How To Save Sticky Notes On Linux With Indicator Stickynotes
Indicator Stickynotes is a note-taking application for saving sticky notes on Linux. It allows users to create graphical, “post-it note” style notes to paste on the Linux desktop.
In this guide, we’ll go over how to install Indicator Stickynotes on the Linux desktop. To use this software, you’ll need to use Ubuntu, Arch Linux. Alternatively, you must build the software from source.
Installing Indicator Stickynotes On Ubuntu
Indicator Stickynotes works on every version of Ubuntu, thanks to a well maintained personal package archive. This PPA can easily be set up and enabled on Ubuntu by opening up a terminal window and entering the following command into it.
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:umang/indicator-stickynotes
After inputting the PPA command into your Ubuntu PC’s terminal window, some text will appear. This text is a message from the PPA maintainer, and it outlines all of the features of the Indicator Stickynotes software. Read through the message and learn about the software you’re about to install. When you’re done reading the information on the screen, run the apt update command.
sudo apt update
Running the update command tells Ubuntu to go out and refresh all software sources currently on the system — including the new Indicator Stickynotes software source. Let the update run its course. When it completes, run the upgrade command.
sudo apt-get install upgrade -y
With the upgrade command done running, finish up the process by installing Indicator Stickynotes to your Ubuntu PC.
sudo apt install indicator-stickynotes -y
Installing Indicator Stickynotes On Arch Linux
Thanks to the magic of the Arch Linux AUR, Arch users looking to use Indicator Stickynotes can get it working no problem. Launch a terminal window and follow the steps below to get it working.
Note: when installing Indicator Stickynotes via the Arch AUR keep in mind that bugs may persist. There is no way to fix these bugs for Arch as it’s not the target operating system for the software.
Step 1: In the terminal, install the Git package and the Base-devel package. These packages must be installed ahead of time, as it isn’t possible to manually install an AUR package without them.
sudo pacman -S git base-devel
Step 2: Using the Git tool, grab the latest AUR snapshot of the Stickynotes Indicator tool.
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/indicator-stickynotes.git
Step 3: Move your terminal window from the home directory into the new indicator-stickynotes folder with the CD command.
cd indicator-stickynotes
Step 4: Run makepkg and generate a new package. Understand that when running this command, you may need to install dependencies from the Indicator Stickynotes AUR page manually.
makepkg -si
Installing Indicator Stickynotes On Other Linux Distributions
The Indicator Stickynotes app is for Ubuntu, primarily. The reason we can say it’s an “Ubuntu-only” application is that the only official way of installing it is via an Ubuntu PPA. With that said, if you love the idea of using Indicator Stickynotes but are not an Ubuntu user, there’s a way to get it working via the source code.
To install it via source code, you’ll need the latest version of Python, Git and other dependencies.
Note: the installer may automatically install the dependencies you need to use Indicator Stickynotes automatically. That said, if you have trouble getting the dependencies, working, you may want to reach out to the developer on Github and ask directly, as non-Ubuntu Linux distributions aren’t officially supported.
After installing all of the dependencies, you need to run Indicator Stickynotes, download the source code with Git.
git clone https://github.com/umangv/indicator-stickynotes.git
Move the terminal into the source code folder with the CD command.
cd indicator-stickynotes
Run the setup.py script and install the program to your Linux PC.
python setup.py
or
sudo chmod +x setup.py
./setup.py
Using Indicator Stickynotes
To write a note with Indicator Stickynotes, launch the application. Starting up the app will show a sticky note icon in your system tray. To create a new note, right-click on the icon and select the “new note” button.
Selecting the “new note” button creates a new blank sticky note on your Linux desktop. In this new note, fill out your message. When you’re satisfied with the message, click the “lock” icon to keep it in place.
Want to delete a note? Unlock the note by selecting the “lock icon,” then click the close button to delete it.
Run Indicator Stickynotes At Startup
Indicator Stickynotes runs in the background via the Linux system tray. Having the app always in the background makes it very easy to write a quick note out at a moments notice.
Want to keep the app in your system tray at all times? Consider setting it up to launch when you log in via autostart. To set up autostart, open up a terminal window and enter the following in a terminal.
mkdir -p ~/.config/autostart cp /usr/share/applications/indicator-stickynotes.desktop ~/.config/autostart/
