Notes that do not cover the diagram

What it is

Flows say what happens. Notes carry what the boxes cannot: “only above €500”, “SLA one business day”, “legal must sign off”. Runic keeps them in the text next to the step they describe and draws them as pins so they never hide the arrows.

How it works

A .note line attaches to the most recent box: the step, input, wait, decision or Do card laid out before it. In top-down layout the note sits to the right of that card; in left-to-right it sits below. A note with no box before it in its sequence, such as one at the top of a document, renders on the axis and takes its own vertical space.

Consecutive notes on the same anchor stack. The diagram groups them into one 28-pixel comment icon with a count badge when there are two or more. Click the icon to open the stack as yellow cards; click anywhere else to close it. Hover the icon and the tooltip lists every note. Hovering a note, open or closed, highlights its source line in the editor.

In the editor the note text is tinted brown so it reads as commentary. PNG and SVG exports hide the icons and show the full note cards, so a shared image never loses the fine print.

Why it matters

Sticky notes on a canvas cover boxes and drift when the layout changes. A note in the text moves with its step, survives every reflow, and stays out of the way until someone wants it.

Limits

Notes are not connected by arrows and cannot carry an arrow caption. One note stack is open at a time. A .note placed directly after a .back line attaches to the box above the .back, since a resolved .back draws no card of its own.

How to use it

1. 1
   Write a step

   For example “Manager approves the request”.
2. 2
   Add the note below it

   On the next line type .note Only above €500. Pick .note from the command menu if you prefer. The line tints brown in the editor.
3. 3
   Find the pin

   In the diagram a yellow comment icon sits beside the step card (below it in left-to-right layout).
4. 4
   Stack more

   Add .note SLA: one business day on the following line. The icon gains a “2” badge.
5. 5
   Read and dismiss

   Click the icon to open the notes as yellow cards; click anywhere on the canvas to close them.

Commands & shortcuts

Tips

• Keep the step short and put the conditions in the note; cards wrap, notes are meant to be read on demand.
• Notes are plain lines in the document, so they travel with the .runic text export and with every saved version.
• Use several short notes on one step rather than one long one; the badge tells readers how many there are.
• Exports show the full text, so check the note wording before sharing an image.

Questions