simple-notes-sync/CHANGELOG.md

Changelog

All notable changes to Simple Notes Sync will be documented in this file.

The format is based on Keep a Changelog.

🌍 Languages: Deutsch · English

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[1.5.0] - 2026-01-15

🎉 Major: Jetpack Compose UI Redesign

The complete UI has been migrated from XML Views to Jetpack Compose. The app is now more modern, faster, and smoother.

🌍 New Feature: Internationalization (i18n)

• English language support - All 400+ strings translated
• Automatic language detection - Follows system language
• Manual language selection - Switchable in settings
• Per-App Language (Android 13+) - Native language setting via system settings
• locales_config.xml - Complete Android integration

⚙️ Modernized Settings

• 7 categorized settings screens - Clearer and more intuitive
• Compose Navigation - Smooth transitions between screens
• Consistent design - Material Design 3 throughout

✨ UI Improvements

• Selection Mode - Long-press for multi-select instead of swipe-to-delete
• Batch Delete - Delete multiple notes at once
• Silent-Sync Mode - No banner during auto-sync (only for manual sync)
• App Icon in About Screen - High-quality display
• App Icon in Empty State - Instead of emoji when note list is empty
• Splash Screen Update - Uses app foreground icon
• Slide Animations - Smooth animations in NoteEditor

🔧 Technical Improvements

• Jetpack Compose - Complete UI migration
• Compose ViewModel Integration - StateFlow for reactive UI
• Improved Code Quality - Detekt/Lint warnings fixed
• Unused Imports Cleanup - Cleaner codebase

Looking Ahead

🚀 v1.6.0 will bring server folder checking and further technical modernizations. Feature requests welcome as GitHub Issue.

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[1.4.1] - 2026-01-11

Fixed

• 🗑️ Deleting older notes (v1.2.0 compatibility)

  • Notes from app version v1.2.0 or earlier are now correctly deleted from the server
  • Fixes issue with multi-device usage with older notes

• 🔄 Checklist sync backward compatibility

  • Checklists now also saved as text fallback in the content field
  • Older app versions (v1.3.x) display checklists as readable text
  • Format: GitHub-style task lists ([ ] Item / [x] Item)
  • Recovery mode: If checklist items are lost, they are recovered from content

Improved

• 📝 Checklist auto line-wrap
  • Long checklist texts now automatically wrap
  • No more limit to 3 lines
  • Enter key still creates a new item

Looking Ahead

🚀 v1.5.0 will be the next major release. We're collecting ideas and feedback! Feature requests welcome as GitHub Issue.

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[1.4.0] - 2026-01-10

🎉 New Feature: Checklists

• ✅ Checklist Notes

  • New note type: Checklists with tap-to-toggle items
  • Add items via dedicated input field with "+" button
  • Drag & drop reordering (long-press to activate)
  • Swipe-to-delete items
  • Visual distinction: Checked items get strikethrough styling
  • Type selector when creating new notes (Text or Checklist)

• 📝 Markdown Integration

  • Checklists export as GitHub-style task lists (- [ ] / - [x])
  • Compatible with Obsidian, Notion, and other Markdown editors
  • Full round-trip: Edit in Obsidian → Sync back to app
  • YAML frontmatter includes type: checklist for identification

Fixed

• <EFBFBD> Markdown Parsing Robustness

  • Fixed content extraction after title (was returning empty for some formats)
  • Now handles single newline after title (was requiring double newline)
  • Protection: Skips import if parsed content is empty but local has content

• 📂 Duplicate Filename Handling

  • Notes with identical titles now get unique Markdown filenames
  • Format: title_shortid.md (e.g., test_71540ca9.md)
  • Prevents data loss from filename collisions

• 🔔 Notification UX

  • No sync notifications when app is in foreground
  • User sees changes directly in UI - no redundant notification
  • Background syncs still show notifications as expected

Privacy Improvements

• 🔒 WiFi Permissions Removed
  • Removed ACCESS_WIFI_STATE permission
  • Removed CHANGE_WIFI_STATE permission
  • WiFi binding now works via IP detection instead of SSID matching
  • Cleaned up all SSID-related code from codebase and documentation

Technical Improvements

• 📦 New Data Model

  • NoteType enum: TEXT, CHECKLIST
  • ChecklistItem data class with id, text, isChecked, order
  • Note.kt extended with noteType and checklistItems fields

• 🔄 Sync Protocol v1.4.0

  • JSON format updated to include checklist fields
  • Full backward compatibility with v1.3.x notes
  • Robust JSON parsing with manual field extraction

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[1.3.2] - 2026-01-10

Changed

• 🧹 Code-Qualität: "Clean Slate" Release
  • Alle einfachen Lint-Issues behoben (Phase 1-7 des Cleanup-Plans)
  • Unused Imports und Members entfernt
  • Magic Numbers durch benannte Konstanten ersetzt
  • SwallowedExceptions mit Logger.w() versehen
  • MaxLineLength-Verstöße reformatiert
  • ConstructorParameterNaming (snake_case → camelCase mit @SerializedName)
  • Custom Exceptions: SyncException.kt und ValidationException.kt erstellt

Added

• 📝 F-Droid Privacy Notice
  • Datenschutz-Hinweis für die Datei-Logging-Funktion
  • Erklärt dass Logs nur lokal gespeichert werden
  • Erfüllt F-Droid Opt-in Consent-Anforderungen

Technical Improvements

• ⚡ Neue Konstanten für bessere Wartbarkeit

  • SYNC_COMPLETED_DELAY_MS, ERROR_DISPLAY_DELAY_MS (MainActivity)
  • CONNECTION_TIMEOUT_MS (SettingsActivity)
  • SOCKET_TIMEOUT_MS, MAX_FILENAME_LENGTH, ETAG_PREVIEW_LENGTH (WebDavSyncService)
  • AUTO_CANCEL_TIMEOUT_MS (NotificationHelper)
  • RFC 1918 IP-Range Konstanten (UrlValidator)
  • DAYS_THRESHOLD, TRUNCATE_SUFFIX_LENGTH (Extensions)

• 🔒 @Suppress Annotations für legitime Patterns

  • ReturnCount: Frühe Returns für Validierung sind idiomatisch
  • LoopWithTooManyJumpStatements: Komplexe Sync-Logik dokumentiert

Notes

• Komplexe Refactorings (LargeClass, LongMethod) für v1.3.3+ geplant
• Deprecation-Warnungen (LocalBroadcastManager, ProgressDialog) bleiben bestehen

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[1.3.1] - 2026-01-08

Fixed

• 🔧 Multi-Device JSON Sync (Danke an Thomas aus Bielefeld)
  • JSON-Dateien werden jetzt korrekt zwischen Geräten synchronisiert
  • Funktioniert auch ohne aktiviertes Markdown
  • Hybrid-Optimierung: Server-Timestamp (Primary) + E-Tag (Secondary) Checks
  • E-Tag wird nach Upload gecached um Re-Download zu vermeiden

Performance Improvements

• ⚡ JSON Sync Performance-Parität

  • JSON-Sync erreicht jetzt gleiche Performance wie Markdown (~2-3 Sekunden)
  • Timestamp-basierte Skip-Logik für unveränderte Dateien (~500ms pro Datei gespart)
  • E-Tag-Matching als Fallback für Dateien die seit letztem Sync modifiziert wurden
  • Beispiel: 24 Dateien von 12-14s auf ~2.7s reduziert (keine Änderungen)

• ⏭️ Skip unveränderte Dateien (Haupt-Performance-Fix!)

  • JSON-Dateien: Überspringt alle Notizen, die seit letztem Sync nicht geändert wurden
  • Markdown-Dateien: Überspringt unveränderte MD-Dateien basierend auf Server-Timestamp
  • Spart ~500ms pro Datei bei Nextcloud (~20 Dateien = 10 Sekunden gespart!)
  • Von 21 Sekunden Sync-Zeit auf 2-3 Sekunden reduziert

• ⚡ Session-Caching für WebDAV

  • Sardine-Client wird pro Sync-Session wiederverwendet (~600ms gespart)
  • WiFi-IP-Adresse wird gecacht statt bei jeder Anfrage neu ermittelt (~300ms gespart)
  • /notes/ Ordner-Existenz wird nur einmal pro Sync geprüft (~500ms gespart)
  • Gesamt: ~1.4 Sekunden zusätzlich gespart

• 📝 Content-basierte Markdown-Erkennung

  • Extern bearbeitete Markdown-Dateien werden auch erkannt wenn YAML-Timestamp nicht aktualisiert wurde
  • Löst das Problem: Obsidian/Texteditor-Änderungen wurden nicht importiert
  • Hybridansatz: Erst Timestamp-Check (schnell), dann Content-Vergleich (zuverlässig)

Added

• 🔄 Sync-Status-Anzeige (UI)
  • Sichtbares Banner "Synchronisiere..." mit ProgressBar während Sync läuft
  • Sync-Button und Pull-to-Refresh werden deaktiviert während Sync aktiv
  • Verhindert versehentliche Doppel-Syncs durch visuelle Rückmeldung
  • Auch in Einstellungen: "Jetzt synchronisieren" Button wird deaktiviert

Fixed

• 🔧 Sync-Mutex verhindert doppelte Syncs

  • Keine doppelten Toast-Nachrichten mehr bei schnellem Pull-to-Refresh
  • Concurrent Sync-Requests werden korrekt blockiert

• 🐛 Lint-Fehler behoben

  • View.generateViewId() statt hardcodierte IDs in RadioButtons
  • app:tint statt android:tint für AppCompat-Kompatibilität

Added

• 🔍 detekt Code-Analyse

  • Statische Code-Analyse mit detekt 1.23.4 integriert
  • Pragmatische Konfiguration für Sync-intensive Codebasis
  • 91 Issues identifiziert (als Baseline für v1.4.0)

• 🏗️ Debug Build mit separatem Package

  • Debug-APK kann parallel zur Release-Version installiert werden
  • Package: dev.dettmer.simplenotes.debug (Debug) vs dev.dettmer.simplenotes (Release)
  • App-Name zeigt "Simple Notes (Debug)" für einfache Unterscheidung

• 📊 Debug-Logging UI

  • Neuer "Debug Log" Button in Einstellungen → Erweitert
  • Zeigt letzte Sync-Logs mit Zeitstempeln
  • Export-Funktion für Fehlerberichte

Technical

• WebDavSyncService: Hybrid-Optimierung für JSON-Downloads (Timestamp PRIMARY, E-Tag SECONDARY)
• WebDavSyncService: E-Tag refresh nach Upload statt Invalidierung (verhindert Re-Download)
• E-Tag Caching: SharedPreferences mit Key-Pattern etag_json_{noteId}
• Skip-Logik: if (serverModified <= lastSync) skip → ~1ms pro Datei
• Fallback E-Tag: if (serverETag == cachedETag) skip → für Dateien modifiziert nach lastSync
• PROPFIND nach PUT: Fetch E-Tag nach Upload für korrektes Caching
• SyncStateManager: Neuer Singleton mit StateFlow<Boolean> für Sync-Status
• MainActivity: Observer auf SyncStateManager.isSyncing für UI-Updates
• Layout: sync_status_banner mit ProgressBar + TextView
• WebDavSyncService: Skip-Logik für unveränderte JSON/MD Dateien basierend auf lastSyncTimestamp
• WebDavSyncService: Neue Session-Cache-Variablen (sessionSardine, sessionWifiAddress, notesDirEnsured)
• getOrCreateSardine(): Cached Sardine-Client mit automatischer Credentials-Konfiguration
• getOrCacheWiFiAddress(): WiFi-Adresse wird nur einmal pro Sync ermittelt
• clearSessionCache(): Aufräumen am Ende jeder Sync-Session
• ensureNotesDirectoryExists(): Cached Directory-Check
• Content-basierter Import: Vergleicht MD-Content mit lokaler Note wenn Timestamps gleich
• Build-Tooling: detekt aktiviert, ktlint vorbereitet (deaktiviert wegen Parser-Problemen)
• Debug BuildType: applicationIdSuffix = ".debug", versionNameSuffix = "-debug"

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[1.3.0] - 2026-01-07

Added

• 🚀 Multi-Device Sync (Thanks to Thomas from Bielefeld for reporting!)

  • Automatic download of new notes from other devices
  • Deletion tracking prevents "zombie notes" (deleted notes don't come back)
  • Smart cleanup: Re-created notes (newer timestamp) are downloaded
  • Works with all devices: v1.2.0, v1.2.1, v1.2.2, and v1.3.0

• 🗑️ Server Deletion via Swipe Gesture

  • Swipe left on notes to delete from server (requires confirmation)
  • Prevents duplicate notes on other devices
  • Works with deletion tracking system
  • Material Design confirmation dialog

• ⚡ E-Tag Performance Optimization

  • Smart server checking with E-Tag caching (~150ms vs 3000ms for "no changes")
  • 20x faster when server has no updates
  • E-Tag hybrid approach: E-Tag for JSON (fast), timestamp for Markdown (reliable)
  • Battery-friendly with minimal server requests

• 📥 Markdown Auto-Sync Toggle

  • NEW: Unified Auto-Sync toggle in Settings (replaces separate Export/Auto-Import toggles)
  • When enabled: Notes export to Markdown AND import changes automatically
  • When disabled: Manual sync button appears for on-demand synchronization
  • Performance: Auto-Sync OFF = 0ms overhead

• 🔘 Manual Markdown Sync Button

  • Manual sync button for performance-conscious users
  • Shows import/export counts after completion
  • Only visible when Auto-Sync is disabled
  • On-demand synchronization (~150-200ms only when triggered)

• ⚙️ Server-Restore Modes

  • MERGE: Keep local notes + add server notes
  • REPLACE: Delete all local + download from server
  • OVERWRITE: Update duplicates, keep non-duplicates
  • Restore modes now work correctly for WebDAV restore

Technical

• New DeletionTracker model with JSON persistence
• NotesStorage: Added deletion tracking methods
• WebDavSyncService.hasUnsyncedChanges(): Intelligent server checks with E-Tag caching
• WebDavSyncService.downloadRemoteNotes(): Deletion-aware downloads
• WebDavSyncService.restoreFromServer(): Support for restore modes
• WebDavSyncService.deleteNoteFromServer(): Server deletion with YAML frontmatter scanning
• WebDavSyncService.importMarkdownFiles(): Automatic Markdown import during sync
• WebDavSyncService.manualMarkdownSync(): Manual sync with result counts
• MainActivity.setupSwipeToDelete(): Two-stage swipe deletion with confirmation
• E-Tag caching in SharedPreferences for performance

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[1.2.2] - 2026-01-06

Fixed

• Backward Compatibility for v1.2.0 Users (Critical)
  • App now reads BOTH old (Root) AND new (/notes/) folder structures
  • Users upgrading from v1.2.0 no longer lose their existing notes
  • Server-Restore now finds notes from v1.2.0 stored in Root folder
  • Automatic deduplication prevents loading the same note twice
  • Graceful error handling if Root folder is not accessible

Technical

• WebDavSyncService.downloadRemoteNotes() - Dual-mode download (Root + /notes/)
• WebDavSyncService.restoreFromServer() - Now uses dual-mode download
• Migration happens naturally: new uploads go to /notes/, old notes stay readable

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[1.2.1] - 2026-01-05

Fixed

• Markdown Initial Export Bugfix

  • Existing notes are now exported as Markdown when Desktop Integration is activated
  • Previously, only new notes created after activation were exported
  • Progress dialog shows export status with current/total counter
  • Error handling for network issues during export
  • Individual note failures don't abort the entire export

• Markdown Directory Structure Fix

  • Markdown files now correctly land in /notes-md/ folder
  • Smart URL detection supports both Root-URL and /notes URL structures
  • Previously, MD files were incorrectly placed in the root directory
  • Markdown import now finds files correctly

• JSON URL Normalization

  • Simplified server configuration: enter only base URL (e.g., http://server:8080/)
  • App automatically creates /notes/ for JSON files and /notes-md/ for Markdown
  • Smart detection: both http://server:8080/ and http://server:8080/notes/ work correctly
  • Backward compatible: existing setups with /notes in URL continue to work
  • No migration required for existing users

Changed

• Markdown Directory Creation

  • notes-md/ folder is now created on first sync (regardless of Desktop Integration setting)
  • Prevents 404 errors when mounting WebDAV folder
  • Better user experience: folder is visible before enabling the feature

• Settings UI Improvements

  • Updated example URL from /webdav to /notes to match app behavior
  • Example now shows: http://192.168.0.188:8080/notes

Technical

• WebDavSyncService.ensureMarkdownDirectoryExists() - Creates MD folder early
• WebDavSyncService.getMarkdownUrl() - Smart URL detection for both structures
• WebDavSyncService.exportAllNotesToMarkdown() - Exports all local notes with progress callback
• SettingsActivity.onMarkdownExportToggled() - Triggers initial export with ProgressDialog

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1.2.0 - 2026-01-04

Added

• Local Backup System

  • Export all notes as JSON file to any location (Downloads, SD card, cloud folder)
  • Import backup with 3 modes: Merge, Replace, or Overwrite duplicates
  • Automatic safety backup created before every restore
  • Backup validation (format and version check)

• Markdown Desktop Integration

  • Optional Markdown export parallel to JSON sync
  • .md files synced to notes-md/ folder on WebDAV
  • YAML frontmatter with id, created, updated, device
  • Manual import button to pull Markdown changes from server
  • Last-Write-Wins conflict resolution via timestamps

• Settings UI Extensions

  • New "Backup & Restore" section with local + server restore
  • New "Desktop Integration" section with Markdown toggle
  • Universal restore dialog with radio button mode selection

Changed

• Server Restore Behavior: Users now choose restore mode (Merge/Replace/Overwrite) instead of hard-coded replace-all

Technical

• BackupManager.kt - Complete backup/restore logic
• Note.toMarkdown() / Note.fromMarkdown() - Markdown conversion with YAML frontmatter
• WebDavSyncService - Extended for dual-format sync (JSON master + Markdown mirror)
• ISO8601 timestamp formatting for desktop compatibility
• Filename sanitization for safe Markdown file names

Documentation

• Added WebDAV mount instructions (Windows, macOS, Linux)
• Created SYNC_ARCHITECTURE.md - Complete sync documentation
• Created MARKDOWN_DESKTOP_REALITY_CHECK.md - Desktop integration analysis

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1.1.2 - 2025-12-28

Fixed

• "Job was cancelled" Error

  • Fixed coroutine cancellation in sync worker
  • Proper error handling for interrupted syncs

• UI Improvements

  • Back arrow instead of X in note editor (better UX)
  • Pull-to-refresh for manual sync trigger
  • HTTP/HTTPS protocol selection with radio buttons
  • Inline error display (no toast spam)

• Performance & Battery

  • Sync only on actual changes (saves battery)
  • Auto-save notifications removed
  • 24-hour server offline warning instead of instant error

Changed

• Settings grouped into "Auto-Sync" and "Sync Interval" sections
• HTTP only allowed for local networks (RFC 1918 IPs)
• Swipe-to-delete without UI flicker

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1.1.1 - 2025-12-27

Fixed

• WiFi Connect Sync
  • No error notifications in foreign WiFi networks
  • Server reachability check before sync (2s timeout)
  • Silent abort when server offline
  • Pre-check waits until network is ready
  • No errors during network initialization

Changed

• Notifications
  • Old sync notifications cleared on app start
  • Error notifications auto-dismiss after 30 seconds

UI

• Sync icon only shown when sync is configured
• Swipe-to-delete without flicker
• Scroll to top after saving note

Technical

• Server check with 2-second timeout before sync attempts
• Network readiness check in WiFi connect trigger
• Notification cleanup on MainActivity.onCreate()

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1.1.0 - 2025-12-26

Added

• Configurable Sync Intervals

  • User choice: 15, 30, or 60 minutes
  • Real-world battery impact displayed (15min: ~0.8%/day, 30min: ~0.4%/day, 60min: ~0.2%/day)
  • Radio button selection in settings
  • Doze Mode optimization (syncs batched in maintenance windows)

• About Section

  • App version from BuildConfig
  • Links to GitHub repository and developer profile
  • MIT license information
  • Material 3 card design

Changed

• Settings UI redesigned with grouped sections
• Periodic sync updated dynamically when interval changes
• WorkManager uses selected interval for background sync

Removed

• Debug/Logs section from settings (cleaner UI)

Technical

• PREF_SYNC_INTERVAL_MINUTES preference key
• NetworkMonitor reads interval from SharedPreferences
• ExistingPeriodicWorkPolicy.UPDATE for live interval changes

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1.0.0 - 2025-12-25

Added

• Initial release
• WebDAV synchronization
• Note creation, editing, deletion
• 6 sync triggers:
  • Periodic sync (configurable interval)
  • App start sync
  • WiFi connect sync
  • Manual sync (menu button)
  • Pull-to-refresh
  • Settings "Sync Now" button
• Material 3 design
• Light/Dark theme support
• F-Droid compatible (100% FOSS)

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