ColumnPad

ColumnPad is a Windows writing app for drafting notes, plans, prompts, checklists, and structured text in side-by-side columns. It is built for people who want a simple offline writing surface with columns, workspaces, line numbers, proofing, export, and a built-in workflow planner.

Download For Windows

Download the latest portable Windows build from the GitHub Releases page.

Latest release asset:

• ColumnPadStudio-v2.2.2-win-x64.exe

For normal use, download the .exe and run it. You do not need Visual Studio or the .NET SDK to use the released app.

The app is currently shipped as a portable single-file executable, not an installer. Place it somewhere permanent, such as C:\Apps\ColumnPad, then run it from there.

Note: the EXE is not code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may show a warning on first launch. Only run builds downloaded from this repository.

Screenshot

What ColumnPad Is For

• Writing in multiple independent columns without losing structure.
• Keeping separate workspace tabs for different notes or projects.
• Drafting app prompts, checklists, release notes, plans, comparisons, and structured writing.
• Opening and exporting clean .txt and .md documents.
• Saving full ColumnPad workspaces so the same columns, titles, settings, and content reopen later.
• Sketching repeatable workflows with the built-in workflow builder.

Main Features

• Multi-column writing with invisible right-edge resize handles.
• Workspace tabs for separate writing sessions.
• Single-text mode and column mode switching.
• Clean .txt and .md open, save, and export.
• .columnpad.json workspace save/load.
• Multi-workspace session save/load.
• Auto-recovery and crash restore.
• Line numbers, word wrap, spell check, proofing-language selection, and lined-paper mode.
• Default, light, and dark theme modes with preference saving.
• Bullet/checklist paste helpers and checklist gutter support.
• Built-in workflow templates, workflow JSON import/export, draggable workflow preview, and per-node colours.

Current Release

ColumnPad v2.2.2 includes:

• Workspace tab overflow arrows.
• Cleaner File menu .txt and .md export commands.
• Tidier column right-click menus.
• Better editor/font/menu styling consistency.
• Cleaner app preference and JSON saving paths.
• Updated README, release notes, and repo hygiene.

Full notes: docs/releases/v2.2.2.md

User Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• No account required.
• No internet required after download.
• No .NET SDK required for the released EXE.

For Developers

Developer requirements:

• Windows 10 or Windows 11.
• .NET 8 SDK or newer SDK capable of building net8.0-windows.
• Optional: Visual Studio with the .NET Desktop Development workload.

Clone the repo:

git clone https://github.com/Awetspoon/ColumnPadStudio.git
cd ColumnPadStudio

Run from source:

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

Build:

dotnet build .\ColumnPadStudio.sln -c Release

Run tests:

dotnet run --project .\tests\ColumnPadStudio.Domain.Tests\ColumnPadStudio.Domain.Tests.csproj -c Release
dotnet run --project .\tests\ColumnPadStudio.SmokeTests\ColumnPadStudio.SmokeTests.csproj -c Release

Publish a single EXE:

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

Publish output:

• src/ColumnPadStudio/publish/ColumnPadStudio.exe

The publish profile is configured for a self-contained Windows x64 single-file build with trimming and bundle compression disabled.

Project Structure

• src/ColumnPadStudio/ - WPF app shell, UI, services, assets, resources, and workflow builder.
• src/ColumnPadStudio.Domain/ - domain-only rules for lists, checklist metrics, and workspace import constraints.
• tests/ColumnPadStudio.SmokeTests/ - app-level smoke checks for view-model and file/session flows.
• tests/ColumnPadStudio.Domain.Tests/ - focused domain-rule checks.
• docs/ - repository notes, release notes, screenshots, and QA checklists.
• tools/ - helper scripts such as branding asset generation.

More structure detail: docs/REPOSITORY_STRUCTURE.md

Packaging Notes

• Current releases ship as a portable single .exe.
• The app is not code-signed yet.
• A full installer, Start menu shortcuts, uninstall support, and automatic updates can be added later.

License

MIT. See LICENSE.