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Study Library Manager - User Guide

Table of Contents

  1. Getting Started
  2. Adding Items
  3. Managing Items
  4. Search and Filter
  5. Categories and Tags
  6. Keyboard Shortcuts
  7. Data Storage

Getting Started

Installation & Running

  1. Prerequisites

    • Java 17 or higher installed
    • Maven 3.6+ installed

  2. Build the project

    cd StudyLibrary
mvn clean install

  3. Run the application

    mvn javafx:run

First Launch

On first launch, the application will:

  • Create a .documentvault folder in your home directory
  • Initialize empty JSON files for storing your data
  • Display an empty library

Adding Items

Adding a Note

  1. Click the "+ Note" button in the toolbar or use Ctrl+N
  2. Fill in the details:
    • Title: Give your note a descriptive title (required)
    • Description: Add a brief description (optional)
    • Category: Select or create a category (optional)
    • Tags: Add comma-separated tags (e.g., "java, programming, study")
    • Content: Write your note content
    • Markdown: Check this box if using Markdown formatting
  3. Click Save

Use cases:

  • Lecture notes
  • Study summaries
  • Research notes
  • Meeting minutes

Adding a PDF

  1. Click the "+ PDF" button or use Ctrl+P
  2. Click Browse to select your PDF file
  3. Fill in additional details:
    • Title: Auto-filled from filename, can be edited
    • Author: Document author
    • Page Count: Number of pages
    • Category & Tags: For organization
  4. Click Save

Use cases:

  • Textbooks
  • Research papers
  • Course materials
  • Reference documents

Adding a Media Link (Audio/Video)

  1. Click the "+ Media" button or use Ctrl+M
  2. Enter the URL (must start with http:// or https://)
  3. Fill in details:
    • Title: Name of the video/audio
    • Media Type: Video, Audio, Podcast, Lecture, or Other
    • Source: Platform name (e.g., YouTube, Coursera)
    • Duration: Length in minutes
  4. Click Save

Use cases:

  • Online lectures
  • Tutorial videos
  • Podcasts
  • Educational YouTube channels

Adding a Text Snippet

  1. Click the "+ Snippet" button or use Ctrl+S
  2. Enter your code or text snippet
  3. Specify:
    • Title: Short descriptive name
    • Language: Programming language or format (java, python, sql, etc.)
    • Source URL: Where you found the snippet (optional)
  4. Click Save

Use cases:

  • Code snippets
  • Useful commands
  • SQL queries
  • Configuration templates

Managing Items

Opening Items

Double-click any item or select it and press Enter to open:

  • PDFs: Opens in your system's default PDF viewer
  • Media Links: Opens in your default web browser
  • Text Snippets: Copies content to clipboard
  • Notes: Opens in edit mode

Editing Items

  1. Select an item in the table
  2. Click the Edit button or double-click the item
  3. Make your changes
  4. Click Save

Changes are automatically saved to disk.

Deleting Items

  1. Select an item
  2. Click the Delete button or press the Delete key
  3. Confirm the deletion in the dialog

Note: This action cannot be undone!

Search and Filter

Search Bar

The search bar at the top right searches across:

  • Item titles
  • Descriptions
  • Content (for notes and snippets)
  • Tags
  • Categories
  • Authors (for PDFs)
  • Sources (for media)

Simply type your search query and the table updates in real-time.

Category Filter

Use the category dropdown to view only items from a specific category.

Type Filter

Use the type dropdown to filter by item type:

  • Notes
  • PDF Documents
  • Media Links
  • Text Snippets

Combining Filters

You can combine search text with category and type filters for precise results.

Example: Search for "java" with type filter set to "Text Snippet" to find all Java code snippets.

Clearing Filters

Click Clear Filters button or use Ctrl+L to reset all filters.

Categories and Tags

Categories

Categories are single-classification labels for items. Each item can have one category.

Managing Categories:

  • Categories can be created when adding/editing items
  • Future version will include a dedicated category manager

Use cases:

  • Course names (CS101, Math200)
  • Topics (Algorithms, Databases)
  • Projects (Project A, Thesis)

Tags

Tags are flexible, multi-value labels. Each item can have multiple tags.

Best practices:

  • Use lowercase
  • Be consistent
  • Keep tags short
  • Use commas to separate multiple tags

Example tags:

  • important, review, exam
  • chapter1, chapter2
  • quick-reference, cheatsheet

Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+N Add new note
Ctrl+P Add new PDF
Ctrl+M Add new media link
Ctrl+S Add new snippet
Ctrl+L Clear all filters
F5 Refresh view
Ctrl+Q Exit application

Table Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Enter Open selected item
Delete Delete selected item
Double-click Edit selected item

Data Storage

Storage Location

All data is stored in JSON format:

  • macOS/Linux: ~/.documentvault/
  • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.documentvault\

Files

  • library-items.json - All your library items
  • categories.json - Category definitions

Backup

Important: Regularly backup your .documentvault folder!

You can:

  1. Copy the folder to cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive)
  2. Use version control (git)
  3. Create manual backups periodically

Auto-Save

The application automatically saves:

  • When you add a new item
  • When you edit an item
  • When you delete an item
  • When the application closes

Viewing Raw Data

You can view and edit the JSON files directly if needed:

  1. Navigate to the storage directory
  2. Open library-items.json or categories.json in a text editor
  3. Make changes carefully (invalid JSON will cause errors)
  4. Restart the application to see changes

Migrating Data

To move your library to another computer:

  1. Copy the entire .documentvault folder
  2. Paste it in the same location on the new computer
  3. Launch the application

Tips and Best Practices

Organization

  1. Use consistent naming: Develop a naming convention for titles
  2. Tag everything: Tags make searching much easier
  3. Categorize wisely: Don't create too many categories
  4. Add descriptions: Brief descriptions help when searching

For Students

  • Create categories for each course
  • Use tags for chapter numbers and topics
  • Add lecture videos and PDFs immediately after class
  • Store snippets of important formulas and code

For Researchers

  • Organize papers by topic or research area
  • Tag papers with keywords from abstracts
  • Store notes about each paper
  • Link to online resources and datasets

For Developers

  • Store useful code snippets with language tags
  • Save links to tutorials and documentation
  • Keep project-related notes organized
  • Tag items by technology stack

Troubleshooting

Application Won't Start

  • Verify Java 17+ is installed: java -version
  • Check that JavaFX is properly configured
  • Look for error messages in the console

Data Not Saving

  • Check file permissions in .documentvault folder
  • Verify disk space is available
  • Check for JSON syntax errors in data files

PDF Won't Open

  • Verify the file still exists at the stored path
  • Check you have a PDF viewer installed
  • Try opening the PDF directly from file system

URL Won't Open

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify the URL is correct
  • Ensure you have a default browser set

Advanced Usage

Custom Styling

You can modify the appearance by editing: src/main/resources/css/application.css

Extending Features

The codebase is modular and well-documented:

  • Add new item types by extending LibraryItem
  • Customize the UI by modifying FXML files
  • Add new filters in MainController

Integration

The JSON storage format makes it easy to:

  • Import data from other applications
  • Export to other formats
  • Create backup scripts
  • Integrate with note-taking apps

Support and Feedback

For issues or feature requests:

  1. Check this guide first
  2. Review the README.md file
  3. Check the source code documentation
  4. Create an issue in your version control system

Version History

v1.0.0 - Initial Release

  • Four item types (Notes, PDFs, Media, Snippets)
  • Full CRUD operations
  • Search and filter functionality
  • Category and tag system
  • Auto-save feature
  • Clean, modern UI