Jarnal Program Information

Some notes about the very useful Jarnal program.

A program used for

• PDF annotation capability
• note taking and annotating with pen, tablet, mouse
• 2 person alternating/shared note taking collaboration between 2 computers i.e. shared whiteboard

Jarnal web sites:

• home
• download
• docs
• latest release 9.39, April 2009

Platforms: Java program runs on Windows, Mac, Linux

• program installation not needed
• JRE java runtime environment required

Use:

• download jarnal-install.zip
  • no other files are needed; the JPedal library java files for manipulating PDF files are already included in the lib subfolder

• to draw on a PDF file, run jarnalannotate.cmd (i.e. jarnalannotate) and install the PDF file as a background on blank pages

File > Open Background - navigate to PDF file to be annotated

   jarnalannotate.cmd:

• this is a script text that opens a window's command window to execute the jarnal.jar java program

        java -Xmx256m -jar jarnal.jar -t templates/annotate.jaj -b %1 %2 %3 %4 %5
             ^             ^             ^                       ^
             use 256MB     run program   use blank pages         background PDF
             for Java mem   Jarnal.jar   for annotations         file params 
             - increase if
             memory usage in bottom
             status bar nears 100%
  

  • to run Jarnal on any PDF file without the need to first locate the Jarnal program, create a Windows OS SendTo link as follows (also create a SendTo link to jarnal.cmd to run Jarnal on .jaj Jarnal files)

  • to create a Windows SendTo right-click link to the program
    • create a shortcut to jarnalannotate.cmd
      • right-click on the file and selecting Create Shortcut
      • right-click on shortcut file and select Copy
      • delete the shortcut file in this folder
    • navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\your account name\SendTo
    • in the SendTo folder, right-click and select Paste to copy the shortcut to jarnalannotate.cmd
      • rename the shortcut if desired

  • to use the SendTo shortcut to the Jarnal program, right-click on any PDF file (the shortcut can be selected for any file, but will only work on PDF, and some image file types), select SendTo and then the shortcut name to Jarnal annotate

• export to PDF: File > Export > Export to PDF
  • the exported PDF file name is myfile.current-date_current-time.pdf e.g. myfile.2009_05_17_18_14_42.pdf
  • Print button doesn't print it really Saves

• full screen mode: View > Full Screen
  • menu along bottom with fewer command icons (undo, pages, pens, select)
  • return to normal view with ESC key or 1st icon, no apparent key to start full screen

• to draw on lined pages run jarnal.cmd (i.e. jarnal)

• WARNING: memory usage number in bottom status bar
  • if nearing 100%, save annotation or risk crash and work loss

Menus:

1st menu bar:

• Save icon
  • Save - saves as a .jaj file with background file name/path
    • size very small e.g. 18 KB
    • not portable if PDF background file is moved

  • Save Self Extracting - saves as a .jaj file and includes Jarnal program to allow opening at destination without Jarnal
    • size is 2 MB larger than Jarnal install zip file + PDF doc file

  • Save Background With File - saves as a .jaj file and includes the background file not just the file location on the local machine
    • size is slightly smaller (15KB) than PDF file
  • Portable Backgrounds - ???

• Clear icon - clears annotations from current page
• Cut, copy, paste icons
  • use Select icons then Cut icon or Copy and Paste icons
• Undo, redo icons - undo and redo latest commands
• Start, Previous, Next, End icons - goto locations in doc
• Zoom Out, Fit doc to window width, Zoom In
• Continuous icon
  • default slider moves across all pages in doc
  • click Continuous icon once and slider moves only within current page; click again to return to default all pages slider
• Thumbs icon - click to see pages two across
• Duplicate page - click to select a page, click Duplicate icon to insert copy of current page below current page
• New page - click to insert blank page after current page
  • also use Insert > Insert Page Before/After

2nd menu bar of pens:

• Default pen icon
  • chose default colour, width, pen/higlighter settings using Tools > Chose Pen (> Get Default Highlighter)
• 4 pen width icons - selects a width from thin to fat)
• 3 colour icons - selects a colour for a pen: black, blue, red
• Colour palette selection for pen - choose from 10 pen colours
• 4 highlighter icons - default - green, wide; yellow, pink, whiteout
• Razer line - click on red line icon, then click, hold and move up or down on page to see annotations below line move up or down
• Ruler line - click on blue vertical icon, then click, hold and move and release on page to make a straight line
• Select rectangle box icon
  • to select - click menu icon, draw top-left to bottom right box around annotation objects on screen
  • to move - click in box and drag
  • to deselect - click outside of box
• Select icon - click icon, then click, hold and move an annotation object
• Eraser icon - click icon, then click annotation object to delete it
  • click undo left arrow in upper menu bar to undo delete
• T text icon - click icon, click in page and type text, click another location to type text there; select an icon to stop
  • right click text to alter text settings

Readings:

• Jarnal documentation includes command line options (see Startup) and file format description (see Advanced)

• 2007 review of Jarnal in Linux Magazine has screen captures and descriptions of modifying default pen and highlighter.

• a 14 page PDF of the Jarnal documentation HTML files , made in June 2008
  • unknown if up to date

Paul Kates
Mathematics Faculty CTE Liaison
pkates@uwaterloo.ca, x37047
Last modification date: Mon May 18 05:03:04 2009.