Block Editing

What are blocks?

Every line of text in SteleKit is a block. Blocks are the fundamental unit of content. A page is a named, ordered list of blocks. Blocks can be nested to any depth, creating an outline hierarchy — this is what makes SteleKit an outliner rather than a flat note editor.

A simple page might look like this in the underlying Markdown:

- Morning standup
  - Blocked on API integration
  - Need to sync with [[Alice]]
- Read [[Architecture]] doc
- TODO: write release notes

Each bullet is a block. The indented items are child blocks of “Morning standup.”

How to access it

Open any page by tapping its name in All Pages, Search, or the sidebar. The block editor opens immediately and you can start typing.

Key interactions

Click or tap anywhere on the page to focus the editor and start typing
Enter — create a new block below the current block at the same indentation level
Tab — indent the current block (makes it a child of the block above)
Shift+Tab — unindent (promotes the block up one level in the hierarchy)
Backspace on an empty block — delete the block and move focus to the block above
Click the bullet triangle — collapse or expand the children under a parent block
Shift+Enter — insert a soft line break within the current block (stays in the same block)

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Enter	New block below current
Tab	Indent block
Shift+Tab	Unindent block
Backspace on empty	Delete block
Shift+Enter	Soft newline within block
Arrow Up	Move cursor to block above
Arrow Down	Move cursor to block below
Ctrl+Home	Jump to first block on the page
Ctrl+End	Jump to last block on the page

Inline formatting

SteleKit supports standard Markdown inline syntax:

Syntax	Renders as
`bold`	bold
`italic`	italic
`code`	`code`
`~~strikethrough~~`	~~strikethrough~~
`[[Page Name]]`	Wikilink to another page
`[text](url)`	External hyperlink

Block properties

Any block can have key-value properties as child blocks:

- My Task
  - due:: 2024-02-01
  - priority:: high
  - card:: true

Properties with card:: true enroll the block in the Flashcards review queue.

Block states

State	Description
Focused	The block the cursor is in; shows an edit cursor
Editing	Actively receiving keyboard input
Read-only	Blocks shown in the sidebar references panel
Collapsed	A parent block whose children are hidden; click the bullet triangle to expand

Tips

Keep top-level blocks as main ideas; nest the supporting details beneath them
Use deep nesting for sub-tasks, evidence, or elaboration without cluttering the top level
A flat structure with many blocks works equally well — choose the depth that feels natural
Collapse a busy section to reduce visual noise while you work on another part of the page

Daily Notes — use the block editor in your daily journal
Backlinks — see blocks on other pages that link to the current page
Flashcards — turn any block into a spaced-repetition review card
Search — find content across all blocks in your graph