---
title: "Notebooks"
description: "Use Middleware Notebooks to write notes next to live charts and tables built from your logs, and keep investigations in one shareable place."
section: "Logs"
breadcrumb: "Logs > Notebooks Overview"
canonical: "https://docs.middleware.io/features/dashboards/notebooks"
---
# Notebooks

Notebooks is a lightweight space inside Logs where you can write quick notes and keep them alongside live data. It is useful when you want to document an investigation, capture observations, or build a short narrative that includes charts or tables powered by your logs.
Right now, Notebooks focuses on the essentials:

- Text blocks
- Headings (H1, H2)
- Numbered and bullet lists
- Tables
- Data sources

[Embedded content](https://www.loom.com/embed/a6bb17443ff6457a97ec71a1361caa6b)

## Open Notebooks

To open Notebooks, go to [Dashboards → Select Notebooks](https://mw-prod.middleware.io/dashboards/notebooks) from the top navigation. Here, you will find list of previously created Notebooks in addition to option for creating a new Notebook.

![Notebooks list under Logs with previously created notebooks and the New Notebook button](/images/notebooks/image1.png)

Alternatively, you can also use the Search by name input to quickly find a notebook.

![Search by name field filtering the Notebooks list](/images/notebooks/image2.png)

## Create a new Notebook

1. In Notebooks, click New Notebook
2. Enter a notebook name at the top
3. Start writing in the first text block

As you add headings, the Table of Contents on the left updates automatically so you can jump between sections.

![New notebook with a name, a first text block and the table of contents on the left](/images/notebooks/image3.png)

## Manage your saved notebooks

![Saved notebooks list showing name, author, date modified and the favourite star](/images/notebooks/image4.png)

The Notebooks list helps you quickly understand what exists and who owns it:

- Name: Notebook title
- Author: Who created or last edited it
- Date Modified: When it was last updated
- Star icon: Mark a notebook as a favourite for quicker access later

Use the search bar to filter the list by notebook name.

## Write and format content

Notebooks support simple formatting so you can keep notes readable without needing heavy markdown.

### Headings

Use headings to structure your notebook and keep the Table of Contents clean.

- Use H1 for main sections
- Use H2 for sub sections

### Lists

Use lists when you are capturing steps, findings, or action items.

- Bullet list for quick points
- Numbered list for sequences or runbooks

### Tables

Tables are great for quick reference, like environment variables, endpoints, owners, or incident timelines.
To insert a table, type / and choose the table option, then fill the cells.

## Edit Mode vs View Mode

Notebooks support two modes so you can write and read comfortably.

![Notebook in edit mode compared with view mode](/images/notebooks/image5.png)

A typical flow looks like this:

1. Add a data source block in the notebook
2. Configure the query and visualisation
3. Use Expand Quick Edit when you need to tune the query or change the chart type
4. Use the top right time picker to update the time range for the results

![Notebook data source block with a chart, Expand Quick Edit and the time picker](/images/notebooks/image6.png)

### Available visualisations

From the data source editor, you can choose the output style using Graph Type, such as:

- Timeseries
- Bar Chart
- List Value
- Query Value
- Pie Chart
- Scatter Plot
- Tree Chart
- Top List Chart
- Hexagon Chart

Pick the type that matches your goal. For example, Timeseries for trends and List Value for a quick breakdown table.

## Configure a data source with Quick Edit

Each data source block includes an Expand Quick Edit option. When expanded, you can adjust what is being queried and how it is shown.
Common options you will see:

- Queries (A, B, …): Add one or multiple queries in the same block
- Field selection: Choose what you want to chart or list, like `serviceName` or `severityText`
- Aggregation: Options like `uniq by` or `any by` help you control how results are grouped or calculated
- Add Function: Apply functions to shape results further
- Add Query / Add Formula: Build multi query views or derived results
- Sort and Limit: Control ordering and how many rows appear in list outputs
- Formatting controls: Sections like Additional Formatting, Y-Axis Controls, and Legend help tune chart readability

Each query row also includes quick actions like:

- Hide or show a query
- Duplicate a query
- Delete a query

You can also delete the entire data source block from the notebook when you no longer need it.

## Next Steps

- [Log Monitoring Overview](/features/logs)
- [Creating Alerts](/features/alerts/manage-alerts)
- [Real User Monitoring (RUM)](/get-started/rum)

Need assistance or want to learn more about Middleware? Get in touch with us via our Contact Us page or join our Slack channel.