# Shortcuts
URL: https://usememos.com/docs/usage/shortcuts

Shortcuts save filter expressions for quick reuse. They are useful when you repeatedly open the same slice of your memos, such as work items, incomplete tasks, or recent public posts.

## Create a shortcut [#create-a-shortcut]

Shortcuts are created and managed on the dedicated Shortcuts page, which you open from the shortcuts section of the home sidebar.

1. open the Shortcuts page and choose **Create shortcut**
2. give the shortcut a clear title
3. enter a [filter expression](#filter-expression-syntax)
4. choose **Validate** to dry-run the expression — this checks the filter without saving, so you catch typos before committing
5. **Save** the shortcut

Title and filter are both required, and an invalid expression is rejected on save.

Saved shortcuts appear in the shortcuts section of the home sidebar. Select one to apply its filter to your memo list; the active filter also syncs to the URL, so you can bookmark or share the resulting view. You can also start a new shortcut straight from an active filter — the form opens prefilled with the current expression.

## Edit and delete shortcuts [#edit-and-delete-shortcuts]

The Shortcuts page lists every saved shortcut with its title and filter. Each row has a menu to:

* **Edit** — load the shortcut back into the form to change its title or filter
* **Delete** — remove a shortcut you no longer use, after a confirmation step

## Filter expression syntax [#filter-expression-syntax]

Shortcuts use CEL (Common Expression Language) filter expressions. A shortcut filter must evaluate to `true` for memos you want included.

### Supported fields [#supported-fields]

| Field                  | Type           | Example                                           |
| ---------------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `content`              | string         | `content.contains("meeting")`                     |
| `creator`              | string         | `creator == "users/john"`                         |
| `creator_id`           | integer        | `creator_id == 42`                                |
| `created_ts`           | timestamp      | `created_ts >= now - duration("24h")`             |
| `updated_ts`           | timestamp      | `updated_ts >= timestamp("2026-01-01T00:00:00Z")` |
| `visibility`           | string         | `visibility == "PUBLIC"`                          |
| `pinned`               | boolean        | `pinned`                                          |
| `tags`                 | string list    | `"project/backend" in tags`                       |
| `tag`                  | tag-tree alias | `tag in ["work"]`                                 |
| `has_task_list`        | boolean        | `has_task_list`                                   |
| `has_link`             | boolean        | `has_link`                                        |
| `has_code`             | boolean        | `has_code`                                        |
| `has_incomplete_tasks` | boolean        | `has_incomplete_tasks`                            |

### Operators and functions [#operators-and-functions]

* comparisons: `==`, `!=`, `<`, `<=`, `>`, `>=`
* logic: `&&`, `||`, `!`, and parentheses `()`
* membership: `tag in ["work", "team"]`, `"project/backend" in tags`, `visibility in ["PUBLIC", "PROTECTED"]`
* string functions: `contains()`, `startsWith()`, `endsWith()`, and `matches()`
* collection functions: `exists()`, `all()`, `exists_one()`, and `size()`
* set functions: `sets.contains()`, `sets.intersects()`, and `sets.equivalent()`
* time values: `now`, `duration("24h")`, and `timestamp(...)`

Boolean fields can be used directly without `== true`:

```
pinned && has_incomplete_tasks
```

### Tag matching [#tag-matching]

Use `tag in [...]` when you want to match one or more tag trees:

```txt
tag in ["work"]
tag in ["project", "team"]
```

`tag in ["project"]` also matches nested tags such as `project/backend`.

Use `tags.exists()` for more specific tag patterns:

```txt
tags.exists(t, t.startsWith("archive"))
tags.exists(t, t.endsWith("/bug"))
tags.exists(t, t.contains("todo"))
```

Other collection predicates and set operations are also available:

```txt
tags.all(t, t.startsWith("work/"))
tags.exists_one(t, t.startsWith("project/"))
sets.intersects(tags, ["work", "urgent"])
sets.equivalent(tags, ["inbox"])
size(tags) == 0
```

`tags.all()` matches only non-empty tag sets. Use `size(tags) == 0` when you specifically want untagged memos.

### String matching [#string-matching]

Content matching is case-insensitive for `contains()`, `startsWith()`, and `endsWith()`:

```txt
content.contains("meeting")
content.startsWith("TODO")
content.endsWith("done")
```

Use `matches()` for regular expressions:

```txt
content.matches("v[0-9]+")
```

Regular expressions are validated before a shortcut is saved. Keep patterns portable: SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MySQL use different regular-expression engines.

### Time-based filters [#time-based-filters]

`created_ts` and `updated_ts` are CEL timestamps. `now` is a timestamp variable, not a function. Use durations for relative windows and `timestamp()` for fixed instants or Unix epoch seconds:

```txt
created_ts >= now - duration("1h")
created_ts >= now - duration("168h")
updated_ts >= timestamp("2026-01-01T00:00:00Z")
created_ts >= timestamp(1767225600)
```

Timestamp accessors support calendar filters:

```txt
created_ts.getFullYear() == 2026
created_ts.getMonth() == 0
created_ts.getDayOfWeek() == 0
created_ts.getMonth() == now.getMonth() && created_ts.getDate() == now.getDate()
```

Months are zero-based (`0` is January), and days of the week are zero-based (`0` is Sunday). Accessors are evaluated in UTC for SQLite and PostgreSQL; MySQL reads timestamp columns in the database session time zone.

## Example shortcuts [#example-shortcuts]

| Name              | Filter                                                                                |   |              |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | - | ------------ |
| Work TODOs        | `tag in ["work"] && has_incomplete_tasks`                                             |   |              |
| Public posts      | `visibility == "PUBLIC"`                                                              |   |              |
| Posts with links  | `has_link`                                                                            |   |              |
| Recent notes      | `created_ts >= now - duration("168h")`                                                |   |              |
| Team updates      | `tag in ["team"] && visibility == "PROTECTED"`                                        |   |              |
| Unfinished tasks  | `has_task_list && has_incomplete_tasks`                                               |   |              |
| Pinned references | \`pinned && (has\_link                                                                |   | has\_code)\` |
| Active projects   | `tags.exists(t, t.startsWith("project")) && !tags.exists(t, t.startsWith("archive"))` |   |              |
| Untagged          | `size(tags) == 0`                                                                     |   |              |
| Release notes     | `content.matches("v[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+")`                                                 |   |              |

## Good shortcut patterns [#good-shortcut-patterns]

* incomplete tasks for one project
* pinned or high-signal memos
* public notes you review before sharing
* recent memos from a time window
* resource collections with links or attachments

## Management tips [#management-tips]

* keep names short and obvious
* delete stale shortcuts you no longer use
* update filters when your tag vocabulary changes
* prefer a few durable shortcuts over dozens of narrow one-off views

## Limits to remember [#limits-to-remember]

Shortcuts are personal workflow tools. They are most useful on the home view and should reflect how you naturally revisit content rather than every theoretical filter you could build.

Memos supports a deliberate subset of CEL that can be translated consistently to SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. Use the **Validate** action before saving; it reports unsupported fields, type mismatches, invalid regular expressions, and operations that cannot be translated.