Redline keeps source metadata, optional normalized readable captures, exact annotations, and human research judgments as distinct local records. A readable witness is not a complete replay of the original website.
Source records
A saved page record combines the source URL and title with the context you add: a note, tags, reading status, importance, dossier assignments, and editable citation metadata. Right-click Redline → Save linked source or Save image reference also creates a Page record for that URL; these routes do not preserve the destination.
Source Witness is an additional, explicit text-first capture. It stores normalized readable blocks, capture metadata, and a SHA-256 digest as a versioned local record. New captures do not overwrite earlier ones, so a focused comparison can show when a changed block affects an annotation or connected claim.
Reading status versus record state
Reading status is your workflow: Unread, Reading, Read, or Archived. The Library action Archive is separate: it moves the record from State → Active to State → Archived. A page can therefore have an Archived reading status while still being an active record, or be lifecycle-archived with a different reading status.
Annotation types
Types help you distinguish evidence from your own next steps. The interface labels are Highlight, Note, Claim, Source, Counterpoint, Definition, Quote, Follow Up, Todo, Question, and Warning.
| Use | Helpful choices |
|---|---|
| Preserve the wording | Highlight, quote |
| Assess an argument | Claim, source, counterpoint |
| Clarify meaning | Definition, note |
| Continue the work | Question, follow-up, to-do, warning |
The type is a research aid, not a statement about whether the underlying passage is true. Add a note when the reason for capturing it will not be obvious later.
Annotation claims versus compiled claims
A Claim-type annotation classifies one saved finding. An Evidence Compiler claim is a proposition inside a dossier that can connect many exact passages as supporting, challenging, or contextual evidence. Use Library → Evidence when you need the second workflow, and see the Evidence Compiler guide.
Tags, dossiers, status, and importance
| Tool | Best for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Tag | A theme or classification that can cross projects | methodology, primary-source |
| Dossier | A bounded body of work, case, or research question | Policy change timeline |
| Reading status | Where a source sits in your review flow | Triage what still needs attention |
| Importance | How strongly a record should stand out | Mark a pivotal source for review |
Page and annotation organization is independent. Adding a page to a dossier does not add every annotation from that page, and tags on a dossier do not propagate to its member records. Assign each finding explicitly when its membership matters.
Tags are lowercase, unique, sorted tokens. Space and comma split them, so write multiword concepts with a separator such as primary-source. There is no single required system: one dossier and a few stable tags are usually easier to maintain than classifying every possible dimension.
See Dossiers and tags for exact creation, linking, bulk-assignment, pinning, rename/merge, archive, and scoped-export paths.
Local library search
Library → Search groups matches for saved pages, annotations, dossiers, tags, source domains, and claims. It does not query a Redline server and does not search unsaved live-web text. The sidebar’s Search tab is narrower and displays only page and annotation matches.
Use the Pages and Annotations filters for exact saved-metadata combinations. Data Health surfaces counts and lists that may need review, including duplicate normalized URLs and unused tag records; it does not merge duplicate pages automatically.
Highlight restoration
Redline stores the selected text plus nearby context and text selectors. When you revisit a compatible page, it tries to locate the passage and restore the highlight.
| State | Meaning | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Restored | The saved passage was found with sufficient confidence. | No action needed. |
| Needs review | The page may contain changed or ambiguous matching text. | Open the annotation record and compare it with the current page. |
| Unresolved | The passage could not be located on the current page. | Use the saved text in the Library; update your record if the page moved. |
| Unknown | No useful restoration result is recorded yet. | Revisit the live source on a supported page. |
Useful habits
- Write the reason a source matters, not only a summary of the page.
- Capture the smallest passage that still carries the necessary context.
- Use dossier names that describe a question or body of work.
- Review “needs review” highlights while the source is still familiar.
- Create regular full-library JSON backups.