Inline commands

This is a particular branch of syntax detection. The principle is to enable a wide range of textual command, from a special entry point, such as typing / (Notion.so commands) or using a shortcut Ctrl+Shift+P (Atom's command palette).

Notion.so / commands

Atom command palette

Pros

• Pretty Fast. Heavy use of keyboard. Autocompletion.
• Limited visual clutter. It's a progressive and contextual UI.
• Contextual. Actions are modulated by where you type.
• Easy to remember. With a single entry point, the rest being auto-suggested
• Discoverable. If the shortcut or entry point key is unique, it can be a reflex for the user to test what's available through the command system at any time.
• Pretty good coverage. A lot of actions can be listed and expressed this way. Depending on the implementation, some actions can be cumbersome using this. For example, it would be counter-productive to provide bold from a command palette, and even impossible to toggle bold using a / command.

Cons

• Conflicts. Can conflict with plain text writing.