must-haves and like-to-haves

Gavin Holt

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May 7, 2025, 7:37:01 PMMay 7

to Idealist

Hi,

I am using idealist to collect data, and insert into large boiler-plate HTML documents (my surgical operation notes). This has been very reliable and allows easy modification over time. I do not have much experience in using the admirable searching capabilities of Idealist, my must-haves and like-to-haves reflect my limited use case.

Must-haves

Fully portable

Better to install by extracting a zip file, rather than running an installer. I have been doing it this way for years, and it also works flawlessly on my OneDrive (mapped to a constant drive letter).

Requires a way to use idealist.ini from the application folder, in preference to c:\windows.

Idealist.ini is the only way to set file locations (personal.dic and stopwords.lst) and set flash (splash screen) to zero seconds.

Editor improvements

This could be a never ending wish-list. I have limited myself to current limitations!

Granular Undo

At present undo (CTRL+Z) reverts to the previous version of the whole record! Not so good if I just want to undo a paste in a long text field.

I have hacked the exe to disable Ctrl+Z.

Auto-indent & Lists

I use indented lists a lot! I guess bullet lists and auto numbered lists would also be useful.

Mouse scrolling and scaling

I can get scrolling using autohotkey. As I get older CTLR+Scroll to increase font size is a common action.

Buttons and Hyper-linking

Currently hyper-links and shell commands can be hand made by inserting buttons containing commands e.g

SearchFind(!Home)

Run("https://alternativeto.net/software/idealist/")

Run("F:\\Gavin\\MyPrograms\\APPS\\idealist\\Tree\\ToDo.txt")

Unfortunately these buttons can’t display a label, they look awful and print badly.

Also I would really like to control the current directory in a button:

CDDatabase() Run("ToDo.txt") -- Fails

Perhaps a new pseudo-field would help:

{@Datapath} Database path and terminal \\

example: "The local todo list is " + {@Datapath} + "Todo.txt"

NB. A setting for Default Browser is also likely to be popular.

Spelling

Spell-check whole record, not just current field.

Right click highlighted miss-spelling to select a suggestions.

Menu and shortcut re-organisation

This is a very subjective and personal subject. Thankfully resource hacker will allow re-jigging of the available menuitems and keyboard accelerators.

My personalised menu is included below:

1 MENU

LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US

{

POPUP "&File"

{

MENUITEM "&New...", 1001

MENUITEM "&Open...\tCtrl+O", 1002

MENUITEM "Save Copy &As...", 1004

MENUITEM "&Close\tCtrl+F4", 1005

MENUITEM "Close &All", 1604

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Import...", 1008

MENUITEM "&Export...", 1009

MENUITEM "&Print...\tCtrl+Shift+F12", 1010

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&1", 1020

MENUITEM "&2", 1021

MENUITEM "&3", 1022

MENUITEM "&4", 1023

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "E&xit", 1013

}

POPUP "&Edit"

{

MENUITEM "&Undo\tCtrl+Z", 1101

MENUITEM "Repeat\tF12", 1995

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Cu&t\tCtrl+X", 1102

MENUITEM "&Copy\tCtrl+C", 1103

MENUITEM "Copy &Record", 1104

MENUITEM "&Paste\tCtrl+V", 1105

MENUITEM "&Yank line\tCtrl+Y", 1131

MENUITEM "&Goto field...\tCtrl+G", 1407

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Find...\tCtrl+F", 1106

MENUITEM "R&eplace...\tCtrl+H", 1107

MENUITEM "&Next\tCtrl+F3", 1120

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Change Case", 1122

MENUITEM "Reformat\tCtrl+W", 1123

MENUITEM "&Spelling...", 1109

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Abbreviations...\tCtrl+A", 1108

MENUITEM "Expand\tCtrl+Enter", 1121

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

POPUP "&Insert"

{

MENUITEM "&Date", 1110

MENUITEM "&Time", 1111

MENUITEM "&Graphic...", 1112

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Pick List Item...", 1118

MENUITEM "&Vocabulary Item...", 1114

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Button...", 1115

MENUITEM "Button &Command...", 1117

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Record Number", 1113

MENUITEM "&Calculation...", 1116

}

POPUP "&View"

{

MENUITEM "&Overview...\tCtrl+L", 1303

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Next\tGray +", 1301

MENUITEM "&Previous\tGray -", 1302

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

POPUP "&Layout"

{

MENUITEM "&New...", 1351

MENUITEM "&Open...", 1352

MENUITEM "&Save", 1360

MENUITEM "Save &As...", 1361

MENUITEM "&Close", 1353

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "C&reate Type...", 1358

MENUITEM "De&lete Type...", 1359

}

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Op&tions...", 1313

}

POPUP "&Search"

{

MENUITEM "&Find...\tF5", 1201

MENUITEM "Find &All\tShift+F5", 1208

MENUITEM "Find Next &Highlighted", 1997

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Stac&k", 1340

MENUITEM "&CrossReference..\tCtrl+R", 1305

MENUITEM "&Backtrack\tAlt+F5", 1341

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Widen...\tF6", 1202

MENUITEM "&Narrow...\tF7", 1203

MENUITEM "&Exclude...\tF8", 1204

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&List Hitwords...", 1206

MENUITEM "Op&tions...", 1207

}

POPUP "&Hit List"

{

MENUITEM "&Overview...", 1303

MENUITEM "&Sort...", 1304

MENUITEM "&Deduplicate...", 1322

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Drop Record", 1504

MENUITEM "&Mark Record\tGray *", 1505

MENUITEM "Drop M&arked", 1506

MENUITEM "Drop &Unmarked", 1507

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Find All &Children", 1551

MENUITEM "Find All &Parents", 1555

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Load From &File...", 1343

MENUITEM "&Save To File...", 1342

MENUITEM "&Merge", 1344

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "De&lete...", 1345

MENUITEM "Op&tions...", 1346

}

POPUP "&Database"

{

POPUP "&Fields"

{

MENUITEM "&Insert...", 1401

MENUITEM "&Append...", 1402

MENUITEM "&Split", 1403

MENUITEM "&Join With Next", 1404

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Delete", 1405

MENUITEM "Change &Type...", 1406

}

POPUP "&Record"

{

MENUITEM "&Create...\tF2", 1501

MENUITEM "&Open Template...\tCtrl+F2", 1502

MENUITEM "&Save Template...", 1503

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "De&lete", 1508

MENUITEM "Und&elete...", 1509

MENUITEM "Change &Type...", 1510

}

POPUP "&Kinship"

{

MENUITEM "&Name Record...", 1511

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Find &Children", 1551

MENUITEM "&Beget Child...", 1552

MENUITEM "&Adopt Child...", 1553

MENUITEM "Aban&don Child...", 1554

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Find &Parent", 1555

MENUITEM "&Imprint Parent...", 1556

MENUITEM "Aba&ndon Parent...", 1557

}

POPUP "&Setup"

{

MENUITEM "View &Source\tF9", 1321

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Define &Fields...", 1408

MENUITEM "Define &Records...", 1512

MENUITEM "Define &Toolbar...", 1312

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "Pass&word...", 1011

MENUITEM "Modify &Synonyms...", 1205

MENUITEM "&Reindex...", 1007

MENUITEM "&Delete...", 1006

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&Properties...", 1014

MENUITEM "&Options...", 1012

}

POPUP "&Window"

{

MENUITEM "Tile &Horizontally", 1601

MENUITEM "&Tile Vertically", 1602

MENUITEM "&Cascade", 1603

}

POPUP "&Help"

{

MENUITEM "&Contents", 1701

MENUITEM "&Search for Help On...", 1702

MENUITEM "&How to Use Help", 1703

MENUITEM SEPARATOR

MENUITEM "&About...", 1704

}

This menu uses a modified set of accelerators (note CTRL+Z is removed as above):

11 ACCELERATORS

LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US

{

"^A", 1108, NOINVERT

"^C", 1103, NOINVERT

"^B", 1123, NOINVERT

"^F", 1106, NOINVERT

"^G", 1407, NOINVERT

VK_H, 1107, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

"^I", 1108, NOINVERT

"^O", 1002, NOINVERT

"^R", 1313, NOINVERT

"^V", 1105, NOINVERT

"^X", 1102, NOINVERT

"^Y", 1131, NOINVERT

VK_F1, 1701, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F1, 1910, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

VK_F2, 1501, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F2, 1501, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_F2, 1502, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

VK_F3, 1121, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F3, 1122, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_F4, 1991, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F4, 1120, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_F5, 1201, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F5, 1997, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

VK_F5, 1341, NOINVERT, ALT, VIRTKEY

VK_F5, 1208, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_F6, 1202, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F7, 1203, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F8, 1204, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F9, 1321, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F10, 1986, NOINVERT, ALT, VIRTKEY

VK_F11, 1999, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F11, 1994, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

VK_F12, 1995, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_F12, 1002, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

VK_F12, 1995, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_F12, 1010, NOINVERT, CONTROL, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_MULTIPLY, 1505, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_DIVIDE, 1504, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_ADD, 1301, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_ADD, 1301, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_SUBTRACT, 1302, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_SUBTRACT, 1302, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_INSERT, 1128, NOINVERT, VIRTKEY

VK_INSERT, 1103, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

VK_INSERT, 1105, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_DELETE, 1102, NOINVERT, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_SPACE, 1909, NOINVERT, CONTROL, SHIFT, VIRTKEY

VK_RETURN, 1121, NOINVERT, CONTROL, VIRTKEY

}

Limitations

I have had field name collisions, and in general increasing these limits would be very welcome:

Size of a field 64,000 characters
Size of a record 8 Mbytes
Length of field and record names 31 characters

Like-to-haves

Use hunspell dictionaries

One set of dictionaries in my OneDrive!

Change case

Add code to rEVERSE iNADVERTENT uSE OF THE cAPS lOCK kEY.

New Controls

Currently there is no combo-box in idealist. My preference would be a combo-box which filters options like fuzzyfind.

Chris Hurrey

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May 8, 2025, 11:03:10 AMMay 8

to Idealist

Gavin

Good to know someone is still using Idealist and has modified it to iron out some of the quirks. Thanks for the link to Resource Hacker.

Chris

Chris Hurrey

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May 24, 2025, 6:34:27 AMMay 24

to Idealist

Gavin's post got me thinking. Witha bit of clunky coding with Idealist's own programming language you can create psuedo-hyperlinks (click on a word or phrase and the system seraches within the record for the appropriate URL or file path and then runs it) and bullet/numbered points triggered by control buttons in the layout.

Happy to share the code if anyone's interested.

Chris

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