The Editor

Blocks and the Slash Menu

Blocks and the Slash Menu

Three ways to insert

Type the slash key (/). The slash menu opens at the cursor. Keep typing to filter by name, description, or alias (/todo, /flowchart, /latex all hit). Arrow keys move, Enter inserts, Escape closes.

Use the toolbar. The Insert group at the right end of the toolbar holds a link button, image, table, and code block, plus four dropdowns: Insert block, Callout, Diagram, and Embed.

Type two opening brackets ([[). Search pages and insert a link to one.

Everything the slash menu offers

Basic blocks

EntryInserts
Heading 1Large section heading
Heading 2Medium section heading
Heading 3Small section heading
Bullet ListA simple bullet list
Numbered ListA numbered list
Task ListCheckbox items you can tick
QuoteA blockquote
Code BlockCode with syntax highlighting
DividerA horizontal rule

Advanced blocks

EntryInserts
TableA 3 by 3 table with a header row
ToggleA collapsible section with a title and body
PropertiesA table of this page’s properties, which you can configure and filter
Child pagesThe list of pages inside this one, placed here instead of below the page
Math EquationA block LaTeX equation
Inline MathA LaTeX expression inside the line
SymbolOne character from the symbol picker, as plain text

Media

EntryInserts
Upload ImageFile picker, uploads, then places the image
File AttachmentFile picker, uploads, then places an attachment card
GalleryA grid of images and files, laid out and sized as you choose
Embed ImageAn image from a URL you paste
LinkThe URL you enter, as a link, where you typed /link

Callouts

EntryInserts
Info CalloutBlue informational note
Warning CalloutYellow warning
Danger CalloutRed error or danger notice
Success CalloutGreen success message
Note CalloutPurple note or tip

Diagrams

EntryInserts
Mermaid DiagramText-defined flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and more
WhiteboardA whiteboard page from this site, shown whole and kept up to date; see Whiteboard

To draw by hand, use a Whiteboard page. See Whiteboard.

Embeds

EntryInserts
YouTube VideoYouTube player
FigmaFigma file, prototype, or board
Vimeo VideoVimeo player
Generic EmbedAny iframe-compatible URL

Symbols

Symbol (/symbol) opens a small picker at the cursor for characters that are not on the keyboard: arrows, math operators, Greek letters, dashes and quotes, currency, and common marks such as ° and ©. Type in its search box to filter by name (alpha, euro) or by the characters an arrow is typed as (->). Enter in the search box inserts the first match; the down arrow moves into the grid, where the arrow keys move and Enter inserts. Escape closes the picker without inserting anything and puts you back where you were typing.

The character goes in as ordinary text, so it is searched, copied, and exported like any other letter. For a formula, use Inline Math instead.

Toggles

A toggle has a title row and a body. It is inserted open, with the placeholder title “Toggle title”. Click the chevron to collapse or expand it. The open or closed state is stored with the page, so readers see it the way you left it.

Galleries

A gallery lays images and files out in a grid. Type /gallery, or choose Gallery from the toolbar’s Insert block dropdown, to place an empty one, then fill it any of these ways:

  • Press + in the gallery’s header and choose one or more images or files.
  • Drop images or files from your computer onto the gallery.
  • Select the gallery, or a picture or file in it, and paste images or files you have copied. They are added at the end of the gallery.
  • Drag an image or a file attachment that is already on the page into the gallery. Drag it out again to take it back out.

Press the settings button in the gallery’s header to change its layout at any time:

SettingWhat it changes
ColumnsHow many tiles sit in a row, from 1 to 6
SpacingThe gap between tiles: Tight, Normal, or Wide
Tile heightSmall, Medium, or Large crop every picture to the same height; Natural shows each at its own height
Item sizesHow much of its tile each picture fills: the full tile, three quarters, half, or a quarter

Changes show in the grid as you make them and are saved when you publish. A picture in a gallery is still an ordinary image: select it to use its own size, alignment, and alt text controls, or drag its corners to resize it within its tile. Files always fill their tile.

Readers see the grid without the header. Clicking a picture opens it full size, and a file opens or downloads as it does anywhere else on a page. On a phone, a gallery of more than one column shows two.

To select the whole gallery, click its name in the header. To move it, drag the grip at the left of the header. To remove it and everything in it, press the bin.

Working with block nodes

Diagrams, math, embeds, images, galleries, and whiteboards are single units. Click one to select it, then press Backspace to remove it. A click inside a gallery selects the picture or file under it; to select the gallery itself, click its name in the header. To move an image or a file attachment, press on it and drag it to its new place; a gallery moves by the grip at the left of its header. Most of them reveal their own controls when selected: an editor for Mermaid, a URL field for embeds, a size and alignment bar for images, a control to show a different board for a whiteboard.

Details for each are in Tables, Code, and Diagrams and Callouts and Media.