How to Use STACK
STACK is an industrial-grade, local-first note-taking engine built for speed, keyboard ergonomics, and uncompromised data ownership. Here is your operational guide to mastering the workspace.
1. Quickstart: Zero Latency, Local-First
No Account Required to Test
Visit /demo to test the entire workspace immediately. The demo runs inside an isolated IndexedDB partition (stack_demo_workspace) with sample notes and folders pre-loaded.
Air-Gapped Persistence
Every keystroke commits locally to IndexedDB within milliseconds. You can write entirely offline, in airplane mode, or during connection blackouts without losing a single character.
2. Authoritative Markdown Editor
The editor is powered by CodeMirror 6. The raw Markdown string is always the sole source of truth—never an opaque JSON document tree.
Formatting Toolbar
Use the top toolbar to toggle Headings (H1, H2), Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Code Blocks, Quotes, Lists, and Tables without breaking document flow.
Slash Commands
Type / at the beginning of any line to summon the command menu. Filter by typing /h1, /code, /table, or /check.
Auto-Save & Status
Changes autosave 500ms after you stop typing. The status badge indicates Saved Locally, and flushes instantly before switching notes or logging out.
3. Tri-Mode Viewports
Clean distraction-free full-width editor. Optimized for deep thought and long-form technical writing.
Side-by-side editing and synchronized Markdown preview. Renders GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM), tables, and images in real time.
Pure rendered document mode. Hides all editor widgets for seamless reading, reference, and review.
4. Workspace Organization & Hierarchy
Nested Folders & Cycle Safety
Create folders and nest them to arbitrary depths. Safe folder deletion reparents direct child notes and folders without flattening or destroying subtrees.
Active Tags & Tag Roster
Add tags directly in the note pane. The sidebar lists active tags with real-time frequency counts. Clicking any tag instantly filters your note list.
Drag & Drop Sibling Reordering
Reorder notes and sibling folders using precise visual before/after drop indicators powered by Pragmatic Drag and Drop.
Archive & Trash Precedence
Move finished documents to Archive, or soft-delete them to Trash. Notes in Trash are safely isolated until you choose to restore or permanently empty them.
5. Images & Attachments
Clipboard Paste
Take a screenshot and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V) directly in the editor. STACK immediately stores the binary in your local IndexedDB and inserts a relative Markdown reference.
Client Optimization
Large images are automatically downscaled to 2560px and converted to modern WebP format in the browser before saving, keeping storage lightweight.
Per-Note Isolation
Two notes can legitimately reference ./assets/diagram.webp without collision. Binary attachments are bound strictly to your authenticated partition.
6. Keyboard Shortcuts Cheatsheet
| Shortcut | Action | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Ctrl + K | Open Command Palette | Global (Workspace) |
| Ctrl + N | Create New Note | Global (Workspace) |
| Ctrl + S | Explicit Save & Flush | Editor |
| Ctrl + \ | Toggle Zen Fullscreen Mode | Global (Workspace) |
| Ctrl + 1 | Switch to Write Mode | Workspace |
| Ctrl + 2 | Switch to Split Mode | Workspace |
| Ctrl + 3 | Switch to Read Mode | Workspace |
| Ctrl + B / I | Bold / Italic Toggle | Editor Selection |
| / (newline) | Trigger Slash Command Menu | Editor Line Start |
7. Desktop PWA & Standalone Installation
STACK can be installed as a native desktop application on Windows, Linux (Debian, Arch, Fedora), and macOS without going through third-party app stores:
- Open https://stack-md.online in Google Chrome, Brave, Chromium, or Microsoft Edge.
- Click the Install icon in your browser address bar or click the desktop install button on the landing page.
- STACK launches in its own isolated window with system tray integration and offline capability.