Note Editor

Written By Manos Mastorakis

Last updated About 9 hours ago

In Routine, objects can have one or more Notes properties. Notes are ideal for enriching tasks, events, contacts, projects, and pages with unstructured, rich content — from simple text to embedded media, references, and interactive checklists.

A note is composed of a series of blocks, each representing a different type of content.

👨‍💻 / Command

Hitting / at the beginning of any line opens a menu listing all available block types. Use it to discover what's possible and insert whatever content you need.

@ Menu

Hitting @ opens a unified menu for linking and referencing:

  • Mentions — mention a teammate to notify them

  • References — link to any object in your workspace (task, page, project, event, contact)

  • Integrations — reference connected integration data inline

  • Stamps — add date, time, or other contextual stamps

+ Button

Every block has a + button on its handle. Click it to quickly add a new block directly above or below the current one without using the / command.

🧱 Blocks

Creating blocks

Below are the supported block types along with their / command and markdown shortcuts:

  • Text — default block type for plain and formatted text

  • Bullet list — type * or - followed by SPACE

  • Ordered list — type 1., 2., etc. followed by SPACE

  • Checklist — type () followed by SPACE to create interactive checkboxes

  • Heading 1 — type # followed by SPACE

  • Heading 2 — type ## followed by SPACE

  • Heading 3 — type ### followed by SPACE

  • Quote — type | followed by SPACE

  • Divider — type ---

  • Code block — use /code or type ``` to insert a code block

  • Callout — use /callout to add a highlighted callout block

  • Embed — paste a URL and choose to embed it (supports YouTube, Vimeo, and more)

  • Image — use /image or drop an image file directly into the editor

  • Table of contents — use /toc to insert a floating, auto-generated table of contents

⚡ Shortcuts are especially powerful for creating blocks quickly. We recommend learning them to stay in flow.

Selecting blocks

  • Click the ⋮⋮ handle to select a single block

  • Use SHIFT+↑ or SHIFT+↓ to extend the selection to multiple blocks

  • Draw a rectangular area over blocks to quickly select multiple blocks at once

  • Use CMD/CTRL+A to select all text in the current block; press again to select all blocks

Moving blocks

Drag and drop the ⋮⋮ handle on the left side of any block to reposition it. Multi-block selections can also be dragged together.

Copy, cut & paste blocks

  • Copy — select one or more blocks and use CMD/CTRL+C

  • Cut — select one or more blocks and use CMD/CTRL+X

  • Paste — use CMD/CTRL+V to paste within Routine or into another application

  • Paste URL — pasting a URL offers options: embed it, turn it into a reference, or keep it as a plain link

Deleting blocks

Select one or more blocks, then press BACKSPACE or DELETE.

🎓 Headings

Creating headings

Use the / menu or the #, ##, ### markdown shortcuts to create H1, H2, and H3 headings.

Collapsing sections

Every heading creates a collapsible section. Click the arrow to the left of the heading to hide or show all content beneath it. This is useful for long notes with multiple sections.

🎨 Formatting

Routine supports standard Markdown formatting. Select text and use the formatting menu, or use the shortcuts below:

  • Bold — **text** or CMD/CTRL+B

  • Italic — *text* or CMD/CTRL+I

  • Underline — _text_ or CMD/CTRL+U

  • Strikethrough — ~~text~~ or CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+S

  • Inline code — text or CMD/CTRL+SHIFT+C

  • Links — [text](url) or paste a URL on selected text to turn it into a link

  • Secret — use /secret to format hidden or sensitive text

If you prefer not to use Markdown, select any text to open the formatting toolbar and apply styles visually.

🔗 Links

Routine automatically detects URLs in text and converts them into clickable links — no formatting needed.

To open a link, hold CMD/CTRL and click it.

To create a link manually:

  • Use Markdown: [link text](https://url.com)

  • Or paste a URL onto selected text to turn the selection into a link

Pasting a URL anywhere in the editor opens a menu letting you choose to:

  • Keep it as a plain link

  • Embed it as rich media

  • Turn it into a reference to an object

🧾 References

References let you link to any object in your Routine workspace directly from the note editor.

Use @ and search for any task, page, project, event, or contact to insert a reference inline. References display the object's current title and open the object when clicked.

References can also be turned into embedded blocks showing a preview of the linked object.