Tags & properties
Tags and properties are the two ways to add structure to a note: #tags group notes across folders, and properties store typed metadata in the note's YAML frontmatter. Both are plain text in the .md file, and both power search, filtering, and the graph.
Tags
Type # followed by a keyword anywhere in a note to tag it: #project, #reading, #idea. A note can have as many tags as you like, and tags cut across your folder structure — a #project note in any folder is findable alongside every other #project note.
markdownKicking off the redesign. #project #design
- Group loosely. Tags are perfect for cross-cutting themes that don't fit a single folder.
- Nest with slashes. Use
#project/altrettato build a hierarchy while keeping the parent#projectgrouping. - Click to explore. Selecting a tag surfaces every note that carries it.
Properties
Properties are typed key–value metadata stored as YAML frontmatter — a block at the very top of the note, fenced by --- lines.
markdown--- title: Redesign kickoff tags: [project, design] date: 2026-07-23 status: in-progress --- # Redesign kickoff ...
Properties are typed, so Altretta understands them as more than text:
- Text — a title, an author, a URL.
- List —
tags, aliases, related people. - Date — a due date or created date.
- Number — a priority, an estimate.
- Checkbox — a boolean flag.
Common properties include title, tags, date, and status, and you can add any custom field your workflow needs.
Properties in frontmatter and inline #tags complement each other: a tags: list in frontmatter and #tags in the body both feed the same tag index, so you can use whichever fits the moment.
The Properties panel
You don't have to hand-edit YAML. The Properties panel shows a note's frontmatter as an editable form — add a property, pick its type, and set its value with the right control (a date picker for dates, a checkbox for booleans, a tag field for lists). Altretta writes the changes straight back into the frontmatter of the .md file.
This makes properties approachable if you've never touched YAML, while keeping the underlying file plain text you fully own.
Typed properties are the foundation for filtering and querying your vault — a status: in-progress property lets you gather every active project into one view with Bases. Combine them with task lists to track work inside each note.
Next steps
- Arrange notes spatially on the Canvas.
- Back to the section overview: Writing & editing.