CHIP'S JOURNAL (CJOURNAL)

A basic journaling program that allows you to securely write and store entries in an encrypted database. Entries can be tagged and searched for later.

Requirements

Some flavor of Linux operating system (tested on Mint 20.3 but will probably work on other distributions too)
Python 3
Pycryptodome module from PIP. If you use the automated installer (see below) this should be taken care of for you.

Installation

Clone or download this repository. Unzip if neccessary.
Navigate to the directory containing the repository files.
Run the automated installer using command:

bash ./install.sh
OPTIONAL: If desired, program can be configured by editing the config file located at ~/.local/bin/cjournal/journal.conf. Configuration options are detailed below.

How to Use - File Creation & Writing Your First Entry

To write a journal entry, simply use the command:

cj
When you run the program for the first time, it will create a new database file and prompt you to set up an encryption password for it. REMEMBER THIS PASSWORD! If you ever forget it you will be permanently locked out of your journal FOREVER - the only way to make the program usable again will be to delete the database file and restart your journal from scratch.
Follow the prompts to create your first journal entry.

How to Use - Reading Previously Created Entries

To see a listing of all your journal entries, use the command:

cj --all
You will be prompted to enter your password and then be presented with a table of all your journal entries. Choose an entry by its ID number to read it.
If you already know the ID number of the entry you want to see, you can go straight to it with command:

cj -v <ID#>
To automatically read your most recently written entry use command:

cj -l

--or--

cj --last

--or--

cj -v -1
You will be prompted to enter your password and then be immediately taken to your most recent entry.

Searching for Specific Entries

To search for entries by date, use command:

cj -d <YYYY-MM-DD>
To search for entries by tag, use command:

cj -s <tag>
In either case, you will be prompted to enter your password and then be presented with a list of entries matching your search criteria. Choose an entry to view by its ID number.

Backing Up Your Journal

To automatically back up your journal database use command:

bkcj
Backups are stored in the ~/backups/cjournal directory with a date/time stamped file name in the form of:

19700101-0000_CJournal_Backup.db
If you ever need to restore a backup you can do so by identifying the latest backup file and copying it to ~/.local/bin/cjournal/journal.db (assuming you are still using the default database configuration, see "Configuration Options" below)
If you wish, you can add additional backup locations (including network locations reachable over SSH) by editing the "BACKUP_LOCATIONS" variable in ~/.local/bin/bkcj

Table of Command Line Arguments

Short	Long	Description
-t	--title	Specify the title for your entry
-e	--entry	The main body of your entry
-a	--tags	The list of tags (comma-separated) for your entry
-d	--date	Search entries by date in YYYY-MM-DD format
-s	--search	Search entries by tag
-v	--view	View a specific journal entry by ID number
-l	--last	View the most recently written entry
	--all	List all journal entries

Configuration Options

As a reminder, the configuration file is located in ~/.local/bin/cjournal/journal.conf. It can be altered by any text editor.

"dbfile" - The location and name of the database file which stores all journal entries.
"logfile" - The location and name of the program's log file
"loglevel" - The verbosity of the log

sandtron / cjournal