Properties

Properties are a powerful feature in Octarine that allow you to add structured metadata to your notes. Think of them as custom fields that you can use to organize, categorize, and search your notes more effectively.

Properties are only available to users on the Pro License.

What are Properties?

Properties are custom metadata fields that you can attach to any note in your workspace. They provide a structured way to add information about your notes beyond just the content itself.

Key Benefits

Organization: Categorize notes by status, priority, type, or any custom criteria
Searchability: Find notes based on specific property values
Consistency: Use predefined options to maintain consistent data across notes
Automation: Generate properties automatically using AI assistance
Analysis: View and analyze your notes as structured data

Example Use Cases

Project Management: Track status, priority, and due dates
Writing: Monitor word count, publication status, and revision stages
Research: Tag sources, mark confidence levels, and track references
Personal Notes: Set reminders, mark favorites, and categorize topics

Property Types

Octarine supports seven different property types, each designed for specific kinds of data:

String

Free-form text values for general information.

Examples:

---
Author: Jane Smith
Summary: Meeting notes about project timeline
Category: Personal Development
Related to: [[Note names]]
---

Best for: Names, descriptions, categories, or any text that doesn't need special formatting. You can also link to other notes via the [[wikilink]] format

Number

Numeric values for quantitative data.

Examples:

---
- Word Count: 1,250
- Priority: 5
- Rating: 8.5
---

Best for: Counts, ratings, scores, measurements, or any numeric data.

Date

Date values (without time) for scheduling and tracking.

Examples:

- Due Date: 2024-03-15
- Created: 2024-01-10
- Publication Date: 2024-04-01

Best for: Deadlines, creation dates, publication dates, or any date-specific information.

DateTime

Date and time values for precise temporal tracking.

Examples:

- Last Edited: 2025-09-23T09:42
- Meeting Time: 2025-09-23T15:30

Best for: Precise timestamps, meeting times, or when time matters.

Checkbox

Boolean (true/false) values for binary states.

Examples:

- Published: true
- Archived: false

Best for: On/off states, completion status, flags, or any yes/no information.

List

Predefined options from a dropdown menu for consistent categorization. List properties can store multiple selected values.

Examples:

Status:
  - In Progress
  - Under Review

Priority:
  - High
  - Urgent

Type:
  - Meeting
  - Reference

Person:
  - [[Jane Doe]]
  - [[Rajat K]]

Best for: Standardized categories, status tracking, or any field where you want consistent options with the ability to select multiple values. You can also link to other notes via the [[wikilink]] format

Using Properties

Accessing the Properties Panel

The Properties Panel appears at the top of each note, below the title. You can:

Show/Hide: Click the properties icon in the note toolbar to toggle visibility
Auto-show: The panel automatically appears when a note has properties
Expand/Collapse: Use the chevron icon to expand or collapse the full panel

Adding Properties

Method 1: Add Existing Property

Click the "+ Add property" button at the bottom of the properties panel
Select from the dropdown of existing workspace properties
Choose your desired property and set its value

Method 2: Create New Property

Click "+ Add property" → "Create new property..."
Enter the property name
Select the property type
Set options (for List type properties)
Confirm to add it to your workspace

Editing Property Values

Click on any property value to edit it. The editor changes based on the property type:

String: Text input field
Number: Number input with increment/decrement buttons
Date: Calendar picker
DateTime: Date and time picker
Checkbox: Toggle switch
List: Dropdown menu with predefined options

Removing Properties

Click the X button next to any property to remove it from the current note
This only removes the property from this specific note
The property definition remains available for other notes

If a property is removed and NOT used in any other note, it’s removed from the internal database, and won’t be recommended.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Add Property: Cmd/Ctrl + ;
Focus Properties Panel: Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + ;
Navigate Properties: Tab
Save Changes: Enter (when editing a value)
Cancel Editing: Escape

Managing Property Definitions

Property definitions are shared across your entire workspace, making them reusable for all notes.

Creating Global Properties

From Properties Panel: Use "Create new property..." when adding a property
Property Configuration:
- Name: User-friendly display name (can be changed later)
- Type: Choose from the 6 available types
- Options: For List type, define the available choices

Modifying Properties

Changing Property Type

Click on the property name (key) in any note
Select "Change property type"
Choose the new type from the dropdown

This changes the type of the existing property across the workspace.

Renaming Properties

Click on the property name (key)
Select "Rename property"
Enter the new name

Reserved Properties

Some properties are managed by Octarine itself and have special behaviors:

Visible Reserved Properties

tags: Special tags property with advanced functionality

Hidden System Properties

These properties exist but are not shown in the properties panel:

pinned: Note pinning status (managed through pin button)
ai_recap: AI-generated summaries
migrated: Data migration tracking
locked: Edit protection status

Advanced Features

AI-Powered Property Generation

Octarine can automatically suggest and generate properties based on your note content:

Access: Click the sparkles (✨) icon in the properties panel
AI Analysis: Octarine analyzes your note content
Smart Suggestions: Receive relevant property suggestions
One-Click Application: Apply suggested properties instantly

Property Reordering

Organize your properties visually:

Drag and Drop: Click and drag property rows to reorder them
Visual Feedback: See drop zones highlighted during drag operations
Persistence: Order is saved per note and maintained across sessions

Bulk Operations

Copy Properties

Use the more options to press Copy Properties
Properties are copied to clipboard in structured format
Paste into other applications or notes

Undo Changes

Undo Button: Click the undo arrow to revert recent changes
Scope: Undoes the last property modification on the current note
Availability: Only available when changes have been made

Search and Filtering

Properties make your notes searchable and filterable in powerful ways:

Basic Property Search

Use the search interface to find notes by property values:

Syntax: [property:] (e.g., [status:])

Technical Details

Data Storage

Property Definitions

Location: .octarine/properties.json in your workspace
Format: JSON array of property definition objects
Sync: Automatically synced with Git-based workspace sync
Backup: Included in workspace backups

Property Values

Location: YAML frontmatter at the top of each note file
Format: Standard YAML key-value pairs
Portability: Compatible with other Markdown tools
Human-readable: Can be edited manually in any text editor

Example Frontmatter

---
Status:
  - In Progress
  - Under Review
Priority: 3
Due Date: 2024-03-15
Published: false
Author: Jane Smith
tags:
  - project-alpha
  - meeting
  - urgent
pinned: false
ai_recap: true
---
# Your Note Title

Your note content goes here...

Template Properties

Properties can be created on templates for quick reuse. To use the template with properties, use the CMD/Ctrl + K → Create note from template and choose the template.
This creates a new note with the template data AND properties applied.

Templates applied via / command DO NOT apply properties.

Conclusion

Properties in Octarine provide a powerful way to structure and organize your notes. By understanding the different property types, mastering the user interface, and following best practices, you can create a highly organized and searchable knowledge base that grows with your needs.

Start with a few basic properties and gradually expand your property system as you discover new use cases and organizational needs. The flexibility of Octarine's property system allows you to adapt your approach over time while maintaining the structure and searchability that makes your notes more valuable.

Properties

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