GridNote – Structured Knowledge at Card-Level Focus

Obsidian’s Cornell-style tree view that keeps your Markdown in sync while you read, learn, and edit in focused cards.

⚠️ Important Disclosures

• Closed source: The public release is compiled code only.
• Free vs Pro: Tree reading, copying, and search are free. Inline/dual editing, tier controls, quick switching, and screenshot export require a paid GridNote Pro license.
• Network: Only Pro activation/verification uses the internet. Your notes never leave your vault.

🌳 What Makes GridNote Different?

• Cornell-inspired tree cards – Every heading becomes a cue column + content card so you can skim the outline and dive into details without leaving context.
• Always-synced editing – GridNote sits on top of the native Markdown view, keeps folds, and automatically inserts a missing H1 so documents stay well-formed.
• Productivity toolbar – Floating controls for search, undo/redo, keyboard cheatsheet, plus Pro-only depth and quick file switching from anywhere in the document.
• Share-ready output – Copy plain or rich text per card, or open the screenshot composer to export depth-limited cards as polished images.

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🧭 Feature Tour

Tree-Structured Cornell Cards

• Converts headings (H1–H6) into hierarchical “cue + detail” lanes so long documents stay scannable.
• Collapsible columns remember their fold state per file via FoldStateManager, even after you reorder headings.
• Internal Obsidian links remain clickable; GridNote routes them back to the editor when needed.

Editing & Dual View

• Click a selected card to edit: Pro users edit inline with syntax-highlighted CodeMirror, while free users open the synced right-hand editor via FallbackEditorManager.
• Double-click headers (or press T) to rename without leaving the tree. GridNote rewrites the underlying Markdown line and saves automatically.
• Quick-add buttons (or Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+↑/↓/→) insert siblings/children with correct heading depth and spacing.
• Modal editing leverages the embeddable editor for focused changes when you do not want to leave the tree.

Search, Navigation & Shortcuts

• Floating search (Ctrl/Cmd+F or Ctrl/Cmd+K) highlights every match across cards, keeps a live counter, and jumps with ↑/↓ or Enter/Shift+Enter.
• Keyboard navigation mirrors a mind map: arrow keys walk between parents, siblings, or children, and F selects the first visible card.
• Press K to open the in-app shortcuts overlay. Undo/redo buttons stay in sync with the underlying editor history and auto-scroll to the last changed node.

Copy & Share

• Copy the whole document, the current card, or its entire subtree as plain Markdown.
• Need styling? Copy rendered HTML/Rich Text, perfect for pasting into mail, slides, or wikis.
• Each header menu also exposes “Share as image,” which launches the screenshot composer described below.

Screenshot Composer (Pro)

• Capture any heading (and optional descendants) as a responsive Cornell layout image.
• Adjust visible depth (1–5), font size, width, and selectively hide/show children before exporting.
• Save directly to your vault (default folder: GridNote-Screenshots), copy to clipboard, or download locally via the bundled Snapdom renderer.

Mobile & Scale-Aware Layout

• Automatic device detection keeps the layout readable on tablets or sidecar setups by scaling to 70–95% without breaking hit targets.
• Floating toolbar respects safe areas, and every component forces pointer-events: auto so scaled views remain interactive.

Reliability & Performance

• md2tree plus incremental caching handles 10,000+ line files while diffing only the changed ranges.
• Fold states are recomputed by header text, so your collapsed outline survives reorganizing or undo/redo storms.
• A background ViewToggleManager keeps GridNote embedded in the native Markdown view, so you do not pay the cost of opening a second pane.

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💎 Free vs. GridNote Pro

Capability	Free	Pro
Cornell tree reading & folding	✅	✅
Full-text search, highlights, keyboard overlay	✅	✅
Copy plain or rendered text	✅	✅
Inline editing from cards	❌	✅
Smart dual-view (tree + right editor kept in sync)	⚠️ opens fallback editor	✅ stays inline/linked
Depth/tier controls & quick file switch	❌	✅
Insert siblings/children via toolbar shortcuts	✅	✅
Screenshot composer export (clipboard/vault/local)	preview only	✅
Priority fixes + early feature access	❌	✅

⚠️ Free users still edit safely: clicking a selected node opens the synced Markdown view on the right so nothing is locked away.

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🚀 Getting Started

Installation

1. Install → Enable.
2. Use the tree icon in the left ribbon (or the status bar toggle) to switch the active Markdown file into GridNote mode.

Basic Workflow

1. Structure your document with headings (H1–H6). GridNote auto-inserts a safe H1 if one is missing, without touching existing frontmatter.
2. Click any header in the cue column to focus its card; tap again to edit (Pro) or to pop the linked editor (Free).
3. Use the floating toolbar to search, undo/redo, or show shortcuts. Keep heading depth manageable by collapsing or by lowering the tier (Pro).
4. Copy or share from the header menu, or press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+→ to add children on the fly.

Activating GridNote Pro

1. Purchase a license at gridnote.cn. One order unlocks up to 3 devices.
2. In Settings → GridNote, copy your device ID (auto-generated) and enter the order number.
3. GridNote encrypts the activation in localStorage, re-validates every 7 days, and syncs the status to data.json. Mobile builds honor the stored flag even if localStorage is unavailable.
4. Need to force a check? Use Refresh verification inside the settings tab.

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⚙️ Settings & Customization

• Screenshot folder: Pick the vault-relative folder used by the composer (default GridNote-Screenshots).
• Toolbar depth controls (Pro): Fine-tune the number of visible tiers or lock the view to only top-level sections when presenting.
• Quick file switch (Pro): Launch Obsidian’s command palette filtered to Markdown files directly from the toolbar.
• Keyboard overlay: Tap the keyboard icon or press K to see all navigation, editing, and insertion shortcuts in one place.
• Modal editor: From any header menu choose “Edit in modal” to open an embeddable CodeMirror focused on just that subtree.

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🔒 Privacy & Network Usage

• No telemetry: GridNote never sends usage analytics, headings, or vault content anywhere.
• All parsing is local: md2tree, folding, search, screenshots, and image previews run entirely inside Obsidian.

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🧰 Technical Details

• Version: 1.1.16
• Platform: Desktop Obsidian (flagged isDesktopOnly: true). Tablet scaling is optimized for Sidecar/Stage Manager, with native mobile support under active development.
• Minimum Obsidian: 0.15.0+
• Files: Standard .md stored in your vault.
• Performance tooling: Tree cache, virtualized rendering, viewport-aware highlights, and undo-aware re-rendering keep large projects smooth.
• Image preview: Clicking an image while in preview opens Obsidian’s native modal via the bundled imagePreview action.

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💬 Support & Feedback

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Ideas & discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Product updates & purchasing: gridnote.cn

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📄 License

GridNote is distributed as closed-source software. The reading experience is free; a Pro license is required to unlock inline/dual editing, depth controls, screenshot exports, and premium support.

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