Headings, quotes, dividers and lists

Make a heading

1. 1

   Use the shortcut

   Put the caret in the note and press ⌥⌘1 for Heading 1, ⌥⌘2 for Heading 2 or ⌥⌘3 for Heading 3.

2. 2

   Or type it

   Type #, ## or ### at the start of the note and press Space. The marks disappear, and the note becomes that heading.

3. 3

   Or use the list

   Type / and choose Heading 1, Heading 2 or Heading 3. The Insert command list also has a Heading entry for a level you pick.

Choosing the level a note already has takes the heading away. Choosing another level changes it. Format ▸ Remove Heading takes any heading away. The same commands work on several selected notes, as one Undo step.

Return after a heading starts a plain note, so the heading does not continue into the next line.

Set a quote apart

Type \quote and press Space, or type / and choose Quote. The note gets a bar at its left and an indent, and its text stays ordinary text. Return starts a plain note, and the quote does not carry over.

To take the quote away, type \plain and press Space, or type / and choose Plain note. Plain note also removes a heading, a code block and a checkbox from the note, in one step.

Draw a divider

On an empty note, type --- and press Space. The note becomes a rule with no text. You can also type \divider (or \hr) and press Space. Typing into a divider is refused, and Return below it makes a plain note.

A divider can be made only on an empty note with no heading, code, table or attachment, and any checkbox it has is cleared. Dashes typed after text stay as text.

Number the child notes

Type \numbered and press Space on a parent note, or type / and choose Numbered list. Its child notes are numbered 1, 2, 3 in their order. The numbers are worked out on the screen and never stored in a note, so moving a child changes no note's text. Choose it again to turn the numbers off.

A code note's children are not a list, so the command is refused there.

What the Markdown copy keeps

The frontmatter at the top of a note's file records its heading level, as heading:, and a quote or divider as quote: true or divider: true. A numbered list is recorded as numbered-children: true. The child lines themselves are written without numbers.

Combine it

• Headings as a table of contentsGive the top-level notes of a long page Heading 2, so each section stands out in the outline.
• Checkboxes under a headingPut a to-do list under a Heading 2 note, and check the items as you go.
• Numbered steps for a recipeNumber the child notes of a recipe or a launch sequence, and reorder them by dragging. The numbers follow the order.
• The Insert command listEvery heading, quote, divider and list command is also in the list that / opens.

Limits

• A heading or a divider cannot be set on a code note, and a heading cannot be set on a quote or a divider.