Docs/Notes/Callouts

Callouts

A callout is a titled, colored box that makes a passage stand out from the text around it — a note, a tip, a warning, a quote. You write one as a quote block that starts by naming its kind. (One kind, the card, becomes a two-sided flashcard — that has its own Flashcards page.)

Writing a callout

Start a quote block and make its first line [!type], where type is the kind you want. Everything below that first line becomes the body of the box.

> [!tip]
The usual form. A quote block whose first line names the kind. Every following quoted line is the body.
[!note]
Shorthand. A plain paragraph that begins with [!type] also becomes a callout, even without the leading >. This form is always shown fully expanded.
> [!tip]+
Collapsible, starts open. Add a + and the box can be folded shut with a click, but begins expanded.
> [!tip]-
Collapsible, starts closed. Add a - and the body stays hidden until you click to open it.
> [!tip] Your own title
Custom title. Any text after the marker replaces the kind's default title at the top of the box.

An example, plus the shorthand form:

> [!warning] Before you continue
> This changes every note. Back up your work first.

> [!tip]-
> Collapsed by default — click to expand.

[!note]
No leading > required — this still becomes a callout.

The kinds you can use

Each kind comes with its own icon, a default title, and a color. Pick whichever fits what you're saying — and if you type a kind that isn't in the list, it still works: it just gets a neutral dot icon and its name as the title, which makes it easy to invent your own labels.

note
A general aside.
info
Background or context.
tip
A helpful suggestion.
success
Something that worked, marked with a checkmark.
question
An open question.
warning
Something to be careful about, in a warm amber tone.
failure
Something that didn't work.
danger
A strong caution.
bug
A known problem.
example
A worked example.
quote
A quotation — styled quietly, so it reads as a citation.
abstract
A summary or overview.
todo
Something still to do.
card
A two-sided flashcard with a front and back — see Flashcards.
A note showing three boxes stacked top to bottom: a "Note" callout with a pencil icon, a "Warning" callout in a warm amber tone with a triangle icon, and a collapsed "Tip" callout with a lightbulb icon waiting to be clicked open.
Callout kinds in a note
Invent your own kinds

You aren't limited to the kinds above. Type any name — say [!idea] — and it still renders as a tidy box, titled with that name. This makes callouts a flexible way to mark up your notes however you like.

Good to know