Getting Started

Your Database

Project Notes automatically creates and opens a local database when it first launches. The database is stored in your user profile.

If you are developing or testing plugins and need a separate environment that does not touch your production data, see Developer Profile.

If you want to sync your data with a cloud host, configure the connection from File > Cloud Sync Settings.... See File Menu for details and Remote Host for a full feature reference.

Cloud Sync Setup

Cloud sync lets you access your Project Notes data from multiple machines and keep everything in sync automatically. Project Notes uses a PostgREST API layer over a PostgreSQL database for all cloud sync operations. You have three hosting options:

Option Best For
Supabase Easiest setup — managed PostgreSQL + PostgREST with a free tier
Neon + PostgREST Serverless Postgres backend with a self-managed PostgREST layer
Self-Hosted PostgREST Full control — run PostgreSQL and PostgREST on your own server or VM

All three options use the same connection settings in Project Notes (File > Cloud Sync Settings...). Choose the option that matches your infrastructure preferences:

Once your server is running, see Remote Host for a complete reference of all sync features, settings, and troubleshooting steps.

Setting Yourself as the Project Manager

You will need to setup yourself to manage all of the projects. First you need to add yourself to the People List and Client List. Then setup the Project Notes Preferences.

To setup Project Notes:

  1. Choose Clients from the View menu.
  2. Choose New Item from the Edit menu.
  3. Type in "Your Company Name." in the new row.
  4. Choose People from the View menu.
  5. Choose New Item from the Edit menu.
  6. Type your Name, Email, and Role in the new row.
  7. From the File menu, choose Preferences.
  8. Select yourself as the Project Manager.
  9. Select "Your Company Name" as the Client.
  10. From the Plugins menu, choose Settings > Export Notes and set the sub-folder where meeting note exports will be saved.
  11. From the Plugins menu, choose Settings > Export Tracker Items and set the sub-folder where tracker item exports will be saved.
  12. From the Plugins menu, choose Settings > File Finder and add the root folder where your project files are stored so the File Finder can find them automatically.

Populating Your Database

Project Notes is capable of connecting information from various systems. In order to benefit from these capabilities, you will need to consistently name your clients, people, and project numbers. The first step in populating your database is importing clients and people.

There are three methods to import clients and people.

  • Importing From Outlook - Project Notes includes Outlook contact sync utilities. See Outlook Integration for details. (Outlook COM sync requires Windows; Office 365 sync works on all platforms.)
  • Importing From XML - All database items can be imported from a Project Notes XML file. File import is accessible from the File Menu.
  • Entering Manually - Client information can be entered using the Client List Page, and contacts can be entered using the People List Page.

Project Notes Preferences

Once your clients and people are setup, you will need to tell Project Notes which contact is the Project Manager coordinating all projects, and what company he works for. This information can be setup in the Project Notes Preferences.

Plugin Settings

Project Notes plugins are highly configurable. Each plugin exposes its own settings dialog under Plugins > Settings. Settings control things like where exported files are saved, which folders the File Finder scans, and how integrations with Outlook or Office 365 are authenticated. See Plugin Settings for a full list of available settings and configuration options.

Plugin settings are stored in your local OS profile (registry on Windows, plist on macOS, ini on Linux) and are not synced to the cloud host. If you move to a new machine, use the Settings Migrator (under Plugins > Settings) to transfer your configuration.

Populating Your Project Data And Plugins

Once you have configured Project Notes you are ready to start populating project data. Your edition of Project Notes may include custom plugins specific to your organization. These plugins may import project information from other enterprise systems within your organization.