Code Blackboard
Are you a user of the above devices and also have the need to read some code? Those black spaces are left for your creation. Code Blackboard leverages those beautiful devices, operating systems, and services provided by Apple to give you the most compelling code reading experience you deserve.
Code Blackboard - macOS
This is the tool you will use to create content for iOS devices to consume. Click the link below to download it from macOS App Store.
Code Blackboard (macOS App Store)
Supported OS: OS X El Capitan (Version 10.11), macOS Sierra (Version 10.12)
This is recommanded way of installing Code Blackboard. This version doesn't contain Xcode Source Editor Extension.
Create Blackboard:
- Click Open File and then select the source code file you want.
- Click Create to use the content from system clipboard.
- Inside of Xcode, with the source code file open, select Editor -> Code Blackboard -> Send to "Code Blackboard" App, and then launch Code Blackboard for Mac to edit, annotation, read, or sync with your iCloud Drive. As of now, due to the limitation of Xcode's Source Editor Extension, it can not pass App Store's review. So, the store version does not support this feature.
Automation
If you are a fan of automating things, you will appreciate the AppleScript support introduced in 1.0.4.
This single-liner will list content of current directory, and create a code blackboard inside of Code Blackboard with a name Clipboard - Sep 16, 2016, 1:00 PM.
$ ls | pbcopy && osascript -e 'tell application "CodeBlackboard" to create from clipboard'
You can then highlight/underline/strikethrough files, or add notes to it.
Data Security and Privacy
Code Blackboard for Mac requires user's explicit action to upload, download, or sync. The idea is giving user more control to the content. We know source code is important. So, we give full control to you - the user.
If you wish, you can simply use it as a local code review and annotation tool without letting the source code ever leaves your computer. Or, if you trust iCloud Drive private database, you can upload your code as well as annotation to it so you can enjoy the comfort of reading on your iOS devices. Any data written to the private database is visible only to the current user and is stored in that user’s iCloud account. -- from Apple's documentation. Code in your private database isn't available for us. So you can rest assured that your code is as safe as other content in your private iCloud account.
Code Blackboard - iOS
Code Blackboard for iOS is the tool to read code blackboards you've created using Code Blackboard for Mac. It supports iPhone and iPad with all kinds of annotations. Right now, it is read-only. It can read wherever you have uploaded from your iCloud private database.
Features:
- Works on both iPhone or iPad
- Automatically folds annotations sitting on the left and right side of the code into yellow dots to give maximum space on portrait mode.
- Simply by rotating your device into landscape mode, you can see all the notes.
- Provides option to hide notes to reveal code that would be covered otherwise.
Note that: as mentioned multiple times in different places, Code Blackboard uses iCloud as backend to sync code and annotations. No registration, login required. However, iCloud isn't famous for its speed, nor is it designed to do so. Both uploading and downloading have noticable longer running time compared with other internet services, like Facebook, Twitter, etc. So, when the app is spinning, be patient. You can always report an issue to support@numathic.com if you believe something isn't normal.