Improving the Simplenote Web Client

I like Markdown, use Linux, and needed a note taking app that syncs with Android. Simplenote is perfect, right?

Almost Perfect…

Simplenote is… simple. One of its best features (simplicity) can at times be a liability for usability. So, taking matters in my own hands, I set out to fix it.

Let’s start with the web browser interface because it’s easiest to modify. I use Firefox but all commands are portable to Chrome.

Step 1: Minimum Window Decoration

Easy, create a bookmark that removes window decorations:

javascript: void window.open(
  'https://app.simplenote.com',
  '_blank',
  'outerWidth=958,outerHeight=567,top=500,left=600,menubar=no,toolbar=no,location=no,personalbar=no,status=no,resizable',
);

Done. Next?

Step 2: Stylish

Simplenote uses text and element spacing that’s too large. This issue requires an extension to fix — Stylish for Chrome or Stylish for Firefox.

After installing Stylish, we add code targeting app.simplenote.com. I’ve posted my code to this GitHub Gist.

For me, this is much better.

Step 3: Double Click Action

The final complaint I have about the Simplenote web interface is the automatic toggling between Preview and Edit when you click twice on the window.

To prevent this behavior, we need to inject a little jQuery into the browser’s debugging console. Right click on the window and select Inspect Element. Choose the ‘Console’ tab and paste the following:

$('*').click(function () {
  $('#static_content').unbind('dblclick');
});
$('#view_mode_markdown').click();

This is certainly a little annoying but the results are worth it. When I’m working I leave the Simplenote window open long enough that I don’t mind disabling double-click. I simply save the code in a note titled “Why can’t I configure you Simplenote!!”

Conclusion

That’s it. With these changes I find Simplenote to be unsurpassed in functionality and convenience. In the future I’d like to get involved with their GitHub / Android client project.

If you have any additional recommendations please let me know.