What I meant is that I want to have a note on a journal on the player inventory that updates with info base on what the player has found out. I'm just not sure how to update a description to do that

i'm used to gamebook so I had thought flags..but that isn't how flags work in text adventure.
If player looks at 'note2" then some text is added to the journal like "the code is 1234"

My only solution i found was to use switches

Just for clarification...
Are the notes sequential?

Is it a notebook where multiple instances are found in a notebook or are they more like individual notes found/made throughout the game?

Player goes about the mansion to find various clues. A notebook on the player inventory would record certain hints. so when say the player reads about were a key is located it would add that to the notebook as a reference. Basically, If note A had be read then note B would be inteh notebook. Although the only way I got it to work for me was with switch on if statements, kind of like flags in Gamebook

Have you looked at this:
http://docs.textadventures.co.uk/quest/keeping_a_journal.html

I"ll give it a shot, I still have no idea strings and commands work yet