A Tour of the Workspace

This quick tour points out the main areas of Spleen before the guide explains them in detail. You do not need to remember every part immediately. The goal is simply to recognise the shape of the workspace when you open the app.

The projects overview

The projects overview is the starting point for your work. From here you can create a new project, import an existing one, switch between table and grid view, open a project, change a project status, archive older work, or export a project without entering the editor.

Moving around Spleen

On the projects overview and Account screens, Help center in the header opens this guide in a new tab. Use the user menu to open Account from the projects overview, and Projects in the header to return from Account. Inside a project, Back to projects returns to the overview.

On a small screen, choose Open menu. Projects and Account are grouped under Yours, with Help center at the bottom of the menu. When you are signed in on Spleen’s public site, its navigation also offers Projects and Account.

The editor

The editor is where you write and revise the current document. It is surrounded by just enough structure to move through the project, open useful tools, and keep track of where you are. On desktop, the header includes Atmosphere for quiet background audio while you work.

The project sidebar shows the structure of the open project. It contains your writing sections and documents, lets you move between them, and gives you a quick way to add or reorganise project material. Projects can also have a separate research structure for supporting material that should not appear in the main writing export.

Below these trees, Out of the project appears when Archive or Trash contains something. These two bins keep material close enough to read or restore without leaving it in the book itself.

The context panel

The context panel sits on the right side of the editor on larger screens. It contains Notes, Annotations, and Snapshots for the open document. On smaller screens, the same panel slides in when you open it so the editor keeps enough room.

Preferences

Preferences are where you adjust Spleen to suit your writing environment. You can change the appearance and editor settings from one place.

Export options

Exporting lets you turn a project into a file for reading, sharing, publishing, backup, or use outside Spleen. Spleen supports PDF, EPUB, HTML, Markdown, and Spleen Archive.

What to do next

Open the project you created and add one or two documents. Write a little, explore the project sidebar, add a note, and try Zen Mode. How Projects Are Organised explains the project structure when you are ready to shape a larger work.