denote folgezettel (abbreviated denote-fz) is a minor mode that provides commands for automatic signature creation and convenient navigation through a zettelkasten.
Creating signatures that correspond with a folgezettel id can be cumbersome and error prone, providing a solution for this is the primary motivation of denote-fz.
Denote 2.0.0 or above is required.
denote-fz is not available on MELPA. To install manually, download
denote-fz.el.
$ git clone https://github.com/MirkoHernandez/denote-folgezettelThen the package can be loaded using (load <path-to-the-package> t)
or installed using M-x package-install-file.
M-x package-initialize may be required to immediately recognize the
package after installation (just once after the installation).
denote-fz is primarily a set of commands, each can be used
independently after the mode is activated. The minor mode provides a
means for setting keybindings and, more importantly, to set
denote-rename-buffer-mode so that it displays the signature in the
modeline.
dired-jump is adviced so that it calls denote-fz-dired-mode
instead, this mode creates a dired buffer with the files sorted by
folgezettel. To disable this you can set denote-fz-replace-dired-modeto
nil.
All the commands use the current directory (default-directory) they
are supposed to be used from a folgezettel note or a directory
containing one. It is expected that all the folgezettel notes are
inside the same directory.
To enable the mode in a zettelkasten silo (maybe as a subdirectory of
a denote silo) you can add the following variable in the .dir-locals.el file.
((nil . ((eval . (denote-fz-mode t))))If the directory itself is set as a silo, .dir-locals.el should look similar to
this.
((nil . ((denote-directory . default-directory)
(eval . (denote-fz-mode t))))The denote-fz-command-map includes all the denote-fz bindings.
(define-key denote-fz-mode-map (kbd "C-c z") denote-fz-command-map)| command | binding |
|---|---|
denote-fz-insert |
I |
denote-fz-insert-dwim |
i |
denote-fz-insert-at-level |
L |
denote-fz-insert-at-level-dwim |
l |
denote-fz-new |
o |
denote-fz-unnumbered |
U |
denote-fz-select-command |
S |
denote-fz-find-note |
f |
denote-fz-find-note-in-full-section |
F |
denote-fz-unnumbered-cycle |
u |
denote-fz-goto-previous |
k |
denote-fz-goto-next |
j |
denote-fz-goto-nested |
n |
denote-fz-goto-upper-level |
p |
denote-fz-cycle |
c |
denote-fz-follow-through |
. |
denote-fz-backward-follow-through |
, |
denote-fz-dired-top-level-notes |
m |
denote-fz-dired-signature-buffer |
a |
denote-fz-dired-section |
s |
denote-fz-insert-section-dblock |
q |
denote-fz-insert-full-section-dblock |
w |
denote-fz-commands can be set to a list of valid denote-fz commands
for note creation, these commands must take a signature as an argument
and create a denote note in the proper directory (denote-user-enforced-denote-directory can be used for this purpose).
The variable denote-fz-create-function can be used to permanently
change the default note creation function.
(setq denote-fz-commands
'(denote-fz-create
my/denote-fz-citar))The default note creation function denote-fz-create (used in the
following example) creates the note using
denote-user-enforced-denote-directory otherwise this step should be
included manually.
Here is an example of a command that creates a note and also uses
citar-denote-add-citekey, from the citar-denote package, to add a
citekey.
(defun my/denote-fz-citar (signature)
(interactive)
(let ((denote-after-new-note-hook '(denote-rename-buffer-rename-function-or-fallback
save-buffer
citar-denote-add-citekey)))
(funcall 'denote-fz-create signature)))Note
Nested notes in a zettelkasten are not necessarily organized in a hierarchy. The commands are named in a neutral way to avoid denoting a specific relationship between the notes.
- denote-fz-new
- denote-fz-unnumbered
- denote-fz-insert
- denote-fz-insert-at-level
- denote-fz-insert-dwim
- denote-fz-insert-at-level-dwim
- denote-fz-add-signature
- denote-fz-add-signature-nested
- denote-fz-add-signature-at-level
- denote-fz-rename-unnumbered
- denote-fz-select-command
- denote-fz-unnumbered-cycle
- denote-fz-find-note
- denote-fz-find-note-in-full-section
- denote-fz-goto-upper-level
- denote-fz-goto-nested
- denote-fz-goto-next
- denote-fz-goto-previous
- denote-fz-cycle
- denote-fz-follow-through
- denote-fz-backward-follow-through
- denote-fz-dired-mode
- denote-fz-dired-section
- denote-fz-dired-section-up
- denote-fz-dired-top-level-notes
Create a new top level note (its folgezettel will always be a number); if there are none top level notes, it creates the first note, using "1" as the signature.
Create a note with a signature named "unnumbered".
Prompt for a target note and create a nested note based in the target note's signature. A target note with a signature 2a4 would create the note 2a4a, if that note is already created it keeps looking for a valid signature for note creation.
Prompt for a target note and create a note at level with the target note's signature. A target note with a signature 2a4 would create a note 2a5, if that note is already created it keeps looking for a valid signature for note creation.
Same as denote-fz-insert but uses the current buffer's signature as
the target.
Same as denote-fz-insert-at-level but uses the current buffer's
signature as the target.
Add a signature to an unnumbered note selecting a target note and prompting which kind of signature to add.
Add a signature to an unnumbered note selecting a target note and creating a nested note using its signature.
Add a signature to an unnumbered note selecting a target note and creating a note at level using its signature.
Note
Notes should not generally change signature.The following command is used to correct the premature numbering of notes (I made this mistake in the initial stages of a few zettelkastens).
Rename dired marked files' signature to unnumbered. Included for
convenience; proper use of denote-fz-unnumbered should eliminate the
need for this command.
Change the note creation function to one from the list
denote-fz-commands.
Cycle between unnumbered notes.
Find a note using the minibuffer, the notes are sorted and pretty printed.
Find a note using the minibuffer, the completion list consist of all the notes that start from the base of the current note's signature. Using it on signature 20a5c would display all descendants of note 20.
Find the upper level note corresponding with the current buffer's signature. Example: Using it on a 2a4 signature would find the 2a signature.
Find the first nested note corresponding with the current buffer's signature. Example: Using it on a 2a4 signature would find the 2a4a signature.
Find the next note at level with the current buffer's signature. Example: Using it on a 2a4 signature would find the 2a5 signature.
Find the previous note at level with the current buffer's signature. Example: Using it on a 2a4c signature would find the 2a4b signature.
Like denote-fz-goto-next but it moves to the first note of the
sequence if it reaches the end.
Find the next contiguous note.
Find the previous contiguous note.
Note
"Section" here means the list of immediate descendants of a given note; "full section" means the list of all descendants.
Insert dblock with a regexp corresponding with the section of the current buffer's signature. A signature 2 would generate a dblock with the notes 2a 2b 2c, etc.
Insert dblock with a regexp corresponding with the full-section of the current buffer's signature. A signature 2 would generate a dblock with the notes 2a 2a1 2a2a2 2b 2b1a, etc.
Open a dired buffer with the notes sorted by the folgezettel id.
Open a dired buffer with the notes corresponding with all the descendants of the dired file at point.
Open a dired buffer with the notes corresponding with all the descendants of the upper level of the dired file at point.
Open a dired buffer with all the top level notes (all the notes that include only numbers).