Notes: undo #49

New Issue

2026-10-06T07:28:29Z

twisla commented

2026-10-06 07:28:29 +00:00

Idea

Undo and redo in the Notes editor.

Why

Notes saves by itself: five seconds after the last key, on leaving, and when the screen turns off (F1, Q143). A mistaken edit, such as a paragraph deleted by holding Del, is on the card before it's noticed, and nothing brings it back.

What's known

The editor holds the note in memory (up to 16 KB, Q144); an undo history is a list of small insertions and deletions next to it, bounded in bytes.
A save writes a temporary file and renames it over the note. Keeping the previous version as a backup file until the note is closed would be a cheap second line: "revert to how it was when I opened it".
Editing files of any size (the issue next to this one) changes the editor's structure; a piece table gives undo almost for free.

Questions

Which key: Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y?
How much history, and does it survive leaving the note?
Typing grouped by word, by pause, or by line for one undo step?
Also a "revert to the version I opened" from a kept backup?

## Idea Undo and redo in the Notes editor. ## Why Notes saves by itself: five seconds after the last key, on leaving, and when the screen turns off (F1, Q143). A mistaken edit, such as a paragraph deleted by holding Del, is on the card before it's noticed, and nothing brings it back. ## What's known - The editor holds the note in memory (up to 16 KB, Q144); an undo history is a list of small insertions and deletions next to it, bounded in bytes. - A save writes a temporary file and renames it over the note. Keeping the previous version as a backup file until the note is closed would be a cheap second line: "revert to how it was when I opened it". - Editing files of any size (the issue next to this one) changes the editor's structure; a piece table gives undo almost for free. ## Questions 1. Which key: Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y? 2. How much history, and does it survive leaving the note? 3. Typing grouped by word, by pause, or by line for one undo step? 4. Also a "revert to the version I opened" from a kept backup? ## Related `docs/milestones/F1.md` (Q143, Q149), #19.

twisla added this to the F1 Files and Notes milestone 2026-10-06 07:28:29 +00:00

twisla added the

labels 2026-10-06 07:28:29 +00:00

twisla referenced this issue

2026-10-06 08:19:30 +00:00