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\input texinfo @c -*- texinfo -*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename org-roam.info
@settitle Org-roam User Manual
@documentencoding UTF-8
@documentlanguage en
@c %**end of header
@copying
@quotation
Copyright (C) 2020-2020 Jethro Kuan <jethrokuan95@@gmail.com>
You can redistribute this document and/or modify it under the terms
of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software
Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any
later version.
This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE@. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
@end quotation
@end copying
@dircategory Emacs
@direntry
* Org-roam: (org-roam). Roam Research for Emacs.
@end direntry
@finalout
@titlepage
@title Org-roam User Manual
@subtitle for version 2.0.0
@author Jethro Kuan
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage
@ifnottex
@node Top
@top Org-roam User Manual
@noindent
This manual is for Org-roam version 2.0.0.
@quotation
Copyright (C) 2020-2021 Jethro Kuan <jethrokuan95@@gmail.com>
You can redistribute this document and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU
General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, either
version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.
This document is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE@. See the GNU
General Public License for more details.
@end quotation
@end ifnottex
@menu
* Introduction::
* Target Audience::
* A Brief Introduction to the Zettelkasten Method::
* Installation::
* Getting Started::
* Node Properties::
* The Org-roam Buffer::
* Styling Org-roam::
* Completion::
* Encryption::
* Org-roam protocol::
* Diagnosing and Repair::
* Building Extensions::
* The Org-mode Ecosystem::
* Frequently Asked Questions::
* The Templating System::
* Concepts and Configuration::
* Inserting Links::
* Completions::
* Navigating Around::
* Encryption: Encryption (1).
* Graphing::
* Minibuffer Completion::
* Roam Protocol::
* Daily-notes::
* Diagnosing and Repairing Files::
* Finding Unlinked References::
* Performance Optimization::
* Appendix::
* FAQ::
* Keystroke Index::
* Command Index::
* Function Index::
* Variable Index::
@detailmenu
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---
A Brief Introduction to the Zettelkasten Method
* Fleeting notes::
* Permanent notes::
Installation
* Installing from MELPA::
* Installing from Apt::
* Installing from the Git Repository::
* Post-Installation Tasks::
Getting Started
* The Org-roam Node::
* Links between Nodes::
* Setting up Org-roam::
* Creating New Notes::
Node Properties
* Standard Org properties::
* Aliases::
* Refs::
Building Extensions
* Public Interface::
The Templating System
* Template Walkthrough::
* Org-roam Template Expansion::
Concepts and Configuration
* Directories and Files::
* The Org-roam Buffer: The Org-roam Buffer (1).
* Org-roam Files::
* Org-roam Faces::
Completions
* Link Completion::
* Tag Completion::
Link Completion
* Link Completions Everywhere::
Navigating Around
* Index File::
Graphing
* Graph Options::
* Excluding Nodes and Edges::
Roam Protocol
* Installation: Installation (1).
* The roam-file protocol::
* The roam-ref protocol::
Daily-notes
* Configuration::
* Capturing and finding daily-notes::
* Navigation::
Performance Optimization
* Profiling Key Operations::
* Garbage Collection::
Appendix
* Note-taking Workflows::
* Ecosystem::
Ecosystem
* Browsing History with winner-mode::
* Versioning Notes::
* Full-text search interface with Deft::
* Org-journal::
* Note-taking Add-ons::
Note-taking Add-ons
* Org-download::
* mathpix.el: mathpixel.
* Org-noter / Interleave::
* Bibliography::
* Spaced Repetition::
FAQ
* How do I have more than one Org-roam directory?::
* How do I migrate from Roam Research?::
* How do I create a note whose title already matches one of the candidates?::
@end detailmenu
@end menu
@node Introduction
@chapter Introduction
Org-roam is a tool for networked thought. It reproduces some of @uref{https://roamresearch.com/, Roam
Research's} @footnote{To understand more about Roam, a collection of links are available in @ref{Note-taking Workflows}.} key features within @uref{https://orgmode.org/, Org-mode}.
Org-roam allows for effortless non-hierarchical note-taking: with Org-roam,
notes flow naturally, making note-taking fun and easy. Org-roam augments the
Org-mode syntax, and will work for anyone already using Org-mode for their
personal wiki.
Org-roam leverages the mature ecosystem around Org-mode. For example, it has
first-class support for @uref{https://github.com/jkitchin/org-ref, org-ref} for citation management, and is able to
piggyback off Org's excellent @LaTeX{} and source-block evaluation capabilities.
Org-roam provides these benefits over other tooling:
@itemize
@item
@strong{Privacy and Security:} Your personal wiki belongs only to you, entirely
offline and in your control. Encrypt your notes with GPG@.
@item
@strong{Longevity of Plain Text:} Unlike web solutions like Roam Research, the notes
are first and foremost plain Org-mode files -- Org-roam simply builds an
auxiliary database to give the personal wiki superpowers. Having your notes
in plain-text is crucial for the longevity of your wiki. Never have to worry
about proprietary web solutions being taken down. The notes are still
functional even if Org-roam ceases to exist.
@item
@strong{Free and Open Source:} Org-roam is free and open-source, which means that if
you feel unhappy with any part of Org-roam, you may choose to extend Org-roam,
or open a pull request.
@item
@strong{Leverage the Org-mode ecosystem:} Over the decades, Emacs and Org-mode has
developed into a mature system for plain-text organization. Building upon
Org-mode already puts Org-roam light-years ahead of many other solutions.
@item
@strong{Built on Emacs:} Emacs is also a fantastic interface for editing text, and
Org-roam inherits many of the powerful text-navigation and editing packages
available to Emacs.
@end itemize
@node Target Audience
@chapter Target Audience
Org-roam is a tool that will appear unfriendly to anyone unfamiliar with Emacs
and Org-mode, but it is also extremely powerful to those willing to put effort
inn mastering the intricacies. Org-roam stands on the shoulders on giants. Emacs
was first created in 1976, and remains the tool of choice for many for editing
text and designing textual interfaces. The malleability of Emacs allowed the
creation of Org-mode, an all-purpose plain-text system for maintaining TODO
lists, planning projects, and authoring documents. Both of these tools are
incredibly vast and require significant time investment to master.
Org-roam assumes only basic familiarity with these tools. It is not difficult to
get up and running with basic text-editing functionality, but one will only
fully appreciate the power of building Roam functionality into Emacs and
Org-mode when the usage of these tools become more advanced.
One key advantage to Org-roam is that building on top of Emacs gives it
malleability. This is especially important for note-taking workflows. It is our
belief that note-taking workflows are extremely personal, and there is no one
tool that's perfect for you. Org-mode and Org-roam allows you to discover what
works for you, and build that perfect tool for yourself.
If you are new to the software, and choose to take this leap of faith, I hope
you find yourself equally entranced as Neal Stephenson was.
@quotation
Emacs outshines all other editing software in approximately the same way that
the noonday sun does the stars. It is not just bigger and brighter; it simply
makes everything else vanish. Neal Stephenson, In the Beginning was the
Command Line (1998)
@end quotation
@node A Brief Introduction to the Zettelkasten Method
@chapter A Brief Introduction to the Zettelkasten Method
Org-roam provides utilities for maintaining a digital slip-box. This section
aims to provide a brief introduction to the ``slip-box'', or ``Zettelkasten''
method. By providing some background on the method, we hope that the design
decisions of Org-roam will become clear, and that will aid in using Org-roam
appropriately. In this section we will introduce terms commonly used within the
Zettelkasten community and the Org-roam forums.
The Zettelkasten is a personal tool for thinking and writing. It places heavy
emphasis on connecting ideas, building up a web of thought. Hence, it is well
suited for knowledge workers and intellectual tasks, such as conducting
research. The Zettelkasten can act as a research partner, where conversations
with it may produce new and surprising lines of thought.
This method is attributed to German sociologist Niklas Luhmann, who using the
method had produced volumes of written works. Luhmann's slip-box was simply a
box of cards. These cards are small -- often only large enough to fit a single
concept. The size limitation encourages ideas to be broken down into individual
concepts. These ideas are explicitly linked together. The breakdown of ideas
encourages tangential exploration of ideas, increasing the surface for thought.
Making linking explicit between notes also encourages one to think about the
connections between concepts.
At the corner of each note, Luhmann ascribed each note with an ordered ID,
allowing him to link and jump between notes. In Org-roam, we simply use
hyperlinks.
Org-roam is the slip-box, digitalized in Org-mode. Every zettel (card) is a
plain-text, Org-mode file. In the same way one would maintain a paper slip-box,
Org-roam makes it easy to create new zettels, pre-filling boilerplate content
using a powerful templating system.
@menu
* Fleeting notes::
* Permanent notes::
@end menu
@node Fleeting notes
@section Fleeting notes
A slip-box requires a method for quickly capturing ideas. These are called
@strong{fleeting notes}: they are simple reminders of information or ideas that will
need to be processed later on, or trashed. This is typically accomplished using
@code{org-capture} (see @ref{Capture,,,org,}), or using Org-roam's daily notes
functionality (see @ref{Daily-notes}). This provides a central inbox for collecting
thoughts, to be processed later into permanent notes.
@node Permanent notes
@section Permanent notes
Permanent notes are further split into two categories: @strong{literature notes} and
@strong{concept notes}. Literature notes can be brief annotations on a particular
source (e.g. book, website or paper), that you'd like to access later on.
Concept notes require much more care in authoring: they need to be
self-explanatory and detailed. Org-roam's templating system supports the
addition of different templates to facilitate the creation of these notes.
@node Installation
@chapter Installation
Org-roam can be installed using Emacs' package manager or manually from its
development repository.
@menu
* Installing from MELPA::
* Installing from Apt::
* Installing from the Git Repository::
* Post-Installation Tasks::
@end menu
@node Installing from MELPA
@section Installing from MELPA
Org-roam is available from Melpa and Melpa-Stable. If you haven't used Emacs'
package manager before, you may familiarize yourself with it by reading the
documentation in the Emacs manual, see @ref{Packages,,,emacs,}. Then, add one of the
archives to @samp{package-archives}:
@itemize
@item
To use Melpa:
@end itemize
@lisp
(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives
'("melpa" . "http://melpa.org/packages/") t)
@end lisp
@itemize
@item
To use Melpa-Stable:
@end itemize
@lisp
(require 'package)
(add-to-list 'package-archives
'("melpa-stable" . "http://stable.melpa.org/packages/") t)
@end lisp
Org-roam also depends on a recent version of Org, which can be obtained in Org's
package repository (see @ref{Installation,,,org,}). To use Org's ELPA archive:
@lisp
(add-to-list 'package-archives '("org" . "https://orgmode.org/elpa/") t)
@end lisp
Once you have added your preferred archive, you need to update the
local package list using:
@example
M-x package-refresh-contents RET
@end example
Once you have done that, you can install Org-roam and its dependencies
using:
@example
M-x package-install RET org-roam RET
@end example
Now see @ref{Post-Installation Tasks}.
@node Installing from Apt
@section Installing from Apt
Users of Debian 11 or later or Ubuntu 20.10 or later can simply install Org-roam
using Apt:
@example
apt-get install elpa-org-roam
@end example
Org-roam will then be autoloaded into Emacs.
@node Installing from the Git Repository
@section Installing from the Git Repository
You may install Org-roam directly from the repository on @uref{https://github.com/org-roam/org-roam, GitHub} if you like.
This will give you access to the latest version hours or days before it appears
on MELPA, and months (or more) before it is added to the Debian or Ubuntu
repositories. This will also give you access to various developmental branches
that may be available.
Note, however, that development version, and especially any feature branches,
may not always be in working order. You'll need to be prepared to do some
debugging, or to manually roll-back to working versions, if you install from
GitHub.
Installing from GitHub requires that you clone the repository:
@example
git clone https://github.com/org-roam/org-roam.git /path/to/org/roam
@end example
where @code{./path/to/org/roam} is the location you will store your copy of the code.
Next, you need to add this location to your load path, and @code{require} the
Org-roam library. Add the following code to your @code{.emacs}:
@lisp
(add-to-list 'load-path "/path/to/org/roam")
(require 'org-roam)
@end lisp
You now have Org-roam installed. However, you don't necessarily have the
dependencies that it requires. These include:
@itemize
@item
dash
@item
f
@item
s
@item
org
@item
emacsql
@item
emacsql-sqlite3
@end itemize
You can install this manually as well, or get the latest version from MELPA@. You
may wish to use @uref{https://github.com/jwiegley/use-package, use-package}, @uref{https://github.com/raxod502/straight.el, straight.el} to help manage this.
If you would like to install the manual for access from Emacs' built-in Info
system, you'll need to compile the .texi source file, and install it in an
appropriate location.
To compile the .texi source file, from a terminal navigate to the @code{/doc}
subdirectory of the Org-roam repository, and run the following:
@example
make infodir=/path/to/my/info/files install-info
@end example
Where @code{/path/to/my/info/files} is the location where you keep info files. This
target directory needs to be stored in the variable
`Info-default-directory-list`. If you aren't using one of the default info
locations, you can configure this with the following in your @code{.emacs} file:
@lisp
(require 'info)
(add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list
"/path/to/my/info/files")
@end lisp
You can also use one of the default locations, such as:
@itemize
@item
@emph{usr/local/share/info}
@item
@emph{usr/share/info}
@item
@emph{usr/local/share/info}
@end itemize
If you do this, you'll need to make sure you have write-access to that location,
or run the above @code{make} command as root.
Now that the info file is ready, you need to add it to the corresponding @code{dir}
file:
@example
install-info /path/to/my/info/files/org-roam.info /path/to/my/info/files/dir
@end example
@node Post-Installation Tasks
@section Post-Installation Tasks
Org-roam requires @code{sqlite3} to be located on @code{exec-path}. Please ensure that
@code{sqlite3} is installed appropriately on your operating system. You can verify
that this is the case by executing:
@lisp
(executable-find "sqlite3")
@end lisp
If you have @code{sqlite3} installed, and @code{executable-find} still reports @code{nil}, then
it is likely that the path to the executable is not a member of the Emacs
variable @code{exec-path}. You may rectify this by manually adding the path within
your Emacs configuration:
@lisp
(add-to-list 'exec-path "path/to/sqlite3")
@end lisp
@node Getting Started
@chapter Getting Started
@menu
* The Org-roam Node::
* Links between Nodes::
* Setting up Org-roam::
* Creating New Notes::
@end menu
@node The Org-roam Node
@section The Org-roam Node
We first begin with some terminology we'll use throughout the manual. We term
the basic denomination in Org-roam a node. We define a node as follows:
@quotation
A node is any headline or top level file with an ID@.
@end quotation
For example, with this example file content:
@example
:PROPERTIES:
:ID: foo
:END:
#+title: Foo
* Bar
:PROPERTIES:
:ID: bar
:END:
@end example
We create two nodes:
@itemize
@item
A file node ``Foo'' with id @code{foo}.
@item
A headline node ``Bar'' with id @code{bar}.
@end itemize
Headlines without IDs will not be considered Org-roam nodes. Org IDs can be
added to files or headlines via the interactive command @code{M-x org-id-get-create}.
@node Links between Nodes
@section Links between Nodes
We link between nodes using Org's standard ID link (e.g. @code{id:foo}). While only
ID links will be considered during the computation of links between nodes,
Org-roam caches all other links in the documents for external use.
@node Setting up Org-roam
@section Setting up Org-roam
Org-roam's primary capability comes from its aggressive caching: it crawls all
files within @code{org-roam-directory}, keeping a cache of all its links and nodes,
and making sure that the cache is consistent.
To first start using Org-roam, one needs to pick a location to store the
Org-roam files. The directory that will contain your notes is specified by the
variable @code{org-roam-directory}. Org-roam searches recursively within
@code{org-roam-directory} for notes. This variable needs to be set before any calls
to Org-roam functions. For this tutorial, create an empty directory, and set
@code{org-roam-directory}:
@lisp
(make-directory "~/org-roam")
(setq org-roam-directory "~/org-roam")
@end lisp
Next, we need to setup Org-roam to maintain cache consistency. This is achieved
by running @code{M-x org-roam-setup}. To ensure that Org-roam is available on
startup, one can place this in their Emacs configuration:
@lisp
(require 'org-roam)
(org-roam-setup)
@end lisp
To build the cache manually, one can run @code{M-x org-roam-db-build-cache}. Cache
builds may take a while the first time, but is often instantaneous in subsequent
runs because it only reprocesses modified files.
@node Creating New Notes
@section @strong{TODO} Creating New Notes
Let us now create our first node. Call @code{M-x org-roam-find-file}. This shows a
list of titles for nodes that reside in @code{org-roam-directory}. It should show
nothing right now, since there are no notes in the directory. Entering the title
of the note you wish to create, and pressing @code{RET} should begin the note
creation process. This process uses @code{org-capture}'s templating system, and can
be customized (see @ref{The Templating System}). Using the default template, pressing
@code{C-c C-c} finishes the note capture.
For experienced @code{org-capture} users, the behavior of @code{M-x org-roam-find-file}
may seem unfamiliar: after finishing a capture with @code{C-c C-c}, you are returned
not to the original buffer from which you called @code{M-x org-roam-find-file}, but
to a buffer pointing to the note you just created. For the usual @code{org-capture}
behavior you can call @code{M-x org-roam-capture} instead of @code{M-x org-roam-find-file}.
Org-roam makes it easy to create notes, and link them together. To link notes
together, we call @code{M-x org-roam-insert}. This brings up a prompt with a list of
title for existing notes. Selecting an existing entry will create and insert a
link to the current file. Entering a non-existent title will create a new note
with that title. Good usage of Org-roam requires liberally linking files: this
facilitates building up a dense graph of inter-connected notes.
Org-roam provides an interface to view backlinks. It shows backlinks for the
currently active Org-roam note, along with some surrounding context. To toggle
the visibility of this buffer, call @code{M-x org-roam}.
For a visual representation of the notes and their connections, Org-roam also
provides graphing capabilities, using Graphviz. It generates graphs with notes
as nodes, and links between them as edges. The generated graph can be used to
navigate to the files, but this requires some additional setup (see @ref{Roam Protocol}).
@node Node Properties
@chapter @strong{TODO} Node Properties
@menu
* Standard Org properties::
* Aliases::
* Refs::
@end menu
@node Standard Org properties
@section @strong{TODO} Standard Org properties
@node Aliases
@section @strong{TODO} Aliases
@node Refs
@section @strong{TODO} Refs
Refs are unique identifiers for files. For example, a note for a website may
contain a ref:
@example
#+title: Google
#+roam_key: https://www.google.com/
@end example
These keys allow references to the key to show up in the backlinks buffer. For
instance, with the example above, if another file then links to
@uref{https://www.google.com}, that will show up as a “Ref Backlink”.
These keys also come in useful for when taking website notes, using the
@code{roam-ref} protocol (see @ref{Roam Protocol}).
@uref{https://github.com/jkitchin/org-ref, org-ref} citation keys can also be used as refs:
@example
#+title: Neural Ordinary Differential Equations
#+roam_key: cite:chen18_neural_ordin_differ_equat
@end example
@float Figure
@image{images/org-ref-citelink,,,,png}
@caption{org-ref-citelink}
@end float
You may assign multiple refs to a single file, for example when you want
multiple papers in a series to share the same note, or an article has a citation
key and a URL at the same time.
@node The Org-roam Buffer
@chapter @strong{TODO} The Org-roam Buffer
@node Styling Org-roam
@chapter @strong{TODO} Styling Org-roam
@node Completion
@chapter @strong{TODO} Completion
@node Encryption
@chapter @strong{TODO} Encryption
@node Org-roam protocol
@chapter @strong{TODO} Org-roam protocol
@node Diagnosing and Repair
@chapter @strong{TODO} Diagnosing and Repair
@node Building Extensions
@chapter @strong{TODO} Building Extensions
@menu
* Public Interface::
@end menu
@node Public Interface
@section @strong{TODO} Public Interface
Database (for developers)
@itemize
@item
querying: (org-roam-db-query)
@item
updating full database: (org-roam-db-sync)
@item
update current file: (org-roam-db-update-file)
@item
remove file from database: (org-roam-db-clear-file)
@end itemize
Nodes:
@itemize
@item
List all nodes
@item
Read a node in from completion
@item
Get node at point
@end itemize
Links:
@itemize
@item
Get backlinks for node
@end itemize
Tags:
@itemize
@item
Add tag to node
@item
delete tag for node
@item
Get tags for node
@end itemize
Aliases:
@itemize
@item
Add alias to node
@item
Delete alias for node
@item
Get aliases for node
@end itemize
Ref:
@itemize
@item
Add ref to node
@end itemize
@node The Org-mode Ecosystem
@chapter @strong{TODO} The Org-mode Ecosystem
@node Frequently Asked Questions
@chapter @strong{TODO} Frequently Asked Questions
@node The Templating System
@chapter The Templating System
Rather than creating blank files on @code{org-roam-insert} and @code{org-roam-find-file},
it may be desirable to prefill the file with templated content. This may
include:
@itemize
@item
Time of creation
@item
File it was created from
@item
Clipboard content
@item
Any other data you may want to input manually
@end itemize
This requires a complex template insertion system. Fortunately, Org ships with a
powerful one: @code{org-capture} (see @ref{capture,,,org,}). However, org-capture was not
designed for such use. Org-roam abuses @code{org-capture}, extending its syntax and
capabilities. To first understand how org-roam's templating system works, it may
be useful to look into basic usage of @code{org-capture}.
For these reasons, Org-roam capture templates are not compatible with regular
@code{org-capture}. Hence, Org-roam's templates can be customized by instead
modifying the variable @code{org-roam-capture-templates}. Just like
@code{org-capture-templates}, @code{org-roam-capture-templates} can contain multiple
templates. If @code{org-roam-capture-templates} only contains one template, there
will be no prompt for template selection.
@menu
* Template Walkthrough::
* Org-roam Template Expansion::
@end menu
@node Template Walkthrough
@section Template Walkthrough
To demonstrate the additions made to org-capture templates. Here, we walkthrough
the default template, reproduced below.
@lisp
("d" "default" plain (function org-roam--capture-get-point)
"%?"
:file-name "%<%Y%m%d%H%M%S>-$@{slug@}"
:head "#+title: $@{title@}\n"
:unnarrowed t)
@end lisp
@itemize
@item
The template has short key @code{"d"}. If you have only one template, org-roam
automatically chooses this template for you.
@item
The template is given a description of @code{"default"}.
@item
@code{plain} text is inserted. Other options include Org headings via
@code{entry}.
@item
@code{(function org-roam--capture-get-point)} should not be changed.
@item
@code{"%?"} is the template inserted on each call to @code{org-roam-capture--capture}.
This template means don't insert any content, but place the cursor here.
@item
@code{:file-name} is the file-name template for a new note, if it doesn't yet
exist. This creates a file at path that looks like
@code{/path/to/org-roam-directory/20200213032037-foo.org}. This template also
allows you to specify if you want the note to go into a subdirectory. For
example, the template @code{private/$@{slug@}} will create notes in
@code{/path/to/org-roam-directory/private}.
@item
@code{:head} contains the initial template to be inserted (once only), at
the beginning of the file. Here, the title global attribute is
inserted.
@item
@code{:unnarrowed t} tells org-capture to show the contents for the whole
file, rather than narrowing to just the entry.
@end itemize
Other options you may want to learn about include @code{:immediate-finish}.
@node Org-roam Template Expansion
@section Org-roam Template Expansion
Org-roam's template definitions also extend org-capture's template syntax, to
allow prefilling of strings. We have seen a glimpse of this in @ref{Template Walkthrough, , Template
Walkthrough}.
In org-roam templates, the @code{$@{var@}} syntax allows for the expansion of
variables, stored in @code{org-roam-capture--info}. For example, during
@code{org-roam-insert}, the user is prompted for a title. Upon entering a
non-existent title, the @code{title} key in @code{org-roam-capture--info} is set to the
provided title. @code{$@{title@}} is then expanded into the provided title during the
org-capture process. Any variables that do not contain strings, are prompted for
values using @code{completing-read}.
After doing this expansion, the org-capture's template expansion system is used
to fill up the rest of the template. You may read up more on this on
@uref{https://orgmode.org/manual/Template-expansion.html#Template-expansion, org-capture's documentation page}.
To illustrate this dual expansion process, take for example the template string:
@code{"%<%Y%m%d%H%M%S>-$@{title@}"}, with the title @code{"Foo"}. The template is first
expanded into @code{%<%Y%m%d%H%M%S>-Foo}. Then org-capture expands @code{%<%Y%m%d%H%M%S>}
with timestamp: e.g. @code{20200213032037-Foo}.
All of the flexibility afforded by Emacs and Org-mode are available. For
example, if you want to encode a UTC timestamp in the filename, you can take
advantage of org-mode's @code{%(EXP)} template expansion to call @code{format-time-string}
directly to provide its third argument to specify UTC@.
@lisp
("d" "default" plain (function org-roam--capture-get-point)
"%?"
:file-name "%(format-time-string \"%Y-%m-%d--%H-%M-%SZ--$@{slug@}\" (current-time) t)"
:head "#+title: $@{title@}\n"
:unnarrowed t)
@end lisp
@node Concepts and Configuration
@chapter Concepts and Configuration
The number of configuration options is deliberately kept small, to keep the
Org-roam codebase manageable. However, we attempt to accommodate as many usage
styles as possible.
All of Org-roam's customization options can be viewed via @code{M-x customize-group
org-roam}.
@menu
* Directories and Files::
* The Org-roam Buffer: The Org-roam Buffer (1).
* Org-roam Files::
* Org-roam Faces::
@end menu
@node Directories and Files
@section Directories and Files
This section concerns the placement and creation of files.
@defvar org-roam-directory
This is the default path to Org-roam files. All Org files, at any level of
nesting, are considered part of the Org-roam.
@end defvar
@defvar org-roam-db-location
Location of the Org-roam database. If this is non-nil, the Org-roam sqlite
database is saved here.
It is the users responsibility to set this correctly, especially when used
with multiple Org-roam instances.
@end defvar
@defvar org-roam-file-exclude-regexp
Files matching this regular expression are excluded from the Org-roam.
@end defvar
@node The Org-roam Buffer (1)
@section The Org-roam Buffer
The Org-roam buffer displays backlinks for the currently active Org-roam note.
@defopt org-roam-buffer
The name of the org-roam buffer. Defaults to @code{*org-roam*}.
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-buffer-position
The position of the Org-roam buffer side window. Valid values are @code{'left},
@code{'right}, @code{'top}, @code{'bottom}.
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-buffer-width
Width of @code{org-roam-buffer}. Has an effect only if @code{org-roam-buffer-position} is
@code{'left} or @code{'right}.
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-buffer-height
Height of @code{org-roam-buffer}. Has an effect only if @code{org-roam-buffer-position} is
@code{'top} or @code{'bottom}.
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-buffer-window-parameters
Additional window parameters for the org-roam-buffer side window.
For example one can prevent the window from being deleted when calling
@code{delete-other-windows}, by setting it with the following:
@code{(setq org-roam-buffer-window-parameters '((no-delete-other-windows . t)))}
@end defopt
@node Org-roam Files
@section Org-roam Files
Org-roam files are created and prefilled using Org-roam's templating
system. The templating system is customizable (see @ref{The Templating System}).
@node Org-roam Faces
@section Org-roam Faces
Org-roam introduces several faces to distinguish links within the same buffer.
These faces are enabled by default in Org-roam notes.
@defopt org-roam-link-use-custom-faces
When @code{t}, use custom faces only inside Org-roam notes.
When @code{everywhere}, the custom face is applied additionally to non Org-roam notes.
When @code{nil}, do not use Org-roam's custom faces.
@end defopt
The @code{org-roam-link} face is the face applied to links to other Org-roam files.
This distinguishes internal links from external links (e.g. external web links).
The @code{org-roam-link-current} face corresponds to links to the same file it is in.
The @code{org-roam-link-invalid} face is applied to links that are broken. These are
links to files or IDs that cannot be found.
@node Inserting Links
@chapter Inserting Links
The preferred mode of linking is via @code{file} links to files, and @code{id} links for
headlines. This maintains the strongest compatibility with Org-mode, ensuring
that the links still function without Org-roam, and work well exporting to other
backends.
@code{file} links can be inserted via @code{org-roam-insert}. Links to headlines can be
inserted by navigating to the desired headline and calling @code{org-store-link}.
This will create an ID for the headline if it does not already exist, and
populate the Org-roam database. The link can then be inserted via
@code{org-insert-link}.
An alternative mode of insertion is using Org-roam's @code{roam} links. Org-roam
registers this link type, and interprets the path as follows:
@itemize
@item
@code{[[roam:title]]}links to an Org-roam file with title or alias ``title''
@item
@code{[[roam:*headline]]}links to the headline ``headline'' in the current
Org-roam file
@item
@code{[[roam:title*headline]]}links to the headline ``headline'' in the Org-roam
file with title or alias ``title''
@end itemize
@defopt org-roam-link-title-format
To distinguish between org-roam links and regular links, one may choose to use
special indicators for Org-roam links. Defaults to @code{"%s"}.
If your version of Org is at least @code{9.2}, consider styling the link differently,
by customizing the @code{org-roam-link}, and @code{org-roam-link-current} faces.
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-link-auto-replace
When non-nil, @code{roam} links will be replaced with @code{file} or @code{id} links when
they are navigated to, and on file save, when a match is found. This is
desirable to maintain compatibility with vanilla Org, but resolved links are
harder to edit. Defaults to @code{t}.
@end defopt
@node Completions
@chapter Completions
Completions for Org-roam are provided via @code{completion-at-point}. Completion
suggestions are implemented as separate functions. Org-roam installs all
functions in @code{org-roam-completion-functions} to @code{completion-at-point-functions}.
@defvar org-roam-completion-functions
The list of functions to be used with @code{completion-at-point}.
@end defvar
@defopt org-roam-completion-ignore-case
When non-nil, the @code{roam} link completions are ignore case. For example,
calling @code{completion-at-point} within @code{[[roam:fo]]} will present a completion
for a file with title ``Foo''. Defaults to @code{t}.
@end defopt
To use the completions from Org-roam with @code{company-mode}, prepend @code{company-capf}
to variable @code{company-backends}.
@menu
* Link Completion::
* Tag Completion::
@end menu
@node Link Completion
@section Link Completion
@code{roam} links support auto-completion via @code{completion-at-point}: simply call
@code{M-x completion-at-point} within a roam link. That is, where the @code{|} character
represents the cursor:
@itemize
@item
@code{[[|]]}: completes for a file title
@item
@code{[[roam:]]}: completes for a file title
@item
@code{[[*|]]}: completes for a headline within this file
@item
@code{[[foo*|]]}: completes a headline within the file with title ``foo''
@item
@code{[[roam:foo*|]]} completes a headline within the file with title ``foo''
@end itemize
Completions account for the current input. For example, for @code{[[f|]]}, the
completions (by default) only show for files with titles that start with ``f''.
@defun org-roam-link-complete-at-point
Do appropriate completion for the link at point.
@end defun
@menu
* Link Completions Everywhere::
@end menu
@node Link Completions Everywhere
@subsection Link Completions Everywhere
Org-roam is able to provide completions from the current word at point, enabling
as-you-type link completions. However, this is disabled by default: the author
believes that linking should be a deliberate action and linking should be
performed with great care.
Setting @code{org-roam-completion-everywhere} to @code{t} will enable word-at-point
completions.
@defopt org-roam-completion-everywhere
If non-nil, provide completions from the current word at point. That is, in
the scenario @code{this is a sent|}, calling @code{completion-at-point} will show
completions for titles that begin with ``sent''.
@end defopt
@node Tag Completion
@section Tag Completion
Org-roam facilitates the insertion of existing tags via @code{completion-at-point}.
That is, suppose you have notes with tags ``foo'', and ``bar''. Now, in a note, if
you're on a line beginning with @code{#+roam_tags:}, completions for these will
appear as-you-type if they match.
This functionality is implemented in @code{org-roam-complete-tags-at-point}.
@node Navigating Around
@chapter Navigating Around
@menu
* Index File::
@end menu
@node Index File
@section Index File
As your collection grows, you might want to create an index where you keep links
to your main files.
In Org-roam, you can define the path to your index file by setting
@code{org-roam-index-file}.
@defvar org-roam-index-file
Path to the Org-roam index file.
The path can be a string or a function. If it is a string, it should be the
path (absolute or relative to @code{org-roam-directory}) to the index file. If it
is is a function, the function should return the path to the index file.
Otherwise, the index is assumed to be a note in @code{org-roam-index} whose
title is @code{"Index"}.
@end defvar
@defun org-roam-find-index
Opens the Index file in the current @code{org-roam-directory}.
@end defun
@node Encryption (1)
@chapter Encryption
One may wish to keep private, encrypted files. Org-roam supports encryption (via
GPG), which can be enabled for all new files by setting @code{org-roam-encrypt-files}
to @code{t}. When enabled, new files are created with the @code{.org.gpg} extension and
decryption are handled automatically by EasyPG@.
Note that Emacs will prompt for a password for encrypted files during cache
updates if it requires reading the encrypted file. To reduce the number of
password prompts, you may wish to cache the password.
@defopt org-roam-encrypt-files
Whether to encrypt new files. If true, create files with .org.gpg extension.
@end defopt
@node Graphing
@chapter Graphing
Org-roam provides graphing capabilities to explore interconnections between
notes. This is done by performing SQL queries and generating images using
@uref{https://graphviz.org/, Graphviz}. The graph can also be navigated: see @ref{Roam Protocol}.
The entry point to graph creation is @code{org-roam-graph}.
@defun org-roam-graph & optional arg file node-query
Build and possibly display a graph for FILE from NODE-QUERY@.
If FILE is nil, default to current buffers file name.
ARG may be any of the following values:
@itemize
@item
@code{nil} show the graph.
@item
@code{C-u} show the graph for FILE@.
@item
@code{C-u N} show the graph for FILE limiting nodes to N steps.
@item
@code{C-u C-u} build the graph.
@item
@code{C-u -} build the graph for FILE@.
@item
@code{C-u -N} build the graph for FILE limiting nodes to N steps.
@end itemize
@end defun
@defopt org-roam-graph-executable
Path to the graphing executable (in this case, Graphviz). Set this if Org-roam
is unable to find the Graphviz executable on your system.
You may also choose to use @code{neato} in place of @code{dot}, which generates a more
compact graph layout.
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-graph-viewer
Org-roam defaults to using Firefox (located on PATH) to view the SVG, but you
may choose to set it to:
@itemize
@item
A string, which is a path to the program used
@item
a function accepting a single argument: the graph file path.
@end itemize
@code{nil} uses @code{view-file} to view the graph.
If you are using WSL2 and would like to open the graph in Windows, you can use
the second option to set the browser and network file path:
@lisp
(setq org-roam-graph-viewer
(lambda (file)
(let ((org-roam-graph-viewer "/mnt/c/Program Files/Mozilla Firefox/firefox.exe"))
(org-roam-graph--open (concat "file://///wsl$/Ubuntu" file)))))
@end lisp
@end defopt
@menu
* Graph Options::
* Excluding Nodes and Edges::
@end menu
@node Graph Options
@section Graph Options
Graphviz provides many options for customizing the graph output, and Org-roam
supports some of them. See @uref{https://graphviz.gitlab.io/_pages/doc/info/attrs.html}
for customizable options.
@defopt org-roam-graph-extra-config
Extra options passed to graphviz for the digraph (The ``G'' attributes).
Example: @code{'~(("rankdir" . "LR"))}
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-graph-node-extra-config
Extra options for nodes in the graphviz output (The ``N'' attributes).
Example: @code{'(("color" . "skyblue"))}
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-graph-edge-extra-config
Extra options for edges in the graphviz output (The ``E'' attributes).
Example: @code{'(("dir" . "back"))}
@end defopt
@defopt org-roam-graph-edge-cites-extra-config
Extra options for citation edges in the graphviz output.
Example: @code{'(("color" . "red"))}
@end defopt
@node Excluding Nodes and Edges
@section Excluding Nodes and Edges
One may want to exclude certain files to declutter the graph.
@defopt org-roam-graph-exclude-matcher
Matcher for excluding nodes from the generated graph. Any nodes and links for
file paths matching this string is excluded from the graph.
If value is a string, the string is the only matcher.
If value is a list, all file paths matching any of the strings
are excluded.
@end defopt
@example
(setq org-roam-graph-exclude-matcher '("private" "dailies"))
@end example
This setting excludes all files whose path contain ``private'' or ``dailies''.
@node Minibuffer Completion
@chapter Minibuffer Completion
Org-roam allows customization of which minibuffer completion system to use for
its interactive commands. The default setting uses Emacs' standard
@code{completing-read} mechanism.
@lisp
(setq org-roam-completion-system 'default)
@end lisp
If you have installed Helm or Ivy, and have their modes enabled, under the
@code{'default} setting they will be used.
In the rare scenario where you use Ivy globally, but prefer @uref{https://emacs-helm.github.io/helm/, Helm} for org-roam
commands, set:
@lisp
(setq org-roam-completion-system 'helm)
@end lisp
Other options include @code{'ido}, and @code{'ivy}.
@node Roam Protocol
@chapter Roam Protocol
Org-roam extends @code{org-protocol} with 2 protocols: the @code{roam-file} and @code{roam-ref}
protocols.
@menu
* Installation: Installation (1).
* The roam-file protocol::
* The roam-ref protocol::
@end menu
@node Installation (1)
@section Installation
To enable Org-roam's protocol extensions, you have to add the following to your
init file:
@lisp
(require 'org-roam-protocol)
@end lisp
The instructions for setting up @code{org-protocol} are reproduced below.
We will also need to create a desktop application for @code{emacsclient}. The
instructions for various platforms are shown below.
For Linux users, create a desktop application in
@code{~/.local/share/applications/org-protocol.desktop}:
@example
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Org-Protocol
Exec=emacsclient %u
Icon=emacs-icon
Type=Application
Terminal=false
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/org-protocol
@end example
Associate @code{org-protocol://} links with the desktop application by
running in your shell:
@example
xdg-mime default org-protocol.desktop x-scheme-handler/org-protocol
@end example
To disable the ``confirm'' prompt in Chrome, you can also make Chrome show a
checkbox to tick, so that the @code{Org-Protocol Client} app will be used without
confirmation. To do this, run in a shell:
@example
sudo mkdir -p /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/
sudo tee /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/external_protocol_dialog.json >/dev/null <<'EOF'
@{
"ExternalProtocolDialogShowAlwaysOpenCheckbox": true
@}
EOF
sudo chmod 644 /etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed/external_protocol_dialog.json
@end example
and then restart Chrome (for example, by navigating to <chrome://restart>) to
make the new policy take effect.
See @uref{https://www.chromium.org/administrators/linux-quick-start, here} for more info on the @code{/etc/opt/chrome/policies/managed} directory and
@uref{https://cloud.google.com/docs/chrome-enterprise/policies/?policy=ExternalProtocolDialogShowAlwaysOpenCheckbox, here} for information on the @code{ExternalProtocolDialogShowAlwaysOpenCheckbox} policy.
For MacOS, we need to create our own application.
@itemize
@item
Launch Script Editor
@item
Use the following script, paying attention to the path to @code{emacsclient}:
@end itemize
@lisp
on open location this_URL
set EC to "/usr/local/bin/emacsclient --no-wait "
set filePath to quoted form of this_URL
do shell script EC & filePath
tell application "Emacs" to activate
end open location
@end lisp
@itemize
@item
Save the script in @code{/Applications/OrgProtocolClient.app}, changing the script type to
``Application'', rather than ``Script''.
@item
Edit @code{/Applications/OrgProtocolClient.app/Contents/Info.plist}, adding the
following before the last @code{</dict>} tag:
@end itemize
@example
<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleURLName</key>
<string>org-protocol handler</string>
<key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
<array>
<string>org-protocol</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
@end example
@itemize
@item
Save the file, and run the @code{OrgProtocolClient.app} to register the protocol.
@end itemize
To disable the ``confirm'' prompt in Chrome, you can also make Chrome
show a checkbox to tick, so that the @code{OrgProtocol} app will be used
without confirmation. To do this, run in a shell:
@example
defaults write com.google.Chrome ExternalProtocolDialogShowAlwaysOpenCheckbox -bool true
@end example
If you're using @uref{https://github.com/railwaycat/homebrew-emacsmacport, Emacs Mac Port}, it registered its `Emacs.app` as the default
handler for the URL scheme `org-protocol`. To make @code{OrgProtocol.app}
the default handler instead, run:
@example
defaults write com.apple.LaunchServices/com.apple.launchservices.secure LSHandlers -array-add \
'@{"LSHandlerPreferredVersions" = @{ "LSHandlerRoleAll" = "-"; @}; LSHandlerRoleAll = "org.yourusername.OrgProtocol"; LSHandlerURLScheme = "org-protocol";@}'
@end example
Then restart your computer.
For Windows, create a temporary @code{org-protocol.reg} file:
@example
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\org-protocol]
@@="URL:Org Protocol"
"URL Protocol"=""
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\org-protocol\shell]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\org-protocol\shell\open]
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\org-protocol\shell\open\command]
@@="\"C:\\Windows\\System32\\wsl.exe\" emacsclient \"%1\""
@end example
The above will forward the protocol to WSL@. If you run Emacs natively on
Windows, replace the last line with:
@example
@@="\"c:\\path\\to\\emacs\\bin\\emacsclientw.exe\" \"%1\""
@end example
After executing the .reg file, the protocol is registered and you can delete the
file.
@node The roam-file protocol
@section The roam-file protocol
This is a simple protocol that opens the path specified by the @code{file}
key (e.g. @code{org-protocol://roam-file?file=/tmp/file.org}). This is used
in the generated graph.
@node The roam-ref protocol
@section The roam-ref protocol
This protocol finds or creates a new note with a given @code{roam_key}:
@image{images/roam-ref,,,,gif}
To use this, create the following @uref{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bookmarklet, bookmarklet} in your browser:
@example
javascript:location.href =
'org-protocol://roam-ref?template=r&ref='
+ encodeURIComponent(location.href)
+ '&title='
+ encodeURIComponent(document.title)
+ '&body='
+ encodeURIComponent(window.getSelection())
@end example
or as a keybinding in @code{qutebrowser} in , using the @code{config.py} file (see
@uref{https://github.com/qutebrowser/qutebrowser/blob/master/doc/help/configuring.asciidoc, Configuring qutebrowser}):
@example
config.bind("<Ctrl-r>", "open javascript:location.href='org-protocol://roam-ref?template=r&ref='+encodeURIComponent(location.href)+'&title='+encodeURIComponent(document.title)")
@end example
where @code{template} is the template key for a template in
@code{org-roam-capture-ref-templates} (see @ref{The Templating System}). These templates
should contain a @code{#+roam_key: $@{ref@}} in it.
@node Daily-notes
@chapter Daily-notes
Org-roam provides journaling capabilities akin to
@ref{Org-journal} with @code{org-roam-dailies}.
@menu
* Configuration::
* Capturing and finding daily-notes::
* Navigation::
@end menu
@node Configuration
@section Configuration
For @code{org-roam-dailies} to work, you need to define two variables:
@defvar @code{org-roam-dailies-directory}
Path to daily-notes.
@end defvar
@defvar @code{org-roam-dailies-capture-templates}
Capture templates for daily-notes in Org-roam.
@end defvar
Here is a sane default configuration:
@lisp
(setq org-roam-dailies-directory "daily/")
(setq org-roam-dailies-capture-templates
'(("d" "default" entry
#'org-roam-capture--get-point
"* %?"
:file-name "daily/%<%Y-%m-%d>"
:head "#+title: %<%Y-%m-%d>\n\n")))
@end lisp
Make sure that @code{org-roam-dailies-directory} appears in @code{:file-name} for your
notes to be recognized as daily-notes. You can have different templates placing
their notes in different directories, but the one in
@code{org-roam-dailies-directory} will be considered as the main one in commands.
See @ref{The Templating System} for creating new
templates. @code{org-roam-dailies} provides an extra @code{:olp} option which allows
specifying the outline-path to a heading:
@lisp
(setq org-roam-dailies-capture-templates
'(("l" "lab" entry
#'org-roam-capture--get-point
"* %?"
:file-name "daily/%<%Y-%m-%d>"
:head "#+title: %<%Y-%m-%d>\n"
:olp ("Lab notes"))
("j" "journal" entry
#'org-roam-capture--get-point
"* %?"
:file-name "daily/%<%Y-%m-%d>"
:head "#+title: %<%Y-%m-%d>\n"
:olp ("Journal"))))
@end lisp
The template @code{l} will put its notes under the heading Lab notes, and the
template @code{j} will put its notes under the heading Journal.
@node Capturing and finding daily-notes
@section Capturing and finding daily-notes
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-capture-today} &optional goto
Create an entry in the daily note for today.
When @code{goto} is non-nil, go the note without creating an entry.
@end defun
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-find-today}
Find the daily note for today, creating it if necessary.
@end defun
There are variants of those commands for @code{-yesterday} and @code{-tomorrow}:
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-capture-yesterday} n &optional goto
Create an entry in the daily note for yesteday.
With numeric argument @code{n}, use the daily note @code{n} days in the past.
@end defun
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-find-yesterday}
With numeric argument N, use the daily-note N days in the future.
@end defun
There are also commands which allow you to use Emacss @code{calendar} to find the date
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-capture-date}
Create an entry in the daily note for a date using the calendar.
Prefer past dates, unless @code{prefer-future} is non-nil.
With a 'C-u' prefix or when @code{goto} is non-nil, go the note without
creating an entry.
@end defun
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-find-date}
Find the daily note for a date using the calendar, creating it if necessary.
Prefer past dates, unless @code{prefer-future} is non-nil.
@end defun
@node Navigation
@section Navigation
You can navigate between daily-notes:
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-find-directory}
Find and open @code{org-roam-dailies-directory}.
@end defun
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-find-previous-note}
When in an daily-note, find the previous one.
@end defun
@defun @code{org-roam-dailies-find-next-note}
When in an daily-note, find the next one.
@end defun
@node Diagnosing and Repairing Files
@chapter Diagnosing and Repairing Files
Org-roam provides a utility for diagnosing and repairing problematic files via
@code{org-roam-doctor}. By default, @code{org-roam-doctor} runs the check on the current
Org-roam file. To run the check only for all Org-roam files, run @code{C-u M-x
org-roam-doctor}, but note that this may take some time.
@defun org-roam-doctor &optional this-buffer
Perform a check on Org-roam files to ensure cleanliness. If THIS-BUFFER, run
the check only for the current buffer.
@end defun
The checks run are defined in @code{org-roam-doctor--checkers}. By default, there are
checkers for broken links and invalid @samp{#+roam_*} properties.
Each checker is an instance of @code{org-roam-doctor-checker}. To define a checker,
use @code{make-org-roam-doctor-checker}. Here is a sample definition:
@lisp
(make-org-roam-doctor-checker
:name 'org-roam-doctor-broken-links
:description "Fix broken links."
:actions '(("d" . ("Unlink" . org-roam-doctor--remove-link))
("r" . ("Replace link" . org-roam-doctor--replace-link))
("R" . ("Replace link (keep label)" . org-roam-doctor--replace-link-keep-label))))
@end lisp
The @code{:name} property is the name of the function run. The function takes in the
Org parse tree, and returns a list of @code{(point error-message)}. @code{:description} is
a short description of what the checker does. @code{:actions} is an alist containing
elements of the form @code{(char . (prompt . function))}. These actions are defined
per checker, to perform autofixes for the errors. For each error detected,
@code{org-roam-doctor} will move the point to the current error, and pop-up a help
window displaying the error message, as well as the list of actions that can be
taken provided in @code{:actions}.
@node Finding Unlinked References
@chapter Finding Unlinked References
Unlinked references are occurrences of strings of text that exactly match the
title or alias of an existing note in the Org-roam database. Org-roam provides
facilities for discovering these unlinked references, so one may decide whether
to convert them into links.
To use this feature, simply call @code{M-x org-roam-unlinked-references} from within
an Org-roam note. Internally, Org-roam uses @uref{https://github.com/BurntSushi/ripgrep, ripgrep} and a clever PCRE regex to
find occurrences of the title or aliases of the currently open note in all
Org-roam files. Hence, this requires a version of ripgrep that is compiled with
PCRE support.
@quotation
NOTE: Since ripgrep cannot read encrypted files, this function cannot find
unlinked references within encrypted files.
@end quotation
@node Performance Optimization
@chapter Performance Optimization
@menu
* Profiling Key Operations::
* Garbage Collection::
@end menu
@node Profiling Key Operations
@section @strong{TODO} Profiling Key Operations
@node Garbage Collection
@section Garbage Collection
During the cache-build process, Org-roam generates a lot of in-memory
data-structures (such as the Org file's AST), which are discarded after use.
These structures are garbage collected at regular intervals (see @ref{Garbage Collection,info:elisp#Garbage Collection,,elisp,}).
Org-roam provides the option @code{org-roam-db-gc-threshold} to temporarily change
the threshold value for GC to be triggered during these memory-intensive
operations. To reduce the number of garbage collection processes, one may set
@code{org-roam-db-gc-threshold} to a high value (such as @code{most-positive-fixnum}):
@lisp
(setq org-roam-db-gc-threshold most-positive-fixnum)
@end lisp
@node Appendix
@chapter Appendix
@menu
* Note-taking Workflows::
* Ecosystem::
@end menu
@node Note-taking Workflows
@section Note-taking Workflows
@itemize
@item
Books@itemize
@item
@uref{https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34507927-how-to-take-smart-notes, How To Take Smart Notes}
@end itemize
@item
Articles@itemize
@item
@uref{https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NfdHG6oHBJ8Qxc26s/the-zettelkasten-method-1, The Zettelkasten Method - LessWrong 2.0}
@item
@uref{https://reddit.com/r/RoamResearch/comments/eho7de/building_a_second_brain_in_roamand_why_you_might, Building a Second Brain in Roam@dots{}And Why You Might Want To : RoamResearch}
@item
@uref{https://www.nateliason.com/blog/roam, Roam Research: Why I Love It and How I Use It - Nat Eliason}
@item
@uref{https://twitter.com/adam_keesling/status/1196864424725774336?s=20, Adam Keesling's Twitter Thread}
@item
@uref{https://blog.jethro.dev/posts/how_to_take_smart_notes_org/, How To Take Smart Notes With Org-mode · Jethro Kuan}
@end itemize
@item
Threads@itemize
@item
@uref{https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22473209, Ask HN: How to Take Good Notes}
@end itemize
@item
Videos@itemize
@item
@uref{https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvWic15iXjk, How to Use Roam to Outline a New Article in Under 20 Minutes}
@end itemize
@end itemize
@node Ecosystem
@section Ecosystem
@menu
* Browsing History with winner-mode::
* Versioning Notes::
* Full-text search interface with Deft::
* Org-journal::
* Note-taking Add-ons::
@end menu
@node Browsing History with winner-mode
@subsection Browsing History with winner-mode
@code{winner-mode} is a global minor mode that allows one to undo and redo changes in
the window configuration. It is included with GNU Emacs since version 20.
@code{winner-mode} can be used as a simple version of browser history for Org-roam.
Each click through org-roam links (from both Org files and the backlinks buffer)
causes changes in window configuration, which can be undone and redone using
@code{winner-mode}. To use @code{winner-mode}, simply enable it, and bind the appropriate
interactive functions:
@lisp
(winner-mode +1)
(define-key winner-mode-map (kbd "<M-left>") #'winner-undo)
(define-key winner-mode-map (kbd "<M-right>") #'winner-redo)
@end lisp
@node Versioning Notes
@subsection Versioning Notes
Since Org-roam notes are just plain text, it is trivial to track changes in your
notes database using version control systems such as @uref{https://git-scm.com/, Git}. Simply initialize
@code{org-roam-directory} as a Git repository, and commit your files at regular or
appropriate intervals. @uref{https://magit.vc/, Magit} is a great interface to Git within Emacs.
In addition, it may be useful to observe how a particular note has evolved, by
looking at the file history. @uref{https://gitlab.com/pidu/git-timemachine, Git-timemachine} allows you to visit historic
versions of a tracked Org-roam note.
@node Full-text search interface with Deft
@subsection Full-text search interface with Deft
@uref{https://jblevins.org/projects/deft/, Deft} provides a nice interface for browsing and filtering org-roam notes.
@lisp
(use-package deft
:after org
:bind
("C-c n d" . deft)
:custom
(deft-recursive t)
(deft-use-filter-string-for-filename t)
(deft-default-extension "org")
(deft-directory "/path/to/org-roam-files/"))
@end lisp
If the title of the Org file is not the first line, you might not get nice
titles. You may choose to patch this to use @code{org-roam}'s functionality. Here I'm
using @uref{https://github.com/raxod502/el-patch, el-patch}:
@lisp
(use-package el-patch
:straight (:host github
:repo "raxod502/el-patch"
:branch "develop"))
(eval-when-compile
(require 'el-patch))
(use-package deft
;; same as above...
:config/el-patch
(defun deft-parse-title (file contents)
"Parse the given FILE and CONTENTS and determine the title.
If `deft-use-filename-as-title' is nil, the title is taken to
be the first non-empty line of the FILE. Else the base name of the FILE is
used as title."
(el-patch-swap (if deft-use-filename-as-title
(deft-base-filename file)
(let ((begin (string-match "^.+$" contents)))
(if begin
(funcall deft-parse-title-function
(substring contents begin (match-end 0))))))
(org-roam-db--get-title file))))
@end lisp
The Deft interface can slow down quickly when the number of files get huge.
@uref{https://github.com/hasu/notdeft, Notdeft} is a fork of Deft that uses an external search engine and indexer.
@node Org-journal
@subsection Org-journal
@uref{https://github.com/bastibe/org-journal, Org-journal} provides journaling capabilities to Org-mode. A lot of its
functionalities have been incorporated into Org-roam under the name
@ref{Daily-notes, , @code{org-roam-dailies}}. It remains a good tool if you want to isolate your verbose
journal entries from the ideas you would write on a scratchpad.
@lisp
(use-package org-journal
:bind
("C-c n j" . org-journal-new-entry)
:custom
(org-journal-date-prefix "#+title: ")
(org-journal-file-format "%Y-%m-%d.org")
(org-journal-dir "/path/to/journal/files/")
(org-journal-date-format "%A, %d %B %Y"))
@end lisp
@node Note-taking Add-ons
@subsection Note-taking Add-ons
These are some plugins that make note-taking in Org-mode more enjoyable.
@menu
* Org-download::
* mathpix.el: mathpixel.
* Org-noter / Interleave::
* Bibliography::
* Spaced Repetition::
@end menu
@node Org-download
@unnumberedsubsubsec Org-download
@uref{https://github.com/abo-abo/org-download, Org-download} lets you screenshot and yank images from the web into your notes:
@float Figure
@image{images/org-download,,,,gif}
@caption{org-download}
@end float
@lisp
(use-package org-download
:after org
:bind
(:map org-mode-map
(("s-Y" . org-download-screenshot)
("s-y" . org-download-yank))))
@end lisp
@node mathpixel
@unnumberedsubsubsec mathpix.el
@uref{https://github.com/jethrokuan/mathpix.el, mathpix.el} uses @uref{https://mathpix.com/, Mathpix's} API to convert clips into latex equations:
@float Figure
@image{images/mathpix,,,,gif}
@caption{mathpix}
@end float
@lisp
(use-package mathpix.el
:straight (:host github :repo "jethrokuan/mathpix.el")
:custom ((mathpix-app-id "app-id")
(mathpix-app-key "app-key"))
:bind
("C-x m" . mathpix-screenshot))
@end lisp
@node Org-noter / Interleave
@unnumberedsubsubsec Org-noter / Interleave
@uref{https://github.com/weirdNox/org-noter, Org-noter} and
@uref{https://github.com/rudolfochrist/interleave, Interleave} are both
projects that allow synchronised annotation of documents (PDF, EPUB
etc.) within Org-mode.
@node Bibliography
@unnumberedsubsubsec Bibliography
@uref{https://github.com/org-roam/org-roam-bibtex, org-roam-bibtex} offers
tight integration between
@uref{https://github.com/jkitchin/org-ref, org-ref},
@uref{https://github.com/tmalsburg/helm-bibtex, helm-bibtex} and
@code{org-roam}. This helps you manage your bibliographic notes under
@code{org-roam}.
For example, though helm-bibtex provides the ability to visit notes for
bibliographic entries, org-roam-bibtex extends it with the ability to visit the
file with the right @samp{#+roam_key}.
@node Spaced Repetition
@unnumberedsubsubsec Spaced Repetition
@uref{https://www.leonrische.me/fc/index.html, Org-fc} is a spaced repetition system that scales well with a large number of
files. Other alternatives include @uref{https://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/org-drill.html, org-drill}, and @uref{https://github.com/abo-abo/pamparam, pamparam}.
@node FAQ
@chapter FAQ
@menu
* How do I have more than one Org-roam directory?::
* How do I migrate from Roam Research?::
* How do I create a note whose title already matches one of the candidates?::
@end menu
@node How do I have more than one Org-roam directory?
@section How do I have more than one Org-roam directory?
Emacs supports directory-local variables, allowing the value of
@code{org-roam-directory} to be different in different directories. It does this by
checking for a file named @code{.dir-locals.el}.
To add support for multiple directories, override the @code{org-roam-directory}
variable using directory-local variables. This is what @code{.dir-locals.el} may
contain:
@lisp
((nil . ((org-roam-directory . ".")
(org-roam-db-location . "./org-roam.db"))))
@end lisp
All files within that directory will be treated as their own separate set of
Org-roam files. Remember to run @code{org-roam-db-build-cache} from a file within
that directory, at least once.
@node How do I migrate from Roam Research?
@section How do I migrate from Roam Research?
Fabio has produced a command-line tool that converts markdown files exported
from Roam Research into Org-roam compatible markdown. More instructions are
provided @uref{https://github.com/fabioberger/roam-migration, in the repository}.
@node How do I create a note whose title already matches one of the candidates?
@section How do I create a note whose title already matches one of the candidates?
This situation arises when, for example, one would like to create a note titled
``bar'' when ``barricade'' already exists.
The solution is dependent on the mini-buffer completion framework in use. Here
are the solutions:
@itemize
@item
Ivycall @code{ivy-immediate-done}, typically bound to @code{C-M-j}. Alternatively,
set @code{ivy-use-selectable-prompt} to @code{t}, so that ``bar'' is now selectable.
@item
HelmOrg-roam should provide a selectable ``[?] bar'' candidate at the top of
the candidate list.
@end itemize
@node Keystroke Index
@appendix Keystroke Index
@printindex ky
@node Command Index
@appendix Command Index
@printindex cp
@node Function Index
@appendix Function Index
@printindex fn
@node Variable Index
@appendix Variable Index
@printindex vr
Emacs 28.0.50 (Org mode 9.5)
@bye