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Editor layout tour
Last updated June 2, 2026 · 4 min read
The editor looks dense on first entry, but it breaks down into a few clear areas. This article gives you a 3-minute tour.
Areas, left to right
1 · Activity bar
The narrow vertical strip at the far left, a column of feature icons:
- Top: the Slima logo — opens the Studio Switcher
- 💧 Back to works list — returns to the shelf
- Middle: panel toggles — File explorer / AI chat / Outline / Comments / Notes / Related entities / Beta Reader
- Lower: Focus mode / Upgrade / Help Center / Dark mode
See: Activity bar
2 · Left panel (File explorer)
Clicking "File explorer" in the activity bar expands it on the editor's left:
- Book title + a few icons (sync status / history / search / share / settings)
- Chapters / Notes folders
- "Add Content" button
- Bottom: today's total words + ⚙️ preferences
Drag the right edge to resize. See Panels and tabs.
3 · Editor (centre, main work area)
- Top tab strip: several files open at once
- Format toolbar: a visual Markdown toolbar (bold / italic / headings / lists / quote / table / image / undo-redo, etc.)
- Main edit area: WYSIWYG Markdown
- Top-right: current chapter word count
4 · Right panel
Clicking AI chat / Outline / Comments / Notes / Related entities / Beta Reader in the activity bar's middle section opens that panel on the editor's right (one at a time). The Notes panel, for example, has All / Chapter filters and an empty-state "Create your first note" prompt.
The left and right panels are independent and can be open at the same time.
Where the status info lives
Slima has no single "bottom status bar" — a few live numbers are spread out:
- Today's total words + ⚙️ — bottom of the left panel
- Current chapter word count — top-right of the editor
- Sync status — the sync icon next to the book title at the top
See: Editor status info
Keyboard
Cmd/Ctrl P opens Quick Open (fuzzy-search to jump to a file); each panel has its own shortcut (see the table in Activity bar). Collapse both side panels and turn on Focus mode for something close to Zen Mode.