<a href="https://github.com/ECRomaneli/handbook"> <img src="https://i.postimg.cc/R0PpDYdB/handbook-logo.png" alt='Handbook' width="70%"> </a> Handbook is a versatile app designed to create small, movable, and easily concealable windows for quick use <a href="https://github.com/ECRomaneli/handbook/tags"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/tag/ecromaneli/handbook?label=version&sort=semver&style=for-the-badge" alt="Version"></a>   <a href="https://github.com/ECRomaneli/handbook/commits/master"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/last-commit/ecromaneli/handbook?style=for-the-badge" alt="Last Commit"></a>   <a href="https://github.com/ECRomaneli/handbook/blob/master/LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/github/license/ecromaneli/handbook?style=for-the-badge" alt="License"></a>   <a href="https://github.com/ECRomaneli/handbook/issues"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/contributions-welcome-brightgreen.svg?style=for-the-badge" alt="Contributions Welcome"></a>

Objective

Handbook is a versatile app designed to create small, movable, and easily concealable windows for quick use. Its primary goal is to assist in managing RAM memory efficiently while providing quick access to essential information. With Handbook, users can seamlessly optimize their workflow by accessing necessary data without cluttering their screen space.

"Handbook was created to assist me in my development process, providing quick-access tools in the most efficient manner while coding. Some of my favorites include ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, Notion, WhatsApp, and even YouTube."

Some Advantages

Always-on-top windows, even atop fullscreen content, allowing quick retrieval of information.
Increased focus by avoiding the need to navigate to a web browser for quick searches.
Reduction in the number of tabs by adding pages that are typically used once but are often forgotten, leading to the opening of new instances.
Low RAM usage, despite using Chromium. There is only one instance per page.
Configurability, allowing transparent windows when blurred, customization of default size, position, and shortcuts to show and hide anywhere, among other options.

Installing

Download the appropriate version for your OS from the releases section and follow the instructions below.

Read about the app signature in "About App Signature".

Mac OS

Download the ZIP File

Download the ZIP file corresponding to your processor architecture (e.g., Handbook-{version}-darwin-x64.zip for Intel processors or Handbook-{version}-darwin-arm64.zip for Apple Silicon).

Unzip the File

Locate the downloaded ZIP file in your Downloads folder or the location where you saved it.
Double-click the ZIP file to unzip it. This will create a Handbook.app file.

Copy to Applications Folder

Open Finder and navigate to the location of the Handbook.app file.
Drag and drop Handbook.app into the "Applications" folder.
- Alternatively, you can right-click on Handbook.app, select "Copy", then navigate to the "Applications" folder and select "Paste".

Troubleshooting

Security Warning

As Handbook is not signed, it may trigger a security warning and fail to open directly.

The steps to bypass this warning can vary depending on your macOS version. For the most up-to-date instructions, refer to the official Apple Support Guide.

Latest version

On a Mac, select the Apple menu > System Settings and click "Privacy & Security" in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
Go to Security and click Open.
Click "Open Anyway."
Enter your login password and click OK.

This button is available for about an hour after attempting to open the app.

Source: Apple Support Guide.

Ventura 13 or lower

Open the "Applications" folder.
Press Ctrl + Left Click on the Handbook icon.
Select "Open" in the context menu.
Proceed to "Open" the app in the security warning screen.

After these steps, the app will no longer present the warning.

If the "Open" button does not show, try it twice.

Source: Apple Support Guide.

Linux distributions

Download the right Package

Visit the Handbook releases page and download the package suitable for your system (e.g. .deb for Debian-based distributions and .rpm for Red Hat-based).

Open a Terminal Window

Press Ctrl + Alt + T to open a terminal window.

Navigate to the Download Directory

Use the cd command to navigate to the directory where the package is located. For example, if the package is in your Downloads folder, you can use:
```
cd ~/Downloads
```

Install the Package

Debian-based (DEB)

Run the following command to install the package, replacing handbook_{version}_amd64.deb with the actual filename if it is different:
```
sudo dpkg -i handbook_{version}_amd64.deb
```
When prompted, enter your password to authorize the installation.

Red Hat-based (RPM)

Run the following command to install the package, replacing handbook-{version}.x86_64.rpm with the actual filename if it is different:
```
sudo rpm -i handbook-{version}.x86_64.rpm
```
When prompted, enter your password to authorize the installation.

Launch Handbook

After the installation is complete, you can launch Handbook from the application menu.

Windows

Download the Installer

Download the Handbook-Setup-{version}.exe from release page.

Run the Installer

Locate the downloaded Handbook-Setup-{version}.exe file in your Downloads folder or the location you saved it.
Double-click the file to open it and begin the installation process.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
Wait for the depackaging process to finish.
Once the installation is complete, the app will be available in the desktop and the application menu.

Verify the Tray Icons

Look for the Handbook icon in the system tray. This is located in the bottom-right corner of your screen, near the clock.

Expand the Tray Icons

If you don't see the Handbook icon in the system tray, it might be hidden.
Click the upward arrow (^) icon to expand the tray icons.

Pin the Handbook Icon for Quick Access

Find the Handbook icon in the expanded tray.
Click and drag the Handbook icon from the expanded tray area to the main area of the system tray. This will ensure it is always visible and easily accessible.

Getting Started

Handbook is a tray app and all interaction with it will be available there. Note that the first time the app is opened, the "Settings" will pop up as there is no page configured yet. Once the first page is set, the "Settings" will no longer pop up, but will be accessible through the tray icon.

<img width="250" src="https://i.postimg.cc/3Nzq7y6c/tray-icon.png" alt='tray-icon'> Tray Icon

Usage

To keep the user focused, Handbook shows a single window at a time, persistent and always-on-top. The user can move, resize, toggle visibility, configure opacity, etc. (see "Window Settings" for more). The app refers to these windows as "Pages".

<img width="600" src="https://i.postimg.cc/sDy8HdKP/example.png" alt='Example'> ChatGPT page overlaying the settings

Toggle Window Visibility

To toggle window visibility, click on the tray icon or configure the "Toggle Window" shortcut (disabled by default).

The "Toggle Window" shortcut is a very useful feature. It is by far the most recommended way to toggle the window for productivity.

Change Page

To change the page, right-click on the tray icon and select the desired page. If the current page is selected, the page visibility will toggle.

Mac OS also supports long-press to open the tray icon context menu.

Open from Clipboard

It is possible to open a URL directly from the clipboard. Just copy a URL, right-click on the tray icon, and select "Clipboard URL". The page will act as a non-persistent one (see "Persistent Pages").

Linux Usage

Due to some limitations on tray events, there are some differences in the Linux experience:

Clicking on the tray icon will open the context menu (instead of toggling page visibility).
An item has been added at the top of the context menu to toggle the current window visibility.

Context Menu Symbols

There are symbols in the context menu that can be displayed alongside the page names to represent the current status:

| Icon | Description | |------|-----------------| | ❏ | Page is alive | | ✕ | Page is muted |

Settings

To access the settings, right-click on the tray icon and select "Settings".

Pages

The "Pages" tab enables users to add, sort, customize, or remove pages. Users can also import or export pages as JSON.

Session ID

Session ID configuration allows for the management of session data, including cache and storage. By specifying a "Session ID", pages sharing this identifier will access the same session. This functionality is particularly useful for maintaining user login status across multiple pages utilizing the same OAuth credentials (e.g., Google and Facebook O

Handbook

Install / Use

README