Editing Markdown

Chan edits markdown files as plain text with a WYSIWYG surface. The saved file remains normal markdown.

Tabs and panes

Open several files in tabs, split the workspace into panes, and move between files without changing the workspace layout on disk.

Drafts

Drafts are temporary markdown files managed by Chan. Save a draft when you want it to become workspace content. Discard it when it should not be kept.

External edits

If another tool changes a file in the workspace, Chan picks up the change through the workspace watcher and refreshes its index.

Dates

Chan recognizes the same date shortcuts as Google Docs. Type @today to drop today's date inline and keep typing. Type @date to insert today's date and open a small calendar, so you can pick a different day or switch the date format without selecting anything first. The date is written in your workspace date format (set in preferences) and renders as a pill, but the saved file holds plain text, so the date stays portable and reads the same in other editors.

Diagrams

A fenced code block tagged mermaid renders as a diagram. With the cursor inside the block you edit the Mermaid source as an ordinary code block; move the cursor out of a complete (closed) block and the diagram renders in its place, and move back in to edit it again. A block whose source has an error shows Mermaid's own error message instead of the chart. The diagram renderer loads only the first time a diagram is shown, so documents without diagrams carry no extra cost.