# Welcome to Traverse  

## What Traverse is for  

  
### Start loose  

<!-- Capture thoughts as simple nodes before deciding where everything belongs. -->  
#### Add rough ideas  

##### Turn promising ideas into branches  

##### Leave uncertain ideas parked until they connect  

#### Add detail only where it helps  

##### Use notes for supporting material  

##### Use attributes for metadata you want to filter or export  

### Move through depth  

<!-- Column view lets you follow one branch at a time, so large outlines feel navigable instead of cramped. -->  
#### Select a parent  

#### Open its children in the next column  

#### Keep walking down the branch without losing the path  

### Keep work portable  

<!-- Traverse stores outlines as OPML in your local library, with Markdown, Fountain, and OPML export options for sharing, publishing, or backup. -->  
#### Import OPML from other outliners  

#### Export OPML for round-tripping  

#### Export Markdown when you are ready to write elsewhere  

## The main views  

<!-- Use the View control in the toolbar or View menu to switch perspective. The same outline is shown either as columns or as a traditional indented list. -->  
### Column view  

<!-- Best for exploring a hierarchy. -->  
#### Auto  

<!-- Selecting a node opens its children in the next column. -->  
##### Good for browsing one path  

##### Good for seeing where the selected item lives  

#### Manual  

<!-- You choose which branches expand. -->  
##### Good for comparing nearby branches  

##### Good when filters reveal several matches at once  

##### Use Option-Up and Option-Down to move between visible nodes at the same level  

### Outline view  

<!-- Best for fast scanning, keyboard editing, and seeing a larger part of the document in one vertical list. -->  
#### Expand and collapse sections  

#### Move through visible items with arrow keys  

#### Use Option-Up and Option-Down to jump between siblings  

### Inspector  

<!-- Select a node and use the Inspector to edit notes, task state, URLs, marks, Type or Fountain elements, and custom attributes. -->  
#### Built-in fields  

##### Type  

<!-- Type helps Markdown Document export understand whether a node is body text, a heading, a quote, code, a bullet, or a numbered bullet. -->  
###### Heading  

###### Bullet  

###### Quote  

##### Fountain  

<!-- Fountain turns nodes into screenplay elements such as scene headings, action, characters, dialogue, parentheticals, and transitions. -->  
##### Task  

##### URL  

##### Mark  

##### Note  

#### Custom fields  

##### Strings  

##### Checkboxes  

##### URLs  

##### Lookup tags  

## Good starter use cases  

<!-- Traverse works well whenever the same material can be understood at several levels of detail. -->  
### Project planning  

<!-- Break a goal into phases, decisions, tasks, owners, links, and open questions. -->  
#### Phase  

##### Milestone  

###### Task  

###### Decision  

###### Risk  

### Research maps  

<!-- Collect sources, claims, quotes, themes, and follow-up questions without flattening the relationships between them. -->  
#### Topic  

##### Source  

##### Claim  

###### Evidence  

###### Counterpoint  

### Writing outlines  

<!-- Draft sections, arguments, examples, and supporting notes, then export to Markdown when you are ready to write elsewhere. -->  
#### Chapter  

##### Section  

###### Point  

###### Example  

###### Transition  

### AI-assisted starting points  

<!-- With Traverse Pro and Apple Intelligence, turn a brief into a project plan, research map, report, book, presentation, or story structure, then edit the result like any other outline. -->  
#### Describe the goal, audience, and constraints  

#### Choose a structure  

#### Generate, review, and reshape the nodes  

## Editing essentials and useful shortcuts  

<!-- Return adds a sibling. Tab adds a child. Double-click or press Command-Return to edit the selected item. Delete removes an item. Drag nodes to rearrange them. -->  
### Add a sibling with Return  

### Add a child with Tab  

#### Children can nest as deeply as the work needs  

<!-- There is no fixed depth limit in the document model. -->  
##### Parent  

###### Child  

- Grandchild  
    - Detail  
### Use Command-F to focus on a branch  

<!-- Focus is included with Traverse Pro. It hides the rest of the outline until you clear it with Shift-Command-F. -->  
#### Select the branch  

#### Focus  

#### Edit without distraction  

#### Clear Focus  

### Move quickly without the mouse  

#### Arrow keys follow the active view  

#### Option-Up and Option-Down jump between peers  

#### Control-Command-Left and Right move through recent selections  

#### Option-Command-C copies a link to the selected node  

## Attributes, filters, and export  

<!-- Attributes add meaning to individual nodes. Filters let you find matching nodes by text, task state, mark, type, custom checkboxes, or lookup values. Export turns the outline into OPML, Markdown, Fountain, CSV, or PDF. -->  
### Attributes  

#### Type  

  
#### Fountain  

<!-- Fountain is a Pro attribute to add. Use it to outline screenplays with scene headings, action, characters, dialogue, parentheticals, and transitions, then export a clean .fountain script. -->  
#### Tasks  

<!-- Use task state for to-do items and completed work. -->  
#### URLs  

<!-- Use URL fields for source links, tickets, documents, or references. -->  
#### Marks  

<!-- Marks are colored labels for visual grouping. -->  
#### Notes  

<!-- Notes can hold detail without making the outline text itself too long. -->  
### Filters  

#### Search text and notes  

<!-- Text filtering is available for free. -->  
#### Show only to-do items  

<!-- Attribute filters are included with Pro. -->  
#### Show marked or tagged items  

<!-- Attribute filters are included with Pro. -->  
### Export  

#### OPML  

#### Markdown List  

#### Markdown Document  

#### Fountain  

#### Current view as PDF  

## Free and Traverse Pro 3  

<!-- Traverse Free is a capable, unlimited local outliner. Pro earns its place when you want to turn good outlines into repeatable systems, polished documents, screenplays, and focused working environments. -->  
### A generous Free foundation  

<!-- Start and keep working without a library limit. Your files remain local, portable, and useful whether or not Pro is active. -->  
#### Create, import, and edit as many library outlines as you need  

#### Open external OPML files read-only  

#### Use Column and Outline views, notes, tasks, URLs, marks, and text search  

#### Export and continue using every attribute already present in an outline  

### Go further with Pro  

  
#### Turn outlines into documents and screenplays  

<!-- Add Type for semantic Markdown structure or Fountain for screenplay-aware outlining and export. -->  
#### Build reusable systems  

<!-- Create complete new outlines from Templates and insert proven branches with Snippets. -->  
#### Describe work your way  

<!-- Add custom text, number, date, URL, checkbox, and lookup attributes for the metadata your project actually needs. -->  
#### Find the signal in large outlines  

<!-- Filter by tasks, Type, Fountain elements, marks, checkboxes, and lookup values, or use Focus mode to work inside one branch. -->  
#### Move from prompt to editable structure  

<!-- Use Apple Intelligence on supported Macs to generate a project, report, research map, presentation, book, or story starting point. -->  
#### Edit files where they already live  

<!-- Open external OPML files directly and save changes back without first importing them into the library. -->  
#### Unlock Pro in Settings  

<!-- Choose lifetime access or a monthly or annual subscription in Settings > Pro. -->  
### If Pro is not active  

<!-- Traverse does not hide existing work. Library outlines remain editable and any Type, Fountain, or custom attributes already present continue to work; only adding or invoking Pro-only features is restricted. -->  
## Next step: open the Tutorial  

<!-- The Tutorial goes deeper into AI, Free and Pro access, filters, attributes, settings, export, navigation, shortcuts, and everyday workflows. Follow this node's Related link or choose Help > Open Tutorial any time you want it back. -->