Glossary
If there is a term missing from this list which you might find helpful, or something that could use additional context or clarification, please email support to let us know.
- Apple User Guides
- Columns
- Compact View
- Context Menu
- Contextual Menu
- Device
- Document
- Drag and Drop
- Editing Menu
- Filter
- Group
- Gutter
- Hierarchy
- Inspector
- Leading Edge
- Omni Account
- Omni Automation
- Outline
- Outline Column
- Plain Text
- Platform
- Plug-In
- Regular View
- Rich Text
- Row
- Settings
- Shortcut Menu
- Sidebar
- Status Bar
- System Settings
- Template
- Toolbar
- Topic Column
- Trailing Edge
Apple User Guides
Apple provides User Guides for a variety of devices and applications.
There are links to specific articles throughout this reference manual, but if you’d like to learn more, these guides are a good place to start:
- Mac User Guide
- iPad User Guide
- iPhone User Guide
- Apple Vision Pro User Guide
- Shortcuts User Guide for Mac
- Shortcuts User Guide for iPhone and iPad
Columns
Requires OmniOutliner Pro
Each row can have multiple columns.
This allows you to create additional context, add metadata for easier reference, or expand the types of information you capture.
To learn more, read the Columns section of The Outline chapter.
Compact View
This is the default view on iPhone, which is also available on iPad when using split screen, slideover, or narrow windows.
This view shows each pane of OmniOutliner individually, and can be thought of as navigating a series of stacked cards. You can move between the Sidebar, Outline, and Inspectors panes.
Contrast Regular View.
Context/Contextual Menu
See Shortcut Menu.
Device
The hardware that supports running the OmniOutliner app.
Supported devices include Mac, iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro.
Compare Platform.
Document
OmniOutliner can create two different types of documents:
- Outlines contain structured writing or other data.
- Templates contain settings and content you can use when creating a new Outline.
![Requires OmniOutliner Pro]()
To learn more, read the Documents and Templates chapter.
Drag and Drop
A platform feature that allows dragging items around inside of OmniOutliner, from other apps to OmniOutliner, and from OmniOutliner to other apps.
Drag and Drop is supported on macOS, iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS.
See Organizing Rows With Drag and Drop in The Outline chapter
Editing Menu
A menu available in text fields on iPad, iPhone, and Apple Vision Pro, which can be accessed by tapping in the field while editing text.
Most often contains system commands such as:
May also contain OmniOutliner-specific commands, such as:
Filter
A way to control the visibility of rows in the Outline, in order to quickly find relevant information.
See Filtering the Outline in The Outline chapter.
Group
One or more rows, indented below another row.
The indented rows are part of a group, which is contained by the row above.
See Hierarchy.
Gutter
The space on the leading edge of the document between the Notes Column and Row Handles.
Tapping or clicking in this space selects the row.
Hierarchy
The structure of your outline, showing the relationship between rows.
Higher level rows are outdented, while lower levels rows are indented beneath higher level rows.
If a row sits below another row, and is at the same level, they are referred to as peers. These can also be thought of as siblings.
If a row sits below another row, and is at a lower level (indented), it is referred to as either being inside the row above, or contained by the row above. These can also be thought of as parent and child.
To learn more, read the Hierarchy section of The Outline chapter.
See also Group.
Inspectors
A window which allows you to view and adjust attributes for selected text, rows, columns, or even the whole document.
To show the Inspector,
select the
Inspectors
button in the
Toolbar,
or choose
Show Inspector
from the
View Menu.
If you have a selection in the Outline or Sidebar, the Inspectors will automatically display relevant fields.
To learn more, read The Inspectors chapter.
Leading Edge/Trailing Edge
When using OmniOutliner with a left to right language, the leading edge is the left side, and the trailing edge is the right side.
When using OmniOutliner with a right to left language, the leading edge is the right side, and the trailing edge is the left side.
Omni Account
Your Omni Account can be used to start a free trial of our applications, purchase a license or subscription, upgrade an existing license, or sync our applications using the Omni Sync Server.
To learn more, read our Using and managing your Omni Account support article.
Omni Automation
A method of using JavaScript to automate OmniOutliner Pro, OmniFocus Pro, OmniGraffle Pro, and OmniPlan Pro.
To learn more about Omni Automation, visit the Omni Automation website.
See also Plug-In.
Outline
On Mac, iPad, and Apple Vision Pro, the Outline is in the center of the OmniOutliner window, with the Sidebar available on the leading edge, and the Inspectors available on the trailing edge.
On iPhone, the Outline is the primary view, with the Sidebar and Inspectors available when you need them.
Read The Outline chapter to learn more.
Outline Column
See Topic Column.
Plain Text
Plain Text does not support formatting of any kind.
Plain text is supported in Notes, Pop-up List Columns, and Rich Text Columns (including the Topic Column).
Contrast Rich Text.
Platform
The operating system that runs on each device supported by OmniOutliner.
Supported platforms include macOS, iPadOS, iOS, and visionOS.
Compare Device.
Plug-In
Plug-ins are written in JavaScript using Omni Automation, and can be used to automate a variety of tasks when using OmniOutliner Pro (or other Pro apps from the Omni Group).
To learn more about Omni Automation Plug-Ins, visit the Omni Automation Plug-Ins website.
Regular View
The is the default view on Mac, iPad in most screen configurations, and Apple Vision Pro.
This view can show the Sidebar, Outline, and Inspectors at the same time.
Contrast Compact View.
Rich Text
Rich Text is the native text format on most Apple devices, and supports different Fonts, Styles, and Colors, with additional attributes available depending on the Platform.
Rich text is supported in Notes and Rich Text Columns (including the Topic Column).
To learn more about formatting text, see the Apple User Guide article:
Contrast Plain Text.
Row
The basic building block of content in OmniOutliner.
To learn more, read the Rows section of The Outline chapter.
Settings
If you would like to change something about how OmniOutliner works, see OmniOutliner Settings.
If you would like to change something about the system on which OmniOutliner is running, see System Settings.
Shortcut Menu
If you touch and hold on a Row, Column, or selection of text, a Shortcut Menu may appear with relevant commands.
Apple previously referred to this type of menu as a context menu or contextual menu.
Sidebar
A pane on the leading edge. of the Outline.
When using Regular View, select the Sidebar Button, or use the Show/Hide Sidebar command, to show or hide the Sidebar next to the Outline.
When using Compact View, select the Sidebar Button, to slide the Sidebar in from the leading edge; tap the button again to slide it out when you are finished using it, leaving the Outline visible.
To learn more, read The Sidebar chapter.
Status Bar
The status bar is at the bottom of your document window on Mac.
It displays the number of rows, words, and characters currently shown in the Outline. Numbers are based on rows currently displayed in the Outline, as if they are fully expanded. Filtering the Outline will change the numbers, but expanding or collapsing displayed rows will not.
System Settings
Application from Apple that allows you to change options which can affect your entire device, or just OmniOutliner.
On iPad, iPhone, or Apple Vision Pro, the application is named Settings.
On Mac, the application is named System Settings, and it is also available in the Apple menu, located in the top-left corner of your screen.
Template
An OmniOutliner document which contains settings such as row styles, background colors, or numbering, which can be used as the basis for creating a new OmniOutliner document.
Templates can also include content in addition to settings, which is added to new documents created using the Template Picker.
Toolbar
An area at either the top or bottom of the OmniOutliner window, which contains Toolbar Buttons.
These buttons provide easy access to Commands, Settings, and Automation.
For additional information, see The Toolbar chapter.
Topic Column
The primary column of your OmniOutliner document.
May also be referred to as the Outline Column.
To learn more, read the Topic Column section of The Outline chapter.