How the pieces fit

Eidos File is an open, SQLite-backed format for structured data. Each .eidos file stores its own schema and data. Compatible tools open the file directly without conversions.

Eidos Lite is the desktop app that opens a local folder as a Space. The folder contains .eidos files beside Markdown notes, images, and other files. Lite adds local version history and optional Sync. Local editing works offline without an account.

Follow one example

You want to track books and keep reading notes. Create a Space named Research. Store the book list in books.eidos and write your notes in notes.md.

One Space. Ordinary files.

• DirectoryResearch/ Space · a local folder

  • books.eidos Tables, fields, records, and views
  • notes.md Markdown notes
  • Directoryassets/

    • cover.jpg A cover image referenced by the book list

Inside books.eidos, the Books table has fields such as Title and Status. Each record represents a book. The Reading view saves its filter and layout.

When you move the data, include its referenced local files.

The folder remains accessible in your system file manager. Opening the folder in Eidos Lite does not convert your files into proprietary database records.

Inside an Eidos File

A table groups records. Fields describe record attributes. A saved view queries and shows records from that table.

Component	Function	Books example
Table	Groups one category of items	Books
Field	Describes a property	Title, Status
Record	Stores one item	One book
Record Label Field	Supplies the record title	Title
Saved view	Stores query, filter, and layout settings	Books with Status = Reading

The file stores the table schema, records, and saved views. A File field can reference an external attachment on disk. Include that attachment when you copy or move the .eidos file. See data storage.

One table, several views

A Grid shows rows and columns. A Gallery shows cards. A Kanban groups records into columns. These views present the same underlying table data. Creating a new view does not duplicate records.

Try it: same records, different viewsLearning example · does not change your files

• 01The Little PrinceAntoine de Saint-Exupéry
  Finished: The Little Prince
• 02A Room of One’s OwnVirginia Woolf
  Finished: A Room of One’s Own
• 03WaldenHenry David Thoreau
  Finished: Walden

Showing 3 of 3 records. Switching layouts does not copy data.

Filtering changes which records you see. Editing a record updates its stored values. If an edit causes a record to fail a filter rule, the view hides the record, but the table keeps it.

Choose a tool to open the file

• Eidos Lite: Manage a local folder with .eidos files and ordinary files. Use local history and optional Sync.
• Web Editor: Open one Eidos File in your browser. Check the save status before you close the tab.
• CLI: Create, inspect, query, and update files with terminal commands or AI agents. Use eidos serve for a local editor.

Eidos File provides the portable Runtime behind these tools. Lite, the Web Editor, and CLI Serve share the same editor UI. Data rules and formula calculations stay identical across all tools.

Local work and LAN sync do not require an account. Cloud sync and web publishing are optional services. Compare saving, history, Sync, and backups.

Next step: create a book table.