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File Tree

Navigate and organize your notes with the file tree sidebar

The file tree provides a hierarchical view of all files and folders in your Glyph space, making it easy to navigate and organize your notes.

File Tree Overview

The file tree appears on the left side of the Glyph window and displays:

  • Folders: Expandable/collapsible directory structure
  • Files: All files in your space (markdown and non-markdown)
  • Active file: Highlighted in the tree
  • Folder depth: Visual indentation and connecting lines

Opening Files

Click to open

Click any file in the tree to open it in the main editor pane.

Active indicator

The currently open file is highlighted with a distinct background.

Preview mode

Some file types open in preview mode, showing a read-only rendering.

Expanding Folders

  • Click folder name: Toggle expand/collapse
  • Click chevron icon: Same as clicking the folder name
  • Nested folders: Expand multiple levels to navigate deep structures

Tip

The file tree remembers which folders you’ve expanded, even after closing and reopening Glyph.

File Operations

Right-click any file or folder to access context menu operations:

Creating Files

Creates a new markdown note.

  1. Right-click a folder
  2. Select New Note
  3. Choose location and filename in the dialog
  4. Glyph creates the file with a default heading

Default content:

# Note Title

Creates a new subfolder.

  1. Right-click a folder (or empty space for root)
  2. Select New Folder
  3. Glyph creates “New Folder” (or “New Folder 2”, etc.)
  4. The folder enters rename mode automatically

Creates a database view file.

  1. Right-click a folder
  2. Select New Database
  3. Glyph creates a database.md file with default config
  4. Opens the database view automatically

Renaming Files and Folders

Start rename

Right-click and select Rename, or select the file and press F2.

Enter new name

Type the new name in the inline editor.

Confirm or cancel

Press Enter to confirm or Esc to cancel.

Note

When you rename a note, Glyph automatically updates all wikilinks pointing to that note throughout your space.

Moving Files

Drag and drop files or folders to move them:

  1. Click and hold on a file or folder
  2. Drag to the target folder
  3. Release to complete the move

Glyph updates all internal links automatically when you move markdown files.

Deleting Files and Folders

Warning

Deletion is permanent. Deleted files are not sent to the system trash.

Right-click target

Select the file or folder you want to delete.

Select Delete

Choose Delete from the context menu.

Confirm deletion

A confirmation dialog appears. Click Delete to confirm.

Deleting a folder recursively deletes all files and subfolders inside it.

File Types

The file tree displays all files, with special handling for different types:

Markdown Files

  • Icon: Document icon
  • Open behavior: Opens in the rich markdown editor
  • Wikilink support: Can be referenced with [[filename]]
  • Search: Indexed for full-text search

Database Files

  • Icon: Table/grid icon
  • Open behavior: Opens database view
  • Format: Markdown file with embedded database config

Other Files

  • Images: .png, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .svg, .webp
  • PDFs: .pdf
  • Text files: .txt, .json, .csv, etc.
  • Binary files: Any other file type

Non-markdown files open in a preview pane when clicked.

Sorting

Files and folders are automatically sorted:

  1. Folders first: All folders appear before files
  2. Alphabetical: Case-insensitive alphabetical order
  3. Natural sort: Numbers are sorted numerically (e.g., note2 before note10)

Empty States

When a folder is empty or your space has no files:

  • The file tree shows “No files found.”
  • You can still right-click to create new files or folders
  • The message fades in with a subtle animation

Visual Hierarchy

The file tree uses visual cues to show structure:

  • Indentation: Each level is indented 10px
  • Connecting lines: Vertical lines show parent-child relationships
  • Chevron icons: Point right when collapsed, down when expanded
  • Hover effects: Files and folders highlight on hover

Performance

The file tree is optimized for large spaces:

  • Lazy loading: Only loads visible folders
  • Virtual rendering: Efficiently handles thousands of files
  • Incremental updates: Only re-renders changed items
  • Debounced file watching: Batches rapid file system changes
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