Templates and presets
Write a shape once and use it as a note, a checklist, a card, a whiteboard or a set of habits, and start boards from column presets.
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On this page
A template in Margin is a shape. You write it once, and decide what it becomes each time you use it: a note, a card, a checklist, a whiteboard or a set of habits.
What a template is made of#
Open Templates in the sidebar and choose New template. The form has five parts:
- Name, which becomes the title of whatever you make from it.
- Body, in markdown.
- Steps, one per line. A line that starts with a hash, like
# Before, is a section heading. - Labels, one per line.
- Priority, used when the template becomes a card.
Anything in double braces, like {{client}}, becomes a question you answer
when you use the template. A few fill themselves in: {{date}}, {{today}}, {{time}},
{{weekday}}, {{month}}, {{year}}, {{me}} and {{workspace}}.
Use one#
Pick a template on the Templates page and choose what to make from it. Margin only offers the targets the template has material for.
| Target | What you get | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Note | A note, with the steps as checkboxes inside it | Nothing extra |
| Card | A card on a board you choose, with the steps as its checklist | A board and a column |
| Checklist | A standalone checklist, grouped by section | At least one step |
| Whiteboard | A canvas with a column of sticky notes per section | Steps, or ## headings in the body |
| Habits | One habit per step, ready to track daily | At least one step |
A new checklist can also start from a template: the create dialog lists your templates under Your templates, beside the built-in ones.
The starter set#
There are 23 starters covering what the app is for: a weekly review, meeting notes, a one-to-one, a project kickoff, a decision record, a bug report, a retro, a packing list, a house move, the family week ahead and more. Your first workspace comes with them. In any other workspace the empty Templates page offers Load 23 starter templates, and pressing it twice does not make duplicates.
With enough templates on the page, a search box and label filters appear. Your own templates join a filter by carrying the label.
Save a checklist as a template#
Refined a checklist until it is right? Open its menu and choose Save as template. It lands on the Templates page and can then become a note, a card or a checklist again, which suits packing lists and pre-flight routines.
Board presets#
The new-board dialog offers column presets. There are two today:
- New Board: To Do, In Progress, Done.
- Design Requests: Inbox, Clarify, In build, Review, Shipped. It is shaped for a request pipeline an agent can pull work from.
A preset only sets the starting columns. Rename and rearrange them afterwards as much as you like.