Notepad replacement on the iMac

The NotePad equivalent on the Mac is TextEdit.

It's located in the Applications folder.

It's simple, fast, and very light-weight. It is the default text reader on your Mac. It's the one that will open if you double-click on a plain text file.

I don't believe it has the Time and Date stamp feature.

But, it's going to be the closest thing to NotePad that comes pre-loaded on the Mac.

And, since all Mac's have it, it's the standard 😉


Hope this helps.

You can use AppleScript to add the time and date feature. I've got to leave or I'd post detailed instructions, but basically you need to write a script to insert the current date and time into the front TextEdit document, then enable your script menu and put the script in it. I've seen example scripts in books about AppleScript that do exactly what you're asking about. You should even be able to assign a keyboard shortcut to it. I'll post instructions here later.

I might add that TextEdit is MUCH more powerful than Notepad. It's really a word processor that also happens to be included on every Mac and not bloated.

There are a number of potential Note Pad replacements that can be found and downloaded from Versiontracker or MacUpdate. Applications such as NotePad, Notes, Notes Guru etc...

Hello,

Thanks but the Time/Date feature was key.

Here's a link to an AppleScript that you can download and activate to copy the data and time to your clipboard and then paste into your documents:

http://bbs.applescript.net/viewtopic.php?pid=58621

They show the script in their conversation / discussion. But, if you get an account and log-in you can download it instead of doing things manually.

This script would then be able to work with any program that you can paste information into.


I hope this helps.

Isnt mhunter just theeee greatest?

Hello,

Isnt mhunter just theeee greatest?

Thank you, thank you 🙂

Send all your stars here 😉

Seriously though, I just wore out my Apple Pro keyboard. It's less than 6 months old (purchased separately - not part of a computer package with warranty). So, I'm looking for something that can handle all this typing.

Stuck on the old MS-Natural Keyboard spare for now.

I guess Apple's Pro keyboard just isn't designed for these forums 😉

did u see my speaker bulletin mhunter?

Hello,

did u see my speaker bulletin mhunter?

Yes. I got distracted swapping out keyboards (old one was getting hard to type on). I forgot to go back and reply.

Sorry about that. I'll jump over there now.

You would actually add those scripts to the system. Then, you could access them from any program.

At least that would seem to be the best method.

Many scripts can be used system-wide. And, then if you like, you could probably write a script that would perform the whole operation for you.

Perhaps assign a hot-key to a script that would use the first script to copy the time and date and then paste it.

With scripts, the flexibility is endless.

Another option is Automator. This one plugs-into your various apps and functions directly. You can fully customize your own functions with minimal time and a very low learning curve.

Here's some good articles on Automator to get you started:

http://www.macworld.com/topics/automator/index.php

http://www.macworld.com/2005/11/features/automatorhome/index.php

http://www.macworld.com/2006/04/secrets/junegeekfactor/index.php

http://www.macworld.com/2005/10/features/automatortrialrun/index.php


Once you understand how the program works, you'll find it capable of building pre-programmed tasks for everything from file operations, to Safari, to e-mail, iPhoto, and so on.


Hope this helps.

Hope that works for you. Let us know.

Perhaps you should check out the script on this page, and see what you think.

The directions for using the scripts he has on that page are provided by him at the top right. You might also look around his site for additional information.

http://homepage.mac.com/jkevinwolfe/otto/page3/page4/page4.html

Find the item towards the bottom that says: "TextEdit: Insert date and time Puts the date and time in the current Textedit cursor position. (Requires UI scripting enabled.)"


For custom Macros and keyboard functions, take a look at:

http://www.keyboardmaestro.com/main/

http://www.cesoft.com/