Turn a Browser into a Scratchpad

Productivity Sauce
Transforming your browser into a scratchpad for jotting down notes is as easy as entering the data:text/html, <html contenteditable> line into the address bar and hitting Enter. There are a lot of variations of this simple trick, and you can find a few of them in a thread on Hacker News. I use a slightly modified version of Writability:
data:text/html;charset=utf-8, <title>Scribbles</title><body OnLoad='document.body.focus();' contenteditable style="font-size:21px;line-height:1.6;font-family:'Alegreya',Alegreya;max-width:21em;margin:0 auto;padding:3rem;background-color:rgb(233,233,225);color:rgb(68,68,68);" spellcheck="false">
This solution looks and behaves like a regular text editor, and it even supports basic text formatting like bold and italics. The only shortcoming of this neat hack is the fact that there is no straightforward way to save the contents. To solve this problem, you can use a simple Bash shell script that appends the current text selection to the scribbles.txt text file:
#!/bin/bashxsel -p >> ~/scribbles.txt
The script uses the xsel utility which is available in the software repositories of many mainstream Linux distributions. To install xsel on Debian or Ubuntu, run the apt-get install xsel command as root. Make the script executable using the chmod +x foo.sh command. Finally, assign a keyboard shortcut to the script. On KDE, this can be done in the Shortcuts and Gestures section of the System Settings panel. To save the contents of the scratchpad, select the entire text and press the assigned shortcut.
comments powered by DisqusIssue 269/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Kubuntu Focus Announces XE Gen 2 Linux Laptop
Another Kubuntu-based laptop has arrived to be your next ultra-portable powerhouse with a Linux heart.
-
MNT Seeks Financial Backing for New Seven-Inch Linux Laptop
MNT Pocket Reform is a tiny laptop that is modular, upgradable, recyclable, reusable, and ships with Debian Linux.
-
Ubuntu Flatpak Remix Adds Flatpak Support Preinstalled
If you're looking for a version of Ubuntu that includes Flatpak support out of the box, there's one clear option.
-
Gnome 44 Release Candidate Now Available
The Gnome 44 release candidate has officially arrived and adds a few changes into the mix.
-
Flathub Vying to Become the Standard Linux App Store
If the Flathub team has any say in the matter, their product will become the default tool for installing Linux apps in 2023.
-
Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
-
Planet Computers Launches ARM-based Linux Desktop PCs
The firm that originally released a line of mobile keyboards has taken a different direction and has developed a new line of out-of-the-box mini Linux desktop computers.
-
Ubuntu No Longer Shipping with Flatpak
In a move that probably won’t come as a shock to many, Ubuntu and all of its official spins will no longer ship with Flatpak installed.
-
openSUSE Leap 15.5 Beta Now Available
The final version of the Leap 15 series of openSUSE is available for beta testing and offers only new software versions.
-
Linux Kernel 6.2 Released with New Hardware Support
Find out what's new in the most recent release from Linus Torvalds and the Linux kernel team.