Described is a technology that provides an integrated platform for users to use different kinds of digital ink (e.g., handwritten characters, sketched shapes, handwritten formulas) when interacting with computer programs. The platform interprets the user's digital ink input and outputs one or more associated items into an application program. The output items can be customized for different application programs. In one aspect, the platform includes an ink panel having different operating modes for receiving digital ink, and a recognition service that recognizes different types of digital ink. The recognition service may include a unified recognizer that recognizes different types of digital ink, e.g., characters and shapes. Another recognizer may be included such as an equation recognizer. If the recognition result is text while in a non-text mode, the text may be used in a keyword search to locate items; otherwise, the recognition result may be used without keyword searching.