# Writing Spaces and Links

## Writing Spaces

Writing spaces are the basic units Storyspace. Storyspace writing spaces are equivalent to Tinderbox notes and we often call them “notes.” Each writing space has:

- title: the name of the note
- text
- attributes: other pieces of information about the note.

A Storyspace document is a collection of notes. You must create a document before you create notes. You can create many Storyspace documents, and individual Storyspace documents can comfortably contain thousands of notes.

You can open several different Storyspace documents at the same time.

## Hierarchy

Writing spaces can contain other writing spaces. This allows you to arrange notes in a hierarchy.

A writing space that contains other writing spaces is called a container. You could create chapters containing sections containing divisions; or topics containing subtopics; or any other hierarchy that fits your work.

You don’t need to create a hierarchy in your Storyspace document; you can leave all the notes at the same level.

In this manual, we use several terms to describe relationships in the hierarchy. A note’s container is often called its parent. Other notes in the same container are siblings; the first note (in outline order) in a given container is the eldest sibling, and the last note is the youngest sibling. Notes immediately inside a container are called its children; a note’s descendants include its children and also the descendants of the children. Notes that are not inside any container are top-level notes.

## Links

A link is a connection between one writing space and another. Links allow you to make connections between ideas, and allows readers to move between linked notes. A link can lead from a note as a whole, or from selected text within a note (like linked text on the Web).

Storyspace links may be anchored to specific text selections; these are called text links. Links may also be anchored to the entire writing space: these are called plain links or basic links.

When you click in a note while in Read Mode, Storyspace will select a link to follow. If you have clicked in a text link, Storyspace will follow it; otherwise, Storyspace will follow a basic link. Each link has its own priority; if several links might be followed, Storyspace will choose the link with the highest priority.

Links may be activated or deactivated by guard fields – logical expressions that might take into account what the reader has already seen and done. The link’s destination may itself specify requirements that must be satisfied before it may be visited. If a link’s guard field is not satisfied, or if the requirements of its destination are not satisfied, that link is not available.

You can also create a link to a URL—an external document on the Internet. Following the link will open that URL in your Web browser.