Reference
Formatting (RetMD)
RetMD is the Markdown subset your rich cells are stored in. You normally never type it — the cell editor writes it for you — but because it's plain Markdown under the hood, your notes stay portable and future-proof.
Why Markdown at rest?
- Portability — your notes are readable text, not a proprietary format. They'll outlive any app, including ours.
- Safety — RetMD is rendered through a strict parser that builds content directly, so a captured cell can never inject markup or scripts into the app.
- Simplicity — a deliberate subset: enough structure for real notes, nothing exotic enough to break.
Block syntax
| Element | Syntax |
|---|---|
| Heading 1–3 | # Title, ## Section, ### Subsection |
| Bullet list | - item |
| Numbered list | 1. item |
| Checklist | - [ ] open task / - [x] done task |
| Quote | > quoted line |
| Code block | Three backticks on the lines before and after |
| Divider | --- |
| Paragraph | Any other line |
Inline syntax
| Element | Syntax |
|---|---|
| Bold | **bold** |
| Italic | *italic* |
~~struck~~ | |
Inline code | `code` |
| Underline | <u>underlined</u> |
| Link | [label](https://example.com) |
Links only render for http:// and https:// URLs — anything else stays inert text, by design.
Plain vs. rich cells
Cells start life as plain text (TEXT badge). They become rich (RICH badge) the first time the editor saves them with any formatting — a heading, a list, bold text, a link. A rich cell that you strip back to bare paragraphs returns to plain text on its next save.
What RetMD intentionally leaves out
Tables, footnotes, embedded HTML, and inline images are not part of the subset. Images in ReticulOS are first-class cells of their own rather than fragments inside notes — see Capturing Content.