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Ideon

Project Management

Creating a Project

From the dashboard, click "New Project". Give it a name and an optional description. The project will be initialized with a "Core Block" representing its root.

Organization

As your library grows, you can organize projects to keep your workspace clean.

  • Dashboard Folders: Create folders in the dashboard to group related projects.
  • Canvas Folders: Use Folder Blocks on the canvas to group related blocks and manage complexity via collapse/expand.
  • Starred Projects: Mark frequently accessed projects as "Starred" for quick access from the sidebar.

Project Structure (The Canvas)

Projects in Ideon are visual. You organize Blocks on an infinite 2D canvas.

  • Blocks: Represents content (Notes, Links, Git Repos, etc.).
  • Links: Represents relationships between blocks.

Navigation & Shortcuts

Ideon includes keyboard shortcuts for efficient navigation.

  • Pan Canvas: Use Arrow Keys or Vim keys (h, j, k, l) to navigate between blocks. When navigating, the viewport smoothly centers on the selected block, making it easy to follow your focus as you move around the canvas.
  • Edit Block: Press Enter when a block is selected.
  • Deselect All: Press Escape.
  • Add Block: Press Ctrl+A to open the Create Block Modal.

Create Block Modal

Replaces the context menu block list with a searchable grid modal.

  • Search: Quickly find block types by name.
  • Grid View: Displays all available block types with icons.
  • Shortcut: Ctrl+A.

Magic Paste

Ideon features Magic Paste, an intelligent system that automatically detects the content of your clipboard and creates the appropriate block type.

  • GitHub Links: Paste a repository URL to instantly create a GitHub Block with live stats.
  • External URLs: Paste any website link to create a Link Block with automatic metadata fetching.
  • Plain Text: Paste text to create a Note Block.

To use Magic Paste, simply focus the canvas and press Ctrl+V (or Cmd+V). The block will be placed at your current mouse position.

External File Drop

Ideon supports direct import of files and folders from your operating system. Drag any file or folder from your local machine and drop it onto the Ideon canvas to import it.

  • Intelligent Creation: Ideon automatically determines the best block type for your content:
    • Note blocks: Created for .md files.
    • Sketch blocks: Created for .excalidraw files.
    • Folder blocks: Created for directory drops (preserving child structure).
    • File blocks: Created for all other supported file types (e.g., PDFs, images, binaries).
  • Progress Tracking: Real-time progress is shown for large imports or recursive folder drops.

Collaboration

Ideon is built for multiplayer. Whether you're brainstorming synchronously or leaving feedback for later, Ideon provides tools to keep everyone on the same page.

  • Realtime Sync: See others' cursors and edits instantly (powered by Yjs).
  • Invitations: Share your project via email.
  • Access Requests: Request access to private projects you don't own.
  • Public Links: Generate a read-only link for external stakeholders.

For a detailed guide on collaboration, permissions, and sharing, see the Collaboration Guide.

Roles & Permissions

Ideon supports a granular permission system:

  • Owner: The project creator. Has full control, including deletion and managing access.
  • Editor: Can add, edit, and move blocks, but cannot manage project settings or delete the project.
  • Viewer: Can view the canvas and navigate, but cannot make any changes.

Permissions & Ownership

Every block has an Owner (the creator).

  • Locking: Owners can lock a block via the right-click context menu. Locked blocks cannot be moved or edited by others, ensuring critical information remains stable.
  • Transfer Ownership: You can transfer ownership of a block to another collaborator through the "Transfer" option in the context menu. This is useful for handing off tasks or delegating documentation sections.

Versioning (Temporal Navigation)

Ideon tracks the history of your project using Temporal Navigation, allowing you to capture and restore specific states of your canvas.

  • Snapshots: You can create manual snapshots (checkpoints) of your project state. Each snapshot can be named with an "Intent" (e.g., "Post-refactor architecture", "Initial brainstorming").
  • Time Travel: Access the temporal navigation panel to view past snapshots. You can preview any previous state without affecting the current live canvas.
  • Restore: If needed, you can apply a previous snapshot to the current project, effectively rolling back the entire canvas state.
  • Management: Snapshots can be renamed or deleted as your project evolves.

Public Sharing

You can share a project with anyone, even those without an Ideon account, by generating a Public Share Link.

  • Read-Only Access: Public links provide a read-only view of the canvas. Visitors can explore the spatial organization and view block content but cannot make changes.
  • Link Management: Project owners can enable, disable, or regenerate the share token at any time in the project canvas via the "share" icon.
  • Security: Share tokens are cryptographically secure strings (e.g., /share/[token]) to prevent unauthorized discovery.

Exporting

You can export your project as a PNG image to share your architecture or ideas in documents, presentations, or chats.

  • Canvas Snapshot: Use the download button in the canvas controls to capture the current visible area or the entire project layout.
  • High Resolution: Exports are generated at a high resolution to ensure all text and connections remain legible.