Is there anything equivalent to Notepad in Android?

--
croy

On 31 Dec 2023 11:20:36 -0800 croy wrote:
>Is there anything equivalent to Notepad in Android?
>
I use DroidEdit. I've used it since Android 4.
--
(Remove numerics from email address)

Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> wrote:
> On 31 Dec 2023 11:20:36 -0800 croy wrote:
> >Is there anything equivalent to Notepad in Android?
> >
> I use DroidEdit. I've used it since Android 4.

Real Men (TM) use DroidVim! :-)

Just kidding. I hardly ever use a text editor on my phone (or tablet),
but I do use DroidVim very occasionally. But most of the time, I just
use my computer or use the built-in editors of other Android tools
(e-mail program, file manager, Microsoft Office (<barf!>), etc.).

Sorry to be of absolutely no help, croy. Best wishes.

Frank Slootweg <this@ddress.is.invalid> wrote

>> On 31 Dec 2023 11:20:36 -0800 croy wrote:
>>>Is there anything equivalent to Notepad in Android?
>>>
>> I use DroidEdit. I've used it since Android 4.
>
> Real Men (TM) use DroidVim! :-)
>
> Just kidding. I hardly ever use a text editor on my phone (or tablet),
> but I do use DroidVim very occasionally. But most of the time, I just
> use my computer or use the built-in editors of other Android tools
> (e-mail program, file manager, Microsoft Office (<barf!>), etc.).
>
> Sorry to be of absolutely no help, croy. Best wishes.

It has been asked before (many times) on this newsgroup.
<http://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android>

I ran that search for you and this thread should have viable text editors.
*How hard can it be to find an Android text editor that edits*
*plain text files & saves them to anywhere you want the txt to be stored?*
<https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/Bttw5siHejw/>

There were others but that one had a few to start with for now.
--
Please let us know what you test and what the results were so that everyone
benefits from every thread which should contain a solution by the OP.

On 31 Dec 2023 17:13:36 -0400 Wally J wrote:
>
> It has been asked before (many times) on this newsgroup.
> <http://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android>
>
> I ran that search for you and this thread should have viable text editors.
> *How hard can it be to find an Android text editor that edits*
> *plain text files & saves them to anywhere you want the txt to be stored?*
> <https://groups.google.com/g/comp.mobile.android/c/Bttw5siHejw/>
>
>There were others but that one had a few to start with for now.

'Andy Burnelli' who started that thread has a familiar style! And it
doesn't mention DroidEdit or a couple of others I've tried over the years
and not preferred such as Simple Text Editor.

croy: there are loads of them. Just search playstore for 'text editor' and
try a few. Or FDroid or whatever you get apps from.

--
(Remove numerics from email address)

Dave Royal <dave@dave123royal.com> wrote

>>There were others but that one had a few to start with for now.
>
> 'Andy Burnelli' who started that thread has a familiar style! And it
> doesn't mention DroidEdit or a couple of others I've tried over the years
> and not preferred such as Simple Text Editor.
>

This is my _last_ post to "Dave Royal" as he will be plonked (along with
his other nym of Alan Baker and all the other Alan Baker nyms out there).

OT. Please ignore if you care about the subject matter of this thread.
The only _relevant_ information in the post below are these screenshots.
<https://i.postimg.cc/nVWkJT35/text01.jpg> Edit plain text files
<https://i.postimg.cc/j5dkpx5j/text02.jpg> Simple Text Editor shows up
<https://i.postimg.cc/0jzXNV7R/text03.jpg> Shortcut can be created
<https://i.postimg.cc/4yjLHp1K/text04.jpg> Shortcut opens as a text file
<https://i.postimg.cc/mDX6Rvzy/text05.jpg> Sometimes it does NOT show up
<https://i.postimg.cc/L6rwJFyy/text06.jpg> Sometimes it can't SAVE it
<https://i.postimg.cc/KzbPK6vB/text07.jpg> Simple Text Editor Permissions
<https://i.postimg.cc/50mw8s6G/text08.jpg> WriterP Permissions

Now back to the "Dave Royal" (aka Alan Baker) response...
<https://dingdong887180022.files.wordpress.com/2021/10/dunning-kruger.jpg>

Some people try to add value in every post.
Others subtract it in every post.

In decades on Usenet, I've only plonked a handful of people who _can't_ add
value such as Snit, Dustin Cook, Sn!pe, and every nym of Alan Baker (of
which Dave Royal is but one - where there are so many I can't count them).

The nyms are OK, as with my newsreader setup, I don't even see who posts
unless I look - which is kind of like Trump words - where I don't look up
what he said unless someone tells me and I say "did he really say that?).

Point being, nothing from Dave Royal adds value (as he's Alan Baker).
In fact, Dave Royal _subtracts_ vale (aka Alan Baker) in every post.

Even if he's not Alan Baker - he has the same IQ of about 40 (which is why
he loudly proclaims to the world that he is an utter genius when he finally
figures out what was never hidden from anyone - except from dumb robots).

It irks me that people this incredibly stupid, actually exist - which is
exactly why the Mount Stupid graphs exist - which fits the iKooks well.
<https://pastorpaul.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/dunning-kruger-effect.jpg>

Jesus Christ. Every time these low-IQ iKooks have nothing to say, they say
it. Dave Royal _is_ Alan Baker who _is_ Jack_Of_All_Trades_Master_of_None
<invalid@andybastard.com> who _is_ a hundred other nyms, all of which are
childish kindergarten attempts at "outing" what they think they're geniuses
at, but which only proves they live squarely atop the D-K Mount Stupid.
*These strange low-IQ uneducated ignorant iKooks live squarely atop Mount Stupid*
<https://groups.google.com/g/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/c/9eiX08J_g_w>

If it takes an _adult_ more than five seconds to figure out my posts, then
they're idiots because the only purpose of the random headers is privacy
from robots - which these ignorant uneducated iKooks can't comprehend.

For God's sake, when I post a thousand screenshots to the Windows newsgroup
that have the _exact same screen_, how long can it take an idiot like you?
<https://i.postimg.cc/fT2J40RD/windows-cascade-menu.jpg> Windows browsers
<https://i.postimg.cc/j5K0RL7H/taskbarmenu01.jpg> No cortana search icon
<https://i.postimg.cc/qvJDMQcq/taskbarmenu02.jpg> Menus are just folders
<https://i.postimg.cc/cCwdrZsQ/taskbarmenu03.jpg> Menu comments displayed
<https://i.postimg.cc/9FHWs4p1/taskbarmenu04.jpg> Comments can be changed
<https://i.postimg.cc/SNdjMVZd/taskbarmenu05.jpg> (deleted)
<https://i.postimg.cc/yY74z87s/taskbarmenu06.jpg> Hierarchies should match
<https://i.postimg.cc/hjjVXkq5/taskbarmenu07.jpg> One web browser per task
<https://i.postimg.cc/5N46Mpdm/taskbarmenu08.jpg> Need to organize os

How many of these does a normal person take to figure it out?
One right? Two maybe?

But iKooks? It takes them a thousand. Two thousand. Three thousand.
And then they declare that they're a "genius" for figuring it out.
When it was never hidden.

Who is that stupid?

Hell, I post a thousand screenshots to the Android newsgroup like this,
and it takes more than a thousand for you to claim you're a genius?
<https://i.postimg.cc/nVWkJT35/text01.jpg> Edit plain text files
<https://i.postimg.cc/j5dkpx5j/text02.jpg> Simple Text Editor shows up
<https://i.postimg.cc/0jzXNV7R/text03.jpg> Shortcut can be created
<https://i.postimg.cc/4yjLHp1K/text04.jpg> Shortcut opens as a text file
<https://i.postimg.cc/mDX6Rvzy/text05.jpg> Sometimes it does NOT show up
<https://i.postimg.cc/L6rwJFyy/text06.jpg> Sometimes it can't SAVE it
<https://i.postimg.cc/KzbPK6vB/text07.jpg> Simple Text Editor Permissions
<https://i.postimg.cc/50mw8s6G/text08.jpg> WriterP Permissions

I even post a thousand screenshots to the child-like Apple newsgroups,
where only the child-like Apple religious iKooks claim that they're a
genius for "finally figuring out" what was never hidden in the 1st place.
<https://i.postimg.cc/LXzB3Lc0/appleid01.jpg> Apple _forces_ a log in!
<https://i.postimg.cc/9fPjQpr3/nag01.jpg> 3 iOS 16.7.3 nag items
<https://i.postimg.cc/wxwgN0Fg/nag02.jpg> 2 iOS 16.7.3 nag items
<https://i.postimg.cc/3NVqB4dC/nag03.jpg> 1 Update Apple ID settings

It doesn't occur to these fantastically ignorant iKooks that the
screenshots are the same, year after year, for thousands of them.

Who is _that_ stupid?
Nobody right?

Except the iKooks are.
They're so stupid, they don't even know how stupid they really are.

> croy: there are loads of them. Just search playstore for 'text editor' and
> try a few. Or FDroid or whatever you get apps from.

That's something only an idiot would say, which is why Alan Baker said it.
It means you don't know the first thing about Android text editors, Alan.

That's because you live on Mount Stupid.
--
It irks me that people this incredibly stupid, actually exist - which is
exactly why the Mount Stupid graphs exist - which fits the iKooks well.
<https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/17825/what-is-the-primary-source-of-the-mount-stupid-graphic>

Dave Royal, 2023-12-31 20:37:

> On 31 Dec 2023 11:20:36 -0800 croy wrote:
>> Is there anything equivalent to Notepad in Android?
>>
> I use DroidEdit. I've used it since Android 4.

I prefer QuickEdit. There is also a one time paid version without ads
named "QuickEdit+".

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

Arno Welzel wrote:

>I prefer QuickEdit. There is also a one time paid version without ads
>named "QuickEdit+".

I used to use Evernote, simply because it syncs texts entered on the
Android device to all other devices on which it is installed (there is a
limit of devices in the free version).
Nowadays, since I have a Synology NAS I use Synology Note Station which
comes with it for free.

-jw-

--

And now for something completely different...

On 1/1/2024 8:12 AM, Joerg Walther wrote:

> I used to use Evernote, simply because it syncs texts entered on the
> Android device to all other devices on which it is installed...

I keep the text info I may need to refer to (like current family
addresses, phone numbers, etc.) as PERMANENT drafts in Gmail. That way
they are easy to read and/or edit when needed on ALL my devices no
matter the OS...

On 2 Jan 2024 10:27:53 -0700 AJL wrote:
>On 1/1/2024 8:12 AM, Joerg Walther wrote:
>
>> I used to use Evernote, simply because it syncs texts entered on the
>> Android device to all other devices on which it is installed...
>
>I keep the text info I may need to refer to (like current family
>addresses, phone numbers, etc.) as PERMANENT drafts in Gmail. That way
>they are easy to read and/or edit when needed on ALL my devices no
>matter the OS...

I use my (free) Dropbox account and the Dropbox app for that, on Android,
iPhone and via file-explorer-equivalent on Linux. And I can share files
with others in my family.

I'm not particularly recommending Dropbox, I prefer NextCloud because it
doesn't keep nagging me to upgrade. But most of my family have Dropbox
installed, and everybody has heard of it.

The Dropbox app has a built-in editor, which is good enough for text
notes. I ought to be able to edit Dropbox files straight in DroidEdit - I
used to do that for code files - but it gives me an error "Failed to
retrieve file list" at the moment. Hmmm.

--
(Remove numerics from email address)

On 1 Jan 2024 15:06:45 +0100 Arno Welzel wrote:
>Dave Royal, 2023-12-31 20:37:
>
>> On 31 Dec 2023 11:20:36 -0800 croy wrote:
>>> Is there anything equivalent to Notepad in Android?
>>>
>> I use DroidEdit. I've used it since Android 4.
>
>I prefer QuickEdit. There is also a one time paid version without ads
>named "QuickEdit+".

I discovered that Dropbox access no longer works in DroidEdit. I think the
API must have changed since the last update in 2017. So maybe I need to
replace it.

The Dropbox app will edit .txt files itself, but you can't create a text
file in the app. I used to create them in DroidEdit and save ithem into
Dropbox - which no longer works. Can QuickEdit do that?

An irritating feature of DroidEdit has always been that you can't, from a
File Manager (I'm using Samsung's 'Files' app), open a file in DroidEdit
unless it has a .txt extension. For example I have many .abc (ABC music
notation) files, which are just text. To open them from Files I have to
rename them .txt. I can open them from DroidEdit but that is less
convenient. (I can save them as .abc or any other extension.)

So I want a text editor that will open - from a file manager - any file,
whatever the extension or with none. Or at least accept html xml json opml
py js sh ... and preferably abc. Can QuickEdit do that?

Ideally, it could access NextCloud as well as Dropbox.

--
(Remove numerics from email address)

On 4 Jan 2024 20:21:42 -0000 (UTC) Dave Royal wrote:
>
>I discovered that Dropbox access no longer works in DroidEdit. I think the
>API must have changed since the last update in 2017. So maybe I need to
>replace it.
>
>The Dropbox app will edit .txt files itself, but you can't create a text
>file in the app. I used to create them in DroidEdit and save ithem into
>Dropbox - which no longer works. Can QuickEdit do that?
>
>An irritating feature of DroidEdit has always been that you can't, from a
>File Manager (I'm using Samsung's 'Files' app), open a file in DroidEdit
>unless it has a .txt extension. For example I have many .abc (ABC music
>notation) files, which are just text. To open them from Files I have to
>rename them .txt. I can open them from DroidEdit but that is less
>convenient. (I can save them as .abc or any other extension.)
>
>So I want a text editor that will open - from a file manager - any file,
>whatever the extension or with none. Or at least accept html xml json opml
>py js sh ... and preferably abc. Can QuickEdit do that?
>
>Ideally, it could access NextCloud as well as Dropbox.

Answering my own questions. QuickEdit will:
- open dropbox and nextcloud files, using 'Open SAF', and save them back.
It will not _create_ a file in either.
- it can't open .abc files from Samsung's Files app but it has its own
file manager and it will open them from that (and json etc) which is
nearly as good.

Thanks Arno for the suggestion.
--
(Remove numerics from email address)

Dave Royal, 2024-01-06 17:33:

> On 4 Jan 2024 20:21:42 -0000 (UTC) Dave Royal wrote:
[...]
>> Ideally, it could access NextCloud as well as Dropbox.
>
> Answering my own questions. QuickEdit will:
> - open dropbox and nextcloud files, using 'Open SAF', and save them back.
> It will not _create_ a file in either.

Yes, this is a pity, since SAF (Storage Access Framework) allows
creating files (I've done this in my own app already), but this seems
not to be implemented in QuickEdit.

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

On 6 Jan 2024 20:38:24 +0100 Arno Welzel wrote:
>Dave Royal, 2024-01-06 17:33:
>
>> On 4 Jan 2024 20:21:42 -0000 (UTC) Dave Royal wrote:
>[...]
>>> Ideally, it could access NextCloud as well as Dropbox.
>>
>> Answering my own questions. QuickEdit will:
>> - open dropbox and nextcloud files, using 'Open SAF', and save them back.
>> It will not _create_ a file in either.
>
>Yes, this is a pity, since SAF (Storage Access Framework) allows
>creating files (I've done this in my own app already), but this seems
>not to be implemented in QuickEdit.

When I'm more familiar with it perhaps I'll raise an RFC.

Why are 'Open' and 'Open (SAF)' separate menu items? Historical I guess.
And the Storage Manager doesn't maintain location to allow me to load
successive .abc files from the same directory. They should all be combined
IMO.

--
(Remove numerics from email address)

Dave Royal, 2024-01-06 21:34:

> On 6 Jan 2024 20:38:24 +0100 Arno Welzel wrote:
>> Dave Royal, 2024-01-06 17:33:
>>
>>> On 4 Jan 2024 20:21:42 -0000 (UTC) Dave Royal wrote:
>> [...]
>>>> Ideally, it could access NextCloud as well as Dropbox.
>>>
>>> Answering my own questions. QuickEdit will:
>>> - open dropbox and nextcloud files, using 'Open SAF', and save them back.
>>> It will not _create_ a file in either.
>>
>> Yes, this is a pity, since SAF (Storage Access Framework) allows
>> creating files (I've done this in my own app already), but this seems
>> not to be implemented in QuickEdit.
>
> When I'm more familiar with it perhaps I'll raise an RFC.
>
> Why are 'Open' and 'Open (SAF)' separate menu items? Historical I guess.

They use different ways to get to the files. "Open" uses direct access
to a physical drive path while "Open (SAF)" uses the SAF which can more
or less use any kind of file storage - even Drop Box or Nextcloud, if
you have installed these apps.

> And the Storage Manager doesn't maintain location to allow me to load
> successive .abc files from the same directory. They should all be combined
> IMO.

When you open the file via the SAF there is no "folder" which the app
can use next time again. The app will just get a token which grants
access to the selected file - but the app does not know anything at all
how the storage is organized behind that token.

--
Arno Welzel
https://arnowelzel.de

On 9 Jan 2024 01:40:47 +0100 Arno Welzel wrote:
>Dave Royal, 2024-01-06 21:34:
>
>> On 6 Jan 2024 20:38:24 +0100 Arno Welzel wrote:
>>> Dave Royal, 2024-01-06 17:33:
>>>
>>>> On 4 Jan 2024 20:21:42 -0000 (UTC) Dave Royal wrote:
>>> [...]
>>>>> Ideally, it could access NextCloud as well as Dropbox.
>>>>
>>>> Answering my own questions. QuickEdit will:
>>>> - open dropbox and nextcloud files, using 'Open SAF', and save them back.
>>>> It will not _create_ a file in either.
>>>
>>> Yes, this is a pity, since SAF (Storage Access Framework) allows
>>> creating files (I've done this in my own app already), but this seems
>>> not to be implemented in QuickEdit.
>>
>> When I'm more familiar with it perhaps I'll raise an RFC.
>>
>> Why are 'Open' and 'Open (SAF)' separate menu items? Historical I guess.
>
>They use different ways to get to the files. "Open" uses direct access
>to a physical drive path while "Open (SAF)" uses the SAF which can more
>or less use any kind of file storage - even Drop Box or Nextcloud, if
>you have installed these apps.

Understood, but with 'Open SAF', I don't need the Open menu at all. The
only disadvantage of SAF, AFAICS, is it's slower on first use.

But reading the help, I suspect that SAF is not available on earlier
Android versions (this is 13) which is why I said 'historical'.

>> And the Storage Manager doesn't maintain location to allow me to load
>> successive .abc files from the same directory. They should all be combined
>> IMO.

>When you open the file via the SAF there is no "folder" which the app
>can use next time again. The app will just get a token which grants
>access to the selected file - but the app does not know anything at all
>how the storage is organized behind that token.

It's the Storage Manager that loses context. Use case:
I'm looking through some .abc tunes. I open Storage Manager and navigate
to Internal Storage > david > concertina (4 taps). I open tune1.abc
To open tune2.abc I have to do all that again - it doesn't remember the
folder.

(Doing that from the Samsung Files app /will/ keep the folder open - but
won't open the .abc files - my original gripe.)

SAF however /will/ remember the last-used folder - whether it's local or
cloud. My conclusion: SAF is better, don't use Open or the Storage
Manager.

Anyway, it's much more capable than DroidEdit.

--
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