Modify creation date of multiple notes in one step?

[kilavos 11]

 

OS = W10

Is there a way to modify the creation date of a group of notes (=selection) in a single step? For instance 17 notes - creation date should be 02.05.2016 for all of them...

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

16 minutes ago, kilavos said:

Is there a way to modify the creation date of a group of notes (=selection) in a single step?

Sorry, I don't think this is possible using the EN Win app.

It would be very easy in EN Mac, using a simple AppleScript.

While EN Win does have ENScript.exe Command Line Tool I don't see any commands that would process a selection of Notes.

You might be able to automate this with a keyboard macro tool like AutoHotKey or PhraseExpress.

[kilavos 11]

On 26.5.2016 at 4:06 AM, JMichaelTX said:

You might be able to automate this with a keyboard macro tool like AutoHotKey or PhraseExpress.

 

Thanks for your proposal.

 

That was my hope that there is a way within EN Win - but obviously there is not.

 

Therefore I did the job with a keyboard macro tool as you suggested - I used Perfect Keyboard and it worked fine.

 

Although it requires some special arrangement as 

- having the notes related in a separate table e.g. mail_temp in order to get proper selection like "August 2015" referring to the "Date received" within the note/mail. Sorting by creation date (when starting the process all notes have current date by importing action).

- then run a macro in Perfect Keyboard like

  Xtrl+Shift+i  -  tab - tab - next - 08 - next - 2015 - ENTER - ESC - TOP

  this will change the creation date to XX.08.2015 ... TOP focus the next note to handle which now is on top of the selection

  continue by manual shortcut or loop process in the macro

- then sync and change sorting to title 

- modify the day manually (sorting by title does not change the view during this action)

 

Repeat this with all relevant months/years (adjust the macro!) - took about 2 hours for 500 notes

 

Including the day in this precedure would - from my point of view - take much more time but can be performed as well.

 

[Coach Wade 80]

Out of curiosity, why did these notes need their creation dates modified? 

Not really any of my business, I'm just trying to figure out why it was necessary.

[CalS 5,280]

One reason is to have the creation date match the date of the document in the note.

[Coach Wade 80]

11 minutes ago, csihilling said:

One reason is to have the creation date match the date of the document in the note.

I suppose that makes sense. It's not something I've ever needed to do, though. 

One thing I do like about Evernote is the flexibility. I've noticed that we each use Evernote in totally different ways. Evernote developers should be commended for that flexibility. 

[CalS 5,280]

Yeah, before reminder dates some folks used created/updated to date their to dos.  Also used the dates to "pin" a note to the top of the list based upon the sort.  Users are creative within the confines of any software for sure.

[jbenson2 2,147]

During the past month, there are 3 pages of reasons for the pros & cons of changing the Created Date at this link

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/95621-created-date-hidden-in-latest-windows-version/

In my case, I don't care when I scan a receipt. I want the Created Date and time to accurately reflect when I made the purchase, not the scan date. And because the clipper frequently drops the byline and date, the same issue applies to web captures of news events.

[Coach Wade 80]

40 minutes ago, jbenson2 said:

During the past month, there are 3 pages of reasons for the pros & cons of changing the Created Date at this link

https://discussion.evernote.com/topic/95621-created-date-hidden-in-latest-windows-version/

In my case, I don't care when I scan a receipt. I want the Created Date and time to accurately reflect when I made the purchase, not the scan date. And because the clipper frequently drops the byline and date, the same issue applies to web captures of news events.

I actually use a different software for tracking receipts. As a business owner, I needed more power than Evernote could offer me (such as the ability to keep a running total by year/quarter/month of expenses vs. income). It does make sense, though, that you record by purchase date rather than entry date. I do exactly the same thing. 

 

1 hour ago, csihilling said:

Yeah, before reminder dates some folks used created/updated to date their to dos.  Also used the dates to "pin" a note to the top of the list based upon the sort.  Users are creative within the confines of any software for sure.

Kind of surprised "Pin Note" hasn't been added yet. I recall users asking for that about two years ago... maybe three. I would certainly use it to keep my general notes file at the top of my writing notebook. I'm not a coder, so I don't know what it would entail, but it doesn't sound that difficult.

Ironically, I have another route I'd like to go... see if this makes sense. 

I hate finding grammar and spelling mistakes in my writing. Drives me crazy. So I'm digging around in Evernote yesterday, and I find a movie trailer review I wrote for the new Star Wars movie. I realize that there's a typo in the second paragraph, so I correct it-- and that note jumps to the top of my "All Notes" list. 

In some cases, I like that, but most of the time I prefer to leave the note where it is, kinda buried. It'll probably be six months to a year before I need to access it again. (Depends on whether or not JJ Abrams does something awful in the Star Wars universe again.)

If I had to pick one, I'd definitely prefer to pin a note and let the rest of the notes sort themselves by date or however else I've laid them out. 

[DTLow 5,736]

39 minutes ago, Coach Wade said:

so I correct it-- and that note jumps to the top of my "All Notes" list. 
In some cases, I like that, but most of the time I prefer to leave the note where it is

It sounds like your sort sequence is "update date"
You could change the sort sequence to "create date" and the notes won't jump around.

>>Kind of surprised "Pin Note" hasn't been added yet. I recall users asking for that about two years ago... maybe three. I would certainly use it to keep my general notes file at the top of my writing notebook
If you're using "title sequence" its easy to pin a note at the top.
Just prefix the title with a special character like ! or *

if you're using "create date sequence" you can adjust the create date to an early date.

[Coach Wade 80]

4 minutes ago, DTLow said:

It sounds like your sort sequence is "update date"
You could change the sort sequence to "create date" and the notes won't jump around.

>>Kind of surprised "Pin Note" hasn't been added yet. I recall users asking for that about two years ago... maybe three. I would certainly use it to keep my general notes file at the top of my writing notebook
If you're using "title sequence" its easy to pin a note at the top.
Just prefix the title with a special character like ! or *

I am not interested in anything you have to say on any subject. 

[CalS 5,280]

25 minutes ago, Coach Wade said:

I hate finding grammar and spelling mistakes in my writing. Drives me crazy. So I'm digging around in Evernote yesterday, and I find a movie trailer review I wrote for the new Star Wars movie. I realize that there's a typo in the second paragraph, so I correct it-- and that note jumps to the top of my "All Notes" list.

It does sound like the sort sequence is updated date reverse order.  Change the sequence to created date reverse order and change the created date of "pinned" notes to 1/1/2025 or the like, and they will be at the top of the list if they are in the search context at the time.

11 minutes ago, Coach Wade said:

I am not interested in anything you have to say on any subject. 

For you and @dtlow, if you click on the drop down next to your username in the top right of the forum screen you will see an option for ignored users.  Not saying anyone needs to use it, just that it is there.

[Coach Wade 80]

3 minutes ago, csihilling said:

It does sound like the sort sequence is updated date reverse order.  Change the sequence to created date reverse order and change the created date of "pinned" notes to 1/1/2025 or the like, and they will be at the top of the list if they are in the search context at the time.

For you and @dtlow, if you click on the drop down next to your username in the top right of the forum screen you will see an option for ignored users.  Not saying anyone needs to use it, just that it is there.

Thing is, I'd rather just pin it than monkey around with the dates. "Click" and it's done. Although that's a decent workaround. It's one of those things that's gonna make me ask, "Why the heck am I doing this? Why isn't there a button?" every time I use it.

I was unaware that there was an ignore function. I will make use of that straightaway. Thank you.

[Coach Wade 80]

8 minutes ago, csihilling said:

For you and @dtlow, if you click on the drop down next to your username in the top right of the forum screen you will see an option for ignored users.  Not saying anyone needs to use it, just that it is there.

Well sheesh, had I known that was there I'd have used it initially. Good tip.

[CalS 5,280]

1 minute ago, Coach Wade said:

Thing is, I'd rather just pin it than monkey around with the dates. "Click" and it's done. Although that's a decent workaround. It's one of those things that's gonna make me ask, "Why the heck am I doing this? Why isn't there a button?" every time I use it.

I was unaware that there was an ignore function. I will make use of that straightaway. Thank you.

Workarounds.  Depending upon how many pinned notes you have you can add them to the shortcuts bar and use View - Shortcuts - Show in toolbar.  One click away at that point.  My approach anyway since I don't have that many to "pin".  If you have a lot of notes you want to pin, put the links in another note and add that note to the shortcuts bar.  One click to the list, one click to the note.

You are welcome for the ignore tip.

[DTLow 5,736]

6 minutes ago, csihilling said:

Workarounds.  Depending upon how many pinned notes you have you can add them to the shortcuts bar and use View - Shortcuts - Show in toolbar.  One click away at that point.  My approach anyway since I don't have that many to "pin".  If you have a lot of notes you want to pin, put the links in another note and add that note to the shortcuts bar.  One click to the list, one click to the note.

I use a !Hot Notes tag, and put that in my Shortcuts, pinned to the top

It allows me to tag multiple notes, and add/delete entries easily as required.

[DTLow 5,736]

On May 27, 2016 at 11:17 AM, csihilling said:

For you and @dtlow, if you click on the drop down next to your username in the top right of the forum screen you will see an option for ignored users.  Not saying anyone needs to use it, just that it is there.

Thanks, but I'm ok with ignoring the tantrums and ranting
Just looking beyond the negative, there may be something of value to learn  in his postings

and congrats on the new BFF

[CalS 5,280]

5 hours ago, DTLow said:

Thanks, but I'm ok with ignoring the tantrums and ranting

and congrats on the new BFF

I use ignore users to hide some of the lengthy signature blocks. 

[kilavos 11]

19 hours ago, csihilling said:

One reason is to have the creation date match the date of the document in the note.

 

Correct, that is my intention. Let me explain in short how I handle thousands of notes in daily work.

 

There are two steps: (1) selection and then (2) sorting

 

1. Selection - mainly by using favorites
   1.1. favorites with tags e.g "project_2015_compname_partname" = topic-based
   1.2  favorites with search e.g."-remindertime:day+2  remindertime:day-7  todo:false"  = time/date-based
   1.3  favorites with search e.g. "tag:XYZ_offer  todo:false"
   1.4  and combinations of these...
   
    
2. Sorting - preferably (default) sorting by creation date = chronological (current on top)
   The reason is very simple: selection a project I'm interested in the activities in chronological order, different e.g. alphabetical sorting would not make any sense.
   So (nearly) never there is the need for other sorting than creation date (exception my yesterday explanation).
   That might be different if someone has notes with e.g. person/comp. names in the title and wants an alphab. sorting from A... to Z...
    

Thus said it's obvious that I had to modify the creation dates of emails which have been received/sent within a period of 2-3 years and imported together in one process and get current creation date by EN.

 

[Coach Wade 80]

12 hours ago, csihilling said:

I use ignore users to hide some of the lengthy signature blocks. 

That guy is really a jerk. God forbid someone have a differing opinion from him. And I like his little dig about your new BFF. 

I'm glad there is a block feature here, but it would be a lot more effective if it completely blocked the ***** in question so you can't see him even in quotes.

[CalS 5,280]

What's say we throttle back a bit.   

Your have expressed your feelings at this point, no need for moire gasoline.