Item types
Scratchpad has six item types. They all share the same pipeline — a file on disk, autosave, git sync, version history, and read-only sharing — and differ only in their editor and on-disk format.
| Type | Badge | Editor | Stored as | Extension |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code | .go .py … |
CodeMirror 6 | source text | the language's extension |
| Drawing | .ed |
Excalidraw | scene JSON | .excalidraw |
| Mindmap | .mm |
Mind Elixir | tree JSON | .mind |
| Doc | .doc |
Tiptap | HTML | .doc |
| Board | .kb |
custom Kanban (dnd-kit) | board JSON | .kanban |
| Cornell note | .cn |
cue / notes / summary layout (Markdown auto-formats) | JSON | .cornell |
Create any of them from the ⌘K command palette.
Organizing in folders
Every item has an optional folder, and folders can be nested
(work/projects/alpha). The sidebar shows them as a collapsible tree; items
with no folder sit at the top.
Two ways to move items:
- Drag and drop — drag a file onto a folder to move it in, drag it between folders, or drop it on empty tree space to move it back to the top level.
- Folder field — open an item and type a folder name in the sidebar inspector (existing folders autocomplete); a new name creates the folder.
On disk this is just a subdirectory under DATA_DIR/items/<folder>/, so your
folder structure is mirrored in the git repo.
Notes
- Code detects/sets a language; the file gets that language's real extension so it renders and diffs nicely in your git host.
- Drawing / Mindmap / Board store editor JSON; they're rendered read-only (pan/zoom, no edit) in shares and version previews.
- Doc stores HTML (git-diffable), supports Markdown-style input rules, and
lets you paste images (stored under
DATA_DIR/assets). - Any item can reference another with
[[Item Title]]; see the backlinks panel.