iA Writer
Use an iA Writer folder as an Octarine workspace
iA Writer already works with Markdown files in normal folders, so migration can be as simple as opening the same folder in Octarine. If your iA Writer documents are stored in iCloud, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, or a local folder, you can turn that folder into an Octarine workspace.
Direct Migration
Find the folder you use as your iA Writer Library location. This might be a local folder on your device or a synced folder in a cloud drive.
Open Octarine and click the Workspace Switcher in the top-left corner. Select Create Workspace, give it a name, and toggle Use an existing folder?. Choose your iA Writer folder and press Create.
Octarine will index the Markdown files in that folder and show the same folder structure in the file tree.
Exported Documents
If you prefer not to use your live iA Writer folder, export or copy the files you want to migrate into a new folder first. Then create an Octarine workspace from that folder.
Use .md files where possible. Octarine is built around Markdown notes, so PDF, Word, and HTML exports are better kept as reference files rather than primary notes.
Images and Content Blocks
iA Writer supports standard Markdown image links and its own Content Block syntax for including other files. Octarine supports Markdown image links, but Content Blocks are not treated as live embedded documents.
Before moving over, check any lines that include files by path, such as:
/images/Diagram.png
/Chapter 2.md
For images and media, move the files into a .attachments folder in your workspace and update the references. For separate Markdown documents, keep them as normal notes and link to them with wikilinks.
Linked Notes
iA Writer and Octarine both support wikilinks. After migration, open a few linked notes and confirm the links resolve correctly.
Octarine expects links to include the path from the workspace root when the target note is inside a folder. For example, link to a note called Draft inside Projects as:
[[Projects/Draft]]
Compatibility Notes
Hashtags, headings, lists, quotes, and most Markdown formatting should move cleanly. Smart folders, favorites, iA Writer preview templates, publishing accounts, and app-specific library settings do not transfer because they are not part of the Markdown files.