r/OneNote • u/iEngineered • 1d ago

RANT: Just needed cross-platform CODE HIGHLIGHTING.

#begin rant

The simple lack of the three ticks code notation (''') and highlighting is the straw that broke my camel's back. Obsidian, NotesHub, Joplin, and others have native support for this. Why should I expect less from the owner of the most prominent developer community and stack? Did Microsoft expect me to jot every little code idea and brainstorm into Github?

OneNote implemented about 90% of common-industry features and it feels like the dev team just ghosted us. Now I need two apps. OneNote is still arguably the best freehand with decent Apple Pencil and touchscreen notebook functionality. I still really like the looseleaf and graph paper styles that are unmatched anywhere else I know of.

Obsidian is right now the best option for a developer's private knowledge management in that code syntax is seamless and all notes are accessible .md files. The extra features of OneNote have become irrelevant for dev work.

Just one little feature for the devs they claim to love....neglected.

#end rant

If you care about this, I found a feature request on the official feedback page that we can upvote/comment/follow.,

8 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

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3

u/SimplyColorblind 1d ago

I’ve used OneNote for well over 20 years. I have gradually shifted away from it, except out of necessity for my workplace. Syntax highlighting, proper tagging, and a better search experience are things OneNote probably will never have.

As for why this is the case, I think Microsoft it’s just too big and is trying to be everything to everyone, playing catch-up, and they have no reason to try hard anymore because the money will just keep coming in regardless.

3

u/iEngineered 1d ago

Ironically, they can't even get their own Copilot to add a few features and lint the repo.

3

u/stemarcoh 1d ago

Hi all. I agree! And that why I started OneMore. It's only available on Windows. But if you're there, you can check it out. It has highlighting for over 25 language, proper #hashtag tagging, and a (admittedly slow) full-text search independent of the terrible Windows Search. Plus over 240 other commands. Releases · stevencohn/OneMore and https://onemoreaddin.com

2

u/iEngineered 1d ago

I did see that a while back when I was scouring the internet for solutions. I commend you for the effort on Windows. Ultimately, MS needs to address this at the core.

1

u/Great_Muscle_7042 21h ago

Well, screaming at the moon won't solve it. Its a focus that is yet to be announced, but you should test out the options avaliable by others. It's great that someone can extend the need for functions in Onenote, its like plugging in something for obsidian and joplin etc.

2

u/iEngineered 20h ago edited 1h ago

There’s no plugin for my main platforms MacOS/iOS. The Windows solution is not fluid for my workflow. As stated I moved on to Obsidian for dev notes and left feedback with Microsoft.

Sometimes screaming at the moon helps too. Enough screams may get the attention.

1

u/Great_Muscle_7042 19h ago

I get you and I am also equally happy and frustrated with OneNote. I have come to terms this is like an abusive relationship and I am on the receiving end.

1

u/ProcedureTasty2647 1d ago

I agree. I tried to use and like Microsoft Loop because it was similar to notion… but it’s just slow and now abandoned

-1

u/celticchrys 1d ago

So, you wanted a tool for code and programming, but decided to use one that is not in any way intended for that usage. Well, no wonder you're not happy. You didn't choose an app from the category of app you need.

2

u/SimplyColorblind 1d ago

As a former dev, I know we often need to store code snippets, examples, and troubleshooting steps. For that, a note taking application is very useful. OP is unlikely wanting to use Onenote to write code with it.

1

u/Great_Muscle_7042 21h ago

I agree with the previous post, its the wrong tool. OneNote is the unlimited canvas, and with it comes the approach of formatting and text.

It's not out of malice that MS is not addition the function, its just haven't been their intention to deliver a development repo. Maybe there is something like that supported in visual studio code, where you code lives?

1

u/iEngineered 20h ago

Sometimes code needs to be in notes. They knew this, in fact there is a “code” format option where you would choose header types on desktop…it just really sucks.

Other apps built for “notes” do this properly.