Getting started.
First launch
Paperkites opens on the home screen: the capture box at the top, and everything you've written below it. There's no setup wizard and no tour.
Your notes go in a folder called notes in your home folder (~/notes). You can point Paperkites at a different folder later; see Your files.
The five welcome notes
On first run, Paperkites writes five ordinary notes into your notes folder, all tagged #kites:
- Welcome
- Writing
- Finding things again
- Keys
- Your files
They're plain markdown files like any other. Edit them, keep them or delete them; nothing depends on them.
The modes
Paperkites uses modes, like vim.
| Mode | What it's for | How you get there |
|---|---|---|
| INSERT | typing | i in the capture box or in a note (or a, o and the other vim keys) |
| NORMAL | moving around and running keys | the app starts here; esc from INSERT |
| COMMAND | typing a : command or a / search | : or / from NORMAL |
The status pill at the bottom of the window shows the mode when it isn't the obvious one. INSERT is the obvious one in the capture box, NORMAL everywhere else.
- The app opens in NORMAL, on the capture box. j and k move into the list at once; i starts writing.
- With vim keys off, the app opens in INSERT, ready to type. See Settings.
- In a note, press esc first. In INSERT,
:and/type into the note. Press esc to reach NORMAL, then : or /. - Tab completes commands. After
:, press Tab to complete a command name.
Capture a thought
- Press i and type in the capture box. ⏎ starts a new line; it never saves.
- Press ⌘↩ to keep it. It's saved as a fragment, a short note with no title, and lands at the top of the list. The box clears and the caret stays there for the next one.
- If the thought needs more room, press ⌘E instead. The same text opens as a full note in the editor.
Press esc to leave the box for the list. Esc never throws anything away: the draft stays in the box, even after a reload or a quit, and i takes you back to it.
Open a note
Below the capture box is everything you've written, newest first.
| Key | Does |
|---|---|
| j / k | next / previous row |
| gg / G | top / bottom |
| [d / ]d | previous / next day |
| ⏎ | open the selected row |
| i | back to the capture box |
| gh | home, from anywhere |
You can also click a row to open it, or press ⌘K, type a few letters of a note's title, and press ⏎. See Finding things.
Next
- Writing covers fragments, notes, the editor, tags and links.
- Keys and commands lists everything.
:keysshows the same map in the app.