Boat Notes Lite

Description

Boat Notes Lite adds a beautiful floating sticky-notes widget to your WordPress posts and pages. Logged-in users can create, edit, and delete color-coded notes directly on any page — no page reloads, no friction.

All notes are stored as a custom post type (boat_note) so they live in your database like regular content and survive plugin updates cleanly.

Free features

  • Floating widget — a subtle button appears on every enabled post/page. Click it to open the notes panel.
  • 5 pastel colors — Yellow, Peach, Green, Blue, and Pink.
  • Full CRUD — Create, edit, and delete notes with instant REST API saves.
  • Notes board — shortcode [boat_notes_board] and a Gutenberg block to display all your notes on any page.
  • Trash & restore — accidentally deleted a note? Restore it from the trash tab.
  • 20 note fonts — choose from 20 Google Fonts for your note text.
  • 8 UI fonts — apply any of 8 Google Fonts to the widget interface.
  • Custom colors — pick your own button color, hover color, icon color, and badge color.
  • Button position — dock the widget to the bottom-left or bottom-right corner.
  • 12 preset icons — choose from a curated set of Dashicons for the widget button.
  • Board customization — set a title, description, and choose whether to show the icon.
  • GDPR ready — full personal data export and erasure via the WordPress privacy tools.
  • Zero dependencies — no jQuery UI, no external libraries beyond Google Fonts.
  • Clean uninstall — removes all data when you delete the plugin.

Upgrade to Boat Notes Pro

The free version is generous, but Boat Notes Pro adds the features power users need:

  • 4 note themes — Classic, Notebook, Torn Paper, and Minimal.
  • 6 background patterns — Dots, Grid, Lines, Diagonal, Crosshatch, and None.
  • Dark mode & auto mode — Light, Dark, or follow the user’s system preference.
  • Custom SVG icon — upload your own SVG for a fully branded experience.
  • Role-based permissions — choose exactly which WordPress roles can create and read notes.
  • Board filters — let users filter notes by color, date, post type, or author.
  • Analytics dashboard — see note activity, top pages, most active users, and color distribution at a glance.

How it works

  1. Install and activate the plugin.
  2. Go to Settings Boat Notes to configure colors, fonts, and the board page.
  3. A floating button will appear on all posts and pages for logged-in users.
  4. Click the button to open the notes panel and start writing.
  5. Place the [boat_notes_board] shortcode or the Boat Notes Board Gutenberg block on any page to show all your notes in one place.

Privacy

Boat Notes Lite stores notes as WordPress custom post types attributed to the logged-in user. It supports WordPress’s built-in Personal Data Export and Personal Data Erasure tools under Tools Erase Personal Data.

No data is sent to external servers. Google Fonts are loaded from Google’s CDN for the font picker preview — if you prefer self-hosted fonts, you can dequeue the stylesheet and use the Pro version’s custom font stack support.

Blocks

This plugin provides 1 block.

  • Notes Board Display all your sticky notes in a board layout. Renders the [boat_notes_board] shortcode.

Installation

  1. Upload the boat-notes-lite folder to /wp-content/plugins/, or install directly from the WordPress plugin directory.
  2. Activate the plugin through the Plugins menu in WordPress.
  3. Navigate to Settings Boat Notes to configure the widget.
  4. The floating notes widget will appear automatically on all posts and pages.

FAQ

Who can see and create notes?

In Boat Notes Lite, any logged-in user can create, edit, and delete their own notes. Notes are private to the user who created them — other users cannot see each other’s notes. Role-based permissions (limiting notes to specific roles) are available in Boat Notes Pro.

Can I show the notes board on a specific page?

Yes. Create a page, then add the shortcode [boat_notes_board] or insert the Boat Notes Board Gutenberg block. The board shows all notes created by the logged-in user across the entire site.

Does this work with page builders like Elementor or Divi?

The floating widget is injected via the wp_footer hook and works on any theme or page builder. The board shortcode/block can be placed anywhere shortcodes or blocks are supported.

Will my notes be lost if I upgrade to Pro?

No. Boat Notes Lite and Boat Notes Pro use the same database structure (boat_note custom post type and boat_notes_settings option). Activating Pro after Lite preserves all your notes and settings automatically.

Is the plugin compatible with multisite?

Each subsite in a WordPress Multisite network maintains its own notes and settings independently. The plugin has not been specifically tested in a network-activated configuration.

What happens to my data if I uninstall?

If you deactivate and delete Boat Notes Lite while Boat Notes Pro is not active, all notes and settings will be permanently removed. If Pro is active, uninstalling Lite leaves your data intact (Pro manages it).

Does the widget appear for all visitors?

No. The widget only appears for logged-in users. Logged-out visitors see nothing.

Can I disable the widget on specific post types?

Yes. Go to Settings Boat Notes Widget and use the Post Types section to enable or disable notes for each registered public post type.

Reviews

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Contributors & Developers

“Boat Notes Lite” is open source software. The following people have contributed to this plugin.

Contributors

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Interested in development?

Browse the code, check out the SVN repository, or subscribe to the development log by RSS.

Changelog

1.0.0

  • Initial release.