CiNotes.py file and read it in the Python App. For a whole unit, a study guide PDF, or anything you’ll need to search, use a notes viewer like CiNotes after the free one-time arTIfiCE setup.Which calculator, which OS?
This page covers the TI-84 Plus CE Python and the TI-84 Plus CE-T Python Edition. Press 2ND + 1 to see the OS version.
Every TI-84 Plus CE Python and CE-T Python Edition shipped with OS 5.5 or newer, and TI doesn’t allow going back to an older OS. Since 5.5, the calculator refuses to run programs written in C or assembly, which is what most notes viewers are. They show ERR:INVALID until you do the free one-time setup: arTIfiCE v2.1 plus AsmHook2 on OS 5.5 up to 5.8.4, or arTIfiCE v3 on 5.8.5. Here’s how, step by step.
The TI-84 Evo is a different calculator. It doesn’t run C programs, so the viewer option below, CiNotes included, doesn’t work on it.
Three ways, side by side
| Method | Setup | After a RAM clear | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
A .py file in the Python App | None | Gone, unless you archived it and move it back to RAM to read | A page or two of plain text |
| A TI-BASIC program | None | Safe if archived | Short lists of formulas you type yourself |
| A notes viewer (CiNotes) | Free one-time arTIfiCE setup | Notes stay in Archive. Reopen AsmHook2 once. | PDFs, study guides, question banks, anything you need to search |
1. Notes as a Python file (no setup)
The Python App’s editor will open any Python program on the calculator, so a file full of comments works as a simple notes page.
- On your computer, save your notes in a plain text file with a short name ending in
.py, likeCHEM.py. The calculator name is at most eight characters and starts with a letter. TI Connect CE turns lowercase into capitals, and if the name doesn’t fit the rules it calls the filePYTHON01or similar. - Start every line with
#. That makes the whole file comments, so running it by accident does nothing instead of throwing an error. - Connect the calculator and send the file with TI Connect CE. It converts the
.pyfile into a Python AppVar on the way. Leave the location set to RAM. - On the calculator, press PRGM and choose Python App. Highlight your file in the File Manager and choose Edit to read it.
The catch: the Python App only lists files that are in RAM, and a RAM clear erases RAM. You can archive the file to protect it (2ND +, Mem Management, AppVars, then ENTER on the file), but it disappears from the Python App until you move it back. TI also caps Python at 100 files or 50K of memory. You’re reading in an editor, so a stray keypress can change your notes, and there’s no search.
The Python App can’t open a separate .txt file or folder of notes. Everything has to be inside the .py file itself.
2. A TI-BASIC notes program (no setup)
TI-BASIC programs still run on every OS, so they need no jailbreak. You can paste text into TI Connect CE’s Program Editor and send it as a program (how to copy and paste notes), or use a TI-BASIC text editor such as BasicNote CE from Cemetech.
- When you press PRGM, a Python Edition first asks TI-Basic or Python. Choose TI-Basic to see your programs.
- Archive the program (2ND +, then 5) so a RAM clear doesn’t erase it.
- It’s fine for a screen of formulas. It gets slow to make and awkward to move around in past a few pages, and there’s no search.
3. A notes viewer, for real amounts of material
Notes viewers are written in C or assembly, so they need the one-time setup on every Python Edition. It’s free and takes three to five minutes, depending on your OS. Jailbreak steps for OS 5.5 to 5.8.5.
CiNotes is built for this. Upload a PDF, study guide or question bank, or paste typed notes, and you get one ZIP with a searchable notes program for the TI-84 Plus CE and the CE Python Edition.
Search everything
One search looks through every note at once, highlights the word, and steps from one result to the next.
Starts from your PDF
No retyping. Figures and diagrams come through as pictures.
Question sets stay together
Questions, answer choices, answers and rubrics stay linked.
Stored in Archive
A RAM clear doesn’t erase your notes. Just reopen AsmHook2 once.
Pasted notes up to 300 words are free. PDFs are $3 for up to 10 pages, then 10¢ a page up to page 50, then 5¢ a page. See pricing.
Free alternatives exist too. CalcPlex Notes and Text Editor CE also run on the Python Edition after the same setup. The notes programs comparison lays out the differences honestly.
A RAM clear won’t take your notes.
Python files have to sit in RAM to open, so a RAM clear wipes them. CiNotes keeps everything in Archive memory instead. After a clear, open AsmHook2 from APPS once and your notes are right where you left them.
Which should you pick?
- A page of plain text, no setup: a
.pyfile. - A handful of formulas you’ll type yourself: a TI-BASIC program, archived.
- A PDF, a full unit, or a question bank: a notes viewer. CiNotes lets you paste up to 300 words free to try it.
If something doesn’t work
- The Python App doesn’t list your file: it’s archived. Move it to RAM under 2ND +, Mem Management, AppVars.
- Your file came through as PYTHON01: the computer file name didn’t fit the calculator’s naming rules. Rename it to eight letters or fewer and send it again.
ERR:INVALIDwhen you open a notes program: the one-time setup isn’t done, or the RAM was cleared since. Fixes for ERR:INVALID.- Sending from a Chromebook: see TI-84 Plus CE and Chromebooks.
Stop scrolling through a Python file.
Put your notes on the calculator in a form you can search.
Make my notesCommon questions
Can the TI-84 Plus CE Python open a text file?
Not directly. The Python App only works with Python programs stored as Python AppVars, and it has no folders or text files. Save your notes inside a .py file, or use a notes program.
Why doesn’t my notes file show up in the Python App?
It’s in Archive memory. The Python App only lists Python files that are in RAM. Press 2ND +, choose Mem Management, then AppVars, and press ENTER on the file to move it back to RAM.
Do notes in the Python App survive a RAM clear?
Not if they’re in RAM, which is where they have to be to open in the Python App. Archive them for safekeeping and move them back to RAM when you want to read them.
Does a TI-84 Plus CE Python need a jailbreak for notes programs?
For notes viewers written in C or assembly, yes. Every TI-84 Plus CE Python and CE-T Python Edition shipped with OS 5.5 or newer, which blocks those programs until you do the free one-time arTIfiCE and AsmHook2 setup. The Python App method and TI-BASIC programs need no setup.
Does CiNotes work on the TI-84 Plus CE Python?
Yes. CiNotes runs on the TI-84 Plus CE and the TI-84 Plus CE Python Edition after the one-time setup. When PRGM asks TI-Basic or Python, choose TI-Basic, then pick the CiNotes program. It doesn’t run on the TI-84 Evo.
Related: every way to put notes on a TI-84 Plus CE and turning a PDF into calculator notes.