How to Take Notes in the Linux Terminal With tnote

Most people don’t need fancy apps to jot down their ideas. If you’re one of them, you should install tnote, a CLI-based note-taking app for Linux.

You probably launch a text editor every time you need to save an idea, code snippet, or URL. But you don’t always have to use a text editor to save tidbits.

If you’re a Linux terminal fanatic, consider incorporating a terminal-based note-taking application into your workflow. Let’s learn how to take notes in the Linux terminal.

Take notes in the Linux terminal with tnote

tnote is a cross-platform, free and open-source terminal-based note-taking application that you can call in the terminal whenever you need to save data quickly. It’s lightweight but offers features like encryption, theme, text highlighting, tagging, and more.

Check out the official tnote repository to learn more about the software and its features.

Installing and setting up tnote on Linux

tnote depends on the libsqlcipher-dev Package. As a first step, you need to install it before installing tnote. To install the dependency on your Linux system:

On Ubuntu/Debian derivatives:

sudo apt install libsqlcipher-dev

On Arch-based Linux distributions:

sudo pacman -S libsqlcipher-dev

On Fedora, RHEL, CentOS and other RPM-based distributions:

sudo dnf install libsqlcipher-dev

Now that you’ve installed the dependency, it’s time to install tnote. First, clone the official repository to your local machine. Then change to the cloned directory with the cd command and install the requirements with pip:

git clone https:
cd tnote
pip install -r requirement.txt

Once the requirements are installed, use the chmod command with the +x Flag to make the tnote script executable. Then go to the ~/bin directory and add a symbolic link to the script using the ln command:

ln -s /path/to/tnote

Now let’s try taking notes with the app in the terminal.

How to take notes in the terminal with tnote

Now you can take notes on the go! Invoke tnote by typing annotation in the Linux terminal and start jotting down your notes. When you start it for the first time, you will be asked for a key and a passphrase. Be sure to remember these as you will need them later to access your notes database.

After entering the passphrase and key, tnote will greet you with a prompt similar to the screenshot above. Here you can enter your notes. When you’re done, exit tnote by pressing Ctrl + D.

tnote: The best note-taking application for Linux

Taking notes is crucial to staying organized as a developer or student. This is even more important if you are a beginner venturing into the world of programming and trying to keep track of your lessons. Good note-taking skills can help you plan better, stay organized, and reach your goals faster.

While terminal note apps are good, you might be looking for a more rounded solution. If you take your notes seriously, you’ll be glad to know that there is an endless list of the best note-taking apps for coders.