Things Improves Notes With Markdown Support and Full-Text Search ⇥ macstories.net

If you want a lesson in how to update software, look no farther than Things from the fine people at Cultured Code. They ship big updates more slowly than many other developers, and Things is better for it. This new version adds just a few welcome features.

John Voorhees, MacStories:

Instead of injecting tasks into notes, Things brings a full-featured note-taking solution into version 3.14 of Things. Adding a note to a task isn’t new to Things, but the latest update expands the feature significantly. Using Markdown syntax, you can now create headings, make text bold or italic, and add bulleted and numbered lists, links, code blocks, and highlight text. The formatting is rendered inline, providing a sense of structure and style to notes. For anyone unfamiliar with Markdown syntax, Cultured Code has also created a handy guide.

You can also search within items’ notes, and there’s a better syncing engine on the back-end.

I have been testing this update for a few weeks and it is excellent. I have loads of uses for Things — it is my daily todo list, but it is also where I remember gift ideas, keep track of the kinds of film I have used in my camera, set up a listening list for new albums, and so much more. I also keep loose notes for this website in a Pixel Envy project. Markdown formatting and full item search improve that more complex use case, but adding daily to-dos is as easy and reliable as ever.

Considered updates like these are why I have trusted Things for well over ten years. I know that UI elements will not be moving around and that I will not have to re-learn the app. Cultured Code keeps making improvements without upending my workflow. I appreciate that.