Install and open
- Download the DMG, drag AetherNote into Applications and open it. Users of 0.1.0 or 0.1.1 need to install 0.1.5 or later manually once. Local notes are preserved.
- Click the menu bar note icon to reveal the line. If top-edge reveal is enabled, pause at the top center for about 0.6 seconds. Pin it to keep it visible.
- Use Control–Option–N to write a line and Control–Option–L to toggle the line. Menu bar actions remain available if shortcuts conflict.
Check, download and relaunch
- Choose Check for Updates… in Settings, the application menu or the menu bar icon’s context menu. Update windows follow the system language.
- Review the new version and download it. Once the archive has downloaded and its signature is verified, click Install and Relaunch.
- Save or cancel unfinished entry edits before continuing; append drafts are saved. Retry failed downloads. The current version remains in use until installation.
No automatic checks, downloads or restarts by default. Version 0.1.2 is the first release with the updater.
Write, edit and arrange
- Open today's note or any past day and press Return to add an entry. Shift–Return inserts a newline; submitting multiple lines creates separate entries. Use each entry's menu to edit or delete it.
- Opening a day, review or Settings temporarily hides the clothesline and pauses edge reveal. Closing the last window restores it only if previously visible and still enabled. While editing an entry, the add-line box steps aside until you save or cancel.
- Past days remain editable and future days open when they arrive. Editing an old entry does not move it to today.
- Drag sideways to reorder and vertically to spring back. Click Tidy or double-click the rope to restore date order. Settings include weekends, languages and materials.
Clothesline visibility
- Turn off Enable clothesline at the top of Settings to keep it hidden, including after relaunch. Writing, review and settings remain accessible from the menu bar. Enable it again anytime.
- Top-edge reveal is separate, defaults off for new installs and preserves existing choices. Turn it off to reveal manually with the menu bar or Control–Option–L. That shortcut opens Settings when the whole clothesline is disabled.
- Tidy the line is available in the toolbar, Settings and menu bar context menu. It restores the viewed week to date order while preserving entries, colors, drafts and other weeks.
Daily colors and returning to this week
- Open a day and click Note color. Choose one of eight presets or preview a custom color, then click Apply. Six-digit HEX values are supported.
- Automatic colors are distinct within a week by default. Surprise me selects and saves a different preset. Rearranging, switching weeks and restarting preserve colors, and JSON backups include them.
- The clothesline and weekly review have a This week button. Return from any past or future week using the current system date without changing entries or their arrangement.
Quiet hourly reminders
An hour without recording produces only a menu bar mark. Reminders defer while typing and reset after sleep. Right-click the menu bar icon to dismiss, or disable and preview reminders in Settings.
Backup and recovery
The weekly review can copy the week or export Markdown. Settings can export a JSON journal backup; drafts and preferences are separate. Copy the entire data folder to preserve them too.
To restore, quit the app, back up the entire data directory, then copy an exported JSON file into it as journal.json and reopen. journal.previous.json keeps only the state before the latest write, not a long-term history.