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Organization of stacks and notebooks


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Hi all, I have a question about the organization of stacks and notebooks. you imagine that you have several subjects. Each subject of the university, in turn, has different modules (theory, practice and problems). I use this in Evernote as:

Subjects = stacks For example: Technology, Mathematics ...

Modules = Notebooks. For example; Technology theory, technology practices and technology problems.  (Each one of this has your set of notes).

The point is that I would like to move these stacks (subjects) into a stack that collects all the subjects but Evernote does not allow me to insert a stack into another.

Now that this subject is not going to be studied at the moment, I would like to have it in another stack so that my list of projects is cleaner in Evernote.

How would you fix this? Thank you!

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You're describing a folder filing method, which isn't supported in Evernote.  1413470928_ScreenShot2019-06-15at05_08_35.png.569a891c17f0620034af1f097eb732b6.png
In Evernote, we organize notes using two fields: Notebooks and Tags
We can emulate folders using the notebook/tag trees in the sidebar

As you noted, Notebooks can be grouped in Stacks; only one level
Tags can be organized in a hierarchy; unlimited levels

>>I would like to move these stacks (subjects) into a stack that collects all the subjects

Using Tags, I can have a parent tag called Subjects

>>Now that this subject is not going to be studied at the moment, I would like to have it in another stack so that my list of projects is cleaner in Evernote.

The parent tag can be called Subjects (Active)
with a second parent tag called Subjects (Non-Active)

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1 hour ago, jesusplanner said:

 

Hi all, I have a question about the organization of stacks and notebooks. you imagine that you have several subjects. Each subject of the university, in turn, has different modules (theory, practice and problems). I use this in Evernote as:

Subjects = stacks For example: Technology, Mathematics ...

Modules = Notebooks. For example; Technology theory, technology practices and technology problems.  (Each one of this has your set of notes).

The point is that I would like to move these stacks (subjects) into a stack that collects all the subjects but Evernote does not allow me to insert a stack into another.

Now that this subject is not going to be studied at the moment, I would like to have it in another stack so that my list of projects is cleaner in Evernote.

How would you fix this? Thank you!

Organizing in EN is  done more by tagging than by notes in notebooks in other notebooks / stacks.

As in all folder structures, one note can only belong to one notebook. One notebook can only rest in one stack. If this would be taken further, it still results in a tree-type structure, where each element is in a linear relation up and down.

Tags allow for a multidimensional arrangement of information. If you go to have the modules in notes, you can tag them to group them into courses. Let us say, you have 3 semesters of math, 1-2-3. You can then create a tag hierarchy, for example Bachelor-Basic modules-Math-1/2/3 etc.

What does multidimensional mean ? Let us say, you later on have a class of advanced engineering, and you need a mathematical concept from one of the notes from Math 2 for this. You can now tag this old math-note In addition with the tag „Advan-Eng 3“, so when you set up your schedule to prepare for the examination, you include this note into your notes to learn. You do not need to copy it, you do not move it, you just tag it.

Then You Tag all of these notes with a Tag „tobelearned“, and when you are through, you may tag them „done“.

This way you can use the same information in multiple ways, and you can use the same information at the same time for different purposes.

Notebooks are more for setting things up, like share a notebook with other people (not note by note, just the whole NB), by making them selectively available offline on a mobile client, by creating a „local“ notebook not to be synced for private notes etc.

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3 hours ago, jesusplanner said:

How would you fix this? Thank you!

Without going into technical issues on tagging I'd just decide what top level searches I really want to see.  

You (presumably) want to search for all the notes in one module of one active subject for review and revision. On that basis three tags would be all that is required:  module, subject,  and active.  I'd set up several note templates with the appropriate tags already in place,  one for each module of each subject and all 'active'.

Now a search for:

  • tag:<subject> tag:<active> = all notes in that subject.  If the subject is not to be active,  run the search and remove the 'active' tag on all notes.  If the subject is revived,  search for tag <subject> -tag:<active> and reinstate it.
  • tag:<subject> tag:<module> tag:<active> = all notes in that module

- in both cases more keywords (and dates) can be added as required.  

(NB You could do the same by adding the tag keywords to the note title and using intitle:<keyword>)

Searches can be saved and kept in the favourites list for convenience,  or there's an accessory app 'Filterize' which uses searches to automatically populate tables of content

It would be possible to create standing index linked lists of all modules of all active subjects to eliminate the need to search each time.  

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3 hours ago, gazumped said:

On that basis three tags would be all that is required:  module, subject,  and active.

Just a comment about compound names, as in the ops example: "Technology theory, technology practices and technology problems".

I find the compound name is clearer.  It also sorts better in an alphabetical list and the sidebar tree

This also illustrates a failure of the tag tag hierarchy; single parent.  A relational organization allows multiple parents

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5 hours ago, jesusplanner said:

 

Hi all, I have a question about the organization of stacks and notebooks. you imagine that you have several subjects. Each subject of the university, in turn, has different modules (theory, practice and problems). I use this in Evernote as:

Subjects = stacks For example: Technology, Mathematics ...

Modules = Notebooks. For example; Technology theory, technology practices and technology problems.  (Each one of this has your set of notes).

The point is that I would like to move these stacks (subjects) into a stack that collects all the subjects but Evernote does not allow me to insert a stack into another.

Now that this subject is not going to be studied at the moment, I would like to have it in another stack so that my list of projects is cleaner in Evernote.

How would you fix this? Thank you!

I would create a prefixed tag for each subject, A.subjectname, a  prefixed tag B.modulename for each module, and a generic tag Note.  The A and B as prefixes are to enable tag sorting in list view, that is group the subjects before the modules.  Then tag each note with the subject tag, the module tag, and Note.  Title the notes something like yyyy.mm.dd topic of the note.  I would put all notes in the same notebook.

Reasons being

  1. A search for tag:A.subjectname sorted by tag will return all notes for all modules for the subject.
  2. A search for tag:B.modulename sorted by tag will return all notes for a given module for the subject.

You can add a note to detail the subject and tag it with A.subjectname only and add a note to detail the module and tag it with A.subjectname and B.modulename.  Then a search for tag:A.subject.name -tag:Note will return all the module descriptions.  You can add tags for semester or year to help in finding things, preferably with a prefix for easy access.  FWIW.

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11 hours ago, CalS said:

I would create a prefixed tag for each subject, A.subjectname,

Another vote for name prefixing

I'd prefer "Subject" as the prefix; for example - Subject.Mathematics, Subject.Technology
and "SubjectMod" for the modules

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Hello!

 

Thank you!! You´re a friendly people ^^

I´m been seeing and the option that I prefered is to DTLow because I look the option more easy 😃

But I´m having problems with tags sync (iOS-Mac).

Personally, I don´t like tags because when you create a new notes, you´ve that remember that tags you have to put it this note. Also, there are several persons that like me, they don´t prefer use too tags.

I´m to question my problem with sync tags, but you options are very interested ^^ 😃

Thank you!

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Tags should sync without problems.

There is just one issue to keep in mind: Tags can be nested in a hierarchy on the Mac. This deep structure will not be shown on the iOS device. The tags will be there, but not in the hierarchical structure.

Tagging is a key function in EN, so I would rather give it a second thought. One note can only be in one notebook, but it can carry many tags.

I do use notebooks and tags quite flexible. One example:

During the year I collect invoices and other stuff relevant for my tax declaration. I am tagging them with #tax and #2019, no matter where they are in their notebooks.

When it is time to do the tax declaration, I search for these tags and create a copy of the notes in a new notebook TAX2019. This notebook now contains all my tax relevant stuff for one year. I create a note with the table-of-content-function to make it easier to get an overview. And then I share this notebook with my accountant. He will work on it and prepare the tax declaration.

When everything is done, I tag all notes in that notebook with a new tag #tax2019. Then I move the content to an archive notebook, and delete the shared notebook. By this, the access to the data is gone, but I can always reproduce what content has been in that tax declaration notebook in the respective year.

This uses a basic though in Evernote: Notebooks are for the overall structure and properties like private, shared, offline etc. For content / information, use tags. If you do not share, hold nothing private or offline, you can live with just 1 mega-notebook, but not without tags. If you follow something like GTD, you can build your whole life around less than 10 notebooks, using tags.

If you clean up your tags from time to time (like joining seldom used ones together), you can keep them neat and structured, much better than with moving notes around notebooks.

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1 hour ago, jesusplanner said:

Personally, I don´t like tags because when you create a new notes, you´ve that remember that tags you have to put it this note.

I've seen this comment before; the users never seem to have a problem with remembering the notebooks for a note.

My new notes are collected in my inbox notebook, then processed on my Mac where I assign notebook, tags, etc
I use a script to guide my tag assignment.
The first tag is always the note type; for example Type-Receipt
The type directs the other tag assognments.; receipts get a ventor tag and a budget tag

>>But I´m having problems with tags sync (iOS-Mac).

This is being discussed here

There are differences in the two platforms; no hierarchy display in IOS
I've compensated by using the previously discussed name prefix
For example: in your use case (Technology, Mathematics), I wou;d use Subject-Technology, Subject-Mathematics

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13 hours ago, DTLow said:

Another vote for name prefixing

I'd prefer "Subject" as the prefix; for example - Subject.Mathematics, Subject.Technology
and "SubjectMod" for the modules

Yeah, I'm lazy.  I use sing character prefixes for those that I have, for dates, people, projects, GTD tags.  One character in the tag search and the list is there.

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