Editor layout: 5 regions + bottom strip

The editor looks dense on first entry, but it's a clean 5 regions + bottom status strip. This article gives you a 3-minute tour.

Writing Studio editor full layout: leftmost activity bar / left file tree (Chapters / Notes) / centre manuscript editor with format toolbar + word count / right Notes panel / bottom today total

Five regions (left to right)

1 · Activity bar

The narrow vertical strip at the far left. Top to bottom:

✨ Slima logo — opens the Studio Switcher (see Studio Switcher)
💧 Writing Studio — current Studio marker (blue rail)
📁 File tree
💬 AI Coach
☰ Notes panel
📤 Import / export
📄 Document
🔗 Relationship map
📖 Dictionary
⊙ Entity tracking
👑 Upgrade (links to plans)
❓ Help (Help Center)

See: Activity bar

2 · Left panel (file tree by default)

Whatever the activity bar's current selection is, expands here. Default: file tree:

Book title + 4 icons (sync status / history / search / share / settings)
Chapters / Notes folders (depends on book type)
"Add Content" button
Bottom: today's total words + ⚙️ preferences

Drag the right edge to resize; hide via shortcut. See Panels and tabs.

3 · Editor (centre, main work area)

Top tab strip: multiple files open at once (Chapter 1 ×)
Format toolbar: visual Markdown toolbar (B / I / S / H1-3 / lists / quote / insert / table / undo / redo)
Main edit area: WYSIWYG Markdown
Top-right word count: current chapter (e.g. "72 words")

4 · Right panel (Notes by default)

Notes related to the current chapter:

All / Chapter filter tabs
Empty state: "No notes yet — record character profiles, worldbuilding…" + "Create your first note"
Top-right ⟨ ⟩ icon collapses the panel

5 · Bottom status strip

Left: "Today total N" + ⚙️ preferences
Right: current chapter words (shown next to the format toolbar)
Centre area: sync status dot when present

See: Status bar explained

Keyboard for swapping regions

Some shortcuts (vary by platform):

Ctrl/Cmd K opens the command palette
Ctrl/Cmd B hides the left panel
Ctrl/Cmd . hides the right panel

Hide both + F11 = close to Zen Mode focus. See Zen Mode complete guide.