I would like to say a few words about our latest release, which includes a major update to Sente's note-taking features.
Since the release of version 5.0 in 2007, Sente has included the ability to attach multiple notes to each reference. (Earlier versions restricted you to a single note per reference.) Each note included a title, page range, quotation and comments.
For many users, this has been a valuable feature, and they mention it regularly in posts about Sente. But we have never been particularly fond of Sente's interface for creating and editing notes. It worked, but it was neither attractive nor terribly functional.
In Sente 5.7, we have completely rewritten the notes interface and we are much happier with the results. In the new interface, it is easy to see more than one note at a time, and we make better use of limited screen space. Also, it is now possible to copy one or more notes from within the Notes view, and then to paste them into most other applications.
We have also added a feature that makes it simple to create notes from selections in PDFs or web pages. You can select either text or any arbitrary region in either a PDF or a web page, and then, if you click on the Create Note button, Sente will automatically create a new note for the current reference using the selection as the quotation. Sente will also fill in the page numbers and add a placeholder title for you.
This ability to create notes from PDFs is not intended as a replacement for tools that let you mark-up a PDF, like Preview and Skim. If what you want to accomplish is to highlight portions of a PDF so that the next time you read the document you will see these annotations, then we would recommend that you use one of these other tools. (Annotations created in Preview, unlike those created in Skim, will show up in the Links view within Sente, so you will not need to return to Preview to view them.)
These changes should make Sente's notes feature more useful to many of our users. I would encourage you to watch the new video on our web site and then to download the latest version and give it a try.
Congratulations! I had only a few minutes to take a look at the new note taking feature and the video but it looks really, really impressive! Combined with the new "open tab" button it makes it so easy to take notes inside Sente!
I also like the approach to let me take screenshots because there are several scanned PDF around in my library where marking text is impossible!
Of course, I am sure that the users of Sente (me included ;) ) will find more features they would like to see in the note taking panel (despite your hint I guess that the note taking feature is not a replacement for tools that let you markup a PDF that highlighting will be one of the features users would like to see anyway...) but the improvement is incredible and I will think twice if I really should bother you with a new feature request..
Thanks TSS!
Thomas
Very nice inteface for note-taking. Well thought out. And yet following so close on the heels of Targeted Browsing, Quick Add, etc! This one cinches it: if I'm ever in Denver, it'll be a round of beers for you guys on me, at your favorite local dive bar.
A couple thoughts:
(1) From the release notes: "Miscellaneous Features: -There is now a command to open the selected reference in its own tab in the main window." Sorry, but this is no mear "Miscellaneous Feature." It's every bit as useful on its own as is the new notes interface. And I like: (a) that a double-click in the reference table now opens a tab, rather than a stand-alone reference editor window (although something like Option-click to invoke the latter might be nice, only because I had to come up with something to complain about); and (b) that the tabbed reference editors remember their views, so that I can keep the right-side reference editor in the main window showing the "Summary" view, but have the right-side editor in tabs show the "Notes" view by default. Very cool!
(2) It's now time to update the screen shots and accompanying feature descriptions on your website, to prominently feature Targeted Browsing, the ability to open PDFs in tabs, and the new Notes interface. I know there are videos for these, but these features need to be more up-front. It's a competitive world out there and every day there are new potential customers trying to decide between Sente, Bookends, Papers, etc., so let 'em all see these great new features.
Job well done!
Mark
I love the new interface as well. I'd also like to see the ability to drag and drop notes to my word processor to quote the reference. Another useful feature would be to link notes across references to combine similar thoughts.
>I'd also like to see the ability to drag and drop notes to my word processor to quote the reference.
Now that's a great idea!
Mmm, it is a great idea. And unless I'm mistaken it's exactly what we see in the video right at the end.
http://www.thirdstreetsoftware.com/site/videos/notes.html