--- title: "Notes and the Activity Center" url: "https://help.cbook.de/en/article/notes-and-the-activity-center" language: "en" last_updated: "2026-04-01T12:20:22.390Z" --- # Notes and the Activity Center Community Features in the cBook. ## Introduction The cBook Player offers two powerful features for capturing thoughts and collaborating with others: **Notes** and the **Activity Center**. Notes let you jot down personal observations as you work through a cBook, while the Activity Center is where you and other participants can have discussions in shared communities. The two features are connected — you can share a note directly into the Activity Center to start a conversation with others. Note that you need an **active engagement server connection** to be able use the notes and the activity center. Talk to your sales representative if this is not included in your Creator license. * * * ## Notes ### What Are Notes? Notes are your personal space for writing things down while working through a cBook. They're private by default — only you can see your own notes. You can create as many notes as you like, attach files to them, and even share them with a community when you're ready. ### Opening Notes You can open the Notes panel in two ways: - Click the **Notes** button in the footer bar at the bottom of the player - Press the **I** key on your keyboard The Notes panel slides in as a sidebar overlay. ### Creating a Note 1. Click the **New Note** button at the top of the Notes panel. 2. Enter a **title** for your note (required). 3. Write your note content in the text editor below. You can use: 4. - **Bold** (Ctrl/Cmd+B) - **Italic** (Ctrl/Cmd+I) - **Underline** (Ctrl/Cmd+U) - **Links** - **Mentions** — reference specific slides by typing @ 5. Optionally, attach files by clicking **Add Asset** (images, documents, or other files). 6. Click **Save**. By default, your note body will include a link to the slide you were on when you created it, so you can always find your way back. ### Viewing and Filtering Notes Your Notes panel shows a list of all your notes. Each note displays: - The note title - A short preview of the content - Who created it and when - An attachment count (if files are attached) You can filter your notes in two ways using the toggle at the top: - **cBook** — shows all your notes across the entire cBook - **Current Slide** — shows only notes related to the slide you're currently viewing ### Editing a Note 1. Click on a note to open it. 2. Click the **Edit Note** button. 3. Make your changes to the title, content, or attachments. 4. Click **Save**. ### Deleting a Note 1. Open the note you want to delete. 2. Click the **Delete Note** button. 3. The note is permanently removed. ### Printing Notes If you want a printable copy of your notes: 1. Click the **Print** button in the Notes panel header (only visible when you have notes). 2. Your browser's print dialog will open with a formatted view of your notes, including their titles, content, and attachments. * * * ## Activity Center ### What Is the Activity Center? The Activity Center is a collaborative space within the cBook Player where participants can discuss topics in shared communities. Think of it as a built-in discussion forum — organized into communities, topics, and responses. ### Opening the Activity Center You can open the Activity Center in two ways: - Click the **Activity Center** button in the footer bar - Press the **O** key on your keyboard If there are unread messages, you'll see a badge with the unread count on the button. ### How It's Organized The Activity Center has three levels: 1. **Communities** (the top level) — Groups of participants. You'll see a list titled "My communities" when you first open the Activity Center. 2. **Topics** — Discussion threads within a community. Each topic has a title and can contain multiple responses. 3. **Responses** — Individual messages within a topic. This is where the actual conversation happens. You navigate through these levels using breadcrumb navigation at the top (e.g., My communities > Community Name > Topic Title). ### Browsing Communities When you open the Activity Center, you see your communities. Each community shows: - The community name (or the names of its members) - An unread count if there are new messages You can also: - **Search** for communities using the search field - **Filter** communities to find specific ones - **Create a new community** by clicking **New Community** (if allowed) - **Hide/show communities** to keep your list tidy ### Viewing Topics in a Community Click on a community to see its topics. Each topic shows: - The topic title - Who created it ("created by \[name\]") - A preview of the content - An attachment count (if applicable) - The time of the last update From this view, you can: - **Create a new topic** by clicking **Create New Topic** - **Edit group** settings (if you're the community owner) - **View group info** to see community details ### Reading and Responding to Topics Click on a topic to see its full content and all responses. You'll see: - The original post with its title, author, creation date, and content - All responses listed chronologically below - Attachments on any post (shown with an asset count) To add your own response, click the **Create New Answer** button and write your message in the editor. You can format text and attach files, just like with notes. ### Filtering by Slide Just like in Notes, you can filter the Activity Center view: - **cBook** — shows all topics across the entire cBook - **Current Slide** — shows only topics related to the slide you're on This is especially useful when a cBook has many discussions and you want to focus on what's relevant to your current content. ### Editing Your Posts You can edit your own topics and responses by clicking the **Edit** button (pencil icon) on your post. ### Disclaimer Depending on the cBook's configuration, you may be asked to accept a disclaimer the first time you access Notes or the Activity Center. Simply read the disclaimer and click **Accept** to proceed. * * * ## Sharing a Note to the Activity Center One of the most useful connections between Notes and the Activity Center is the ability to **share** a note. This lets you take something you've written privately and publish it as a topic in a community — turning a personal thought into a group discussion. ### How to Share a Note 1. Open the **Notes** panel and click on the note you want to share. 2. Click the **Share** button. 3. A community selector appears. Choose the community you want to share the note with. 4. You'll see an editor showing your note's title and content. You can make adjustments before sharing if you like. 5. Click **Share** to publish. Your note is now visible as a new topic in the selected community. Other members of that community can see it and respond to it. ### Important Things to Know - **Sharing creates a copy.** Your original private note stays in your Notes panel, unchanged. The shared version is an independent copy in the Activity Center. - **Changes don't sync.** If you edit your original note after sharing, the shared version in the Activity Center won't update (and vice versa). - **Others can respond.** Once shared, community members can view the topic and add their own responses, just like any other topic in the Activity Center. - **You can share to different communities.** You can share the same note to multiple communities if needed — each time, a new copy is created in the selected community. * * * ## Quick Reference | Action | Where | How | | --- | --- | --- | | Open Notes | Footer bar | Click **Notes** or press **I** | | Open Activity Center | Footer bar | Click **Activity Center** or press **O** | | Create a note | Notes panel | Click **New Note** | | Edit a note | Note detail view | Click **Edit Note** | | Delete a note | Note detail view | Click **Delete Note** | | Print notes | Notes panel | Click **Print** | | Share a note to a community | Note detail view | Click **Share**, select community, confirm | | Create a topic | Community view | Click **Create New Topic** | | Reply to a topic | Topic detail view | Click **Create New Answer** | | Filter by current slide | Notes or Activity Center | Toggle to **Current Slide** |