Feature Request: Duplicate Notebook or Templates

[ruiguerreiro 7]

I use this "feature" everyday, because I constantly need to replicate a "template" Notebook containing template notes inside. So I would either like to see a Duplicate Notebook feature, or a Template Creator, with the ability to replicate custom notes and notebooks.

Among a few other things, this is what still makes Evernote only Excellent, when it could be Perfect

But that's probably just me.

Thanks for listening!

[gazumped 11,652]

It would be good to be able to set up a 'template' notebook with several standard notes for projects,  which I could populate and then share with collaborators if necessary...

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

18 hours ago, ruiguerreiro said:

I constantly need to replicate a "template" Notebook containing template notes inside. So I would either like to see a Duplicate Notebook feature, or a Template Creator, with the ability to replicate custom notes and notebooks.

Until/IF Evernote provides this feature, it could be done using AppleScript  with a modest amount of effort.  There have already been several scripts published for creating and copying templates.  If you use Keyboard Maestro it would be even easier.

[DTLow 5,736]

21 hours ago, ruiguerreiro said:

I use this "feature" everyday, because I constantly need to replicate a "template" Notebook containing template notes inside. So I would either like to see a Duplicate Notebook feature, or a Template Creator, with the ability to replicate custom notes and notebooks.

An idea would be to export your "template" Notebook as a .enex file.  On the desktop device, a double click on the file will launch Evernote, import, and create a new notebook with your template notes, or you can chose import from within Evernote

Personally, I like to combine this with AppleScript; 

also keep the template notes in Evernote so they can easily be modified.

[ruiguerreiro 7]

@JMichaelTX Thank you for the input. I've found some scripts to duplicate Notes, indeed, but none that can duplicate Notebooks with Notes inside. And that's what I meant. Do you know of any?

@DTLow Thank you, but this solution doesn't quite do the job either, or at least I wasn't able to achieve what I need. The .enex file sits on my desktop, but when I double click it, it creates the notes in a special Notebook for imported notes. Did I miss something?

Thanks a lot for the help.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

34 minutes ago, ruiguerreiro said:

I've found some scripts to duplicate Notes, indeed, but none that can duplicate Notebooks with Notes inside.

It should be easy enough to mod those scripts:

1. Prompt user for new NB name
2. Use that name to create a new NB
3. Use that NB when creating the notes that are being copied.

When you import an ENEX, it should ask you if you want to put in a sync'd notebook.  Just say yes.  :-)
You may have to create the NB first.

[DTLow 5,736]

5 hours ago, ruiguerreiro said:

The .enex file sits on my desktop, but when I double click it, it creates the notes in a special Notebook for imported notes. Did I miss something?

I'm not sure the issue - you wanted to duplicate the template notebook - you now have a new notebook named xxxxx
Just rename the notebook to whatever you want.

Below is an applescript for my daily journal.  
It uses this apprpach of exporting/importing the template and then automatically renames the journal to my naming standard.
Its working at a single note/template level, but could be modified to work at a notebook level

tell application "Evernote"

    

    --some date manipulation to create the new title

    

    set {year:yyyy, month:mmm, day:d, weekday:dddd} to (current date)

    set dd to (text -2 thru -1 of ("0" & d as text))

    set m to mmm as integer

    set mm to (text -2 thru -1 of ("0" & m as text))

    set thetitle to "Journal-" & yyyy & "/" & mm & "/" & dd & " " & dddd as string

    

    

    -- Retrieve the template, export and import as a new note

    

    set thetemplate to find notes ("intitle:Template-Journal")

    set tempfile to "/Users/David/Desktop/Temp-Template.enex"

    export thetemplate to tempfile format ENEX

    set theJournals to import tempfile to "File Cabinet"

    set theJournal to item 1 of theJournals

    

    --Update the new journal note

    

    set title of theJournal to thetitle

    set creation date of theJournal to current date

    set modification date of theJournal to current date

    assign tag "!Hot Notes" to theJournal

    assign tag "!Journal" to theJournal

    open note window with theJournal

    

   

    

end tell

 

tell application "Finder" to delete file tempfile as POSIX file

[ruiguerreiro 7]

Thank you so much guys. I will take some time during the weekend to really look this through. Lots of options to consider

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

@ruiguerreiro, you're welcome.  Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[chbla 0]

Hi there - I'm also looking for how to create templates with evernote. I basically want to have a template  for journals and meeting minutes that I can just copy or instantiate when needed. The copy paste and setting title, tags, etc is extremely annoying.

Is there any way to create such scripts on the web, with chrome or so? I'm not very familiar with it, but I'd like to have it webbased so I can use it from different machines simply through the browser...

Thank you, Christoph

btw. I'm extremely surprised Evernote does not support this, with all their focus on productivity.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

On 2/28/2016 at 3:06 AM, chbla said:

I'm also looking for how to create templates with evernote

Simple.

1. Create a note to use as your template.
2. Either put this note in a "Templates" notebook, OR assign a "Templates" tag to it, whichever you prefer
3. When you are ready to create a new note from your "template" note:
   1. Find/select the template note
   2. In EM Mac, goto Note > Copy to Notebook
      (should be something similar in EN Win)
4. You're done!

[chbla 0]

4 minutes ago, JMichaelTX said:

Simple.

1. Create a note to use as your template.
2. Either put this note in a "Templates" notebook, OR assign a "Templates" tag to it, whichever you prefer
3. When you are ready to create a new note from your "template" note:
   1. Find/select the template note
   2. In EM Mac, goto Note > Copy to Notebook
      (should be something similar in EN Win)
4. You're done!

I'm not sure if you read my post.. I'm looking for a solution that works with evernote web.

[DTLow 5,736]

On February 28, 2016 at 1:06 AM, chbla said:

I'm also looking for how to create templates with evernote. I basically want to have a template  for journals and meeting minutes that I can just copy or instantiate when needed. The copy paste and setting title, tags, etc is extremely annoying.

As previously mentioned, just create a template note and store it in Evernote
- it makes it easy to make quick changes to the template
  some people store their templates externally
Others have recommended utility apps like TextExpander which can generate an entire template on the fly

To use the template, it was previously mentioned the Copy To Notebook process
For the web, You can just do a copy/paste option 
On the Mac, I use an Applescript to set up my daily journal each morning
- web is limited in this automation.  An IFTTT script works.

[JMichaelTX 4,117]

3 minutes ago, chbla said:

I'm not sure if you read my post.. I'm looking for a solution that works with evernote web.

Sorry.  I did read your post, but missed the "web" part.

[gazumped 11,652]

As @Frank.dg has pointed out in his post on styles here,  you can do an awful lot with a text expander like PhraseExpress.  Depending on the complexity of the task (and the patience of the individual) it should be possible to create a new notebook with a keypress,  and set up some individual notes.  I appreciate this isn't what's asked for,  but Evernote doesn't currently have any relevant options either,  so workarounds are the order of the day...

[chbla 0]

I think I will use the API directly and create buttons in my browser for this