WYSIWYG view and editor

[eemantsal]

I think that the majority of common mobile devices users don't understand why do they need to learn a markup language instead just selecting some text and tappin some button to format it, like they accustom to do in their text processors or other mobile notes apps, instead of having to deal with all those *, #, ===, etc, which seem to them like "yet another geeky and obscure FLOSS thing". It would be also handier and quicker in many cases (doing a couple of quick modifications here and there) even for, more or less, "Markdown literate users".

I want to state clear that I'm not proposing switching from Markdown format for the notes to HTML at all. I'm convinced that besides the advantages of MD's simplicity and the possibility to edit MD files in almost any digital text write capable thing, MD is potent enough for the needs of at least 95% of users, that only want some basic text formatting, media, principally images, embedding and perhaps chechkboxes for tasks and such. I don't even believe that the vast majority does ever use tables nor code text formatting, which are already present in the MD specifications, so there's no need to go HTML at all, IMHO.
I suggest, only, an interface improvement that might make the Nextcloud notes much more accessible to common users and handier in some occasions for those who already know how to compose texts in Markdown. A more graphical interface so users can edit their notes without learning Markdown syntax and can see the results inmediately on a single view, instead of having to switch from a code view to the definitive view and switch back to the code view to continue editing, and then swit... and so on ad infinitum.
This should be optional, elegible by the user, maybe just tapping a button that enables/disables WYSIWYG mode or some switch in the app's settings... I don't know, I'm not a developer; I'm sure you can think of much better implementations than I do.

There are a lot of web apps that work this way, in WYSIWYG, I mean. See, for example, Telegra.ph, Pen Editor or this plugin for MediumEditor. All of them work in Markdown and permit the users to edit the text with floating toolbars and WYSIWYG single view mode with no interface clutter. I repeat that this should be configurable so each user can choose with edition mode do they prefer. I don't try to force happy MD coders to go visual eh? :P I myself prefer plain MD above WYSIWYG, but most of my acquitances don't -and I'm sure most of yours neither ;) -, and that keeps them away from Nextcloud and in the "claws" of Google, Evernote, MS...

[exekutive]

I second this.
I'm currently using Quickoffice for Android to edit Nextcloud synced docx files as way of keeping notes.
I would much rather use something simple and lightweight like this app, but the cryptic syntax is the only thing keeping me from doing so. I want to see beautiful, formatted, easy to read text. Not a bunch of symbols.

[camilasan]

I think the Notes app should be kept simple.

[camilasan]

Maybe this kind of feature could add as optional.
cc @jancborchardt

[stefan-niedermann]

I disagree. This has often been discussed and in my opinion this app is for reading / writing, not formatting.

NextNotes might be an alternative that fits the needs better.

[exekutive]

According to the author, NextNotes is inactive since Jan '17
https://github.com/janis91/nextnotes/blob/master/README.md

[jancborchardt]

I agree with @stefan-niedermann and @camilasan.

The Notes app is for simple note taking and writing. (A big inspiration for us is iA Writer.) Formatting in the form of Markdown is an addition, but not the core.

What we could do is add some mechanism that makes marking up selected sections possible via a floating menu like on Medium. However that should only serve as a shortcut for inserting the relevant Markdown elements.

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And since NextNotes and others are mentioned: The precise problem we have is that there are too many apps for the same case, which is Notes. It happened in the past (with Contacts+ and Calendar+) and it will happen every time a single person decides to write a new app instead of joining an existing one already doing the same thing. Then they are unmaintained some months later and people are disappointed.

[jancborchardt]

Issue for the context-based formatting popover opened at #200 - closing this.

[manuee]

I know this is an old issue, but it the first that came up when i googled, so adding this info here in case others land here like me.

This issue will most likely be fixed by this: #331 🤞