Whiteboard Canvas

The whiteboard canvas is built on React Flow and provides an infinite canvas where you can freely arrange ideas, notes, images, media, and links as nodes — like spreading things out on paper, except it extends forever and connects with a line.

Note

Canvas files are saved with the .canvas extension, using the Obsidian-compatible JSON Canvas format.

Opening a Canvas

  • Right-click in the file tree → "New canvas" to create and open a new whiteboard
  • Click an existing .canvas file in the file tree
  • Canvases can also open in their own window, handy for a second monitor

Where new canvases are stored is determined by 07-Settings/07-Canvas-Settings (vault root / current folder / a specified attachment folder).

Node Types

The canvas is compatible with the JSON Canvas spec and supports 7 node types:

Type Description
Text card (text) A freely editable text block using TipTap live rendering; supports Markdown syntax
Note card (note) References a Markdown file in the vault, showing the note content and interworking with the WikiLink system
File reference (file) References a file in the vault (including images, PDFs, etc.); images display directly
Media (media) Video / audio and similar media files, shown with a player or an icon
Canvas (canvas) Nested reference to another canvas file
Link (link) Embeds an external URL, opened in the browser when clicked
Group (group) Groups several nodes together, with a configurable background and label
Tip

Drag an image file into the canvas to create an image node.

Toolbar

The canvas top toolbar provides three add buttons (click, or drag onto the canvas to place):

Tool Description
Add card Create a text card
Add note Create a note card (chosen from the vault)
Add media file Insert an image / video / audio / canvas and similar media

Context Menu

Right-click on empty canvas space:

Command Description
Add card Create a text card
Add note Create a note card
Add media file Insert media
Add link Enter a URL to create a link node
Add group Create a group container
Undo / Redo Operation history

Canvas Operations

Action Description
Scroll wheel Zoom (the bounds are configurable in Settings)
Drag empty space Pan the canvas
Drag a node Move it; with snapping enabled, alignment guides appear
Select a node Handles appear to resize, edit content, and draw connections
Minimap A minimap can be shown in a corner (enabled in Settings)

Shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y Undo / redo
Ctrl+Shift+Z Redo (alternate)
Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V Copy / paste nodes
Ctrl+A Select all
Esc Deselect
Arrow keys Move the selected node

File Format

The canvas uses the JSON Canvas format (.canvas), compatible with Obsidian's whiteboard format:

  • Cross-platform compatible: interoperable with tools that support the format
  • Version-controllable: plain-text JSON, well suited to Git
  • Human-readable: inspect and hand-edit it directly
  • Relative paths: referenced file paths are relative to the vault root, so they stay valid after moving the canvas file

Separate Windows

A canvas can open in its own Tauri window:

  • Supports multiple monitors — put the canvas on a second screen
  • Independent operation does not disturb editing in the main window
  • Window position and size are saved and restored automatically