Evernote Hello World

Overview

Create your first Evernote note using the Cloud API, demonstrating ENML format and NoteStore operations.

Prerequisites

• Completed evernote-install-auth setup
• Valid access token (OAuth or Developer Token for sandbox)
• Development environment ready

Instructions

Step 1: Create Entry File

Initialize an authenticated Evernote client. Use a Developer Token for sandbox or an OAuth access token for production.

// hello-evernote.js
const Evernote = require('evernote');

const client = new Evernote.Client({
  token: process.env.EVERNOTE_ACCESS_TOKEN,
  sandbox: true // false for production
});

Step 2: Understand ENML Format

Evernote uses ENML (Evernote Markup Language), a restricted XHTML subset. Every note must include the XML declaration, DOCTYPE, and <en-note> root element. Forbidden elements include <script>, <form>, <iframe>. Only inline styles are allowed (no class or id attributes).

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE en-note SYSTEM "http://xml.evernote.com/pub/enml2.dtd">
<en-note>
  <h1>Note Title</h1>
  <p>Content goes here</p>
  <en-todo checked="false"/> A task item
</en-note>

Step 3: Create Your First Note

Build ENML content and call noteStore.createNote(). The returned object contains the guid, title, and created timestamp.

async function createHelloWorldNote() {
  const noteStore = client.getNoteStore();

  const content = `<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE en-note SYSTEM "http://xml.evernote.com/pub/enml2.dtd">
<en-note>
  <h1>Hello from Claude Code!</h1>
  <p>Created at: ${new Date().toISOString()}</p>
</en-note>`;

  const note = new Evernote.Types.Note();
  note.title = 'Hello World - Evernote API';
  note.content = content;

  const createdNote = await noteStore.createNote(note);
  console.log('Note GUID:', createdNote.guid);
  return createdNote;
}

Step 4: List Notebooks and Retrieve Notes

Use listNotebooks() to enumerate notebooks and getNote() with boolean flags to control what data is returned (content, resources, recognition, alternate data).

const noteStore = client.getNoteStore();

// List all notebooks
const notebooks = await noteStore.listNotebooks();
notebooks.forEach(nb => console.log(`- ${nb.name} (${nb.guid})`));

// Retrieve a note with content
const note = await noteStore.getNote(noteGuid, true, false, false, false);
console.log('Title:', note.title);

For the complete working example with Python SDK, todo lists, and a combined workflow, see Implementation Guide.

Output

• Working code file with Evernote client initialization
• Successfully created note in your Evernote account
• Console output with note GUID and confirmation

Error Handling

Error	Cause	Solution
EDAMUserException: BAD_DATA_FORMAT	Invalid ENML content	Validate against ENML DTD; ensure XML declaration and DOCTYPE
EDAMNotFoundException	Note or notebook not found	Check GUID is correct and note is not in trash
EDAMSystemException: RATE_LIMIT_REACHED	Too many requests	Wait for rateLimitDuration seconds before retrying
Missing DOCTYPE	ENML missing required header	Add <?xml ...?> and <!DOCTYPE ...> before <en-note>

Resources

• Creating Notes
• ENML Reference
• Core Concepts
• API Reference

Next Steps

Proceed to evernote-local-dev-loop for development workflow setup.

Examples

Sandbox test: Create a note using a Developer Token with sandbox: true, verify it appears in your sandbox account at sandbox.evernote.com.

Production note: Switch to OAuth access token, set sandbox: false, create a note in a specific notebook using note.notebookGuid.