Outerline Outerline

Outerline 1.0-1163

Summary

Build 1163 expands Outerline’s existing-library setup so folders of .md files from other apps can become working Outerline libraries without moving your notes. On both macOS and iOS, choosing an existing markdown folder now safely adds Outerline’s metadata sidecar and identity registry in place, while keeping those notes usable from other markdown apps. This release also hardens provider-backed folders such as Dropbox by avoiding repeated Unknown file.outerline-data folders, keeping metadata folders out of the visible library tree, and normalizing old metadata folders before they can cause File Provider loops. On macOS, first-run and Settings now separate Open Existing Library from New Library setup, while Settings keeps a clearer Use iCloud Library action for the one migration flow Outerline still handles directly.

macOS

Library Setup

  • Added separate Open Existing Library and Create New Library choices to first-run Other Location setup.
  • Open Existing Library can now adopt a plain markdown working folder from another app without moving documents or requiring an existing top-level Outerline folder.
  • Create New Library creates the standard Outerline folder setup from the selected parent folder.
  • The first-run panel now has clearer spacing, explicit selected-folder confirmation, and a green ready check once a local folder is chosen.

Settings

  • Replaced generic local library move controls with Open and New library actions. Outerline now switches to the chosen local library instead of copying or moving the current one.
  • Kept the macOS iCloud integration as a dedicated Use iCloud Library action.
  • Updated the General Settings layout so Storage Location, Library actions, and the bottom controls have more breathing room.

Fixes

  • Provider-backed adopted libraries now use a provider-safe outerline-data sidecar instead of creating dot-prefixed paths that can be rewritten by File Provider integrations.
  • Non-iCloud Mac library choices now use hidden-flag outerline-data metadata for create-new, open-existing markdown folders, open-existing Outerline libraries, and returning to an already opened library.
  • Existing non-iCloud libraries that still have older .outerline-data metadata are normalized to provider-safe outerline-data when opened, including identity registry, starred metadata, Recently Deleted, and version history files.
  • Provider-safe metadata sidecars are marked hidden after creation and when reopening an adopted library.
  • Use iCloud Library converts provider-safe outerline-data back to canonical .outerline-data inside Outerline’s app-owned iCloud container.
  • Outerline hides .outerline-data, outerline-data, and provider-mangled Unknown file.outerline-data folders from the visible library tree.

iOS

Library Setup

  • Open Existing Library can now adopt a folder of markdown files from another app as an Outerline library without moving documents.
  • Existing markdown folders now get an Outerline metadata sidecar and identity registry in place, so the same files can continue to round-trip with other markdown apps.
  • Reordered Other Location actions so Open Existing Library appears before Create New Library.
  • Removed redundant selected-library helper text from setup once a valid library is selected.

Settings

  • Cleaned up the settings library switcher so the selected library row uses a green ready check.
  • Moved the Continue action into its own footer below the list, removing separator lines around the button.
  • Removed the extra Cancel affordance from the settings library switch flow; leaving Settings without continuing still cancels the pending switch.

Fixes

  • Fixed Dropbox/File Provider adopted libraries creating repeated Unknown file.outerline-data folders by using a provider-safe outerline-data metadata sidecar.
  • Dropbox and unknown File Provider libraries now use provider-safe outerline-data for create-new, open-existing markdown folders, open-existing Outerline libraries, and returning to an already opened library.
  • iCloud Drive, Outerline’s app-owned iCloud container, and On My iPhone continue to use canonical .outerline-data metadata.
  • Existing third-party libraries created on Mac with older .outerline-data metadata are normalized to provider-safe outerline-data when opened on iOS, including identity registry, starred metadata, Recently Deleted, and version history files.
  • Provider-safe adopted metadata sidecars are marked hidden after creation and when reopening an adopted library.
  • Outerline hides .outerline-data, outerline-data, and provider-mangled metadata folders from the visible library tree.