

@Marcus:  I think you guys are over-thinking this, making it way more complex than it need be.

 

It seems simple enough to me:

1. User clicks on a NB in the Sidebar.
2. EN highlights that NB, and sets it as a filter.
3. It should stay highlighted until the user does something that changes the NB filter
   1. Like click on "All Notes", or use the KB shortcut
   2. Like click on another NB
4. It should not matter whether or not the user closes the Sidebar AFTER the selection.
   1. Surely EN can maintain the state of the Sidebar, whether it is open or closed (that's just a viewing property)
5. I don't see how this is any different from showing the NB name at the top of the Note list when the NB is selected.

Please don't try to make it more complicated with all the tag what-ifs.  It's really simple.

 

It is confusing to the user when the NB highlight appears, and then goes away.

What does that mean?  Is the NB no longer selected?

[cornetg 62]

 

@Marcus:  I think you guys are over-thinking this, making it way more complex than it need be.

 

 

 

I must concur with JMichael. 

 

What's strange about your explanation, Marcus, is that earlier versions of EN had no problem highlighting Notebooks and Tags in the sidebar and I do not recall anyone siting problems with the variables you allude to. Has the code changed so much since that such expected, user friendly behavior is no longer feasible?

[mrgoerend 89]

Just wanted to say I had one of those said-it-aloud-as-I-thought-it moments when first opening 6.1: "Oh my gosh, the sidebar is so much better." Thank you.

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

 

 

@Marcus:  I think you guys are over-thinking this, making it way more complex than it need be.

 

 

I must concur with JMichael. 

 

What's strange about your explanation, Marcus, is that earlier versions of EN had no problem highlighting Notebooks and Tags in the sidebar and I do not recall anyone siting problems with the variables you allude to. Has the code changed so much since that such expected, user friendly behavior is no longer feasible?

 

 

This was well before my time but I was told that it hasn't worked that way since way before version 5 so I think it was definitely a different code base.  In any case, you might be right that we're over thinking it.  The bottom line is I know many in these forums would like a different behavior and we're looking at it.  I just wanted everyone to know that this wasn't a bug and it was a design decision by someone years ago and it's not necessarily easily undone.

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

 

By the way, we haven't changed syncing in 6.0.16 so I don't think this is different than the previous version.   I believe this is how we've always worked since our big sync update back in September of last year.   We will automatically sync after you make changes so those changes are captured on the service as soon as possible. 

 

 

@Marcus, even though you didn't make any changes in Ver 6.0.16, I wonder if there have been sync issues for a while.

Users running the EN Win 5.8.15 Beta are experiencing a serious problem where the autosync is causing changes to the Title to be lost.

I don't know if there is any connection between the design or code base for EN Mac and EN Win sync process, but you might want to take a look at this to ensure this does not happen for EN Mac.

 

The Mac client doesn't have any major sync issues like titles disappearing that I'm aware of.  Evernote Windows and Mac are completely different beasts so just because they have an issue it doesn't mean it will appear in Evernote Mac unless it's a service issue which this isn't.  In regards to syncing, we basically will automatically sync after you've stopped working in a note.  We have a timer and if you haven't edited the note after a certain period of time we'll kick off the sync but this sync isn't like the old days.  We can do incremental syncs of just the note and it doesn't have to re-sync everything again.  You really shouldn't have to worry about syncing anymore.

[maslakovic 28]

Are we going to get an apology from you Marcus regarding the sidebar? This time last year there were long threads being posted on this forum about how the washed out look was terrible, how much trouble people were having reading the text, and how important it was to have a darker colour for the side-bar. The discussions dragged on for months - and many MANY people were very angry at the reduced usability ('visibility') of Evernote. Yet - nothing was done to correct the problem for a year!

 

At the time, you were trying to convince us Marcus how were were all resistant to change (!!!), how this happens every time Evernote changes the visuals (and eventually people get used to it), how this was due to Apple guidelines, etc, etc....!!!

 

One year on - you have finally accepted what your users have shouted from the roof-tops a year ago! Are we not owed an apology? The re-colouring of the sidebar is an admission that you were wrong - and that the users were right!

 

It Takes A Big Man To Admit When He's Made A Mistake.......... It Takes An Even Bigger Man To Apologize

[NightStalker 407]

I wouldn't necessarily push for an apology - Marcus has done the right thing by bringing back the darker sidebar. Let's just be grateful for that.

 

Now, as to the other stuff:

 

- I'm with JMichael re the overthinking it thing. It shouldn't lose focus of the selected notebook or other sidebar item once clicked - even in my Firefox broswer, to use your own analogy, a clicked bookmark stays highlighted (highlit?? )

 

- Now, about my long-standing, and oft-repeated complaint about the "customisable toolbar".  After I dropped off the forum due to frustration some months ago, and having been happily using EN v5.4.2 ever since (and still), I notice that you've at last made it possible to "customise" the toolbar only as far as removing the silly "New Chat" button for those of us who will never use Chat. Thank you.  But a fully customisable toolbar, as in most other Apple and compatible apps, involves being able to add stuff onto the toolbar (eg Email Note and Print Note - things I do all the time), and also to rearrange the position of these buttons along the toolbar. The current version still doesn't do that.  What exactly is the resistance to adhering to Apple guidleines on customisable toolbars?

 

- And finally - how about restoring colour to all the icons? The whole purpose of icons was to provide glance recognition using shape and colour. But even the colourless ones you have aren't consistent with Apple's standard ones - eg the Back and Forward buttons. And there's no colour. And the "customisable toolbar" does not let us choose "Icon only" or "Icon with Text" to help with recognition.

 

OK - enough whinging from me - again.  I'll retire to my neutral corner and shut up.

 

Oh - and I'll keep on using v5.4.2 for as long as I can.  It's brilliant. (Except it doesn't have a customisable toolbar - but let me not harp on about that)

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

The Evernote for Mac 6.1 Beta Candidate has a number of features and fixes.  If you are running into these issues you may want to download this build and try it out.

. . .

There are some new things as well. 

• The most obvious one is we’ve made the sidebar dark to better differentiate the sections.  If you’ve grown accustomed to the Yosemite style light side bar you can keep it.  Just select the View : Sidebar Options menu and select Use Light Sidebar.  Let us know what you think of the new dark sidebar.

 

I'm OK with the new Sidebar color.  It does make it stand out better, to separate it from the rest of the UI.

But it's really not that  big of a deal for me.  I could live with either.  This is probably because I keep the Sidebar closed most of the time.

The one thing I would suggest is to put the option for light/dark Sidebar in the Preferences, where most of us would expect to find it (rather than buried in the View menu).  I definitely think you should retain the option, giving us users the choice.  For some this will be a big deal.

 

For those who have not installed the 6.1 Beta, here's a comparison, both running Yosemite (10.10.3):

 

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

 

• Some sort of lasting signifier in the sidebar for the Notebook I've selected would be nice. Notes has a blue background all the time. Same when selecting a Tag in the sidebar.

 

 

Yep, I noticed the same strange, counter-intuitive behavior in EN Mac 6.0.16, and reported it there, but got no response.

 

OK, I'm testing EN Mac as I write this, and to my surprise, when I click on a NB in the Side Panel, it sets the filter and BRIEFLY highlights in the Side Panel, but then, without me doing anything, the Notebook highlight is removed.  This is counter-intuitive to me, and feels like a bug.

 

@Marcus:  Is this a bug?

 

 

Not a bug.  Evernote has had this same behavior for the past few years.  It was designed to work this way.  As I think I described in another forum post changing this is not technically easy and from a user experience perspective it's not easy either.  The issue is not what happens when you click on an item in the sidebar.  The issue is what happens when you click on a note on the right side after a search or by changing the notebook list.  If you have 10 tags in a note do the 10 tags get selected on the sidebar?  What if you are in a notebook that is hidden on the sidebar because it's in a collapsed stack, do we highlight the stack?  Do you want all of your tags, the notebook and stack highlighted on the sidebar?  A bunch of customers wrote in with great suggestions but this is why we haven't changed it.  In addition since it was never designed to work this way, it's not technically easy change.  The bottom line is you have to think of the sidebar items as links or bookmarks in a web browser and not like an email client.  You click on them, it highlights briefly to let you know it got the click and then takes you to the notebook or tag list.  Just like bookmarks in a browser it doesn't get "selected" after you click on it.  

[Adjusting 276]

- Now, about my long-standing, and oft-repeated complaint about the "customisable toolbar".  After I dropped off the forum due to frustration some months ago, and having been happily using EN v5.4.2 ever since (and still), I notice that you've at last made it possible to "customise" the toolbar only as far as removing the silly "New Chat" button for those of us who will never use Chat. Thank you.  But a fully customisable toolbar, as in most other Apple and compatible apps, involves being able to add stuff onto the toolbar (eg Email Note and Print Note - things I do all the time), and also to rearrange the position of these buttons along the toolbar. The current version still doesn't do that.  What exactly is the resistance to adhering to Apple guidleines on customisable toolbars?

 

You can rearrange the position of the buttons and remove any buttons you like (not just New Chat).

[NightStalker 407]

OK - apologies - I was a bit ambiguous there. What I meant was that the "customisable toolbar" does NOT allow you to ADD buttons for functions other than the ones Evernote have deemed should be on the toolbar.

 

Yes, I can remove buttons (not that there are many on there anyway - has to be the most useless toolbar on the Mac). And yes, I removed the "New Chat" button. And yes, I can shuffle buttons by inserting spaces etc.

 

But what I meant was that I really REALLY want to add some different buttons, such as "Email Note" and "Print Note" to name two. And then be able to put them anywhere on the toolbar. But I can't do that, as there seems to be no way to add other functions to the toolbar.

[MitchellC 0]

HI. My first post. This is more of a feature request. Has anyone used Omnifocus 2 for Mac. Not a perfect application, but it has one feature that I believe would transfer over to Evernote and improve usability immensely. It's the Quick Open Feature, similar to search, but it opens directories within the app e.g. projects, folders etc. I click CMD + O and open a specific folder or context. This would be fantastic for EN. I heavily use the tag system, and it can be cumbersome drilling into the exact tag combination I need. Imagine clicking CMD + O and typing in the tag/s you want and it opens that combination within EN. Or I'm in a notebook and want to go to another, again, CMD + O type in notebook (add autosuggestion to make it quicker!), clicker return and off the app goes to that location. Or, using the autosuggestion, CMD + O, I type in name a folder e.g. Inbox + the tag I want, To Process, and EN opens all the notes in my inbox tagged To Process. 

 

What do you think? 

 

On a side note, I like the new aesthetic of the dark sidebar. 

[Adjusting 276]

Or, using the autosuggestion, CMD + O, I type in name a folder e.g. Inbox + the tag I want, To Process, and EN opens all the notes in my inbox tagged To Process. 

 

Here’s how to do this now: 

- Cmd-J

A popup list of your notebooks appears.

- Start typing 'Inbox'

The list filters down as you type

- Press return to select your notebook

- Cmd-shift-J

A list of all the tags used in your Inbox notebook appears

- Type the tag you want

- Press return 

Now only the notes in Inbox with the tag you specified are open.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Here’s how to do this now: 

- Cmd-J

A popup list of your notebooks appears.

. . .

 

- Cmd-shift-J

A list of all the tags used in your Inbox notebook appears

 

 

I use this approach all the time, and it works very well.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

 

The Evernote for Mac 6.1 Beta Candidate has a number of features and fixes.  If you are running into these issues you may want to download this build and try it out.

 

We are aware of a few issue in this beta candidate.

• We’re actually doing quite a bit of work under the hood in our communication and collaboration infrastructure.  Because of this Work Chat and sharing notes or notebooks have a few bugs.  As you can guess, we as a company are some of the most active users of these features and we’re using it full time so it’s in pretty good shape but we know there are bugs.  We’re working on fixings these as we speak.
• Resizing the columns of a table will reset the cursor to the top of the note.  We’ll fix this in a future beta update.

 

@Marcus:

 

If I update to this BETA, can I downgrade to Ver 6.0.16 or Ver 6.015 if I run into issues I can't live with?

 

I've done limited testing on this BETA on my test Mac, but I'd like to give it a more thorough workout on one of my main Macs.

But it would be a severe impact if I had major issues, and could not downgrade.

 

I don't need nor use any of the Work Chat stuff, so that's of no concern to me.

 

Thanks.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

Yosemite & Transparency
 
I was just reviewing Apple - OS X Yosemite - See everything the new OS X can do. and found this interesting statement:

Accessibility System Preferences
Reduce transparency
OS X Yosemite lets you reduce the transparency in apps to increase legibility.

 
One has to wonder why the basic design would be to reduce legibility?

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

But what I meant was that I really REALLY want to add some different buttons, such as "Email Note" and "Print Note" to name two. And then be able to put them anywhere on the toolbar. But I can't do that, as there seems to be no way to add other functions to the toolbar.

 

Hi NightStalker, welcome back. Sorry you got frustrated.  Actually we haven't added any possible new buttons to the toolbar because we were waiting to hear what people would want.  I realize we could add a ton of new buttons but I really want to devote time to buttons people really wanted.  Thanks for the suggestions.  Does anyone else have other suggestions for customizable buttons.

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

We just launched 6.1 Beta 2.  Read about it here http://bit.ly/1JWBkkb.

[macfixer 705]

 

By the way, we haven't changed syncing in 6.0.16 so I don't think this is different than the previous version.   I believe this is how we've always worked since our big sync update back in September of last year.   We will automatically sync after you make changes so those changes are captured on the service as soon as possible.  This way your updates will be seen on your mobile devices or other clients quickly.  We only use the preference update times to sync if there haven't been any edits in the Mac client.

 

@Marcus, thanks for clarifying how sync works.

May I suggest that you state on the EN Mac Preferences Sync tab that regardless of the sync interval, automatic syncs are done as the user edits a Notes.  Actually, having just tried to state this, I realize I'm not clear on the autosync.  Can you please tell us the exact criteria EN uses to trigger a sync while a Note is being edited.  Since there is no "Done" or "Save" button, how does EN know when the user is finished editing?  Please give us a much detail as possible so we all can understand.

 

 

^^ Yes, this.

[Nashvillian 9]

The school where I am does not allow access to bit.ly URLs. Can you post the long URL?

[Andy Harrison 0]

If you're on a mac, you can (usually) circumvent that kind of block like so.  From a command prompt:

 

Use a google dns server to resolve just the hostname:

 

$ nslookup bit.ly 8.8.8.8

Server: 8.8.8.8

Address: 8.8.8.8#53

 

Non-authoritative answer:

Name: bit.ly

Address: 69.58.188.40

Name: bit.ly

Address: 69.58.188.39

 

 

Pick one of the two possible hosts in the answer and connect to it with openssl.  You're basically simulating an https connection. 

 

$ openssl s_client -connect 69.58.188.39:443 -crlf -quiet

depth=1 /C=US/O=DigiCert Inc/OU=www.digicert.com/CN=DigiCert SHA2 High Assurance Server CA

verify error:num=20:unable to get local issuer certificate

verify return:0

GET /1ftapzU

<html>

<head><title>Bitly</title></head>

<body><a href="http://cdn1.evernote.com/mac-smd/prerelease/Evernote_BETA_6.1_Beta_1_451932.zip">movedhere</a></body>

</html>

 

You type the parts that I've formatted bold.

[cornetg 62]

I'm sure some users will like the new dark sidebar option but, unless my eyes deceive me, it looks a little muddy when compared to the sleeker shinier sidebar of EN v5.

 

One anomaly I've noticed with this new beta: Freshly edited notes are syncing instantly and automatically even though I have syncing prefs set to Every Hour.

[macfixer 705]

I'm sure some users will like the new dark sidebar option but, unless my eyes deceive me, it looks a little muddy when compared to the sleeker shinier sidebar of EN v5.

 

One anomaly I've noticed with this new beta: Freshly edited notes are syncing instantly and automatically even though I have syncing prefs set to Every Hour.

 

I am *totally* loving the dark sidebar. Makes it easier to see "this is Evernote" with a quick glance.

[Metrodon 2,184]

It's definitely an improvement but I do think the V5 view was even cleaner and clearer

[SoftwareMarcus 388]

I'm sure some users will like the new dark sidebar option but, unless my eyes deceive me, it looks a little muddy when compared to the sleeker shinier sidebar of EN v5.

 

One anomaly I've noticed with this new beta: Freshly edited notes are syncing instantly and automatically even though I have syncing prefs set to Every Hour.

 

The dark sidebar continues to have some transparency in it so it really depends on what is in the background of Evernote.  If you mostly have white and gray Finder windows like I do then the sidebar can look more dark gray than black.  It's a Yosemite thing.  Thanks for the feedback. I'm trying to decide if we turn everyone to the dark sidebar by default or let people change it on their own.  Most everyone here likes the dark sidebar better so I'm leaning in that direction.  I know there were a lot of people who felt the app looked bland and washed out after the Yosemite update but I think some also get used to that look and may not want it changed. 

 

By the way, we haven't changed syncing in 6.0.16 so I don't think this is different than the previous version.   I believe this is how we've always worked since our big sync update back in September of last year.   We will automatically sync after you make changes so those changes are captured on the service as soon as possible.  This way your updates will be seen on your mobile devices or other clients quickly.  We only use the preference update times to sync if there haven't been any edits in the Mac client.

[cornetg 62]

Thanks for the info re syncing, Marcus. This was the first time I noticed the change. 

 

Consequently, you should take absolutely no notice of my preference for the light, mud-free sidebar in making your default choice.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

By the way, we haven't changed syncing in 6.0.16 so I don't think this is different than the previous version.   I believe this is how we've always worked since our big sync update back in September of last year.   We will automatically sync after you make changes so those changes are captured on the service as soon as possible.  This way your updates will be seen on your mobile devices or other clients quickly.  We only use the preference update times to sync if there haven't been any edits in the Mac client.

 

@Marcus, thanks for clarifying how sync works.

May I suggest that you state on the EN Mac Preferences Sync tab that regardless of the sync interval, automatic syncs are done as the user edits a Notes.  Actually, having just tried to state this, I realize I'm not clear on the autosync.  Can you please tell us the exact criteria EN uses to trigger a sync while a Note is being edited.  Since there is no "Done" or "Save" button, how does EN know when the user is finished editing?  Please give us a much detail as possible so we all can understand.

[chirmer 567]

Yep, I noticed the same strange, counter-intuitive behavior in EN Mac 6.0.16, and reported it there, but got no response.

Oh! I think I missed a few Mac betas due to summer shenanigans, so I didn't notice until now. It's incredibly confusing without the signifier... or rather, because there IS a signifier, it's just on the wrong item. I find myself clicking and clicking, waiting to change notebooks without realizing it did. Hopefully this will get a swift resolution.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

By the way, we haven't changed syncing in 6.0.16 so I don't think this is different than the previous version.   I believe this is how we've always worked since our big sync update back in September of last year.   We will automatically sync after you make changes so those changes are captured on the service as soon as possible. 

 

 

@Marcus, even though you didn't make any changes in Ver 6.0.16, I wonder if there have been sync issues for a while.

Users running the EN Win 5.8.15 Beta are experiencing a serious problem where the autosync is causing changes to the Title to be lost.

I don't know if there is any connection between the design or code base for EN Mac and EN Win sync process, but you might want to take a look at this to ensure this does not happen for EN Mac.

 

Here's are a couple of examples:

 

I run into issues where the app is syncing my notes while I'm editing the note title, and it'll delete the title to revert it back to its original. 

. . .

This has happened 4 times in the past two days. 

 

 

Hmmn.  Had that a couple of times myself - I wondered whether it would make any difference to enable/ disable background sync and mess with the sync intervals...

[Metrodon 2,184]

 

I'm sure some users will like the new dark sidebar option but, unless my eyes deceive me, it looks a little muddy when compared to the sleeker shinier sidebar of EN v5.

 

One anomaly I've noticed with this new beta: Freshly edited notes are syncing instantly and automatically even though I have syncing prefs set to Every Hour.

 

The dark sidebar continues to have some transparency in it so it really depends on what is in the background of Evernote.  If you mostly have white and gray Finder windows like I do then the sidebar can look more dark gray than black.  It's a Yosemite thing.  Thanks for the feedback. I'm trying to decide if we turn everyone to the dark sidebar by default or let people change it on their own.  Most everyone here likes the dark sidebar better so I'm leaning in that direction.  I know there were a lot of people who felt the app looked bland and washed out after the Yosemite update but I think some also get used to that look and may not want it changed. 

 

 

 

 

I think the transparency is a weak design decision (on Apple's part as well as Evernote's).

 

Have faith in your design and pick a colour and stick to it.

[cornetg 62]

I think the transparency is a weak design decision (on Apple's part as well as Evernote's).

 

Have faith in your design and pick a colour and stick to it.

 

 

Agreed.

 

And Marcus, I've got Reduce Transparency selected in Apple's Accessibility prefs so transparency is not a factor in my case.

 

Ergo the dark option, if the EN design team so desired, could be a full-bodied black with no background bleed occurring, and it should not appear muddy.

[macfixer 705]

 

I think the transparency is a weak design decision (on Apple's part as well as Evernote's).

 

Have faith in your design and pick a colour and stick to it.

 

 

Agreed.

 

And Marcus, I've got Reduce Transparency selected in Apple's Accessibility prefs so transparency is not a factor in my case.

 

Ergo the dark option, if the EN design team so desired, could be a full-bodied black with no background bleed occurring, and it should not appear muddy.

 

 

The design team is using Apple's design guidelines. They have no control over the color or level of transparency, unfortunately:

https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/OSXHIGuidelines/WindowSourceListDrawer.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/20000957-CH40-SW1

 

"A source list that provides the primary navigation or selection mechanism for the app as a whole is translucent. For example, the Finder sidebar, which helps users navigate the file system, uses translucency."

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

The design team is using Apple's design guidelines. They have no control over the color or level of transparency, 

 

This has all been widely discussed and debated last Nov 2014 when Evernote released the first Ver 6 designed for Yosemite.

I don't think this is the place to reopen that debate, but in the interest of accuracy, I'd like to submit that Evernote has many choices over their UI, and where and how transparency is used.  They are NOT blind slaves to the Apple Guidelines (note the word is "guidelines", not "rules").

For details please see EN Mac 6.0 Issues

[chirmer 567]

I enjoy the new sidebar. All black would be extremely tiring on the eyes - this muted dark grey is a perfect balance. The addition of the bright blue is wonderful as well. The app feels really polished, and while I liked V6, I truly enjoy this UI. Now to just get some sort of line or SOMETHING under the note title... months later, and this still imbalances me.

 

Haven't tested too much so far outside the UI yet, but:

• Clicking a notebook name in the sidebar while the sidebar is scrolled down any length resets the scroll to the top.
• Some sort of lasting signifier in the sidebar for the Notebook I've selected would be nice. Notes has a blue background all the time. Same when selecting a Tag in the sidebar.

[cornetg 62]

I enjoy the new sidebar. All black would be extremely tiring on the eyes - this muted dark grey is a perfect balance. The addition of the bright blue is wonderful as well. The app feels really polished, and while I liked V6, I truly enjoy this UI. Now to just get some sort of line or SOMETHING under the note title... months later, and this still imbalances me.

 

Haven't tested too much so far outside the UI yet, but:

• Clicking a notebook name in the sidebar while the sidebar is scrolled down any length resets the scroll to the top.
• Some sort of lasting signifier in the sidebar for the Notebook I've selected would be nice. Notes has a blue background all the time. Same when selecting a Tag in the sidebar.

 

Ah, the lasting signifier. I long for the lasting signifier.

 

Thank you for the graphic, chère chirmer!

 

My Notebooks and Tags would be happy with a pink elephant wallowing in the muddiest of sidebars if only they had a lasting signifier.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

• Some sort of lasting signifier in the sidebar for the Notebook I've selected would be nice. Notes has a blue background all the time. Same when selecting a Tag in the sidebar.

 

 

Yep, I noticed the same strange, counter-intuitive behavior in EN Mac 6.0.16, and reported it there, but got no response.

 

OK, I'm testing EN Mac as I write this, and to my surprise, when I click on a NB in the Side Panel, it sets the filter and BRIEFLY highlights in the Side Panel, but then, without me doing anything, the Notebook highlight is removed.  This is counter-intuitive to me, and feels like a bug.

 

@Marcus:  Is this a bug?