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Imported documents in Cardmaniacs

Beyond web articles, Cardmaniacs imports local files as first-class cards:

  • PDF
  • EPUB
  • Markdown (.md)

Imported documents appear in Read Later collections filtered by type—PDFs, Markdown, Books (EPUB)—and open in the reader with format-appropriate controls.

Import paths

  • File → Import or Import… (⌘⇧I) on macOS
  • Drag and drop onto the app window or dock icon (macOS)
  • Share sheet from Files or other apps (iOS/iPadOS)
  • In-app welcome guides and document import flows for first-time setup

The import pipeline extracts title, cover or preview metadata, and reading position where supported.

Local files vs synced metadata

Check Settings → Advanced → Data & Storage for storage-related options and export paths.

Reading PDFs

PDF cards support:

  • Page navigation and zoom
  • Highlights (see Highlights and Tags)
  • Reader themes where applicable
  • Separate reader window on macOS for side-by-side reference

Use Go to PDFs in the command palette to filter the queue to PDF documents only.

Reading EPUB

EPUB imports map to the Books collection. Long-form navigation, typography controls, and progress sync apply similarly to web articles. Paged mode (⌘⇧P) may suit long chapters on macOS.

Markdown files

Markdown imports appear under Go to Markdown collections. Rendering respects reader typography settings; code-heavy files benefit from wide content width (palette: Content Width: Wide).

Documents vs URL bookmarks

URL bookmarkImported file
Points to live webLocal copy on disk
Reader extracts HTMLNative PDF/EPUB/MD rendering
May break if site changesStable offline reading

For archival PDFs (papers, reports), import the file. For frequently updated docs, a bookmark may be better.

Welcome guides

The app ships in-app welcome guides (markdown bundled with the app) explaining import basics. Website documentation expands those seeds; content is not auto-synced from the app bundle in v1.

Troubleshooting

  • Import failed — confirm file type and size; try Import… again from a local path
  • Missing on second device — open Files sync settings; wait for iCloud; re-import if needed
  • Garbled PDF text — scanned PDFs may not extract for search; highlights still apply to selections

Next steps