A note beside the work it belongs to.
A note attached to an application has an association with that application’s context. It gives you another way to find a thought when you return to the work, instead of relying only on a title or a desktop full of notes.
Start with a specific thought
Imagine reviewing a draft and writing, “Check this figure against the original source.” That note is most useful alongside the draft. A general shopping reminder, by contrast, may have no useful connection to the application you happen to be using.
In the Bits & Ink Windows development build, the contextual workflow starts with focusing an application and using Ctrl + Shift + Space. General notes provide a separate place for thoughts without an application context. This is development behaviour, not a public-release installation tutorial.
Application, window and website are different things
An application can have several windows. A browser window can contain many tabs. A title can change when a document is saved, a tab loads a different page or an application changes its naming format.
Current Bits & Ink matching uses application and window information. Browser matching uses tab titles rather than a universal exact website-address association. Two pages can share a title, and a changed title can make a previous context harder to recognize.
A contextual note should not be interpreted as a bookmark to an exact paragraph, spreadsheet cell or scroll position. Those require application-specific capabilities that are not promised here.
Returning to a note is not the same as restoring an application
Reopening a note, bringing an existing application window forward and starting an application are separate actions. The original window might be closed. Windows may restrict focus, or an application may reopen a different screen.
When reviewing a contextual notes app, test these cases with an unimportant sample note: the original window still open, the window closed, the title changed, and several similar windows open. A fallback should be explained rather than presented as an exact restoration.
Use Find as another way back
A useful note needs to remain findable when its original context changes. The development build includes a local Find view, alongside Archive and Trash. Give the thought enough written context that you can recognize it later.
For a time-sensitive task, a reminder can complement the association. It does not automatically mean a notification will reach your phone. Cross-device reminder delivery is future work for Bits & Ink.
Explore the Sticky Notes product page, read the introduction to contextual notes, or learn about local storage and backups.