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)
Convert to Note	Convert to .note format

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

Converting to Note

To use drawing features, convert markdown to a Notidian note:

Why Convert?

Feature	Markdown	Note
Text editing	Yes	Yes
Rich formatting	Yes	Yes
Drawing canvas	No	Yes
Infinite canvas	No	Yes
Handwriting	No	Yes

How to Convert

1. Click Convert to Note in the toolbar
2. Confirm the conversion
3. Original .md file is preserved
4. New .note file is created

What Happens

• Markdown content becomes text on the canvas
• Front matter is converted to note metadata
• Original markdown file remains unchanged
• New note opens automatically

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