Notes and trails · Wiki

Create and rename notes

Select the plus beside a trail to add a note as its next step. Enter a title or leave it blank to start with Untitled note. To rename a note, open its three-dot menu and choose Rename note, or edit its title in the editor. In the sidebar title field, Enter saves the name and Escape cancels the change.

A new note titled Associative trails being added beneath the steps of Bush’s vision. — The plus beside a trail creates a new note in that trail. A title is optional.

The title Vannevar Bush being edited directly in the sidebar. — Rename note opens the title field. Press Enter to keep the new name.

Notes outside trails

Use the plus beside Notes to create a note without assigning it to a trail. This is useful for open questions, drafts or ideas you want to organize later. The Notes list contains every note in the project, including notes that already belong to trails.

Questions to explore selected in Notes, with neither trail containing that note. — Questions to explore belongs to the project without being a step in either trail. Notes lists every note in the project.

Create and rename trails

A trail is a named reading order through your notes. Select the plus beside Trails, enter a name and press Enter to create one. Open a trail’s three-dot menu and choose Rename trail to change its name without changing its notes. Escape cancels the title edit.

A new trail title, Reading paths, being entered under the Trails heading. — Use the plus beside Trails, enter a name, then press Enter.

The trail title Bush’s vision being changed to Bush’s associative trails. — Rename trail changes the path’s name while keeping its notes and their order.

Reuse a note

Open a note’s three-dot menu inside a trail and choose Add to another trail, then select the destination. From the Notes list, the same action is called Add to a trail. This reuses the original note: edits appear everywhere it is used, while each trail keeps its own reading order. Move to another trail is a different action that takes the step out of its current trail.

Vannevar Bush appearing as step 2 in Bush’s vision and step 3 in Thinking in trails, with shared-note icons. — One note, two trails: Vannevar Bush appears in both paths, at different positions.

Shared-note indicators

A link icon beside a note title means the note is used in more than one trail. The editor also shows a notice beneath the title, naming the trails that use it. Check this notice before editing: your changes update the same note in every trail.

Memex in both trails, with link icons in the sidebar and an editor notice saying edits appear in both. — The link icon marks a shared note. The notice beneath its title names the trails that use it.

Add an existing note

Open the destination trail’s three-dot menu and choose Add existing note. Select a note from the dropdown, then choose Add note. The dropdown only offers notes that are not already in that trail. Adding a note here keeps its existing content.

Questions to explore selected beneath Bush’s vision, beside the Add note button. — Choose an existing note, then select Add note to include it in the trail.

Remove a step

Open the note’s three-dot menu within a trail and choose Remove from this trail. The confirmation names the note and explains that it stays in Notes. Confirm with Remove to take it out of this reading path, or Cancel to leave it in place. Other trails that use the note are unchanged.

The Remove Vannevar Bush from this trail confirmation, explaining that the note stays in Notes. — Remove affects this trail only. The note remains in the project and in any other trails that use it.

Reorder steps

Drag a note to a new position within its trail. You can also open its three-dot menu and choose Move note up or Move note down. The step numbers update to match the new reading order. Reordering a shared note in one trail does not change its position in another.

Before reordering: Vannevar Bush is step 1 and As We May Think is step 2. — Before: Vannevar Bush is the first step in the trail.

After reordering: As We May Think is step 1 and Vannevar Bush is step 2. — After moving the note down, the step numbers reflect the new reading order.

Delete notes and trails

Delete note removes the note from the project and every trail that uses it. Delete trail removes the reading path while keeping its notes in the Notes list and in any other trails. Both actions show a confirmation and cannot be undone. Check the name and description before confirming, or choose Cancel to keep everything.

Delete note confirmation warning that Vannevar Bush will be removed from every trail and the project. — Delete note permanently removes the note from the whole project.

Delete trail confirmation explaining that Bush’s vision will be deleted but its notes will stay in Notes. — Delete trail removes the path. Its notes stay in the project.