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Features

The Snip Philosophy​

Note-Taking is a relatively simple process. Most of the time, you just want to write down some thoughts or a todo or take a note of something you know will be useful in the future. Notes are often ephemeral: you need them in a particular moment and discard them soon thereafter.

Snip focuses on keeping this simple process simple, while providing useful features. It provides a super-slick, completely decluttered user interface with only a handful of controls, giving you a distraction free experience when working with notes. It does not require you to have an account. Instead, it is backend agnostic and lets you decide where you want your notes to be backed up.

Regarding Markdown​

Snip is not a markdown-based note taking app, but it does have markdown-related functionality:

  • you can use markdown syntax while writing rich text notes
  • you can import markdown
  • you can export to markdown

We do not deem the use of markdown for taking notes necessary. With a good rich text editor, notes are equally easy (if not easier) to edit and read, and export to markdown removes the possibility of vendor lock-in: your data will be future-proof as in any other markdown based note taking app.

Not using markdown also comes with the advantage that documents can contain more complex elements and formatting than a regular markdown document would. Once you want to introduce additional concepts (for example, a reminder feature as it is implemented in Snip), you'll have to introduce your own, custom syntax, ultimately breaking the original idea of using a common standard. Even worse, if such custom standards are introduced through a community driven platform, you end up with notes that contain structures that are only valid within the respective note taking app and with additional plugins installed.

Origins​

Origins allow you to specificy how your data shall be persisted. Currently, there's two origins available:

  • the file origin lets you store your data on your local disk
  • the github origin lets you store your data in a github repo

The advantage of the github origin is that you'll be able to sync your data across multiple devices without any costs. Apart from that, the functionality of the application remains the same.

Editing Rich Text​

Using Markdown-like syntax​

Using the toolbar can feel cumbersome at times, since it forces you to switch between your mouse and keyboard often. You can use markdown syntax to avoid this.

  • Use #   for headings
  • Use **text**  for bold formatting
  • Use *text*  for italic formatting
  • Use *   for bullet lists
  • Use 1.   for ordered lists
  • Use +   for todo lists

Jumping in and out of inline formattings​

The editor gives an indication whether you are inside an inline formatting (such as bold formatting) by rendering a dashed line underneath the formatting. You can jump in and out of the formatting boundaries by using the left and right arrow keys. This allows you to, for example, escape a bold-formatted text and continue writing unformatted.

Destroying formattings with backspace​

You can destroy inline formatting (such as bold formatting) using backspace. Jump out of the formatting with your arrow-right key, then use backspace to destroy the formatting.

Similarly, you can destroy block formattings, such as headings and code blocks, by placing the cursor at the beginning of the formatting and using backspace.

The editor will detect urls such as https://example.com and give an indication once the cursor is close to such a pattern. Pressing Enter will put focus on the label input field. Once focus is inside the label input field, pressing Escape will put focus back on the editor. Pressing Cmd+Enter will turn the pattern into a highlighted, interactable link.

Once an interactable link is created, interacting with it is the same: use Enter to focus the url input field, use Escape to give focus back to the editor.

Drag and Drop​

Parts of text can be dragged around. This is useful, for example, when you want to reorder items in a list, or put a paragraph before another one.

You can drag text by selecting some text inside the paragraph or list item you want to drag. This will create a drag handle, which you can drag-and-drop to whichever part in the document you want.

Another option is to hit Escape when the editor is focused. This will create a node selection around the paragraph where the cursor is placed. The node selection becomes draggable and can be dragged accordingly.

Snippet References​

As the name suggests, snippet references enable you to reference snippets from one another. There's multiple ways how to set up snippet references:

  • using the toolbar: there's a toolbar entry called "Create Snippet References", which allows you to search for the snippet you'd like to reference
  • using autocomplete: type / inside a note and start typing some text. You'll be presented with an autocomplete. If the text you type matches an already existing snippet, it will be presented as an option. In addition, you'll have the option to create a new snippet and auto-reference it into the snippet you're editing.

Search and Quick Access​

Snip comes with an effective search-all feature, which you can use to search your snippets. It presents results in a compact, easy-to-read manner. You can use regular expressions if you like.

It also allows you to search for and jump to tags. Additionally, it shows you snippets and tags you've visited recently.

The Quick Access feature allows you to quickly copy links and code blocks from your notes to the clipboard.