minipad2: notekeeper/calculator/memo/launcher...

[tryforsure]

minipad2 is a tiny, multi-page style windows program which integrates all the useful functions including text editor, calculator, reminder, dictionary, text template & clipboard-enhancement . All the contents saved in a single text file. It automatically restores the last state when re-opened. It can be set as start with windows and minimize to the system tray with very few memory take-up.

minipad2 is a single-exe green software. It can be directly used when unzipped to a random directory without installation. It adds no key to the system registry, except for the "Run" key when set as start with windows.


http://www.nebulasoft.cn/index_en.html

cheers

[Drutt]

Handy little application, thanks for the submission

[ashghost]

This little piece of software is AMAZING! It's the notes/clipboard/calc/dictionary/reminder app I didn't know I was looking for. Nothing I've seen has combined all of those functions so well, with hotkeys, portability, plain-text storage, backups, and a great UI - all while taking up just 6 MB of RAM!

One limitation is that the English "dictionaries" offered on the program's download page are very small. The .dic files are just tab-separated text files:

@"DictionaryTitle"
"word1" "definition1"
"word2" "definition2"
etc...

Does anyone know where to get a full English-English dictionary in a text file like that? Aspell's dictionary is just a wordlist for spellchecking, and when I search Google just about all I can find are translating dictionaries. Yadabyte Dictionary, WordWeb, StarDict, and TheSage all use closed/binary file formats. Project Gutenberg's is gigantic - with etymolgy, examples, and long definitions.

[tryforsure]

Hmmm, not been added to the database. Strange, it is portable!

[I am Baas]

Minipad2 is at version 3.1 (Last update: June. 14th, 2009)

http://www.nebulasoft.cn/minipad2/downloads_en.html

[xiaodiega]

minipad2 is a tiny program which integrates many useful functions including notepad, calculator, reminder, dictionary, launcher, address list, text template & clipboard-enhancement, with very low system-requirement and memory take-up. All the contents are automatically saved while minimized or closed, and when re-opened the last state will be restored.

The program can be freely switched between two styles: multi-page style and treeview style. When no longer used, it can be minimized to the system-tray, or hide outside of the desktop.

The program provides very flexible configurations. Besides the basic notepad function, all the other extended functions (calculator, reminder...) are like plug-ins which can be freely enabled or disabled in the options.

minipad2 is a single-exe green software. It can be directly used when unzipped to any directory without installation. It adds no key to the system registry, except for the "Run" key when set as start with windows.

The current version of minipad2 is 3.1.3,updated in July. 24th, 2009.

Homepage: http://www.nebulasoft.cn/index_en.html
Download: http://www.nebulasoft.cn/minipad2/downloads_en.html

Screenshots:
Note:


Calculator:


Memo:


Dictionary:


Launcher:


Contact List:


Multi-clipboard:


Text template:

[infimum]

Welcome and search first please.

viewtopic.php?t=2815

[ashghost]

It was also just added to the database: http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=1500

[Midas]

FTR, Minipad2 is in the database: http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1500 (alas, development abandoned, official site gone).

@Mod: shouldn't http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/ ... php?t=5091 and http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/ ... php?t=5165 be merged here?

[webfork]

shouldn't http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/ ... php?t=5091 and http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/ ... php?t=5165 be merged here?

Good catch but I'll leave the update thread separate. I sometimes combine them for older programs or when the conversation goes into items about the program itself, but the minipad2 update thread is pretty focused on versioning.

[TxT-man]

As a (very!) satisfied MemPad (By Horst Schaeffer) user I knew this program, but did not see the need for it.
A few days ago I got curious, and downloaded a copy (see below!)

My first impressions are very positive (used on a W10 system):

• Uses its own file format, but each page can be mirrored to an external text file. (Also: existing textfiles can be virtually mirrored into minipads page hierarchy)
• Selectable Unicode/UTF-8/UTF-16
• Global search generates a list of all results (One of the few things I was missing in MemPad)
• Can listen to windows clipboard - so all clips (made with a user selectable keyboard short-cut) are appended to a minipad page (Note 1)
• 'Templates' can insert clips from a selectable list - also in external programs, and they can contain keypresses (like Tabs and arrows) so forms can be filled
• 'Reminder' Calendar function triples as 1: an alarm Clock and 2: a To-Do list (I use 'Date Reminder' by Horst Schaeffer - and miss being able to make date alarms go off at a specific time)
• Calculator page for simple (and advanced) calculations are (IMHO) more friendly than Windows Calculator


In short: For the next month it will live in my system tray for testing, and already looks like it has earned a permanent place as a supplement to MemPad

(Note 1) BUG: I found one...: I cannot get the 'Watch Clipboard' function to work - But the 'Auto Record' (which also copies/appends clipboard content) works

BAD LINK:
The link in the database entry ( http://www.nebulasoft.cn/minipad2/downl ... nipad2.zip ) leads to nowhere...
Please update link to https://web.archive.org/web/20140926170 ... nipad2.zip
(On the Wayback Machine there are 3 newer captures - but they just lead to 'Error 404' pages)

========================================
This is my first post in this forum, but I have lurked to find inspiration since 2012.
In the near future I expect to add a few tricks to the MemPad discussion - I think that many are not aware of how versatile this unassuming little program is for those who write a lot on many different topics.

[Midas]

Mod note: Minipad2 database entry updated to point to Archive.org.

FTR, here are the relevant links:

https://web.archive.org/web/20141118235433/
http://www.nebulasoft.cn/minipad2/minipad2_en.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20131129121153/
http://www.nebulasoft.cn/minipad2/downloads/minipad2.zip

https://web.archive.org/web/20120122134227mp_/
http://www.nebulasoft.cn/minipad2/versionhistory_en.html

[dmiranda]

(Note 1) BUG: I found one...: I cannot get the 'Watch Clipboard' function to work - But the 'Auto Record' (which also copies/appends clipboard content) works

Hi there. I've been using it for many years, and it's rock solid. Watch Clipbaord works for me, but its contents are only visible through clipbard manage. I put both icons next to each other in the toolbar.

Now, I haven't been able to make auto record work, so far. I will now try again.

Thanks for ringing this back. Cheers!

[TxT-man]

UPDATE:
The Bug cleared itself - and the multi-clipboard ('Watch Clipboard') function works.
I'm on W10/64bit - and it appears to be connected to a late october 2024 update that also broke some functions in FreeTube (The alternative frontend for Youtube that filters out ads)
After a security update in late november both FreeTube and minipad2 began working as advertised.

I did find another clipboard-bug:
If I activate the 'Auto Record' function, and the target is set to a text note that is a virtual link to an external text-file (minipad2 can work with files that are not actually inside the programs own data-file, but they appear to be) UTF-8 text is mangled when copied from the external text-file - but is OK when copied from the virtual page inside minipad2.

Also:
Since the latest windows update, the 'Auto Record' function has changed - now everything I copy while the function is activated, will be appended to the active minipad2 note-page.
Before, things I copied with the normal (Ctrl-c) function was NOT appended, and I had to use a special keyboard-shortcut to make it work (I assigned 'Ctrl-Alt-c')

Since I am not a programmer, I don't know what is happening - but I believe that many of these functions are heavily dependent on windows 'Win32.dll' file; Windows late september update borked it, so for most of october I missed a single icon on MemPad's toolbar (The 'Red Stop Sign' signifying a locked page was there - but the greyed out version (when a page is unlocked) was gone, and instead a little blue dot took its place)

[TxT-man]

Hi there. I've been using it for many years, and it's rock solid. Watch Clipbaord works for me, but its contents are only visible through clipbard manage. I put both icons next to each other in the toolbar.

Now, I haven't been able to make auto record work, so far. I will now try again.

Thanks for ringing this back. Cheers!

After some testing, I have placed it in the system tray. From the context-menu I can activate both the ''Watch Clipboard' and the 'Auto Record' function - and via the context-menu I can also select recent clips and insert them in my editor of choice (MemPad) - I have also begun experimenting with the 'Template' function, which allows one to keep a library of longer text nippets to easily insert into any text-editor.

While minipad2 can not replace MemPad, it delivers some strong functions that I have missed - like the 'Global Search' which generates a clickable list of search-term occurrences in context - something I miss when I search MemPad for #TAG's, and have tried to get mr. Horst Schroeder to implement.
Also, the task list with timed alarms is something that I have begun using every day.

But for general writing, MemPad is still the undisputed King: The three easily editable insert-menus makes TAGging a breeze; the send-to menu makes it possible to send marked text to TED Notepad, or to CSVFileView to instantly generate a text table; the export-to-HTML function (via the little MPhtml program) is in daily use to generate complete web-pages.