Properties
Add structured metadata to your notes with YAML frontmatter
Properties are structured metadata attached to your notes via YAML frontmatter. They live at the very top of a Markdown file, between --- delimiters:
---
title: Project Brief
status: active
priority: 1
due: 2026-05-01
pinned: true
tags:
- work
- planning
---
Browsing Properties
Open the Properties page from the More menu. It shows every unique property key found across all notes in your workspace, along with a count of how many notes use each one.
Use the search field at the top to filter properties by name. Tap a property to see the full list of notes that have it.
Supported Value Types
When adding or editing a property in the editor's properties sheet, you can choose from these types:
| Type | Example value |
|---|---|
| Text | status: draft |
| Number | priority: 1 |
| Date | due: 2026-05-01 |
| Date & Time | meeting: 2026-05-01T09:30 |
| Checkbox | pinned: true |
| List | A multi-line list of values |
| Tags | A multi-line list of tag strings |
| Files | A multi-line list of file references |
Special Properties
A few property keys have special meaning in Octarine:
| Property | Type | Effect |
|---|---|---|
pinned | Checkbox | Pins the note to the top of the sidebar and adds it to the Pinned page |
locked | Checkbox | Makes the note read-only — the editor disables editing |
tags | Tags (list) | Adds the note to the listed tags, visible in the Tags browser |
Any other keys are custom — add whatever metadata makes sense for your workflow.
Adding and Editing Properties
In the editor, tap the properties strip below the header (visible when a note has frontmatter) to open the properties sheet. From there:
- Add — tap the Add button, choose a name, type, and value.
- Edit — tap an existing property to modify its name, type, or value.
- Delete — open a property and tap the red Delete button at the bottom.
For read-only (locked) notes, the sheet shows properties in view-only mode.