1.4 Edit it naturally

Planned

Edit the common case from either side.

After 1.0. Version numbers mark the intended order, not dates or paid upgrades; scope is provisional and may change with evidence and demand. Checked against the development repository on 15 October 2026.

In short

Sometimes you’d rather fix a typo in the rendered page than hunt for it in the source. 1.4 lets you edit the common cases from either side.

Edit paragraphs and headings in the rendered view, with basic formatting, links and task checkboxes where the mapping to the source is safe. Both views share one undo history and one unsaved-changes state.

In practice

Tick a task in the rendered checklist: the source changes from “- [ ]” to “- [x]”, and nothing else in the file moves.

Why it isn’t simple

  • Markdown has many spellings for the same look. *Italic* and _italic_, ** and __, three kinds of list marker and two kinds of heading all render the same. When you edit the rendered text, the change has to be written back in the spelling already there, not the editor’s favourite.
  • The rendered view hides characters. A link shows its words but not its address; escapes, entities and line breaks within a paragraph vanish. Typing at a visible position has to land at exactly the right invisible position in the source.
  • Two views, one document. Undo, the unsaved-changes state and the caret have to agree whichever side you edit. Where the mapping isn’t certain, the safe answer is to send you to the source, which is why 1.4 starts with paragraphs and headings.

What it won’t do

  • Each edit changes only the characters it needs to.
  • Where an edit would be ambiguous, it’s made in the source instead of guessed at.

What it covers

1.4Edit it naturally

Planned

  • Rendered paragraph and heading editing
  • Basic formatting, links and task toggles where mapping is safe
  • Shared undo/dirty state and minimal source patches
  • Raw-only fallback for ambiguous edits

Depends on Keep your place; Shape the structure.

Product direction, October 2026Plan reference 1.4

Builds on

Leads to

What the labels mean

Planned
an accepted direction; the detailed scope isn’t committed.