Karteikasten

Between the rigid spreadsheet and the chaotic scrap of paper lies a gap that the Karteikasten fills. It is a visual database: you create a collection - contacts, applications, projects, books, recipes, whatever - define your own fields and enter records. The result is structured enough to analyse and flexible enough to rebuild at any time.

The big advantage is the three views onto the same data. The table view shows everything compactly in rows and columns, ideal for an overview and quick entry. The kanban view arranges your records as cards in columns - perfect for moving a status through, say from open via in progress to done. The card view presents each record as a clear card when you prefer to go through them one by one.

You decide your fields yourself. For each collection you set which information you want to capture and manage the fields centrally. So the Karteikasten adapts to your use case, instead of you having to squeeze into a rigid schema. You create new records with Ctrl+N and add new fields whenever you like.

When a collection grows, the filter helps: set conditions and show only the records that interest you right now - all open tasks, all contacts in one city, all books by one author. One click clears the filter again. So even a large collection stays manageable without scrolling and searching.

You can run several databases in parallel, each with its own fields and views. The Karteikasten runs in the browser and fits into the tool ecosystem: what you collect here complements the Tabellenkalkulation for number analysis, the Formularbaukasten for data capture and the Kontaktbuch for people. Where Notion and Airtable are big and heavy, the Karteikasten stays light and fast.