Great WPF Applications #8: NoteScraps

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I love this little application: it's a joyous example of how the subtle use of WPF can add greatly to an application experience.

NoteScraps is a handy little tool for jotting down little nuggets of unstructured information - when you're on the phone and someone needs to give you a reference number or an email address, when you're just jotting down a short list of to-do items, when you're just scribbling down a quick reminder. You can launch it with a keyboard shortcut or directly from the system tray, and then you simply start typing to create your note.

This application is 100% WPF and managed code: you can download a shareware version from their website, or just watch a Camtasia demonstration of how its used.

Here are a couple of things that I really like about the way the application is done:

  • The notes are slightly rotated - not enough to make reading awkward, but just enough to add a more casual look to the application;
  • The notes size to content: there's no manual management to be done for the layout;
  • As you type characters into the Find field,the notes that don't contain the search text snap out of the way and the others animate back together in an appealing manner: the animation really helps you see what's going on in an inductive manner. It just feels polished.

Try it out - it's a fun little app!