The editor
How to write and format a draft in Alchex, what the slash palette offers, and what "saved" means for your work.
The editor is where you write the draft of a document. It has no toolbar across the top: formatting comes from typing, from a slash palette, and from a small bar that appears when you select text. Everything you type goes into the working draft, never straight to the version readers see.
The writing surface
Open Governance → a document and the editor fills the middle of the workspace. Select some text and a formatting bar appears over it. Hover a block and a handle appears in the margin for moving or acting on that block.
The usual shortcuts work while you type:
| Shortcut | Result |
|---|---|
| Ctrl/Cmd + B | Bold |
| Ctrl/Cmd + I | Italic |
| Ctrl/Cmd + U | Underline |
| Ctrl/Cmd + E | Inline code |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + X | Strikethrough |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Z | Undo |
| Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Z | Redo |
Markdown as you type
Structure is created by typing, at the start of a line. The characters disappear and the block changes as soon as you press space.
| Type this at the start of a line | You get |
|---|---|
#, ## or ### then a space | Heading 1, 2 or 3 |
- or * then a space | Bullet list |
1. then a space | Numbered list |
> then a space | Quote |
[] or [x] then a space | Task item, unchecked or checked |
| Three backticks | Code block |
---, *** or ___ | Divider |
These only fire at the start of a block. Mid-sentence they stay as plain characters.
The slash palette
Type / anywhere in the body and a menu opens. Keep typing to filter — items match on synonyms as well as their names, so "kanban" finds Collection and "policy" finds Reference. Press Enter to insert, Escape to close.
| Group | Items |
|---|---|
| Write | Text, Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, Bullet list, Numbered list, Task list, Quote |
| Insert | Image, Table, File, Divider, Page break, Code block |
| Organize | Callout, Columns, Table of contents, Collection |
| References | Reference |
| Compliance | Document header, Approval matrix, Revision table |
A few worth knowing:
- Table drops a plain 3×3 grid. Collection is different: a table of rows you can track and group, with grouping toggled from its header.
- Table of contents is live — it rebuilds itself from your headings as you write.
- Document header pins owner, status and version at the top of the document. Approval matrix records who signs off. Revision table keeps version history inside the document body.
- Reference inserts an inline link to a document, control or connection label. See References.
- Page break only shows up when the document is printed or exported. See Export.
How saving works
There is no Save button for the body. The document opens in a live editing session, and your typing is sent to the server as you go — the same session everyone else editing that document is joined to. See Collaboration.
The word next to the state chip — Saved, Saving… or Save failed — reports the document's details: title, type, font. The body has its own path and is not what that word is tracking.
Saving the body does not publish anything. Readers keep seeing the last published version until the draft is approved and published. The state chip says so directly: "Draft — readers see v1.2". See Publishing.
Not losing work
Three things can interrupt an editing session, and each says so on screen:
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| "Reconnecting…" with "your edits are safe and will sync when the connection returns" | The connection dropped. The editor stays open and holds your edits. | Leave the tab open. Do not close it until the ribbon clears. |
| "Live editing is unavailable right now — showing the latest saved version, read-only." | The live editing service is unreachable. | You cannot type. Wait and reload. |
| "You have unsynced changes from an earlier draft" | Edits from a previous session never reached the server. | Use View or Copy to rescue the text, then Discard. |
Discard on that stranded-changes dialog is permanent — the local copy is gone and cannot be recovered. Copy the text out first.
When you cannot type
The editor goes read-only, and the chrome recedes, whenever the draft is not yours to change:
| Situation | Why |
|---|---|
| The draft is in review | It is sealed while an owner decides. Nobody can edit it, including the person who submitted it. |
| The document is archived | Archived documents are read-only. Restore it to edit again. |
| You are viewing an older version | History views are read-only copies. |
| You have Reader access | Editing the draft needs Author access in the team that owns the document. |
The same gate applies to edits the AI proposes and you approve: if the draft is sealed the apply is refused with "The document is in review — edits are frozen until it reopens". See AI review and Permissions.