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Stickies for Websites

Seikooc.
  (+4)
(+4)
  [vote for,
against]

Websites can leave cookies on your computer, if you so allow. This, as I understand it, is useful for the website because it can retrieve, for example, your settings or preferences.

I'd like to be able to do the opposite, and leave a note for myself on a website.

For example, I use bioinformatic websites from time to time. Every time I go back to a given site, I spend a while reminding myself how to do a particular operation, or how to get to the data I want. Sometimes, I make a note and save it on my computer, but that's a pain.

So, I'd like a "leave a sticky" function, whereby a little text window pops up and I can write whatever notes I want, relevant to that website. When I next visit the site, I can recall my note. The buttons for adding and retrieving stickies should appear somewhere unobtrusive (or these could just be menu options), and a small icon next to the webpage title should tell me if I have already made a sticky for that page.

I don't mind where the notes are stored, but I'd just like to be able to leave these notes associated with the website, and retrievable only by me.

MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2012

Top Web Annotation Tools http://www.makeuseo...notate-collaborate/
[tatterdemalion, Oct 15 2012]

[link]






       Many bookmark managers have a notes field associated with the page name and URL. What you're envisioning is to make that note more readily visible when you return to a page?
swimswim, Oct 14 2012
  

       They do? How and where? Maybe that would solve my problem.   

       What I want is, when I'm on a webpage, to click "Post a note", and have a sticky-like thing pop up where I can type some text. If I revisit that page, I want a little icon to appear somewhere (off- page; maybe next to the title) which, when clicked, brings up my note.   

       Ideally, it would work whichever computer I was using (ie, it would be associated with me and with the web page; not with the computer I was using at the time), but this could get messy. It would be OK if the information was stored on my own computer, even though it would then be invisible if I were browsing from another machine.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2012
  

       In Firefox, select "Show All Bookmarks" from the Bookmarks menu item. Select a link in that bookmark manager and you can then edit fields for Name, Location, Tags, Keywords and Description. This may vary depending on your OS and version of Firefox. If you use Firefox Sync, your bookmarks and associated meta data will appear on any other browser you have synced.   

       Maybe someone who uses this feature (i.e. not me) can explain if there is a less cumbersome way of working with it. I [+] your idea because it would improve this existing feature.
swimswim, Oct 14 2012
  

       [bigs] That would be both impressive and cool.   

       [swimswim] Hmm. I don't use Firefox, and it seems slightly cumbersome; but the syncing would be useful.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2012
  

       Yes, Mac OSX 10.6.8, and I usually use Safari (5.0.5 at the moment).
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2012
  

       //the solution is "ParallelNotes"// Sounds close, but I presume that's a Windows function?   

       If you find a solution for OSX, I will personally ask [8th] to give you a free badger trebuchet. Hell, I'll even get him to throw in a couple of badgers.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2012
  

       Ah, right, with you. But the offer of one of [8th]'s trebuchets stands.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 14 2012
  

       I think that there is a character limit of 4K associated with the cookies for any one web site. Some people may have a problem with this Idea and that limit.
Vernon, Oct 15 2012
  

       4K would be plenty for a text note. Also, this isn't exactly a cookie.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 15 2012
  

       There are several "web annotation" browser extensions that cover most of your function requirements (see link). Many have collaboration functions which you do not want ("... retrievable only by me") so you'll need to sort through and see which comes closest to your needs.
tatterdemalion, Oct 15 2012
  

       Hey [tatterd], thanks for the link - some of those seem close to what I want.
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 15 2012
  

       [Vernon] HTML5 local storage goes up to 5mb per domain. It also is only submitted when requested, instead of on every page load.   

       You could feasibly write a greasemonkey script - the advantage being portability (does safari support it?).   

       Edit: turns out there are several userscripts that do this already.
mitxela, Oct 15 2012
  

       I have to confess that I have not yet pursued this to its conclusion. As of yesterday (and this, by the way, is a totally irrelevant aside, as indeed are the contents of these parentheses) I have started in a position being seconded to a biotech company for a few months. It is unbecredibly depressing and time-consuming to have to be the new-boy in the lab again, and will doubtless remain so until I've got my shit together and am on top of things.   

       So, pending.   

       (Off now to my own lab, from where I will be stealing reagents and equipment.)
MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 17 2012
  
      
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