Whiteboard Canvas

The Whiteboard Canvas is built on React Flow and provides an infinite canvas where you can freely organize ideas, notes, images, media, and links using nodes — like spreading them out on paper, yet infinitely extendable and easily connected.

Note

Whiteboard files are saved with the .canvas extension and use the Obsidian-compatible JSON Canvas format.

Opening a Whiteboard

  1. Right-click in the file tree and select "New Whiteboard"; or
  2. Search for "Whiteboard" in the command palette (Ctrl+P) and create one; or
  3. Open an existing .canvas file.

A whiteboard opens in the main area and participates in the file tree and recent files management like a normal note.

Node Types

The whiteboard supports several node types to cover different organizational needs:

Text Node

A freely editable text block, rendered instantly with the TipTap editor.

  • Supports Markdown syntax
  • Can be dragged and resized freely
  • Suitable for annotations, explanations, and quick notes

Note Card

References a Markdown file in the Vault.

  • Displays the note's title and summary
  • Click to jump to the original note
  • Interoperates with the [[03-Knowledge-Management/01-Wiki-Links]] system

File Reference

References media files such as images, videos, audio, and PDFs.

  • Images display a thumbnail directly
  • Videos / audio show a play icon
  • PDFs show a file icon

Image Node

Displays image content directly.

  • Supports zooming and cropping
  • Images can be dragged in from the Vault or locally

URL Node

Embeds an external link.

  • Displays the site title and description
  • Click to open the link in your browser

Group Node

Groups multiple nodes together.

  • Drag a node into a group to add it
  • Internal nodes follow when the group is moved
  • Supports nested groups to build hierarchy

Canvas Operations

Action Description
Wheel zoom Zoom in / out the view
Middle-button drag Pan the canvas
Right-button drag Pan the canvas
Box selection Hold and drag to select multiple nodes (hold Shift to add to selection)
Alignment guides Alignment lines appear automatically when dragging nodes for tidy arrangement

Toolbar

The toolbar at the top of the whiteboard provides:

Tool Description
Select Select and move nodes
Text Add a text node
Note Add a note card
Image Add an image
Media Add a media file
URL Add a link node
Group Create a group
Undo / Redo Operation history

File Format

Whiteboards use the JSON Canvas format (.canvas), compatible with the Obsidian whiteboard format:

  • Cross-platform compatibility: Interoperable between tools that support the format
  • Version controllable: Pure-text JSON, suitable for inclusion in Git
  • Human-readable: Can be viewed and hand-edited directly

Pop-out Window Mode

A whiteboard can be opened in a separate Tauri window:

  • Supports multiple monitors, so you can place the whiteboard on a secondary screen
  • Operating it independently does not affect editing in the main window
  • Window position and size are automatically saved and restored
Tip
  • Use "Note Cards" to connect the whiteboard with your knowledge base: the whiteboard handles ideation and layout, while notes store the details; the two reference each other.