Sometimes a full document system is unnecessary. A user simply needs text from one computer to be available on another. Shared Text is a small web page for exactly that kind of handoff.
The workflow is simple: type or paste text, enter the save password, and save it. On another device, open the page and load the latest version. It avoids turning every short transfer into a self-addressed email or another temporary file.
The latest text lives in a JSON file on the web server. Each save also writes a timestamped snapshot, and the application keeps the ten newest history files. That gives the latest value a modest recovery trail instead of making each overwrite the only remaining copy.
The documentation distinguishes the save password from the password used to inspect raw JSON through the page. The storage directory has an Apache access rule, and live data and local password files are intended to stay outside version control. These are specific access behaviors, not a claim that every way of viewing shared text is private.
The project uses PHP and a small amount of storage because the task is small. There is one current shared text value to retrieve, rather than a collection of notebooks and collaborative workspaces.
That narrow focus is the point. A scratch pad should be easy to find, easy to save, and easy to reload. If it removes a few unnecessary steps from moving a snippet between devices, it has served its purpose.
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- — Converted automated article narration to neutral third person and added public update history. No application functionality changed. GitHub source