The note editor

Every note in Bower opens in a rich text editor. You can type freely, format text, insert tables and images, and use slash commands for quick block insertion.

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Text formatting

The toolbar at the top of the editor provides: Select text to reveal a floating toolbar with quick access to all formatting options, including text colour and font family. You can also set text alignment (left, centre, right, justify) from the toolbar or via slash commands.

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Headings

Use the heading dropdown in the toolbar to switch between paragraph text and three heading levels, or use the /h1, /h2, /h3 slash commands. Headings are also used to generate the Table of Contents sidebar (see below).

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Slash commands

Type / at the start of a new line to open the command menu. This is the fastest way to insert blocks. You can search by typing after the slash — for example, /math filters to math-related commands.

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Style

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Insert

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Align

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Lists

Three list types are available:

• Bullet list — unordered items
• Numbered list — ordered items
• Task list — items with checkboxes you can tick off

Use the slash commands (/bullet, /numbered, /task) or the toolbar buttons to insert lists. Task lists support nesting — press Tab to indent a task under another.

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Callout boxes

Callout boxes highlight important information with a coloured left border and tinted background. Three types are available from the slash menu:

• /callout — Info (blue) — general notes and information
• /warning — Warning (amber) — cautions and important warnings
• /tip — Tip (green) — helpful tips and suggestions

Type inside the callout to add your content. Each type has distinct colours that adapt to light and dark mode.

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Collapsible toggles

Use /toggle to insert a collapsible section. Toggles have:

• A summary line next to a triangle indicator
• A content area below that appears when expanded

Click the triangle to expand or collapse the section. Useful for hiding supplementary details, long method descriptions, or optional information.

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Tables

Insert a table with /table or Cmd+Shift+T. Tables start as 3x3 with a header row.

• Resize columns — drag column borders
• Add/remove rows and columns — use keyboard shortcuts:
  • Cmd+Shift+Right / Left — add column after/before
  • Cmd+Shift+Down / Up — add row after/before
  • Cmd+Shift+Delete — delete column
  • Cmd+Alt+Delete — delete row
• Select cells — click and drag across cells
• Merge/split cells — Cmd+Shift+M / Cmd+Shift+S
• Navigate — Tab / Shift+Tab to move between cells
• Scroll — on narrow screens, tables scroll horizontally

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Mathematics (LaTeX)

Write mathematical equations using LaTeX syntax, rendered with KaTeX:

• /math — insert an inline equation that flows with surrounding text
• /equation — insert a block equation displayed as a centred formula

Click on any rendered equation to edit the LaTeX source. Common examples:

• Inline: E = mc^2, \alpha + \beta = \gamma
• Block: \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}
• Fractions: \frac{a}{b}
• Matrices: \begin{pmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{pmatrix}

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Images

Insert images with /image or the toolbar button. You can also drag and drop images directly into the editor, or paste from your clipboard. Uploaded images support:

• Resizing — drag the corner handles
• Alignment — left, centre, right via the floating toolbar
• Annotation — draw on images with shapes, arrows, and text
• Lightbox — click an image in read-only mode to expand it

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Annotating images

Click an inline image to select it, then click the draw icon in the floating toolbar to open the annotation editor. Draw on the image with shapes, arrows, text, and freehand tools, then click Save. The annotated preview replaces the original image. To edit existing annotations, click the image and tap the draw icon again. See Image Annotations & Diagrams for full details.

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Diagrams

Type /diagram or click the draw icon in the fixed toolbar to create a diagram from scratch. The drawing editor includes shapes, arrows, text, freehand tools, and a library of pre-made scientific shapes (biology, chemistry, circuits, maths, and more). See Image Annotations & Diagrams for full details.

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Code blocks

Insert a code block with /code or type ``` followed by Enter.

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Block quotes

Insert a block quote with /quote or type > followed by a space.

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Links

Select text and press Cmd+K to add a hyperlink. Click an existing link to edit or remove it.

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Emoji

Type : followed by the emoji name (e.g. :wave:) to insert an emoji. Standard emoticons like :) and :D are auto-converted.

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Table of Contents

On wide screens (1280px+), a Table of Contents appears at the right edge of the editor:

• Small dash indicators show each heading at a glance
• Hover to expand a full heading outline panel
• Click any heading to scroll to that section
• The active heading is highlighted as you scroll

The Table of Contents updates automatically as you add, remove, or rename headings.

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Drag and drop blocks

Every block has a drag handle (six-dot icon) in the left gutter on hover:

• Click the handle to select the entire block (for copy/cut)
• Drag the handle to reorder blocks

The + button next to the drag handle opens the slash command menu.

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Markdown input

You can type Markdown syntax directly and it will convert to rich text:

• # Heading to H1, ## Heading to H2
• - item or * item to bullet list
• 1. item to numbered list
• > quote to block quote
• **bold** to bold, *italic* to italic
• `code` to inline code
• --- to horizontal rule

You can also paste Markdown from other sources and it will be parsed into rich content automatically.

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Undo and redo

Use Cmd+Z to undo and Cmd+Shift+Z to redo. The toolbar also has undo/redo buttons.

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Autosave

Your content is saved automatically as you type. There is no manual save button — changes are persisted within seconds of your last edit.

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Export

Notes can be exported from the note menu in multiple formats:

• Markdown (.md)
• HTML (.html)
• Plain text (.txt)
• PDF (via browser print)