Work in a Space

Create, arrange, connect, and inspect the materials and ideas in a Huabu Space.

Understand the Space

A Space is an infinite two-dimensional work surface for one topic, question, or project. Everything on it is built from three elements: nodes hold material or ideas, edges express relationships, and Frames group related nodes into named regions.

Position is useful too: keep related material close, separate competing directions, and use Frames and labelled edges when a relationship should be explicit.

Navigate and select

Action	How
Select	Use the Select tool, then click a node. Click empty space to clear the selection.
Select several nodes	Hold `Ctrl` while clicking nodes, drag a rectangle in empty space, or draw around them with Lasso.
Move	Drag a node. If several nodes are selected, they move together.
Pan	Scroll the mouse wheel, use the Pan tool, or hold `Space` temporarily while dragging the Space.
Zoom	Press Ctrl/Cmd+Plus to zoom in or Ctrl/Cmd+Minus to zoom out. You can also use a trackpad pinch gesture.

When dragging a node across a Frame, hold Space to move it without adding it to or removing it from that Frame.

Drag content into the Space

Content can flow directly from your computer and other sources into the Space and your writing. Drop a local file or a useful block or excerpt onto empty space to make it a node. You can also drop extracted content into a Note to continue working with it there. Huabu preserves the appropriate format, so you do not need to import, copy, create a destination, and paste in separate steps.

A highlighted excerpt from one reply in a Chat session being dragged into a dotted Space, where the same excerpt becomes a new independent material node — Select a useful excerpt from a reply and drag that block into the Space. The excerpt becomes its own node, ready to arrange and connect with the rest of your work.

Drag from	Drop on empty space	Drop into a Note
A local file	Creates the matching Image, PDF, Video, or Web node and uploads the file.	Not supported.
A Chat reply	Creates a Note from a text block or an Image from an image block.	Appends the block, or inserts it at the indicator when the Note is expanded.
A PDF selection	Creates a Note from selected text or an Image from a captured area.	Appends the text or image to the Note.
A Note block	Moves the block into a new Note.	Moves the block to the end of the other Note.

Only one content node can be expanded at a time. A selection dragged from an expanded PDF or Note therefore lands on the target Note in the Space and is appended to its end. When the target Note itself is expanded, content available from Chat can follow the insertion indicator between existing blocks, and its own blocks can be reordered.

Dragging from Chat or a PDF always copies the source. When dragging a Note block, the default is move; hold Option on macOS or Ctrl on Windows / Linux while dragging to copy it instead.

The toolbar is the main place to choose how you interact with the Space and what you want to add. Select a creation tool, then click or drag in the Space to place the new node. Press Esc to cancel a placement tool.

Group	Tools	What they do
Navigate	Select (S), Pan (P), Lasso (L)	Select and move nodes, move the viewport, or draw a freehand selection.
Create	Note (1), Text (2), Frame (3), Sketch (4)	Create your own writing, labels, groups, and drawings.
Import	Upload Files, Add Links	Bring images, PDFs, videos, HTML files, and web links into the Space.
AI	Agent (A)	Place an Agent node and start an AI conversation beside the relevant material.

You can also drag files from your computer onto the Space, paste files, URLs, images, or text, and copy existing nodes. Huabu creates the matching node type and places it near the pointer.

Choose the right node

Node	Use it for
Note	Ideas, prose, outlines, lists, quotes, code, and other structured Markdown content.
Text	Short titles, labels, captions, and visual annotations.
Image	Images, diagrams, and screenshots.
PDF	Reading a complete document and extracting text or regions from it.
Video	Local videos and supported video links.
Web	Web pages and extracted article content.
Frame	A named group or region that contains and arranges other nodes.
Sketch	Freehand diagrams, marks, and visual thinking.
Agent	An AI conversation placed beside the material it concerns.

Text or Note?

	Text	Note
Best for	Titles, labels, short captions	Ideas and longer writing
Content	A short plain-text string	Rich text stored as Markdown
Editing	Directly in the Space	In the node or expanded editor
Formatting	Typography and colour	Headings, lists, quotes, code, links, and more

A simple rule: use Text to label the Space; use a Note to develop an idea.

Build structure

A Frame is more than a rectangle: it gives a group a name and keeps its contents together. Use one for a topic, project stage, chapter, source collection, or intended output. Drag nodes into or out of a Frame, or select several nodes and press Ctrl+G to group them.

A Frame can keep its children in a free arrangement or lay them out in a row or column. Moving the Frame moves its contents, while moving nodes inside it changes their local arrangement.

Create a connected Note or Agent node

Select a node to reveal arrows above, below, left, and right. Choose an arrow, then choose Note or Agent. Huabu places the new node on that side, avoids nearby content when possible, and connects it to the original node automatically.

A selected Note with directional arrows and the connected-node menu open beside the right arrow — Select a directional arrow, then choose Note or Agent to create and connect a new node on that side.

Connect existing nodes

Hover or select a node to reveal its small connection points. Drag from one point to another node to create an edge. Select the edge to add a label or change its direction. Use an edge when the relationship should remain explicit even after the nodes move.

Open, view, and edit

Double-click a content node to expand it. The expanded panel can stay beside the Space in Split View, or switch to Full View when you want more room to read or edit. Close the panel to return to the same place in the Space.

Work with a Note

A Note supports headings, lists, tasks, quotes, code, tables, links, and other rich content. Expand it for the full editor; switch between rich text and raw Markdown when needed. Drag blocks out to organize them as separate Notes, or move them to the end of another Note in the Space. When this Note is expanded, you can also place content dragged from Chat at the insertion indicator.

Work with a PDF

Expand a PDF to read the full document with page thumbnails. Highlight text to drag it out as a Note, or select an area to drag it out as an Image. Drop either one on empty space to create a node or into a Note to add it to your writing. You can also send a capture to Chat, keeping the extracted idea close to its source.

Everyday operations

Action	How
Copy and paste	`Ctrl+C` and `Ctrl+V`
Delete	Select nodes or edges, then press `Delete` or `Backspace`.
Undo and redo	`Ctrl+Z` and `Ctrl+Shift+Z`
Align and distribute	Select several nodes, then use the floating toolbar to align their edges or centres and spread them evenly.
Resize	Select a node and drag its resize handles. Available handles depend on the node type.

Start simple: add a source, write a Note beside it, and group related work in a Frame. Add edges only when a relationship needs to be stated explicitly.