Everything in Anytype is an Object, however they can have a different format depending on how they are used.
- Page — A document-style experience for content.
- View — A database-style experience for multiple Objects.
- Chat — A message-style experience for communication.
This is the most common type of Object with an editor that's used to create all kinds of documents, such as Tasks, Movies, and Journals. Objects with a Page format follow a standard structure:
- Object Title Area — Title, emoticon, cover image, description
- Object Header — Properties in line or list style
- Object Body — Content, blocks, inline links
- Object Discussion — Comments, see discussions.md for more
When viewing an Object, you can access the settings by clicking on the three dots button in the top right corner, and then clicking Type settings. These settings will apply to all Objects of that Type.
You can change how a Page is structured to suit your needs. A Page's layout is determined by the Type, where the same layout is applied to all objects of the same Type. You can choose from:
| Page Layouts | Best For |
|---|---|
| Basic | Standard document layout as the default |
| Profile | Adds an image to the title area—for people and companies |
| Action | Adds a checkbox to the title area—for tasks and action items |
| Note | Removes the need for a title—for quick notes and journals |
You can change how an Object's Properties are displayed. There are 'Line' and 'List' layouts. This setting will apply across all Objects of the same Type. Learn more in the Properties section.
You can change the default width of each Page to be 'full width', this is set in the Type settings. Alternatively, you can adjust the width of each Page individually by using the 'set layout width' button which can be found in the Object's title area. This can be set as a Template as well.
When viewing multiple objects together, this is the format that's used to keep things organized. This format is what you see when you're viewing Types, Queries, and Collections.
You can select from a variety of different layouts such as:
| Type Layouts | Best For |
|---|---|
| List | Simple vertical rows |
| Grid | Spreadsheet-like experience |
| Calendar | Date and time arrangement |
| Kanban | Grouping and project management |
| Gallery | Visual highlights |
| Graph | Inter-connected relationships |
Unlike Page Layouts, you can have multiple View Layouts set for the same Type. To learn more, please see views.md for more details.
When you want to have conversations with others, this is the format that's used for messaging. It works just like most chat apps. You can send images, reference existing Objects in the space, share links, reply to messages, and have emoticon reactions.
There is only one standard Chat layout, which is the message stream.
