Spending a little time formatting the text in your notes can make them easier to read and quicker to update. If you are like me, you will have many notes which are basically lists (See Screen 2). As you can see, I've added column headings and vertical and horizontal dividers to some of my notes using the ALT+Fn+(ASCII code) key-combination.
Screen 2: By adding column headings and dividers, NoteTaker lists become easier to read.
For example, for the "corner character" I first refer to page C-3 of my HP 200LX User's Guide, which contains the "850 Multilingual" character font. In the table on that page, I see that the "corner character" is assigned to ASCII code 201. Next, (with the Full Screen Note screen open in NoteTaker), I press and hold down ALT, and then press and hold down MENU, and then type 201. When I remove my fingers from the keyboard, the "corner character" appears on the screen. In like manner, I refer to the table on page C-3 to find out the 3-digit ASCII codes for the other vertical and horizontal dividers that I'd like to use. Then I add those characters to the note.
Once a little of the formatting has been created, I find it quicker to complete it by cutting, pasting and editing, rather than by entering all the characters by their three-key combination. As part of the design, you might want to consider what the formatted table looks like on the DataCard (see Screen 3). (Editor's note: see pages 31 and 32 in the January/February 1998 issue for specifics on how to alter the display of the DataCard.)
Screen 3: Even your DataCard can display the vertical and horizontal dividers in your notes.
Even if you don't format your notes as I suggest, its a good idea to enter your data in reverse order, so that the last entry is at the top. Working this way avoids always having to scroll to the bottom of a long note to add new data. This also applies to the Note field of the other built-in applications.
Matt Haigh
e-mail mhaigh@compuserve.com