# Canvas outline > A navigable view of headings and sections in a long Canvas document — the long-form cousin of a screenplay scene list. Also known as document outline ## In practice The Canvas outline is a navigable view of headings and sections in a long document — the long-form cousin of a screenplay scene list. It stays a view over the same structured blocks, not a separate corkboard file that drifts from the prose you actually ship to collaborators or archive later. Drag to reorder when chapters need reshuffling; collapse research while you draft; jump without scrolling a novel's worth of paste. Because reordering outline nodes reorders underlying blocks, treat big moves as structural edits — name a save point before you rewrite the book's spine from the sidebar alone. Canvas remains early access on Pro and Team, so outline behavior is part of a maturing long-form surface. Use it for manuscripts and binders today, and keep Plot as home for series bibles and episode drafts even when a research outline lives nearby in Canvas for supporting notes. [Canvas overview](https://www.inkwell.software/canvas) ## Common questions ### Does rearranging the outline rewrite my file? Yes — reordering outline nodes reorders the underlying blocks on purpose. Name a save point before large structural moves so you can compare or restore. ### Is the outline a separate document? No. It is a view over the same Canvas document. That is why it stays attached when the prose changes — there is no second corkboard to drift. ### Can I outline a screenplay this way? Screenplays belong in Plot with scene lists and beat tools. Use Canvas outline for novels, essays, and research binders in early access. ### What if I reorder and regret it? Restore the save point you created before the move, or compare against an earlier named moment. Structural outline edits are versioned like other draft changes. ## Related terms - [Block editor](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/block-editor): A document model built from typed blocks — paragraphs, headings, lists, embeds — instead of one undifferentiated page. Canvas uses blocks so outlines, history, and skills can target real sections. - [Markdown round-trip](https://www.inkwell.software/glossary/markdown-round-trip): Export and import between Canvas documents and Markdown so headings, lists, and code blocks survive without flattening your structure into plain paste. - [Read the pillar guide](https://www.inkwell.software/learn/canvas-block-editor): A longer guide for this workflow --- Canonical page: