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Chapter 09

Files, Compare and Markdown sync

Beyond notes, a task can hold files, sit side by side with other tasks in the Compare tab, or mirror a Markdown file kept outside Andon.

Files

The Files tab of a task lists its attachments. Its title shows how many files there are.

  • Add a file: click Attach File and choose one, or drag files from your file manager onto the tab.
  • Open a file: click it to open it with the program your system uses for that type.
  • Delete a file: use its delete button.

Attachments are stored inside Andon's databases, not as loose files, so they move with your data folder and follow a project into the archive and back. In the Tasks tab, a row shows an indicator when its task has attachments.

A file can be up to 25 MB, and you can attach up to 25 files at once. Clicking a file opens a temporary copy: changes you make in the other program are not saved back into Andon, so attach the edited file again to keep them. Files belong to their task, so a task shared with another project (chapter 12) shares its files too.

Compare tasks

Compare puts several tasks side by side, which is ideal for weighing vendors, designs or competing approaches.

  1. In the Tasks tab, select two or more tasks with Ctrl+click or Shift+click.
  2. Click the Compare button under the task list, or right-click and choose Compare selected tasks.
  3. A Compare tab opens with one column per task. Each column's header shows the task's status, its name and when it was last modified, with a › that lists its child tasks; below come its notes and attachments.

Tick Link scroll to scroll all columns together. Close the Compare tab when you are done.

Markdown sync

Markdown sync turns a folder of .md files, such as a repository's docs folder, into tasks.

  1. Open the project's menu and choose Edit Project.
  2. Under MD folders, click Add folder and select any Markdown file in the folder you want.
  3. Back in the project, click the Sync MD files from repository button that now appears in the toolbar.

Each .md file becomes a top-level task whose note holds the file's content. Syncing again updates the same tasks rather than creating duplicates, and reports how many were created, updated or unchanged. Each update is saved in the note's history as an "MD sync" version. A synced task counts as modified only when a sync changes its note, so its Modified date shows the last sync that brought new content. While a sync runs, the note you have open is read-only and the project's Archive and Delete Project actions are unavailable; both come back as soon as the sync ends. Closing Andon stops a sync in progress cleanly, and the next sync picks up the remaining files.

The files are the source. Sync goes one way, from the files to Andon:

  • Editing a synced note in Andon: the next sync replaces it with the file's content. The edit stays in the note's history, so nothing is lost, but write lasting changes in the .md file itself.
  • Renaming a file or moving the folder: each task is matched to its file by the file's full path, so a renamed or moved file becomes a new task. The old task stays; set it to red or delete it.
  • Deleting a file: its task stays in the project.
  • Subfolders: not included. Only the .md files directly in each folder are synced; add a subfolder as its own MD folder if you need it. A project can have several MD folders.