Panes, tabs, sidebars & workspaces
Fable's window is built from tabs and tab groups that you can split, rearrange and pin however you think. This page covers working with tabs, opening links exactly where you want them, and how Fable remembers your layout.
Tabs, tab groups and splits
Three words describe the whole model:
- A tab holds a single view: a note, the graph, a canvas.
- A tab group is a row of tabs sharing one area of the window.
- Splitting a group creates a second group beside or below it, so you can see two or more views at once. Splits nest as deeply as you need.
The sidebars are tab groups too, holding panels instead of notes, which is why you can drag a panel from a sidebar into the center and back.
Working with tabs
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| New tab | Ctrl T |
| Reopen the last closed tab | Ctrl Shift T |
| Next / previous tab | Ctrl Tab / Ctrl Shift Tab |
| Jump to tab 1 through 8 | Ctrl 1 … Ctrl 8 |
| Jump to the last tab | Ctrl 9 |
Each tab keeps its own back/forward history, navigable from the arrows in the view header. Right-click a tab for more: close others, or close tabs to the right.
Opening links where you want them
A plain click navigates in the current tab. Add modifiers to send the link elsewhere:
| Result | Windows / Linux | macOS (future) |
|---|---|---|
| Navigate in the active tab | Click | Click |
| Open in a new tab | Ctrl + click | Cmd + click |
| Open in a new split | Ctrl Alt + click | Cmd Option + click |
| Open in a new window | Ctrl Alt Shift + click | Cmd Option Shift + click |
With Always focus new tabs on (the default, in Settings → Editor), new tabs take focus as they open; turn it off to open tabs in the background.
Splitting and arranging
- Split from the menu: right-click a tab and choose Split right or Split down.
- Split by drag: drag a tab toward an edge of a group until a drop zone highlights, then release.
- Resize by dragging the border between groups. Reorder tabs by dragging along the tab bar.
- Move anywhere: drag tabs between groups, into a sidebar, or out of one.
Pinning
Right-click a tab and choose Pin to protect it. Links opened from a pinned tab go to a separate tab instead of replacing the pinned one, which is ideal for a hub note or an outline you always want visible. Unpin restores normal behavior.
Remembered layout
Fable always remembers your last layout per vault, which tabs are open, how they are split, and the state of both sidebars, and restores it when you reopen. Named, switchable workspaces are on the roadmap.