Workspace

Views of the same notes

A Markdown file with a layout: line in its frontmatter shows its notes as something other than text. The notes are the same in every view: change the line and the same file becomes a board, a list, a table, a calendar, a timeline, a gallery, or a chart. Nothing is converted or rewritten.

Animation of one file shown as a board, a list, a table, a calendar, a timeline, a gallery, and a chart
One file, seven views

Choosing a view

  • Use the layout button in the header (Text, Board, List, Table, …), or edit layout: in the frontmatter. Ctrl+Shift+B switches between the view and the text of the file.
  • A ## heading is a column on a board and a section in a list or a table; a - [ ] item is a card, a note, or a row. Every change you make in a view is written to the Markdown text as one undo step.
  • A note carries typed values as [key:: value]. A file declares its fields in the frontmatter, one per line as key: type(arguments): select(todo, doing, done), date, progress, number, text, person, agent, link, with [] after the type for several values. Fields… in the ☰ menu edits the list for you.
  • The ☰ menu → New Kanban Board, New Inbox, and New Table (also in the file tree's right-click menu) create a file with the right frontmatter.
---
layout: board
fields:
  status: select(todo:gray, doing:blue, done:green) = todo
  start: date
  due: date
---

## Plan

- [ ] Fix the sync bug #bug [status:: doing] [start:: 2026-10-14] [due:: 2026-10-20]

Board

layout: board: lists side by side and cards you drag between them. See The kanban board. With group: status the columns are the values of a select field instead of ## headings: dragging a card to another column sets its field, and a card added to a column gets that value.

The same notes as a kanban board with the Plan, In Progress, and Done lists
Board

List

layout: list: an inbox. Quick capture on top, notes with tags and fields, drag to reorder or to another section. See Inbox.

The same notes as an inbox list grouped in sections
List

Table

layout: table: one row per note across every section, one column per field. columns: [title, status, due] picks and orders the columns (section is a column too), and sort: due or sort: -due sorts the rows.

  • A click on a header sorts by that column (ascending, descending, back to the document order). This is only in the view; the file is not rewritten.
  • A click on a cell changes that field in place. A date past its day is red unless the note is done.
  • A click on a title edits the note, the checkbox marks it done, and ✕ deletes the row. The entry above the table and New Row add a note.

This is different from a CSV file, which is plain data with no notes; see CSV tables.

The same notes as a table with title, status, start, due, and section columns
Table

Calendar

layout: calendar: the notes on a month grid by a date field (date: due, the default; else the first date field). Month, Week, and Agenda are three views of the same notes.

  • Drag a note to another day to change its date (a time is kept), or to the side panel to take its date away.
  • Click a note to edit it; double-click a day to add a note on that day.
  • Today is highlighted, notes past their date are red, and done ones are struck through.
The same notes on a month calendar
Calendar

Timeline

layout: timeline: a bar per note from its start field to its end field (defaults start and due). A note with one date is a one-day marker; a note with none has a row but no bar.

  • Drag a bar to move both dates, drag an edge to change one, click to edit.
  • The red line is today. The dark part of a bar is the progress field (or the whole bar for a done note).
  • Week, Month, and Quarter change the scale; zoom: sets the first.
The same notes as bars on a timeline with a line for today
Timeline

layout: gallery: a card per note with a cover. The cover is the image named by the cover: field (a path relative to the document), else the first image in the note, else a color from the first tag. A card shows the title, the first line of the note, tags, and fields.

  • The search entry filters the cards; size: small|medium|large (or the buttons) sets their width.
The same notes as a gallery of cards with colored covers
Gallery

Chart

layout: chart: counts the notes without changing them: notes, done, overdue (past due and not done), the average per week, notes created per week or month (by: a date field, period: week|month), notes per value of a select field (group:, drawn as a donut), and per tag.

  • charts: [kpi, bar, donut:status, donut:priority, tags] picks the panels and their order; bar:due:month counts by another date field and period.
  • The gear button at the top right edits that list for you: move, remove, add, and choose the fields.
The same notes as a chart with counts, a bar chart, and a donut by status
Chart

The agent and views

The agent understands these files by their structure, not only their text: describe_schema gives it the layout, fields, and select options, and query_notes filters, sorts, and counts notes by field. Changes it proposes to notes and fields go through the same review window as any other change (see Proposals and approval).