Bike Guide

Appearance

Outline Filtering ​

Outline filtering hides rows that don't match your filter, letting you focus on just the rows you need. Unlike the find panel which highlights matches, filtering changes which rows are visible.

To start filtering ​

  • Use Go > Filter (Command-Shift-F)

The filter field lives in the editor toolbar. Start typing there to filter your outline.

What You See While Filtering ​

Filtering generates a set of matching rows, then reshapes the outline around them:

  • Every match and each of its ancestors stays visible, so you always see your matches in context.
  • A branch with no matches inside it is folded away.
  • Siblings of a match that don't match themselves are tucked into a hidden range. Click the hidden range to reveal them.

To navigate between matches ​

  • Press Return to go to the next match
  • Press Shift-Return to go to the previous match

To clear the filter ​

  • Click the X button in the filter bar
  • Or delete all text in the filter field
  • Or press Command-Return to clear the filter while keeping the folds it created

When you clear a filter Bike restores the scroll position and folded rows you had before you started, so filtering never loses your place. Command-Return is the exception. It keeps the folds the filter set, so you can carry that pruned view back into normal editing.

Working with Matches ​

Right-click the filter field for commands that act on the whole set of matches at once:

  • Cut Matches: remove the matching rows from your outline and place them on the clipboard.
  • Copy Matches: copy the matching rows, including their children.
  • Copy Matches (Without Children): copy just the matching rows, leaving their children behind.
  • Save in Sidebar: save the current filter as a query shortcut.

You can also select rows in the filtered outline and use Edit > Copy > Copy Displayed to copy only the rows you can see. It skips anything hidden by the filter. See Other Bike Formats.

Filter Syntax ​

The filter bar accepts two types of input:

Text search: Type any text to filter rows that contain that text.

Outline path expressions: Start your filter with / for a global search or . for a focused branch search. This gives you access to the full outline path query syntax.

Examples:

  • pizza: Show rows containing "pizza"
  • /heading: Show top-level heading rows
  • //heading: Show all heading rows anywhere in the outline
  • //task: Show all task rows anywhere in the outline
  • //task not @done: Show incomplete tasks
  • //note: Show all note rows

You can save frequently used filters as query shortcuts in the sidebar. With a filter active, right-click the filter field and choose Save in Sidebar. Click a saved query shortcut to instantly apply that filter to your outline.

See also ​