Entries & Templates
Define templates with properties, then create entries to capture your knowledge.
Overview
Entries are the core units of content in Swashbuckler — NPCs, locations, session logs, recipes, project tasks, or anything else you want to track. Every entry belongs to a template that defines its structure: what properties it has, its icon, and its color.
Your default space comes with a built-in Entry template (invisible in the UI). When you create entries without selecting a template, they're silently assigned to this Entry template. You can create as many custom templates as you need, each tailored to a different kind of content.
Templates
Templates define the structure and starting content for your entries. A template is just a special kind of entry — it can have fields (property definitions), content, and properties, all of which are inherited by entries created from it.
Creating a Template
- Go to Settings > Templates
- Click New Template
- Enter a name (e.g., "Character")
- Pick an icon and color
- Add properties (see below)
- Click Save
Your new template appears in the sidebar with its own section (in grouped mode). You can also create templates directly from existing entries — see Templates for details.
Managing Templates
In Settings > Templates, you can:
- Reorder templates by dragging them (or using the up/down arrow buttons for keyboard access) — this controls sidebar group order
- Edit a template to change its name, icon, color, or properties
- Hide a template from the sidebar — the template and its entries won't appear in the sidebar, but entries remain accessible via search and direct links. Hidden templates show a "Hidden" badge and can be shown again with a click
- Delete a template — you'll be prompted to reassign entries to another template, convert them to plain entries (assigns the default Entry template), or delete all entries permanently. System templates (like Entry) cannot be deleted
Starter Kits
Starter kits are pre-built collections of templates designed for common workflows. Instead of creating templates from scratch, you can import a kit to get a ready-made set of templates with relevant properties.
Available kits:
- Note Taking — Note, Meeting Notes, Journal
- Recipes — Recipe (with ingredients, cook time, servings), Meal Plan
- Roleplaying — Character, Location, Faction, Session Log, Item
To import a kit, go to Settings > Templates and click Starter Kits. Browse by category, expand a kit to preview its templates, and click Import. Templates with conflicting names (same slug) are skipped automatically.
You can also select a starter kit when creating a new space.
Global Templates
You can create global template blueprints in Settings > Account > Global Templates. These are reusable templates that you can import into any space as independent copies. Importing a global template creates a new space-scoped template with its own fields — changes to the global blueprint don't affect imported copies, and vice versa.
Properties
Properties define the structured data on each entry. When you create or edit a template, you can add, reorder, and remove properties.
Property Types
| Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Text | Short free-form text | "Meeting notes summary" |
| Number | Numeric value | 42, 3.14 |
| Date | Calendar date | 2025-01-15 |
| Checkbox | True/false toggle | Done: yes/no |
| Select | Single choice from defined options | Status: "To Do" / "In Progress" / "Done" |
| Multi-select | Multiple choices from defined options | Tags: "Frontend", "Urgent" |
| Relation | Link to another entry | Related project |
| URL | Web address | https://example.com |
| Email address | user@example.com | |
| Phone | Phone number | +1 (555) 123-4567 |
Adding Properties
- Edit a template in Settings > Templates
- Click Add Property
- Enter a name and choose a type
- For Select and Multi-select, add the available options
- Optionally mark a property as required
- Drag to reorder properties — the order here controls the display order on entries and in table views
Entries
Creating Entries
There are several ways to create a new entry:
- Click the + button in the sidebar toolbar to pick a template (both modes), or the + next to a template header (in grouped mode)
- Press Cmd+E to open Quick Capture
- Click the + button in the header
- Use the floating action button (bottom-right corner)
New entries get an auto-incrementing default name (e.g., "Untitled", "Untitled 2") that you can change immediately.
Entry Icons
Each entry can have its own emoji icon, independent of its template icon. Click the icon area next to the entry title to open the emoji picker. Entry icons appear in the sidebar, search results, and anywhere the entry is referenced.
Cover Images
Entries can have a cover image displayed at the very top of the entry, above the header and title. Use the ··· menu to add or remove a cover image (3 MB limit, JPEG/PNG/GIF/WebP/SVG). Hover over the cover to change it or pick one from your asset library.
Editing Properties
When you open an entry, its properties appear below the title. Click any property value to edit it inline. Select and multi-select properties show a dropdown; dates open a date picker; checkboxes toggle directly.
Entries in Views
Every template has a dedicated page (accessible from the sidebar) that shows all entries using that template. You can view them as a table, list, cards, or kanban board, and filter and sort by any property. See Template Pages, Board View, and Filtering & Sorting for details.