Using BetelgeuseWriting and blocksDownload

Writing and blocks

Everything on a page is a block: a paragraph, a heading, a list, a table. You can add, convert, colour, move and nest blocks, and every one is saved as readable Markdown.

Adding blocks

  • Type / to open the block menu. Keep typing to filter it, for example /todo or /col. The menu is grouped into Basic blocks, Inline, Database, Media, Layout and Colors.
  • Hover a block and click + to add a new block below it.
  • Or type Markdown at the start of a line:
Type To get
#, ## or ###, then a space Heading 1, 2 or 3
-, then a space Bulleted list
1., then a space Numbered list
[], then a space To-do list
>, then a space Quote
Three backticks, then a space Code block
--- Divider

Moving and changing blocks

Hover a block to see the ⋮⋮ handle on its left.

  • Drag the handle to move the block.
  • Click it to open the block menu: Turn into, Color, Duplicate (⌘D) and Delete. Type in the menu's search box to find an action.
  • ⌘⌥0 to ⌘⌥8 turn the current block into another type. See Keyboard shortcuts.

Every block

Text and headings

Plain text is a paragraph. There are three levels of heading, and headings make up the outline on the right of the page.

Lists

  • Bulleted lists
    • Press Tab to nest an item, and Shift-Tab to move it back out
  • Another item
  1. Numbered lists
  2. Count for you
  • To-do lists
  • Click a box to tick it

Toggle

Click the arrow to open this toggle

Toggles hide content until you need it. Anything can go inside, including lists, tables and code.

Whether a toggle is open or closed is saved with the page.

Quote

Quotes set words apart from the rest of the page.

Callout

💡

Callouts make something stand out. Click the icon to change it, and use Color in the block menu to change the background. See Formatting and colours.

Divider

A divider is a line across the page:


Table

/Table adds a table with a header row. Tab moves to the next cell, and adds a new row when you're in the last one.

Star Constellation Colour
Betelgeuse Orion Red
Rigel Orion Blue
Sirius Canis Major White

Code

// Pick the language from the menu at the top of this block.
// Hover the block for Wrap and Copy. Tab indents.
const greet = (name) => `Hello, ${name}!`;

Image

/Image, then paste a link to an image and click Embed image. Images that come in with an import are copied into the workspace's .assets/ folder.

Columns

/2 columns, /3 columns and /4 columns lay blocks out side by side.

Each column holds any blocks you like, such as lists, callouts or code.

  • /Page creates a sub-page and links to it where you typed. See Pages and sub-pages.
  • /Link to page links to a page that already exists, the same as typing [[. See Links and backlinks.
  • /Database – Inline creates a database and shows it inside the page. /Database – Full page creates it as a sub-page. See Databases.
  • /Date or reminder inserts today's date.

How blocks are stored

Each block has a Markdown form that other editors can read. Open this page's file in a text editor to see them for yourself.

Block Markdown
Heading ## Heading
Bulleted list - item
Numbered list 1. item
To-do - [ ] task and - [x] done
Quote > text
Callout > [!yellow] 💡, then > text lines
Toggle <details><summary>…</summary>…</details>
Columns <div class="columns"><div class="column">…</div></div>
Divider ---
Code Three backticks and the language
Image ![description](link)
Page link [[Ideas]]
Inline database ![[Roadmap]]
Colour <span data-color="red">…</span>
📁

Opening and saving a page doesn't reformat it, so your git history only shows real changes. See Your files on disk.