Document model

An Inkfinite document stores canvas content and the history needed to merge edits from different peers.

Document structure

A document contains pages. Each page has an ordered tree of layers and shapes, along with bindings that connect related shapes. Stable IDs identify every record, so an edit can refer to one object without relying on its current position or display name.

Pages separate canvases within one document. The editor displays one selected page at a time, but the native file preserves every page and its history.

Shapes and layers

Shapes include rectangles, ellipses, lines, arrows, text, Markdown blocks, and freehand strokes. Each shape has a kind, transform, kind-specific properties, and metadata. A container can present ordinary text and Markdown children as an editable card with a title, body, role, tags, source, link, and structured metadata. Every shape can also carry a name, role, description, tags, source, link, and custom metadata for selection controls and reliable CLI queries. The editor shows the record’s provenance as read-only actor, origin, time, and source information.

Layers control stacking and visibility. Container shapes own ordered children, so a frame moves and exports its contents as one composition. Bindings connect arrows to source and target shapes without making either shape a child of the other.

Locks prevent edits to a layer or shape regardless of who created the transaction. The agent_editable metadata flag is available to permissioned integrations, but the document engine and direct CLI do not treat it as a lock.

Persistence

The web editor stores documents in the browser’s IndexedDB database. Clearing site data or using a different browser profile can make those documents unavailable, so export important work.

The desktop editor and CLI use canonical .inkfinite files. Each file contains Automerge state and change history, not just the visible canvas snapshot. Writers use a lock, recovery data, and atomic file replacement to avoid partial saves. See File format for editable interchange and presentation exports.