// docs · using snipstack
Snippets and fragments
What a snippet holds, how copying works, smart views, sorting and the Trash.
What a snippet holds
A snippet has a title, a description, a folder, tags, a favorite star and one or more fragments. Each fragment is a named piece of text with a language, shown as a tab. Use several fragments for things that belong together, such as a docker-compose.yml and the command that runs it.
A snippet is either a command or a code snippet. New snippets are code snippets, except when you create one in the Commands view. Switch with Change to command / Change to code snippet in the snippet’s menu. A new snippet also goes into the folder, tag or Favorites view you are in.
Snipstack saves as you type, after a short pause. The footer shows Saving… and then Saved locally.
Languages
Plain text, Bash, TypeScript, JavaScript, SQL, YAML, JSON, Go, Python, Rust, Dockerfile, Nginx, HTML, CSS, Markdown and PowerShell. Snipstack guesses the language from the fragment name’s extension and from text you paste. Change it with Option+Shift+L or Alt+Shift+L.
Limits
| What | Limit |
|---|---|
| Title | 500 characters |
| Description | 5,000 characters |
| Fragment name, folder name | 200 characters |
| Tag name | 64 characters |
| Fragments per snippet | 1 to 50 |
| Content per snippet | 2,000,000 characters in total |
Copying
| Action | Keys | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Copy | Cmd+C or Ctrl+C | Copies the text as written, with {{variables}} left in place. |
| Copy rendered | Cmd+Option+C or Ctrl+Alt+C | If the fragment has variables, opens Fill in variables first. Otherwise the same as Copy. |
From the snippet list, these copy the snippet’s first fragment. In an open snippet, they copy the fragment you are on. Snipstack confirms with Copied to clipboard and counts the use, which feeds the Recent view and search ranking.
If text is selected in the list, Cmd+C or Ctrl+C copies the selection as usual.
Smart views
| View | Shows | Keys |
|---|---|---|
| All snippets | Everything except the Trash | Cmd+1 or Ctrl+1 |
| Favorites | Starred snippets | Cmd+2 or Ctrl+2 |
| Recent | Snippets copied in the last 30 days | Cmd+3 or Ctrl+3 |
| Commands | Command snippets | Cmd+4 or Ctrl+4 |
| Untagged | Snippets with no tag | Cmd+5 or Ctrl+5 |
| Trash | Deleted snippets | Cmd+6 or Ctrl+6 |
Sort a list by Recently used, Recently edited (the default; Recently used in the Recent view), A-Z, Most used or Recently created.
The Trash
Delete moves a snippet to the Trash. Trashed snippets are read-only and cannot be copied (Copy, Copy rendered and Fill variables only say the snippet is in the Trash, and search and quick search never show them): open one and click Restore to edit or copy it again.
Nothing is emptied automatically. Empty trash… permanently deletes the snippets that have been in the Trash for more than 30 days; newer ones stay.
Once a device has been connected to a database, Empty trash deletes nothing (“Nothing was old enough to delete”): the Trash is kept on any device that was ever connected, even after you disconnect. While a database is connected, Settings > Data says “Trash is kept on synced devices.”