Workspaces, spaces, folders and boards
nokko organises work by the folders on your disk. A workspace is a root folder, a space is a folder inside it, a folder groups boards, and a board is one Markdown file.
For Mac, iPhone · Last checked
The levels
| Level | What it is | On disk |
|---|---|---|
| Workspace | What it isEverything nokko has open at one time | On diskStudio/ |
| Space | What it isA top-level group in the sidebar, with its own colour | On diskStudio/Client Work/, with an optional _space.md |
| Folder | What it isAn optional group inside a space | On diskStudio/Client Work/Halden/, with an optional _folder.md |
| Board | What it isOne project, shown as a list, board, calendar or timeline | On diskStudio/Client Work/Halden/Storefront.md, marked type: project |
| Task | What it isOne piece of work | On diskOne line in a board |
The Mac's menus call a board a project, and the iPhone calls it a board. They are the same thing.
Spaces and folders come from the disk. Any top-level folder holding a file is a space, unless it holds only client records, invoices, people or comments. nokko creates levels down to Space/Folder/Board. Deeper folders you make by hand still show.
Create each level
On the Mac
| To make | Do this | Written to disk |
|---|---|---|
| A workspace | Do thisWorkspace ▸ New Workspace…, then pick On this Mac, On GitHub, On a server or In iCloud | Written to diskA folder, or starter files if you start fresh |
| A space | Do thisThe sidebar's + menu ▸ New Space… | Written to diskA folder and its _space.md |
| A folder | Do thisThe + beside a space ▸ New Folder in… | Written to diskA folder and its _folder.md |
| A board | Do thisFile ▸ New Project… (⇧⌘N), or the + beside a space or folder | Written to diskOne .md file with type: project |
| A doc | Do thisFile ▸ New Doc… (⌥⇧⌘N) | Written to diskOne .md file with type: doc |
A board made from the File menu with a plain name goes in Projects/. Type Client Work/Website to put it in a space. A name cannot contain a colon or begin with a dot.
Create a board
On iPhone
Tap + ▸ New Board, type a name, pick a place and tap Create. Renaming, moving and archiving are done on the Mac.
Rename, move and delete
On the Mac
Right-click the item in the sidebar. Changes to spaces, folders and boards move the real files, and ⌘Z puts them back.
| Level | Rename | Move | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Workspace | RenameWorkspace ▸ Rename Workspace… changes only the name nokko shows | MoveMove the folder yourself | RemoveWorkspace ▸ Manage Workspaces…, then the ⋯ on its row and Remove from Nokko…. The folder stays. |
| Space | RenameSpace Settings…, then Rename… beside Name. The folder is renamed. | MoveMove Up and Move Down change sidebar order only | RemoveDelete Space… moves it to the macOS Trash |
| Folder | RenameRename Folder… | MoveMove to… another space | RemoveDelete Folder… moves it to the macOS Trash |
| Board | RenameProject Settings…, then Rename… beside Name. The file is renamed. | MoveMove to… any space or folder | RemoveDelete Project… moves the file to the macOS Trash |
Archive a board
On the Mac
Right-click a board and choose Archive. This changes one line of the file to status: archived. The file stays where it is, and the board moves to its space's Archived shelf. The Timeline hides it unless Archived is ticked there.
Archiving leaves the tasks alone. A dated open task in an archived board still shows on Today, in All Tasks and on the Calendar. Finish or cancel those tasks first. Only boards can be archived, and Set Status reverses it.
Switch workspaces
On the Mac, click the workspace's name at the top of the sidebar, use the Workspace menu, or press ⌃1 to ⌃9. On iPhone, tap a workspace under Settings ▸ Workspaces.
Each workspace is its own folder with its own boards, settings and sync. Tasks never mix between them, and nokko shows one at a time.
Templates
On the Mac
- Right-click a board and choose Save as Template….
- To use it, choose File ▸ New Project from Template and pick its name.
- To rename, update or delete one, choose File ▸ Templates….
A template is an exact copy of the file, kept in .nokko/templates/. Only the # title changes to the new name. Dates, ticks and logged time come across too, so save from a clean board.
Because .nokko/ is a dot-folder, templates do not sync. They stay with the copy of the workspace where you saved them.
What a doc is
A doc is a Markdown file for writing, such as a brief or a playbook. Any file marked type: doc is one, and so is any file with no type and no tasks. Docs list on the sidebar's Docs shelf, and you read and edit them inside nokko on the Mac. The iPhone does not show them.
Custom columns
On the Mac
A field is a board's own column, such as Budget or Stage. Add one with Project Settings… ▸ Fields ▸ Add Field…, or with Columns on in the List, from the ＋ in its header. Types are text, number, date, checkbox, url, file and select.
The definition goes in the file's frontmatter, and each value sits on its task line:
columns:
- "Budget: number"
- "Stage: select(Discovery, Build, Done)"
- [ ] Homepage design [Stage:: Build] [Budget:: 400]Put columns: in _space.md and every board in that space shares them. Remove takes the field away and leaves its values in the lines.
Questions
- Does nokko notice if I rearrange folders in Finder?
- nokko builds its sidebar from the disk, so a folder you move, add or rename in Finder shows up in the app. Spaces and folders are real directories, and a board is a real file. Any editor or Finder can reorganise them while nokko is running.
- What is the difference between a board and a project in nokko?
- nokko uses both words for the same thing. A project is one Markdown file marked type: project, and it opens as a board of tasks. The Mac's menus say project, and the iPhone says board. Moving or renaming one changes that single file on disk.