Templates System

What is the Templates System?

Create structured notes quickly with built-in and custom templates featuring dynamic variables.

Quick Start

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Run “Noted: Open with Template”
3. Enter note name
4. Select template
5. Start writing!

Built-in Templates

Meeting Template

# Meeting: {filename}
**Date**: {date}
**Time**: {time}

## Attendees
-

## Agenda
1.

## Notes


## Action Items
- [ ]

## Next Steps

Research Template

# Research: {filename}
**Date**: {date}
**Researcher**: {user}

## Topic


## Questions
-

## Findings


## Sources
-

## Conclusions

Problem-Solution Template

# Problem: {filename}
**Date**: {date}

## Problem Statement


## Steps Taken
1.

## Solution


## Notes

Quick Template

# {filename}
**Date**: {date}
**Time**: {time}

Template Variables

Templates support 10 built-in dynamic placeholders:

Variable	Example Output	Description
{filename}	project-meeting	Note file name
{date}	Sunday, October 23, 2024	Full date
{time}	2:30 PM	12-hour time
{year}	2024	Year
{month}	10	Month (with leading zero)
{day}	23	Day (with leading zero)
{weekday}	Sun	Short day name
{month_name}	October	Full month name
{user}	john	System username
{workspace}	my-project	VS Code workspace name

Advanced: Custom Variables

Want more control? Create custom template variables with validation rules, type checking, and AI-powered features!

What you can do:

• Define variables with types (string, number, enum, date, boolean)
• Add validation rules (regex patterns, min/max, length constraints)
• Get real-time feedback with errors and warnings
• Analyze variable usage and detect issues
• Export/import variables for team sharing

Learn more: Check out the Advanced Template Variables Guide for comprehensive tutorials and examples.

Quick start:

1. Open Template Browser: Cmd+Shift+P → “Noted: Show Template Browser”
2. Create new template or edit existing one
3. Click “Add Variable” to define custom variables
4. Use {variablename} in your template content

Custom Templates

Template Browser (v1.44.0)

Visual template management interface with grid/list views, search, and quick actions.

Opening the Template Browser

Command: Noted: Show Template Browser
Shortcut: Command Palette → "Template Browser"

Features

View Modes:

• Grid View: Visual cards with template previews
• List View: Compact list for quick scanning
• Toggle instantly with view buttons

Search & Filter:

• Real-time search: Filter by name, description, or tags
• Category filters: All, Built-in, Custom, and more
• Statistics dashboard: See total, custom, and built-in counts

Template Cards Display:

• Template name and description
• Category badge
• Tags for organization
• Version number
• Usage count (if available)

Quick Actions:

• Create: Start new note from template immediately
• Edit: Modify template content (custom only)
• Duplicate: Copy template as starting point
• Export: Save template to file
• Delete: Remove template (custom only)

Benefits:

• Browse all templates visually
• Search across names, descriptions, and tags
• One-click note creation
• Organize by category
• Track template usage

Pro Tips:

• Use search to quickly find templates
• Filter by category for focused browsing
• Duplicate templates to create variations
• Export templates to share with team

Creating Custom Templates

1. Open Command Palette
2. Run “Noted: Create Custom Template”
3. Enter template name
4. Edit the template file
5. Use any variables from the table above

Example custom template:

# Daily Standup - {date}
**Team Member**: {user}
**Project**: {workspace}

## Yesterday
-

## Today
-

## Blockers
-

---
Tags: #standup #team

Managing Templates

Edit Template:

Command: Noted: Edit Custom Template

Duplicate Template:

Command: Noted: Duplicate Custom Template

Delete Template:

Command: Noted: Delete Custom Template

Open Templates Folder:

Command: Noted: Open Templates Folder
Location: {notesFolder}/.templates/

Preview Variables

See all available variables and their current values:

Command: Noted: Preview Template Variables

This shows a webview with all 10 variables and example output.

Use Cases

Daily Standups

Create a consistent format for team updates:

# Standup - {date}
**Team**: {workspace}

## Completed
- Finished [[feature-authentication]]
- Fixed [[bug-123]]

## In Progress
- Working on [[api-refactor]]

## Planned
- Start [[database-migration]]

## Blockers
None

Tags: #standup

Bug Reports

Standardize bug documentation:

# Bug: {filename}
**Reported**: {date} at {time}
**Reporter**: {user}

## Description


## Steps to Reproduce
1.
2.
3.

## Expected Behavior


## Actual Behavior


## Environment
- OS:
- Version:
- Browser:

## Solution


Tags: #bug

Project Planning

Structure project documents:

# Project: {filename}
**Created**: {date}
**Owner**: {user}
**Workspace**: {workspace}

## Overview


## Goals
-

## Timeline
- **Start**: {year}-{month}-{day}
- **End**:

## Resources
-

## Related Notes
- [[team-structure]]
- [[requirements]]

Tags: #project #planning

Best Practices

1. Use Variables: Leverage dynamic variables for consistency
2. Include Tags: Add relevant tags in templates
3. Add Links: Include common note links
4. Structure Matters: Use clear headings and sections
5. Keep It Simple: Don’t over-complicate templates

Tips & Tricks

Checklists

Use markdown checkboxes for action items:

## Tasks
- [ ] Review code
- [ ] Update docs
- [ ] Run tests

Metadata Section

Add frontmatter for advanced features:

---
tags: [meeting, project-alpha]
status: active
priority: high
---

# Meeting Notes

Code Blocks

Include language-specific code blocks:

## Implementation

```javascript
function example() {
  // code here
}
```

AI-Powered User Story Generation

Generate comprehensive, technical user stories with AI assistance for agile software development.

Quick Start

1. Open Command Palette (Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Run “Noted: Create User Story with AI”
3. Enter brief description (e.g., “Set up GCP project with networking”)
4. Choose whether you have additional context
5. (Optional) Paste architecture details, dependencies, tech stack
6. Review and create!

What You Get

The AI generates a production-ready user story with:

• Scope Statement: What part of the system this addresses
• Story Title: Concise, specific title
• Description: Professional “As a [role], I want [goal], So that [benefit]” format
• 5-15 Technical Tasks: Specific, actionable steps with service names
• 3-7 Acceptance Criteria: Testable, verifiable outcomes
• Dependencies: Required access, prerequisites, blocking items
• Time Estimate: Realistic effort estimation

Example Output

Input:

Description: Establish GCP project and core networking infrastructure
Context: Integration with JFrog Cloud, VPN to on-prem AD, uses Cloud NAT,
DataProc, GKE, GAR, requires network peering with JFrog-managed services

Generated User Story:

---
tags: [user-story]
created: 2025-11-13T22:30:26.883Z
status: draft
---

# User Story: Establish GCP Project and Core Networking Infrastructure

**Created:** Thursday, November 13, 2025 | **Author:** jruecke

## Scope
Foundation for the Managed GCP section of multi-cloud deployment

## Story Title
Establish GCP Project and Core Networking Infrastructure

## Description
As a Platform Engineer,
I want a properly configured GCP project with networking for JFrog SaaS,
So that development teams have secure infrastructure for deploying services.

### Tasks
- [ ] Create GCP project(s) with appropriate billing and IAM structure
- [ ] Configure VPC networks for GCP region deployment
- [ ] Establish subnet allocation for Cloud Run, DataProc, GKE, and GAR
- [ ] Configure Cloud NAT and Cloud Router
- [ ] Set up VPC firewall rules for inter-service communication
- [ ] Configure private Google access for subnets
- [ ] Establish connectivity to JFrog Cloud Global Load Balancer
- [ ] Establish VPN/Interconnect to on-premises for authentication
- [ ] Set up VPC peering requirements for JFrog-managed services
- [ ] Document network architecture diagram
- [ ] Set up initial Cloud Logging and Cloud Monitoring workspace

## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] GCP project provisioned and accessible
- [ ] VPC networks configured with connectivity to JFrog Cloud
- [ ] Network connectivity to authentication provider verified
- [ ] Firewall rules allow traffic flow per architecture
- [ ] Architecture documentation created

## Dependencies
- JFrog SaaS subscription and architecture guidance
- Authentication provider details (LDAP/AD endpoints)
- Network IP addressing scheme approved

## Estimate
**Time to Complete:** 2-3 days

Pro Tips for Better Results

1. Be Specific: Instead of “Add user authentication”, say “Add OAuth2 authentication with Google Sign-In”

2. Provide Context: Include:

• Integration points (APIs, services, external systems)
• Technology stack (languages, frameworks, cloud services)
• Dependencies (what must exist first)
• Architecture constraints (security, compliance, scalability)

3. Example Context Formats:

# Infrastructure Story
Context: Uses AWS EKS, RDS PostgreSQL, ALB, integrates with
DataDog monitoring, requires IAM roles for service accounts

# Feature Story
Context: React frontend, Node.js backend, MongoDB, uses Stripe API,
needs WebSocket for real-time updates

# Integration Story
Context: Connects to Salesforce API v52, uses OAuth2, requires
scheduled sync every 15 minutes, max 10k records per sync

4. Without Context: Still works! AI generates good generic stories, just less specific to your architecture

How It Works

1. Query Analysis: AI analyzes your description and context
2. Technical Depth: Generates 5-15 tasks based on complexity
   • Simple features: 5-7 tasks
   • Complex infrastructure: 8-12+ tasks
3. Specific Details: Incorporates service names, tech stack from context
4. Professional Format: Follows agile best practices
5. Saved: Note created in Notes/User Stories/ folder

Configuration

Uses your preferred AI model (Claude Sonnet, GPT-4, etc.):

Setting: noted.templates.preferredModel
Default: Automatic (Claude > GPT > Gemini)

Best Practices

DO:

• ✅ Include specific technologies and services in context
• ✅ Mention integration points between systems
• ✅ Specify compliance or security requirements
• ✅ List blocking dependencies upfront

DON’T:

• ❌ Use vague descriptions like “make it better”
• ❌ Skip context for complex infrastructure tasks
• ❌ Forget to mention external systems or APIs
• ❌ Ignore prerequisites or access requirements

Comparison: With vs Without Context

Without Context	With Context
“Create a new GCP project”	“Create GCP project with billing, enable Compute Engine, Cloud Storage, and Kubernetes Engine APIs”
“Set up networking”	“Configure VPC with subnets for dev/prod, Cloud NAT, Cloud Router, firewall rules for SSH/HTTPS from specific IPs”
“Configure access”	“Set up IAM roles for Project Admin and Developer, configure VPN to on-prem AD for authentication”

Result: Context gives you 3x more actionable, technical detail!

Integration Guide

How generated stories work with existing tag/link systems

User stories integrate seamlessly with Noted’s existing features:

Tags System:

• Generated stories automatically include [user-story] tag in frontmatter
• Stories are tagged with status: draft by default
• Use tag autocomplete to add custom tags: #feature, #infrastructure, #bug-fix
• Find all stories: Use Tags view → filter by user-story
• Rename/merge tags: Right-click any tag → Rename Tag (affects all stories)

Wiki Links:

• Add [[dependencies]] to link prerequisite stories or notes
• Reference design docs: [[architecture-diagram]], [[api-spec]]
• Link to related stories: [[user-story-authentication]]
• Backlinks panel automatically shows which stories reference this one
• Graph view visualizes story dependencies

Smart Collections:

• Filter stories by status: Create collection with status: draft
• Group by priority: Use priority: high in frontmatter
• Track sprint stories: Add sprint: 2025-11 tag

Example Integration:

---
tags: [user-story, infrastructure, gcp]
created: 2025-11-13T22:30:26.883Z
status: in-progress
priority: high
sprint: 2025-12
---

# User Story: Establish GCP Project

## Dependencies
- [[network-design-doc]] - IP addressing scheme
- [[security-requirements]] - Firewall rules
- [[jfrog-integration-guide]] - VPC peering setup

## Related Stories
- [[user-story-gke-cluster]] - Depends on this networking
- [[user-story-monitoring]] - Uses same GCP project

Tags: #gcp #networking #infrastructure

Workflow Tips:

• Create story → Add wiki links → View graph → See dependencies
• Tag stories by epic: #epic-authentication, #epic-infrastructure
• Use Connections panel to track which stories reference this one
• Archive completed stories to keep workspace clean

FAQ

Q: When should I provide context?

A: Provide context when:

• ✅ Complex infrastructure: Cloud setup, networking, security configs
• ✅ Integrations: Connecting to external APIs or services
• ✅ Specific tech stack: Using particular frameworks, languages, or tools
• ✅ Architecture constraints: Security, compliance, scalability requirements
• ✅ Multiple systems: Stories spanning databases, backends, frontends

Skip context when:

• ❌ Simple features: “Add a logout button” (description alone is enough)
• ❌ Obvious tech: “Fix typo in docs” (no technical depth needed)
• ❌ UI-only changes: “Change button color to blue”

Rule of thumb: If you’d need to explain your architecture to a new team member, provide that as context!

---

Q: Can I edit the generated story?

A: Yes, absolutely! Generated stories are standard notes—edit freely:

How to edit:

1. Click the generated story in Notes tree view
2. Edit directly in VS Code editor
3. Changes auto-save like any note

What to edit:

• ✏️ Tasks: Add/remove/reorder checklist items
• ✏️ Acceptance Criteria: Make criteria more/less specific
• ✏️ Description: Refine the “As a… I want… So that…” statement
• ✏️ Estimate: Adjust time based on team velocity
• ✏️ Dependencies: Add forgotten prerequisites
• ✏️ Tags: Add custom tags like #sprint-12, #team-backend
• ✏️ Links: Add wiki links to related notes: [[design-doc]]

Pro tips:

• Use AI output as a starting point, not final draft
• Break large stories into smaller ones (copy/paste tasks)
• Add team-specific details AI couldn’t know
• Update tasks as you complete them: - [x] Completed task
• Add notes/findings under tasks during implementation

Example edit:

### Tasks (AI Generated)
- [ ] Configure VPC networks for GCP region deployment
- [ ] Set up VPC firewall rules for inter-service communication

### Tasks (After Editing)
- [x] Configure VPC networks for GCP region deployment
  - Note: Used CIDR 10.0.0.0/16 for dev, 10.1.0.0/16 for prod
- [ ] Set up VPC firewall rules for inter-service communication
  - Added: Allow SSH from bastion host (10.0.1.0/24)
  - Added: Allow HTTPS from ALB subnet
  - See: [[firewall-rules-doc]] for full config

Remember: AI gives you ~80% of the story—you add the final 20% that makes it perfect for your team!

Related Features

• Advanced Template Variables Guide - Master custom variables with validation
• Daily Notes - Quick daily note access
• Tags - Organize with tags
• Wiki Links - Connect notes
• Bundles - Multi-note workflows

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Start using templates to standardize your note-taking workflow! 📋

Want to level up? Check out the Advanced Template Variables Guide to create powerful, validated templates with custom variables!