Markdown Editor

Edit standard markdown files with a rich-text editor and convert them to full Notidian notes.

Overview

Notidian can open and edit .md (markdown) files directly:

• Rich-text editing - WYSIWYG editing experience
• View/Edit modes - Switch between reading and editing
• Auto-save - Changes save automatically
• Convert to Note - Upgrade to full drawing capabilities

Opening Markdown Files

Markdown files can be opened from:

1. File Explorer - Click any .md file
2. Command Palette - Search for markdown files
3. Drag & Drop - Drop .md files into the app

Editor Modes

View Mode

• Clean reading experience
• Rendered markdown formatting
• Click Edit to make changes

Edit Mode

• Full rich-text editing
• Live formatting preview
• Click View to switch back

Toolbar

The markdown toolbar provides quick access to:

Button	Action
Edit/View	Toggle between modes
Save	Save changes (shown when dirty)

Formatting Support

The editor supports standard markdown:

Text Formatting

• Bold - **text** or Cmd+B
• Italic - *text* or Cmd+I
• Strikethrough - ~~text~~
• Code - backticks

Headings

# Heading 1

## Heading 2

### Heading 3

Lists

- Bullet item
- Another item

1. Numbered item
2. Another item

Blockquotes

> This is a quote

Code Blocks

```javascript
const hello = 'world';
```

Links

[Link text](https://example.com)

Auto-Save

Changes are automatically saved:

• Trigger - 2 seconds after you stop typing
• Indicator - Yellow dot shows unsaved changes
• Manual - Click Save or press Cmd+S

Adding canvas content

Notes remain ordinary Markdown while they contain text and page structure. Adding drawings creates a same-name bundle containing the Markdown file and scene.json; attachments live inside that bundle. Floating text and media are represented by Markdown markers. No format conversion or migration is needed before editing.

Front Matter

Notidian reads YAML front matter:

---
title: My Document
tags: [work, notes]
date: 2024-01-15
---

Field	Usage
title	Displayed in tab and file list
tags	Used for tag search
date	Shown in metadata

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Cmd+S	Save document
Cmd+B	Bold text
Cmd+I	Italic text
Cmd+K	Insert link

Tips

Working with Existing Markdown

• Import your Obsidian/Notion markdown files
• Edit them with familiar formatting
• Convert only when you need drawing features

Preserving Markdown

• The original .md file is never modified by conversion
• Keep markdown for compatibility with other apps
• Use notes for Notidian-specific features

Canvas Area

When viewing a markdown file:

• The canvas area is shown but disabled
• Click the canvas to see the conversion prompt
• Convert to enable drawing

Limitations

Markdown editor does not support:

• Drawing on canvas (convert to note first)
• Embedded media (convert to note first)
• Some advanced markdown extensions

Troubleshooting

Formatting Not Showing

• Ensure you’re in View mode to see rendered formatting
• Some complex markdown may not render

Auto-Save Not Working

• Check if you’re in Edit mode
• Look for the dirty indicator (yellow dot)
• Try manual save with Cmd+S

Conversion Failed

• Check the file isn’t read-only
• Ensure workspace has write permissions
• Check available disk space