denote-zettel-interface

This project was initially devised by the author to replicate a Zettelkasten workflow implementing Folgezettel using denote.el. It is intended to sit atop one’s usage of denote.el. The only assumption is that note signatures be used as folgezettel index numberings in subdirectories within the user’s Zettelkasten[fn:1].

The vision of this package is to represent the folgezettel index in a list format (tabulated-list-mode) and be able to navigate the index according to the numbering of notes, filter the shown notes arbitrarily (including by parents and siblings of a folgezettel index numbering), and automatically set the index numbering of a new note by the user’s selection of the parent folgezettel note[fn:2]. In a way, this is an attempt at reducing the gap in navigating a digital versus analog/physical Zettelkasten.

The current iteration of this package is somewhat clunky at places: bindings could be improved and the UX can be improved. However, I personally used this project as the sole entry-point to my Zettelkasten for months and at the very least it was enough.

Features

• List notes in tabulated-list-mode buffer
• Implements a basic cache to speed of displaying and sorting-by-index-number of notes
• Filter by subdirectory
• Filtering any column by arbitrary string using tablist.el
• Sorting by folgezettel index numbering
• Navigation by index numbering
• Commands to conveniently set index number of note by selecting “parent” folgezettel note

Installation

Currently, this project is not available in a package repository. As such, users will need to manually download the files (e.g. git clone https://github.com/krisbalintona/denote-zettel-interface.git) and ensure its dependencies are installed. Currently, these are the only third-party dependencies:

1. Denote.el
2. Tablist.el (used for filtering tabulated-list-mode entries)

Users can either evaluate something like this to install:

(use-package tablist
  :ensure t)

(use-package denote-zettel-interface
  :load-path "/home/USER/PATH/TO/LOCAL/REPOSITORY")

Or, if using Emacs-30 or newer:

(use-package denote-zettel-interface
  :ensure t
  :vc ( :url "https://github.com/krisbalintona/denote-zettel-interface.git"
        :rev :newest))

Sample configuration

Here is a varianet of the author’s use-package configuration:

(use-package denote-zettel-interface
  :after denote
  :vc ( :url "https://github.com/krisbalintona/denote-zettel-interface.git"
        :rev :newest)
  :autoload denote-zettel-interface--signature-lessp
  :bind (("C-c n m" . denote-zettel-interface-list)
         ("C-c n r" . denote-zettel-interface-set-signature-list)
         ("C-c n R" . denote-zettel-interface-set-signature-minibuffer))
  :custom
  (denote-zettel-interface-signature-column-width
   (+ 6 (cl-loop for file in (denote-directory-files)
                 maximize (length (denote-retrieve-filename-signature file)))))
  (denote-zettel-interface-title-column-width 120)
  (denote-zettel-interface-starting-filter-presets
   ;; I have a "zettels" subdirectory that contains all my "main notes."  I also
   ;; have a "bib" subdirectory that contains my org files pertaining to books,
   ;; videos, papers, articles, and so on.
   '("zettels/[^z-a]*" "bib/[^z-a]*"))
  (denote-zettel-interface-starting-filter "zettels/[^z-a]*")
  :init
  (with-eval-after-load 'denote
    (setopt denote-sort-signature-comparison-function #'denote-zettel-interface--signature-lessp)))

Sample workflow

1. Call M-x denote-zettel-interface-list to list Denote notes.
2. Press / d (or M-x denote-zettel-interface-edit-filter) to filter your notes by regexp on denote file names.
3. Use M-N, =M-P, M-n, M-p, M-d, and M-u to navigate notes shown by way of their index numbering.
4. Create a new note.
5. In that note’s buffer, call =M-x denote-zettel-interface-set-signature-list=[fn:3] or =M-x denote-zettel-interface-set-signature-minibuffer=[fn:4] to interactively select a folgezettel parent for that note.
6. That note is now a child of the chosen parent note, with an index numbering that is automatically set to the next available index numbering for children of the parent note.

Commands

Below are a list of useful commands for those viewing the package for the first time. You can also find these commands and more via M-x apropos-command denote-zettel-interface RET.

• denote-zettel-interface-list Display list of Denote files in variable denote-directory.
• denote-zettel-interface-display-note Just display the current note in another window.
• denote-zettel-interface-edit-filter Edit the currently existing filter.
• denote-zettel-interface-filter-backward Filter the buffer to the next set of notes of the same level.
• denote-zettel-interface-filter-forward Filter the buffer to the next set of notes of the same level.
• denote-zettel-interface-filter-down Filter the buffer to the children of the current note.
• denote-zettel-interface-filter-up Filter the buffer to the parent of the current note and its children.
• denote-zettel-interface-filter-top-level-next Filter the buffer to the next index top-level notes.
• denote-zettel-interface-filter-top-level-previous Filter the buffer to the next index top-level notes.
• denote-zettel-interface-goto-note Jump to the note corresponding to the entry at point.
• denote-zettel-interface-goto-note-other-window Open in another window the note corresponding to the entry at point.
• denote-zettel-interface-set-signature Set the note at point’s (in `denote-zettel-interface’ buffer) signature.
• denote-zettel-interface-set-signature-list Set the note at point’s signature by selecting another note.
• denote-zettel-interface-set-signature-minibuffer Set the note at point’s signature by selecting another note.
• denote-zettel-interface-store-link Call `org-store-link’ on the entry at point if an org file.

Index numbering

This project assumes the following folgezettel index numbering schema:

• Denote note signatures contain just the index numbering for that note.
• They are in a format like “1=3a12c1”. That is:
  • The beginning of the index numbering begins with a positive integer.
  • At any point, a “=” demarcates a new section of the index numbering.[fn:5]
  • In portions of the index numbering which are not demarcated into sections by “=” are demarcated by alternating between numbers in digits.[fn:6]
• In a denote-zettel-interface-mode buffer, the “=” in these index numberings are rendered as periods. So: “1=3a12c1” becomes “1.3a12c1”.

Inspiration

I initially used denote-menu to navigate my denote notes, but found that if I used folgezettel, I needed a much more specialized package for navigating the index and setting new index numberings. Thus, this project was born.

Deprecation notice

The author of this project has migrated to org-roam. Consequently, this project is no longer being actively developed. I am, however, open to making minor improvements to the existing functionality per the request of interested users.

To those interested, the author has moved to creating a similar package for org-roam that is meant to achieve the same purpose of ndenote-zettel-interface to an even greater degree: krisbalintona/org-roam-folgezettel.

Consequently, users are encouraged to either:

1. fork this project and copy its code for their own purposes, or
2. take inspiration from the functionality herein to further their own Zettelkasten workflow or develop their own project that improves upon those concepts.

Footnotes

[fn:1] In fact, users can treat separate subdirectories as different Zettelkastens, each having their own index numbering.

[fn:2] That is, if I have a new note and set its parent to a note whose index is “1=3a”, then it will automatically be numbered as “1=3a2” if “1=3a1” is taken.

[fn:3] This command produces a special denote-zettel-interface-mode buffer where RET will specially select the note at point as the folgezettel parent.

[fn:4] This command creates a minibuffer prompt for selecting the folgezettel parent. The minibuffer prompt is grouped by top-level index numbering (i.e. all notes whose numbering begins with “1=…” are grouped together), so users of vertico.el can use vertico-next-group and vertico-previous-group for quick navigation of the index.

[fn:5] So equivalent to “1=3a12c1” is “1=3=a=12=c=1” and “1=3a12c=1” and so on.

[fn:6] So “1=3a12c1” has sections “1”, “3”, “a”, “12”, “c”, and “1”.