Colored note backgrounds (post "Common Editor" rollout)

[Frank.dg 1,385]

If you're looking to kick it with colored note backgrounds in Evernote to either prettify things or write within a darker / easier-on-the-eyes theme...

 

... and if you're not on the Mac client (and so can't create colored backgrounds in a one-row-one-column table)... There's a half-decent workaround to create your theme templates...

Here's a great blog post which runs you through a simple process to connect Evernote to the ENML Editor - which allows one to change up the (X)HTML of any Evernote note. The basic steps still work, however, since Evernote rolled out the "common editor", the suggested HTML tweaks do not, for the love of Pete, work. So I've done some tinkering and have come up with a basic code template which I've tested on Evernote Web, Windows desktop and iOS. It should work on Android and Mac. 

Additionally, @GrumpyMonkey's colored note templates in his shared notebook resource will not work as expected due to the same HTML road bumps mentioned above.

So here follow the basic steps...

Easy as do, re, mi, fa, sol, la / ABCDEF / 123456

(1) Run through step 1 on the ENML Editor web page to connect to Evernote and get cracking.

• I suggest using the bookmarklet method described there (as opposed to their steps 2-3), which I will illustrate in a GIF below. You'll need to drag the bookmarklet  to your browser's bookmark toolbar to use it.

(2) While in the Evernote Web client, create a new note and give it a title

(3) Hit your ENML Editor bookmarklet in your Browser toolbar (with your new note in focus)

(4) Paste the following code over the existing code in the ENML Editor (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+V):

 

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<!DOCTYPE en-note SYSTEM "http://xml.evernote.com/pub/enml2.dtd">
<en-note>
 <div style="color: #000000; background: #CEE3F6; padding: 1em 1em; border-radius: 5px;">
  <div>
   <br clear="none" />
  </div>
 </div>
</en-note>

 

(5) Change the text color (#000000 above) hexadecimal code (if needed) and the background color (#CEE3F6 above) with the help of this HTML Color Chart.

(6) Hit the Save to Evernote button, and refresh Evernote Web to see the changes come through.

 

If you already have Evernote connected to the ENML Editor and have a duplicate template note in Evernote, all you'll need to do are steps (3), (5) and (6) above (to create different colored backgrounds), as illustrated in the following animated GIF:

 

 

NOTES:

• You can also change the text color in your note editor in-app via the note toolbar 
• Keep a template for each color handy and "duplicate" (on mobile) or "copy to notebook" (on desktop) when you want to create a new note with your background color of choice.
• In the code snippet given above you can change the values of the "padding" (how close your text is to your note borders) and the "border-radius" (how round you do or don't want your note edges/ corners).
• Images, GIF's, documents, etc. can be pasted/ dragged in on the colored background in a note with no breaks in the background color - even though the HTML involved is quite different from previous workarounds.  

 

 

[realistdreamer 23]

Is there anywhere I can to learn about the "common editor" and changes to underlying html/enml?

[ctxhou 27]

Hi @Frank.dg , @realistdreamer

Lots of Evernote user require the colorful background. To solve this problem, I built a desktop app EverTool.

EverTool is an all in one Evernote editor helper.

Features:

• All in one customized text style management
• Markdown syntax supported
• Beautiful code highlight
• Multi highlight colors, and fancy banner style
• Shortcut supported

For example, if you want to create a colorful background, just one click and it will do the trick.

You don't need to write the code, and you can finish all the tasks in original Evernote app.

Hope it help you!

EverTool website: https://evertool.app