Make & name a journal

A journal is a named group of entries, drawn in the sky as a constellation. You can make one empty, or by joining two stars in the sky.

#Make an empty one

Any of these:

• On the escritoire — the desk where journals lie — tap ✛ "add", then "✛ a journal".
• On an empty desk, tap the bare plate "write your first journal".
• On the sky, the list, the orbits or insights, hold ✛ in the bottom-left corner, then "✛ a journal". (A tap on that ✛ starts a new entry instead.)

The new journal is called "a new journal" and lies at the foot of the pile. Its page opens at once, and the line says "a blank journal · ⋯ › rename to name it".

#Or join two stars

1. On the sky, tap a star, then "connect" on its card — or "connect it" on a star you just placed.
2. The card reads "tap the star to connect it to" — "it joins the constellation you started from. tap a loose star to bring it in." Tap another star.

The constellation you start from is the one that grows:

• Your star is in a journal, the other is loose — the other star joins your star's journal.
• Your star is loose, the other is in a journal — your star joins that journal.
• Both are loose — they begin a new journal called "a new constellation".
• Both are in the same journal — only the line is added.

The card says "connected" and "now part of <name>", and the line at the foot says "connected · now part of <name>", with "undo".

Two constellations. When the two stars are in different journals, the card says "two constellations", the two names, and "these stars are in different journals.". Tap "how should they join? ▾" and choose:

"cancel" goes back to your star's card. A merged journal waits on the burn pile for 30 days. The line says "merged · now all of <name>", and its "undo" pulls the merged journals back out. A way that would add to a closed, put-away or locked journal isn't offered.

Ask the sky never merges; that choice is yours, on the card. See A star's card.

#Name it

1. On the journal's page, tap ⋯ at the top right.
2. Under "change it", tap "rename". A field, "what to call it", opens right under it, holding the current name.
3. Type the new name, then tap the same line, which now reads "keep the name".

A blank name is not kept; the journal keeps its old one. There is no undo — rename it again.

#Give it a star and a colour

On the same menu, further down:

• "its star" — "the shape this journal's entries are drawn as in the sky. an entry that has chosen its own keeps it." "the usual", or one of twelve shapes by glyph and name.
• "colour" — "the colour this journal's stars, lines and plate are drawn in. an entry given its own colour keeps it." A colour, or "no colour". The vivid colours need journal gold (Gold).

A tap takes effect at once; choose again to change it.

#Fill it

• On its menu, "✛ add an entry — search its words" finds entries not already in it; tap one to add it.
• Or file entries into it from compose, the orbits or loose pages. See File entries in & out.

#Ask the sky

Ask the sky can make a journal with the name you give it, at the end of the desk, rename one, give it its star and colour, and connect two stars. When the two stars are in different journals it changes nothing and says "these stars are in different journals: merge them from the sky's card". See What the sky can do — entries & journals.

#See also.

A journal's page & its menu · File entries in & out · The escritoire · Extra headers