Working with Locations

This guide covers creating, managing, and deleting locations in Penpoint. All location data auto-saves as you type.

Creating Locations

There are three ways to create a new location:

Add New Location Button

Click the Add New Location button at the top of the hierarchy (the location list on the left side of the screen) to create a top-level location that isn't nested inside anything.

Quick Add (+ Button)

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Figure 1 - Quick Add input appears when clicking +

Click the + button next to any location to create a child location underneath it. This is the fastest way to build your hierarchy as you go.

Type the location name, then press Enter to create or Escape to cancel. The character counter changes color as you type — it turns yellow above 30 characters and red at 35, because 35 characters is the maximum length.

Keyboard Shortcut

Press Ctrl+N (or Cmd+N on Mac) from anywhere in the app to open the Quick Create menu, then select Location to create one quickly.

Tip: Build your hierarchy as you write. Start with broad regions, then add cities, districts, and specific buildings as they appear in your story.

Location Importance Levels

Like characters, locations have three importance levels: Primary (major settings where key events happen), Secondary (supporting locations with moderate presence), and Background (minor locations mentioned occasionally).

Change a location's importance level in Edit mode (click the pencil button at the top of the detail area to switch) using the dropdown in the detail panel (the area on the right side of the screen showing the location's information).

In a series, importance is kept separately for each Book, so a location central to Book 1 can fade into the background of Book 2. See Importance Across Books.

For more information about editing location details, see Location Detail View.

Deleting Locations

Delete Location Forever

Delete "The Shire" permanently?

This action cannot be undone. The location and all associated data will be permanently deleted, including:

All tags
All character assignments
All item assignments
All chapter appearances
All sub-locations (unless preserved)

This location has sub-locations. Choose whether to preserve them or delete everything.

Figure 2 - Delete confirmation with sub-location options

To delete a location, select it, switch to Edit mode, scroll to the bottom of the detail panel, and click Delete Location.

If the location has sub-locations (the locations nested inside this one), Penpoint shows a confirmation dialog before anything is removed. You'll see two deletion options:

Delete & Preserve Children: Removes this location but keeps all the locations inside it. They move up one level: if the deleted location had a parent, they become children of that parent; if it was a top-level location, they become top-level locations themselves.
Delete All: Permanently removes this location and all the locations inside it, including all their data: tags, character assignments, item assignments, and chapter appearances. This action cannot be undone, so Penpoint asks you to confirm before proceeding.