2. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I cannot edit my notes! How can I do it?
A: The fastest way for you to edit a note is by middle-mouse-button clicking it, but you can also do it by double clicking it, or pressing CTRL + E. In the same way, you can easily dismiss the Configuration Window without having to use the mouse, by pressing CTRL + S to save, or CTRL + W to cancel. Once the note is in edit mode, the note "Configuration Window" is opened by its side, and you can customize everything about your note. To know more about the configuration window, please see the Configuration Pane topic.


Q: How do I show/hide the notes?
A: 7 Sticky Notes has 2 view modes: (1) notes are shown, and (2) notes are hidden. To switch between all notes shown or hidden, you can use several methods, which include:
  - using the Show/Hide Keyboard Shortcut;
- using the Desktop Switcher;
- or using 7 Sticky Notes' Menu item from the tray icon or taskbar;

Please see the previous links for more details on using each method.

Q: I cannot show my notes!
A: First, check if the notes are not hidden, by clicking the "Show Notes" item of 7 Sticky Notes' Menu, or visiting the Showing/Hiding Notes topic. Second, check if you are not viewing the wrong desktop. You can use multiple desktops with 7 Sticky Notes, so click the item "All Desktops" under the item "Show Desktop" of the program menu to ensure you have the notes.

If the notes still don't show, you may simply not have any notes. So check how many notes you have, by going to the "Notes Manager" (how to use the Notes Manager) and checking the Desktops under "Notes Desktops" for the notes. If you don't have any notes, then visit the Creating New Notes topic to know how to create one.

Q: How can I delete a note without a title?
A: Regular notes have a title, that shows the "+" button to create a note and the "x" button to delete the note. But, notes without the title do not show these buttons. To delete a note without a title (and other notes with title too), you can simply press "DEL" (recycle) or "SHIFT + DEL" (permanent removal) if the note is not being edited, or use the buttons "Recycle" and "Delete" inside the "Manage" tab of the configuration window when the note is being edited.

Q: How can I move a note?
A: If the note is not being edited, you can click anywhere on the note and to drag it around. If the note is being edited, then:

  - If the note has a title, you can move it by clicking the "grab pad", on the top-left of the note;
- If the note does not have the title, you can move it by clicking at the space between the body text and the border of the note. This area is about 8 pixels, and can be found moving the mouse towards the inside of the note starting at any one of the borders. You can see this space more clearly at the Sticky Note Layout topic.

Q: Will I loose my notes when updating/upgrading?
A: No! 7 Sticky Notes is designed to not remove/delete any data when updating/upgrading, and it is also bundled with special locks that prevents user from overwritting data. This means that all your notes and all your data will be left safely intact every time you install a new version!

Q: My Notes are showed behind other windows, is there a quick way to show them without hiding them all, then showing all them?
A: Yes there is! If your notes are shown, but behind another window, you can instantly bring them to front using the tray icon or the taskbar button. Simply middle click the tray icon, or right-click the taskbar button and access the "Show Notes" menu entry to show the program menu and all the notes will be brought to the front.

Q: I get frequently a "Could not lock file" error from 7 Sticky Notes, why?
A: This error is related to the access to the database file, and has been reported for many people using 7 Sticky Notes with either shared databases or with programs that use the database to perform synchonizing functions (such as DropBox, Windows Live Mesh, etc). This error is caused by the program not being able to write on the database because it is being locked exclusively by another program. In this case, make sure the other program using 7 Sticky Notes' database is not open or using the database file.

Q: I ran 7 Sticky Notes on my Windows 7, but I don't see it and if I click on its icon nothing happens!
A: Several users had this issue and the solutions is really simple. Windows 7 by default hides all tray icons from you and since 7 Sticky Notes stays in the tray icon by default in order to save you screen space, if you don't have any notes or the notes are hidden and you are not familiar with this Windows 7 behavior, you might think the program does not work. But, its there! All you have to do is click the small up arrow next to the system clock and you will now see all the icons Windows hid from you. The image below shows how this arrow looks like. Honestly I didn't like this win Windows XP, and I don't like it in Windows 7. If you are like me and can't understand why this is default in Windows 7,

you can disable it, which is nicely showed at this forum: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/293-notification-area-icons-hide-show-system-icons-notifications.html.

<- Show hidden icons in Windows 7