Properties

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 header search button to filter properties by name. Tap a property to see the notes that have it, grouped by modification date with content previews. Tap the property name in the results header to switch to another property without returning to the full index, or search within its matching notes.

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	Adds the note to the Pinned section in Library
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

Properties are edited directly below the note title:

1. Expand the Properties panel. Octarine remembers whether you leave this panel expanded or collapsed.
2. Tap an existing name or value to edit it, or tap Add property to create a row.
3. Use the type icon to choose Text, Number, Date, Date & Time, Checkbox, or List, then enter the value.

As you type a property name, Octarine suggests definitions already used in the workspace. Value fields also suggest values previously used for the same property, which helps keep values such as status: active consistent between notes.

List values can be entered one per line or separated by commas. tags and external_files use their special list types automatically and cannot be changed to an incompatible type.

Remove a property with the × button on its row. After adding, editing, renaming, or removing a property, tap the undo arrow in the Properties header to restore the previous frontmatter state. The undo history is kept for the current editing session and resets when you open another note.

If a note has no visible properties, choose Add Property from the editor's options sheet to reveal a new row. For a locked note, the panel remains visible but read-only.