Braindump to Notes

Intro

Find information about the newest release of Braindump to Notes by going through the /android link.
The page you are looking at describes version 3.0.6, released on the Android Market on december XX 2011. Mosts of the information below can also be found inside the app. Braindump to Notes was the first Android app i released. My other app, Actions with Notes, can do what Braindump does, but it does a whole lot of other stuff too. I recommened that you take a look at Actions with Notes too. You can find the app in the Android market: Braindump to Notes.

Video demo

About

The app does not do a lot.
You can quickly type in short "notes", and when you are ready it can store these in your Lotus Notes ToDo database. The Lotus Notes ToDo database is actually the same database that stores your Lotus Notes email.
The app was created for me to be able to quickly get rid of Stuff that is on my mind. I need a place to put such Stuff in order for me to later have a look at the Stuff and make decisions on what needs to get done about it. I organise my work after the Getting Things Done way of thinking, a method invented by David Allen.
My ToDo system is based on Lotus Notes and the eProductivity template. eProductivity is a commercial product that extends the standard Lotus Notes email, calendar and ToDo system in a fashion that is Getting Things Done compatible.
If you choose to use the BrainDump to Notes app, what will happen is that notes written in BrainDump to Notes, when sync'ed to Domino, will show up as uncategorized ToDo's (called Actions in eProductivity) in your regular ToDo views. If you are an eProductivity user, these will be Actions that have no context yet. There is a setting in eProductivity that, when enabled, will prompt you to handle such yet uncategorized Actions.

Warranties, disclaimer etc

This product comes with no warranty or guarantees of any kind. Use at your own risk.

Privacy information - Lotus Domino related

If you will be using Braindump to Notes for synchronizing to Lotus Domino you will need to store information in the application about how to access the Lotus Domino server including your Lotus Notes user name and password.

Privacy information - Useage statistics

The Braindump to Notes appliaction tracks simple useage statistics. It does not track you personally, it tracks general informaiontion like which countries users are situated in, which Android versions are used and whether users are runnning current versions of the application. The purpose is to get a general picture of the use. The statistics are generated by using the localytics.com tool set.

License

This product is free. You are allowed to use it as it is. You are not allowed to sell the product.

Getting started

When you are in the first window - the one with the Add button - click the menu and then Preferences to configure some information about you and your Lotus Domino server. Some notes on what needs to go in the different configuration items.

Login name

Your full Lotus Notes user name. It should be in a format like this: Jens Bruntt/Copenhagen/Convergens.

Login password

Put your Lotus Domino web password here. Your web password may be different from your Lotus Notes client password.

Host name

The host name of the Domino server that holds your email database. In a format like this: www.mail.acme.com.

Mail path

The path to your email database on the Domino mail server. In a format like this: /mail/dbname.nsf.

HTTP Port

The HTTP port to use when synchronizing to Domino. Default is 80. Do not change it unless you know that you need to.
If your Domino server is SSL-enabled you will most likely have to change the number to 443.

Use SSL

Check this if your Domino server is SSL-enabled. Remember to set the proper number in the HTTP Port preference.

Debugging

If things don't work, there is a log available that should give you some extra information about what might be wrong. Click menu and then Log to see the log. The newest entries will be at the bottom of the list.

Limitations

The app does not support HTTPS. Only HTTP is in this release.
Simple Domino login is not supported. You need Multiserver or Single server session authentication.

Credits etc

The graphic for the Launcher icon was made by Nathan Freeman. It is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
I have been heavily inspired by code found here: symfony android client, which nicely wraps code for doing HTTP requests.
I have also used examples found in Creating and Using Databases in Android, a nice article on how to use the built in SQL database.
And I have been using the (Danish language) set of beginners articles on Android development published here: Android-skolen del 5: Byg tre små robotter sammen til én stor
Working with adding functionality to the list of saved notes, I have used a number of resources:
Context menu when long-pressing: How do you implement context menu in a ListActivity on Android? and How to create Advanced Menus Via Our Google Android Applications
And when adding the talk to me button i used the following on voice to text: VoiceRecognition.java and Speech Input

Displaying the log to the user: How to capture application log
Allowing the app to sync with Domino using SSL encryption: Custom SSL handling stopped working on Android 2.2 FroYo