Interface tour

This page is a map of the DecksMD interface — what each part is and where to click. If you’re brand new, start with the 60-second quick start; come back here when you want the full picture.

Opening DecksMD

Click the brain icon in the left ribbon (or run Show flashcards panel from the command palette) to open the DecksMD panel.

The deck panel

The panel is a single, unified tree of everything you can study. Your decks are grouped into sections:

Pinned — decks or groups you’ve pinned to the top for quick access.
Files — a folder tree of your file-based decks (markdown notes and canvas decks), mirroring where they live in your vault.
Tags — the same decks grouped by their #decks/... tags, so a whole subject collapses into one branch.
Custom — your custom and filter decks.

Each row shows the deck name with its New and Due counts. Hover a count to see how many cards remain today against the daily limit. Branches (folders, tags, sections) collapse and expand, and DecksMD remembers what you collapsed.

Across the top of the panel:

Filter box — type to narrow the tree to matching decks; clear it to see everything again.
View toggle — switch between Tree view (nested folders/tags) and Flat view (a plain list).
Collapse all — fold every branch at once.
Sortable columns — sort by deck Name, New, or Due; your choice is remembered.
Action buttons: Configure deck, Manage profiles, Open flashcard manager, Import from Anki, Migrate from Spaced Repetition, View statistics, Generate flashcards with AI, and Refresh (which shows “Syncing in background…” while it rescans). A More actions overflow menu holds the rest.

Right-click a deck (or open its menu) for actions that depend on the deck type:

Review — start a scheduled session.
Browse — flip through cards without affecting scheduling.
Cram — a temporary drill that doesn’t touch real scheduling.
Exam — start an exam (on exam-enabled decks).
Configure deck / Configure profile — open the deck’s profile.
Open source file — jump to the note or canvas.
Pin / Unpin to top, Export to Anki, Reset progress, Delete.
For custom decks: Rename, Edit filter, or Edit cards.

The review window

Starting a review opens the review window (as a modal or a workspace tab, depending on your UI settings). You’ll see the front of a card; press Space to reveal the back, then rate it Again / Hard / Good / Easy (keys 1–4). See Review sessions for the full loop.

While reviewing you also have:

Card actions — Edit, Delete, Skip, Undo (Cmd/Ctrl+Z), Flag, Suspend, Bury, and Reset card.
Notes — press N to show a card’s notes if it has any.
Go to source — open the exact heading or node where the card is defined.
Progress bar and timer — how far you are through the session and time remaining.
Scratchpad — a pen/eraser/text overlay for working things out (great for math). It’s a scratch surface, not saved with the card.

The flashcard manager

The flashcard manager (toolbar button or the Open flashcard manager command) is a searchable, sortable table of every card in your vault. It’s where you review card health, make bulk edits, and build custom and filter decks. See Flashcard manager for details.

Statistics

The View statistics button opens a dashboard with a review heatmap, retention over time, a future-due forecast, interval and difficulty breakdowns, and more. See Statistics.

Settings

Plugin-wide options live in Settings → DecksMD (Settings reference). Per-deck scheduling and parsing behavior lives in profiles, managed from the Manage profiles button in the panel.