ColumnPad

ColumnPad is a Windows writing app for notes, plans, prompts, checklists, and structured text. It keeps ideas separated in clean side-by-side columns while workspaces remain local, recoverable, and easy to export.

Project Status

Active development. Current release: v2.5.0.

Release notes: v2.5.0.

ColumnPad is a portable Windows desktop app. It does not require an account, cloud storage, or an always-on connection.

Download and Install

Download ColumnPadStudio.exe from the latest GitHub release, save it in a permanent folder, and run it like a normal Windows application.

The released executable is self-contained. Visual Studio, Git, and the .NET SDK are not required to use it.

ColumnPad is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may warn the first time it is opened. Download releases only from this repository.

Screenshot

The screenshot shows the current three-column writing surface.

Main Features

• Standard 320 px, saved Custom 220-5000 px, and explicit Fit Columns to Window sizing.
• Stable fixed-width columns with automatic main-window left/right scrolling as more columns are added.
• One global Snap All Columns Together setting with an adjustable gap that does not resize columns.
• Per-column resizing, freeze/unfreeze, reset-to-default actions, and independent vertical scrolling for long text.
• Workspace-wide adjustable line-number gutter width from 32-160 px.
• Workspace tabs plus Single Text Mode and Column Mode.
• Plain .txt, concise readable .json, full-fidelity .columnpad.json, and multi-workspace session files.
• Auto-recovery, crash logging, and save-before-exit safeguards.
• Line numbers, word wrap, spell checking, proofing-language selection, and paste helpers for bullets and checklists.
• Ruled, Soft Ruled, and Strong Ruled paper styles aligned with the editor and gutter.
• Light, dark, and default themes with saved preferences.
• Theme-aware per-column text-colour presets and custom colours.
• In-column pictures with drag-and-drop placement, proportional resizing, text layering, and portable native-layout storage.
• Workflow Builder templates, node colours, connection editing, workflow JSON import/export, and readable text exports.
• A quiet, best-effort check for newer stable GitHub releases at startup.

Supported Platforms and Technology

• Windows 10 or Windows 11, x64.
• C#, .NET 10 LTS, and WPF.
• Self-contained, single-file Windows publishing for releases.

Privacy and Local Storage

No account, API key, server, or project-level configuration is required.

ColumnPad keeps preferences, recovery data, saved workflows, imported image copies, and crash logs in app-managed local application storage. Native layouts embed bounded image data so a saved workspace remains portable if the original imported file is moved or deleted.

At startup, ColumnPad may make a brief request to the public GitHub releases endpoint to check for a newer stable version. The check never sends document content and never blocks writing or startup.

Using ColumnPad

1. Create columns or workspace tabs for the topics you want to keep separate.
2. Use Columns > Column Width to choose Standard, Custom, or Fit Columns to Window sizing.
3. Use each column's Actions menu for rename, move, resize, reset, formatting, pictures, and other column-specific actions. Right-clicking a column header is reserved for renaming.
4. Use the View menu to adjust gutters, paper style, themes, wrapping, proofing, and Single Text or Column Mode.
5. Use File commands to open, save, export, restore, or print text, JSON, native layouts, and workspace sessions.
6. Open Workflows to create, import, edit, and save reusable workflow diagrams.

File Formats

• .txt stores normal text documents and readable multi-column text exports.
• .json stores concise readable column text exports.
• .columnpad.json stores full layouts, including columns, formatting, settings, and embedded pictures.
• .workflow.json stores editable Workflow Builder diagrams.

Markdown document and export support has been retired. Existing Markdown files remain readable in ordinary text editors but are not presented as a ColumnPad file type.

Building from Source

Developer requirements:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• .NET 10 SDK.
• Optional: Visual Studio with the .NET Desktop Development workload.

Clone and build:

git clone <repository-url>
cd ColumnPadStudio
dotnet restore
dotnet build .\ColumnPadStudio.sln -c Release

Run from source:

dotnet run --project .\src\ColumnPadStudio\ColumnPadStudio.csproj -c Release

Publish the portable single-file executable:

dotnet publish .\src\ColumnPadStudio\ColumnPadStudio.csproj -p:PublishProfile=FolderProfile

The release output is src\ColumnPadStudio\publish\ColumnPadStudio.exe with no loose runtime files beside it.

Testing

After a Release build, run both executable test suites:

dotnet run --project .\tests\ColumnPadStudio.Domain.Tests\ColumnPadStudio.Domain.Tests.csproj -c Release --no-build
dotnet run --project .\tests\ColumnPadStudio.SmokeTests\ColumnPadStudio.SmokeTests.csproj -c Release --no-build

Before publishing, also follow RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md and docs/UI_QA_CHECKLIST.md.

Project Structure

src/ColumnPadStudio/          WPF app shell, controls, services, resources, and workflows
src/ColumnPadStudio.Domain/   Reusable text, list, and workspace rules
tests/                        Domain and app-level smoke checks
docs/                         Release notes, architecture notes, workflows, screenshots, and QA guidance
tools/                        Maintenance helpers

See docs/REPOSITORY_STRUCTURE.md for more detail. Larger changes should follow docs/APP_BUILDING_STANDARD.md.

Known Limitations

• The portable executable is unsigned and may trigger a SmartScreen warning.
• ColumnPad is Windows-only and currently has no installer or uninstall entry.
• Update checks notify the user but do not install updates automatically.

Contributing

Keep changes focused, preserve local-data and secret exclusions, update relevant documentation, and run the Release build plus both test suites before opening a pull request. Refresh screenshots only when the visible interface has meaningfully changed.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.