Checkboxes

Screenshot checkboxes-list.png

A note with a mix of checked and unchecked tasks, some in a bulleted list and one standalone.

The two shortcuts

⌘T is context-aware. What it does depends on the line the cursor is on:

Cursor is on	⌘T does
A line with a checkbox	Toggles between [ ] and [x]
A blank line	Inserts a standalone [ ]
A list item (-, *, 1.)	Inserts [ ] after the marker

⇧⌘T adds or removes the checkbox itself, rather than ticking it.

You can also just click a checkbox to toggle it.

Standalone checkboxes

Most Markdown editors need a list marker before a task. Shady Notes does not:

[ ] This is a task
[x] So is this

Handy for a short checklist that doesn’t want to be a bulleted list.

In tables

Checkboxes work inside table cells too, and stay clickable there:

| Task | Done |
|---|---|
| Draft the copy | [x] |
| Review it | [ ] |

Automatic continuation

Press Return at the end of a task line and the next line starts as a task. Three settings in Preferences → Editor control this independently:

• continue lists
• continue checkbox lists
• continue checkboxes

An empty task line followed by Return ends the run, so you are never stuck in a list.

Parent tracking

With parent checkbox tracking on, ticking every child under a parent task ticks the parent too, and unticking one clears it again.

- [ ] Ship the docs
  - [x] Write the pages
  - [ ] Capture screenshots

Tick the second child and the parent completes on its own.

Appearance

Five checkbox styles are available in Preferences → Editor: Rounded + Tick, Square + Tick, Circle + Tick, Circle + Dot, and Rounded + Cross. There is also a colour mode setting, and an option to use the system checkbox rendering instead.

Screenshot prefs-checkbox-styles.png

The checkbox style picker in Preferences showing the five available styles.