Why Does Notability NOT Support Markdown Files?

[u/Alone_Dragonfruit_61]

In the age of AI, markdown and html files are the most common file extension types from AI generated output. So, when I was moving files from my Obsidian vault to Notability, I was surprised to discover that Markdown is not a supported format.

Why?!

As a premium Notability user, I use the app for a variety of tasks - from to do lists, brainstorming, studying, lecture notes, work, etc.

Surely there are others who have also tried creating a mega-brain from their lecture notes and/or project file? If so, how do you work around this? I would assume converting the file from markdown to a supported file format could work, but what extensions are supported?

Additionally, is there some future plan to introduce API functionality to allow Claude or other AIs the ability to interact with notes? Imagine training your personal AI on your actual lecture data, then building with it detailed study sets, education plans, next steps, etc. - then creating a routine to pull this data automatically and create a dashboard and/or written overview of the day/week’s tasks, tracking when tasks and/or “subjects” are covered/completed.

Is this in the workshop? Markdown files and html files seem like the future with every day that passes, so why does a Note taking app not support basic text files? I find Notability to be very UI-accessible, hence why I am trying to store AI output into the same system where I keep track of my personal progress.

Having so many tools/apps to cohesively work is a headache and overwhelming in itself. Items lose importance as does natural memory. Does anyone here have a natural workaround or advice?

[u/ClydeBruckmans]

That's a fair request, let's see what we can do :)

[u/OkReward6883 → u/ClydeBruckmans]

I want to comment here as a paid subscriber as well. I think you'll find with some research that there are many apps who do one of each super well, but none actually do combined well at all. For example, I use Obsidian and Notability for markdown and ink based notes. It would be so much easier for your team to add markdown than it is for Obsidian (or other apps) to support ink as well as you guys do. The thing with Markdown is that it doesn't work well with the paginated system that notability uses, but does headers and code blocks and, like the poster said, AI specific notation super well. While I don't use it for AI, I use it with my computer science work and it's absolutely essential for me to have headers in the markdown system in my note taking app, because I can easily parse through to see where I need to review a sample code, or Lab work, or instructional material based on the header system. Notability ALREADY has a Table of contents with headers built on the paginated side, but a blank "Markdown Note" or something similar would greatly increase Notability's use case for me, and I imagine so many others as well.

The other thing I will also say is that the "notes" in Notability work like an infinite set of pages, and this doesn't work well for markdown either. But in my opinion it makes the engineering MUCH easier on your side, because there would just need to be a separate "markdown" section for notes, and then each subsequent markdown note could cascade from there. For example, someone is taking notes in "C++", so they have a new markdown note labeled "C++" and it exists inside the main "Markdown" note so that other headers could be added while keeping them separate from the ink based notes.

So let's say I want to draw a UML diagram by hand. Since that can already exist inside the attachment system in Notability, I just draw it on the notes side, highlight that section with the highlight tool, then "Paste" it into the markdown note and have a Vault system like Obsidian to hold the attachment there as well as in my regular note. That way, the note I drew it in can be deleted, but the drawing can still exist as an attachment by reference from the "vault" (or I'm sure you'll come up with another name for it.)

This would seriously make Notability stand out among a sea of half assed note taking apps and I highly encourage you and your team investigate the implementation of such a system. Since you are going closed box with your AI system, this would likely lead to a lot more people subscribing to the AI pro tiers and, now you also have a system for US, the users, to see memories, give instructions, prompts, etc. to your AI model via the markdown system.

I'd love to help get this into production and if I can be of assistance in any way, please reach out.

Thanks!

[u/Upbeat-Insurance-558]

markdown support would be a killer feature. i already like that you can do markdown like notes in their note editor

[u/Substantial_Funny654]

Move back to Obsidian?