Getting Started
Welcome to Quiver! This tutorial will help you get started.
Quiver is a notebook built for programmers. It lets you easily mix text, code, Markdown and LaTeX within one note, edit code with an awesome code editor, live preview Markdown and LaTeX, and find any note instantly via the full-text search.
If you want to start using Quiver right away, just remember one thing:
A note in Quiver is comprised of cells.
Cells are snippets of text, code, Markdown or LaTeX that you can freely mix. You can even set different languages for different code cells inside the same note.
Click inside a new note and start typing. Press “shift+return” (⇧⏎) to create a new cell and use “backspace” to merge cells. That’s all you need to know to start using Quiver.
But if you want to learn more, keep reading.
Currently five cell types are supported:
- A "Text Cell" lets you edit rich-text in-place. It supports images and links too.
- A "Code Cell" packs the awesome ACE code editor, with syntax highlighting support for 120+ languages, 20+ themes, automatic indent and outdent, code completion, and much more.
- A "Markdown Cell" lets you write in Markdown with inline formatting and custom CSS options.
- A "LaTeX Cell” uses MathJax to typeset mathematical equations in your notes.
- A “Diagram Cell” lets you create sequence diagrams and flowcharts from text.
You can change text formatting using the toolbar at the top, or with keyboard shortcuts. Look under the “Format” menu for all the formatting options and keyboard shortcuts.
// This is a code cell set to the JavaScript mode
void hello()
{
console.log("Hello World!");
}# And this is a code cell set to the CoffeeScript mode
hello = -> console.log 'Hello World!'Code cells support syntax highlighting for 120+ languages, 20+ themes, automatic indent and outdent, code folding, multiple cursors and selections, code completion, tab triggers, Vim/Emacs keybinding, etc. You can read more about the awesome Ace editor on its website (http://ace.c9.io/).
Markdown cells support standard Markdown syntax as well as GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM). Open the preview to see these rendered.
# H1
## H2
### H3
#### H4
##### H5
###### H6
---
*italic*, **bold**, ~~Scratch this.~~
`inline code`1. First ordered list item
2. Another item
* Unordered sub-list.
1. Actual numbers don't matter, just that it's a number
1. Ordered sub-list
4. And another item.> Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.[I'm an inline-style link](https://www.google.com)
http://example.com
You can also create a link to another note: (Note menu -> Copy Note Link -> Paste)
[01 - Getting Started](quiver-note-url/D2A1CC36-CC97-4701-A895-EFC98EF47026)| Tables | Are | Cool |
| ------------- |:-------------:| -----:|
| col 3 is | right-aligned | $1600 |
| col 2 is | centered | $12 |
| zebra stripes | are neat | $1 |- [ ] a task list item
- [ ] list syntax required
- [ ] normal **formatting**, @mentions, #1234 refs
- [ ] incomplete
- [x] completedYou can use inline LaTeX inside Markdown cells as well, for example, $x^2$.
LaTeX cells make it easy to typeset math equations. For example,
\begin{align}
\nabla \times \vec{\mathbf{B}} -\, \frac1c\, \frac{\partial\vec{\mathbf{E}}}{\partial t} & = \frac{4\pi}{c}\vec{\mathbf{j}} \\
\nabla \cdot \vec{\mathbf{E}} & = 4 \pi \rho \\
\nabla \times \vec{\mathbf{E}}\, +\, \frac1c\, \frac{\partial\vec{\mathbf{B}}}{\partial t} & = \vec{\mathbf{0}} \\
\nabla \cdot \vec{\mathbf{B}} & = 0
\end{align}Open the preview to see how it's rendered.
Inline LaTeX is also supported, for example, $x^2$.
You can also add custom macros in Preferences, and they will be available in all LaTeX cells.
Diagram cells let you create sequence diagrams and flowcharts from text.
Please check the syntax here:
- Sequence diagram: http://bramp.github.io/js-sequence-diagrams/
- Flowchart: http://flowchart.js.org/
Open the preview to see how the following examples are rendered.
Sequence diagram example:
Title: Here is a title
A->B: Normal line
B-->C: Dashed line
C->>D: Open arrow
D-->>A: Dashed open arrow
Flowchart example:
st=>start: Start:>http://www.google.com[blank]
e=>end:>http://www.google.com
op1=>operation: My Operation
sub1=>subroutine: My Subroutine
cond=>condition: Yes
or No?:>http://www.google.com
io=>inputoutput: catch something...
st->op1->cond
cond(yes)->io->e
cond(no)->sub1(right)->op1
Cell operations in Quiver are very powerful, while intuitive to learn.
The most important one is to create a new cell, which you have already learned. Press “shift+return” (⇧⏎) to create a new cell just below the current cell. By default the new cell is created as a text cell, but you can easily convert it to other cell types if you like.
There are several ways to convert one cell type to another. You can use the popup button in the toolbar, or keyboard shortcuts (⌥⌘1 to convert to a text cell, ⌥⌘2 to convert to a code cell, ⌥⌘3 to convert to a Markdown cell, ⌥⌘4 to convert to a LaTeX cell, ⌥⌘5 to convert to a diagram cell). You can find these options under the “Cell” menu.
Another important cell operation is to merge two cells. Simply place the cursor at the beginning of the second cell, then press the “backspace” key. Note that you can’t merge cells of different types.
Sometimes you might want to add a new cell at the current cursor position. You can use the "New Cell At Cursor" (⇧⌘I) menu item to do that.
You can also cut, copy or paste a cell, split a cell, move a cell up or down. All these cell operations and their corresponding keyboard shortcuts can be found under the “Cell” menu.
You can drag or paste an image into a text cell. You may also use the “Insert Image” button 
in the toolbar.
Images are copied to a resource folder inside the note, so they work even if the original images were deleted.
If you drag a file (e.g., PDF, zip, source files) into a text cell, you can choose to copy it into the note or save as a reference link. You may also use the “attach file" button in the toolbar.
URLs are automatically detected when you paste them into a text cell, for example, http://www.apple.com.
Another useful feature is Linked Notes. You can create a note link using the menu item “Copy Note Link” (⌃⌥⌘C) under the “Note” menu.
This is a nice way to cross reference your notes. A linked note can be in a different notebook, too.
Linked notes also work in Markdown cells. Use the menu item “Copy Note Link” (⌃⌥⌘C) under the “Note” menu to copy a note link, then paste it into a Markdown cell. For example,
It will be rendered as a note link in the preview or presentation mode.
Quiver supports live preview of Markdown and LaTeX cells. You can switch to Side-by-Side Preview (⌘6) to see the editor and preview side-by-side.
You can also double click on a note in the note list to open it in a new window, then switch to Side-by-Side Preview. You will see something like this:
When you make changes in the editor, the preview is updated as you type.
By default, scrolling is synchronized between the editor and preview. But you can turn this feature off in the View Menu > Note View > Scroll Sync.
Quiver also comes with a full-screen presentation mode. You can choose “Start Presentation” (⌃⌥⌘P) from the “Note” menu or click the presentation button at the bottom right corner of the note.
The presentation mode is great for classroom use, team meetings, presentations, or simply reviewing notes on your own.
In the presentation mode, you can use the left/right arrow keys to move to the previous/next note in the list.
Notes are only useful if you can find them quickly. Quiver's full-text search is based on Search Kit, the same technology used to power Spotlight on your mac. That’s how Quiver can search through thousands of notes in a blink of an eye.
To search all the notes, click the search button on the top right corner. You can search by keyword, title or #tag.
You can also search within a notebook. First open the notebook, then enter keyword or #tag in the search field at the bottom of the note list. This search field does the same full-text search as the global search field, but the search results are filtered to the current note list.
If you want to find text within a note, use ⌘F. It will bring up a find bar like this:
Use ⌘G (or return key) to find the next occurrence, and ⇧⌘G (or shift+return) to find the previous occurence.
The find bar works in both the editor and the preview.
Quiver lets you assign tags to a note. This is another way to organize your notes.
You can browse notes in the Tags view.
If you select multiple notes from the note list, you can add or remove tags to all the selected notes at once.
Quiver lets you sync notes across multiple computers via Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or any other file-based cloud services.
To set up cloud syncing, open the Sync tab in Preferences.
Move your library to Dropbox or other cloud services, then open the same library on another computer. From here on, all your notes will be synced across all the devices.
There are several ways to collaborate with your team using Quiver.
A shared notebook is a Quiver notebook that is saved in Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or any other file-based cloud services. You can create a shared notebook from a local notebook, or from scratch. Another team member can then open the notebook on another computer and make edits. This is a great way to build a shared knowledge base for the whole team.
Multiple users can make changes to the same shared notebook at the same time, and changes to the notebook (adding and removing notes) will be synced. However, Quiver does not resolve conflicts at the note level. This means that if two users make changes to the same note at the same time, one of them will be notified that the note has been modified and needs to be reloaded.
If you use a version control system to manage your code and documentation, you might want to keep Quiver notes under version control as well. Since Quiver notes are just plain JSON files, you can commit them to a repository as regular text files.
You can put the entire library under version control, or just a few notebooks. A side benefit is that you can use the version control system to automatically resolve merge conflicts if two users happen to edit the same note at the same time.
For users who don't use cloud syncing or version control, there is another way to keep your notes safe.
To back up your entire library, open the Backup tab in Preferences.
Choose “Backup Now” to back up your entire library. Choose “Restore from Backup” if you want to restore your library from a previous backup.
Quiver doesn’t lock you in.
Quiver saves notebooks and notes in simple JSON formats, which are well-documented here: https://github.com/HappenApps/Quiver/wiki/Quiver-Data-Format.
So you can take your notes anywhere with you, and it’s easy to integrate Quiver notes with other tools you use.
Quiver has built-in exporters for HTML, Markdown and PDF. You can export a Quiver notebook as linked HTML pages for easy navigation.
Exporting a Quiver note to Markdown creates a single Markdown document by concatenating Markdown cells and converting code cells to fenced code blocks. This makes it easy to upload the note to GitHub or other Markdown-friendly platforms.
If you have special needs for importers and exporters, it’s easy to write custom scripts that convert Quiver notes into any format. Custom scripts can be particularly useful for users who write developer documentation, programming books or tutorials.
A few sample scripts can be found here: https://github.com/HappenApps/Quiver/wiki/Export-Scripts.
In the General tab, you can change the default note order, default cell type, etc.
In the Themes tab, you can manage the app themes. Quiver comes with a few beautifully designed themes including a light theme and a dark theme, and you can easily import new themes or design your own.
In the Cells tab, you can show/hide line numbers, enable code completion, change keybinding for code cells, create application-wide custom macros for LaTeX cells, etc.
In the Styles tab, you can set custom styles for the editor, preview, presentation, exported HTML or PDF and print. All standard CSS rules are supported, such as font size, text color, background color, etc.
In the Shortcuts tab, you can assign global keyboard shortcuts for a few actions: bring Quiver to front, create a note, and search notes.
The Sync and Backup tabs are already covered in previous notes.
In the Advanced tab, you can export all your settings and CSS customizations into a single JSON file. This makes it easy to share your settings and customizations with others, or load the same settings on another computer.
