Card widget

A Card is a small, titled callout: a coloured bar along the top, a bold title, and a body underneath. It is a step up from a sticky when something on a desk deserves a heading, such as a decision, a goal, a warning or the one link everyone needs. Add an emoji beside the title and pick an accent colour, or tint the whole card, so it stands out at a glance.

The body understands a little formatting: bold, italic, links, bullet points and @ mentions. You type it plainly, and the Card shows it formatted as soon as you click away.

More about this widget Coming soon

Before you start

• The Card is on every plan.
• You need a desk open. The Add widget button and the quick-add key work only on an open desk.

Add a Card

1. Open the desk you want the Card on.
2. Click Add widget in the centre of the header.
3. Click Card.

The Add widget menu groups widgets into columns by what they are for. Card is in the Write & capture column, with Sticky, Note, Markdown, Page, Voice note and Living Doc. You can also type card in the search box at the top of the menu and press Enter to add it.

A new Card is 280 × 200, with an accent bar along the top, an empty Title and a body ready for you to write in.

Faster ways to add one

• Press D. On an open desk, click an empty part of the desk so that no widget is selected and you are not typing, then press D. The Add widget menu shows this key in grey beside Card. You can change or turn off the key. See Add widgets with a single key.
• Command palette. Press ⌘ K on a Mac or Ctrl K on Windows, type card and choose Add Card.
• Tool rail. Rest the pointer on the tool rail at the right of the desk so it opens, then click its Add widget button. Expand Advanced to find Card, or type card in the search box. See The tool rail on the right of a desk.
• Right-click the desk. Right-click an empty part of the desk and choose Add object > Advanced > Card. The Card appears where you clicked.

Write the title and body

1. Click Title and type a heading for the card. It shows in bold.
2. Click the body underneath and type. Until you add something, it reads Write something… **bold**, *italic*, paste a link.
3. Click anywhere outside the card. The body now shows its formatting.

To change the body later, click it. It switches back to plain text so you can edit it, and shows the formatting again when you click away. Your changes save as you type.

Formatting you can use in the body

A web address needs its https:// or http:// at the front to become a link. Links open in your web browser. To edit the body instead of opening a link, click a part of the body that is not a link. For more on mentions, see Link desks, widgets and people with @.

Add an emoji

1. Rest the pointer on the card. A faint smiley appears to the left of the title. Its tooltip reads Card icon.
2. Click it. A small set of emoji opens: 💡 ⭐ 🔥 ✅ ⚠️ 📌 🎯 ❤️ 🚀 📝 🔑 💬.
3. Click the one you want. It sits beside the title.

To remove the emoji, click it and pick the same emoji again. To swap it, click it and pick a different one.

Choose a colour

1. Rest the pointer on the card. A coloured dot appears in its top right corner. Its tooltip reads Card colour.
2. Click the dot. Seven accent colours appear.
3. Click a colour. The bar along the top of the card changes to match.
4. To tint the whole card in a soft shade of that colour, click Fill background. A tick shows beside it while it is on. Click it again to go back to a plain card with just the coloured bar.
5. Click the dot again to close the colours.

Size

The Card grows taller as you write, so a long body is not cut off, and a short card stays compact. Drag its edges to make it wider or narrower, and the height follows the text.

A Card inside a section Coming soon, or pinned to a corner of the screen, does not resize itself.

The title bar

Rest the pointer on the Card to show its title bar. There you can rename the widget, pin it to a corner of the screen, open it larger or in focus mode, and remove it. Right-click the title bar for the menu every widget shares. See The controls on every widget and Right-click menus.

Plexii, summaries and sharing

• Plexii can read a card. When you ask Plexii about a desk, it can read each Card's title and body. A Living Doc or living page on the same desk includes them in its summary too. See Keep a living summary of a desk.
• Live views. When you publish a live view of a desk, a Card shows its title and body as plain text. See Publish a live view of a desk.

A Card holds only its title, body, emoji and colour, so it has nothing to import or export. To reuse its text elsewhere, click the body and copy it.

Good uses

• Record a decision. Title it "Decision", add ✅, and write what was decided and why underneath, so nobody has to dig for it.
• Flag a risk. Use ⚠️, a red accent and Fill background, so it is the first thing anyone sees on the desk.
• State the goal. Put a 🎯 card at the top of a desk with the one outcome the desk is for.
• Keep the key links together. A 🔑 or 📌 card with a short bullet list of links, each with its own link text.
• Label a group of widgets. Put a Card at the head of a cluster of widgets to say what they are about.

Card, Sticky or Note?

• Choose a Card for a short, titled callout that should stand out.
• Choose a Sticky for a quick thought or a checklist.
• Choose a Note for longer plain writing.

Common questions

How do I make a bullet list? Start each line of the body with a hyphen and a space (- ), or an asterisk and a space (* ). The bullets show when you click away.

I clicked my link and it opened the browser. How do I edit it? Click a part of the body that is not the link, such as the end of a line. The body switches to plain text so you can change the link.

Can I use a colour that is not in the list? No. A Card offers seven accent colours, each with an optional tinted fill.

How do I remove the emoji? Click it and pick the same emoji again.

Can I add a Card without the mouse? Yes. On an open desk, with no widget selected, press D.

Related tasks

• Write and capture widgets
• Add a widget to a desk
• Add widgets with a single key
• Sticky widget
• Note widget
• Living Doc widget
• Voice note widget