NetNote

A multi-module Java project that implements a simple notes application with a Spring Boot REST server and a JavaFX desktop client, sharing common data models.

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Overview

• Server: Spring Boot application exposing REST APIs for managing notes, collections, and tags.
• Client: JavaFX desktop application that consumes the server APIs.
• Commons: Shared data models (e.g., Note, NoteCollection, NoteTag).
• Build system: Maven (multi-module).
• Database: H2 (development database files are present in the project root: h2-database.*).

Tech Stack

• Language: Java (runtime version TBD; CI static analysis uses JDK 23 per qodana.yaml)
• Build/Package: Maven (with Maven Wrapper mvnw/mvnw.cmd)
• Server Framework: Spring Boot
• Client UI: JavaFX
• Database: H2 (embedded / file based for development)

Requirements

• JDK: JDK 23
• Maven 3.9+ (optional if using the Maven Wrapper ./mvnw)
• OS: Windows, macOS, or Linux

Quick Start

From the project root:

# Build all modules
./mvnw clean install

# In a separate terminal: start the server
cd server
../mvnw spring-boot:run

# After the server is running, start the client
cd ../client
../mvnw javafx:run

Notes:

• Start the server before launching the client.
• If you prefer a global Maven installation, replace ./mvnw with mvn.

Common Maven Commands

# Build all modules and run unit tests
./mvnw clean verify

# Run tests only
./mvnw test

# Package artifacts (jars)
./mvnw clean package

# Run the Spring Boot server from the server module
cd server && ../mvnw spring-boot:run

# Run the JavaFX client from the client module
cd client && ../mvnw javafx:run

Configuration & Environment Variables

Typical Spring Boot environment variables and properties may be used. Some commonly relevant ones are listed below; set them as needed before running the server.

• SERVER_PORT — override HTTP port (default is usually 8080).
• SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE — choose Spring profile (e.g., dev, prod).
• Database configuration (if not using the embedded/file H2):
  • SPRING_DATASOURCE_URL
  • SPRING_DATASOURCE_USERNAME
  • SPRING_DATASOURCE_PASSWORD

H2 development database

• The repository contains h2-database.mv.db and h2-database.trace.db in the project root. These indicate a file-based H2 database used in development.
• To reset the dev database, stop the server and remove these files, then restart the server.

Tests

• Run all tests at the root: ./mvnw test
• Run tests within a specific module (e.g., server):

  cd server
  ../mvnw test

Project Structure

This is a Maven multi-module build (see pom.xml in the root):

root (packaging=pom)
├── commons/        # Shared data models (e.g., Note, NoteCollection, NoteTag)
├── client/         # JavaFX desktop application
└── server/         # Spring Boot REST API server

Module internals (as implemented):

• Client Module
  • client.scenes — JavaFX controllers
    • config — saves settings between runs
    • Multiple controllers for: AddCollection, AddNote, etc.
  • client.resources — FXML views and visual assets
• Commons Module
  • Shared data models: Note, NoteCollection, NoteTag
• Server Module
  • server.api — REST controllers: NoteController, NoteCollectionController, TagController
  • server.database — Repository layer for data persistence
  • server.service — Business logic layer (includes Markdown service)

Implemented Features

Basic Requirements

• All basic requirements have been implemented.

Extensions

• Multi-Collection
• Interconnected Content
• Live Language Switch
  • Supported languages: English, Dutch, German, Spanish, and Polish (uses Unicode for special characters)

HCI Features

Accessibility

• Color Contrast
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• Multi-modal Visualization

Navigation

• Logical Navigation
• Keyboard Navigation

Note: Undo Actions is NOT implemented.

User Feedback

• Error Messages
• Informative Feedback
• Confirmation for Key Actions

Keyboard Shortcuts

• ESC — Focus on the search bar
• Ctrl + N — Add a new note
• Ctrl + Up/Down — Navigate notes up and down
• Ctrl + Left/Right — Navigate collections left and right

Entry Points

• Server entry point: Spring Boot application main class within the server module. Run via:

  cd server && ../mvnw spring-boot:run

• Client entry point: JavaFX application main class within the client module. Run via:

  cd client && ../mvnw javafx:run

Linting / Code Quality

• A checkstyle.xml file exists in the repository root.
• A qodana.yaml is present for JetBrains Qodana static analysis. See https://www.jetbrains.com/qodana/ for running instructions.

Troubleshooting

• Port already in use when starting the server: set SERVER_PORT to a free port.
• Client cannot connect to server: ensure the server is running and reachable at the expected URL/port.
• JavaFX runtime errors: verify the installed JDK version and that Maven downloads the JavaFX dependencies via the plugin.