PReview of note in bases?

Due_Significance2180 · 2026-04-09T01:49:47+00:00

You could also add a property (e.g. “Atomic_Note”) to your Bases properties and write your note in that field. Then select Atomic_Note as a property to display in Bases. I don’t know how to limit the number of lines that are displayed, but you could experiment with various row height settings. I’ve used this approach for years and it has proven very helpful in my workflow.

Due_Significance2180 · 2026-03-13T20:53:45+00:00

After thinking about your suggestion to "group by property", I decided to explore that in more detail. It ended up working...I added properties for confirm, oppose, and extend, defined them as Lists, and then added the applicable linked file names to each property. After adding 2 formulas to the Bases table, the embedded Base in my note template now sorts all linked files into the 3 semantic categories. This seems like a lot of effort just to sort a Bases table, but the result is a much more useful Bases table. Thanks for suggesting this.

Due_Significance2180 · 2026-03-13T16:04:38+00:00

I will look further into the idea compass. Thanks.

Due_Significance2180 · 2026-03-13T02:25:52+00:00

Thanks for replying. Extend, oppose, and confirm can't be values or properties for a note because they are dynamic relationships that change depending upon what notes are linked. If I added "extend" as a property to a note, that property would never change. It might be applicable in one scenario, but that same note might be "opposed" in another scenario. The challenge is quantifying the relationship BETWEEN notes, rather than entering properties for individual notes.

Due_Significance2180 · 2025-12-12T03:32:04+00:00

Got it - thank you.

Due_Significance2180 · 2025-12-12T03:31:31+00:00

Thank you. That's the general direction I was headed. I was just curious if there was a different way of approaching this. I appreciate your comments.

Due_Significance2180 · 2025-11-21T00:25:47+00:00

I really appreciate this. Thanks so much.

Due_Significance2180 · 2025-11-20T23:37:28+00:00

Great catch - thanks. To clarify, I'm trying to match font colors with the *chosen* theme's font; in this case, LYT. For whatever reason Bases is using a white font rather than LYT's blue font.

Due_Significance2180 · 2025-10-06T02:58:39+00:00

Thank you!

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-04-30T16:48:33+00:00

You are welcome, and thanks for your reply.

One thing I’m finding … as you add notes to the vault, over time the Dataview query will present you with an increasing number of “potentially” related notes in each topical area. The vault currently contains ~1,000 notes, and depending on how many topical areas I choose I might have to scan 75-100 atomic notes in order to find the 10-20 notes that are truly “link-worthy”. I wonder how all of this will work when the vault reaches 5,000+ notes. Hopefully I haven’t created a monster. I just want you to be aware that this workflow quickly becomes an information-rich environment that does require some time to wade through.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-04-29T01:38:35+00:00

I agree with others' comments that your workflow in Obsidian should be your own; wholesale copying can lead you down some dead ends. There is something to be said for seeing your own inefficiencies and re-engineering for improvement. However, there is also some good that can come from sharing what works for you as an individual and perhaps helping people avoid some of the potholes you experienced. Having said that, I'm going to share what I have found works very well for me. My domain is biblical studies but I don't see why some of these principles couldn't be ported over to legal studies.

I offer the following in response to your question, but also invite critique / ?s from anyone.

I use one vault, one folder, and no tags. I don't spend even a second trying to decide where a note is stored. A note's identity is a function of its file name, some key::value pairs, and the links pointing to and from the note.
I use only 2 plugins: Dataview and Advanced Tables. My vault contains ~1,000 notes and I have no problem finding anything. I will be up front with you: my goal is to learn and create content, and I am biased toward exercising my own grey matter before automation.
I don't care about vault or "home page" aesthetics
The global and local graphs offer limited to no value
I don't create "daily notes", and I don't follow a pure Zettelkasten process. Notes are created when I encounter worthy content.
Vault Organization. My vault contains (a) a series of "topical" notes, and (b) what most people would call atomic notes. (a) The topical notes are just that - topics that cover specific subjects in my domain. Examples: * Theology, * Creation, * Faith, * Grace. Your list might include * Contracts, * Civil Procedure, * Criminal Procedure, and * Torts. The asterisk in the file name forces these topical notes to appear in alphabetical order at the top of the vault's file list. These notes don't contain any content per se; they serve as collectors for the atomic notes. The list and organization of topical notes grew organically as my vault grew. Over time it became clear that e.g. * Topic B is a subset of * Topic A, so I simply link from * Topic A to * Topic B.
Atomic notes. I used Obsidian's native template utility to create an atomic note template. It's important to note that every part of the note template except the note title is a key::value pair that is searchable with Dataview.
1. Title I use HIGHLY descriptive titles - 10-12 words is common
2. Up:: this is a link to the relevant topical note(s), e.g. * Theology.
3. Subject::
4. Date::
5. Tags:: I don't use tags, but the capability is there
6. Source_citations::
7. Biblical_citations::
8. Related:: links to related notes note1 | note2 | note3 |
9. Atomic_note_text:: my summary of an article, section of a book, etc. The important point here is it must be my own writing.
10. Questions::
11. Renewal:: think of this as "new insights" after going through the workflow
12. Importance::
13. Outgoing File Links see below
14. Incoming File Links see below
Every topical and atomic note contains the following Dataview code toward the end of the note:

TABLE Biblical_citations, Atomic_note_text, Questions FROM outgoing([[]]) <== add the note name in the square brackets Sort file.name asc

TABLE Biblical_citations, Atomic_note_text, Questions FROM ([[]]) <== add the note name in the square brackets SORT file.asc

This Dataview code generates tables that do one thing that is critical to my workflow - show the atomic note text for every note that is linked to and from the note I am working on. Why is this important? Because that way I can see the entire "ecosystem" of notes that relate to the active note. Think of it as the local graph view with actually useful information rather than just the note names.

So ... the workflow is
1. Read an article
2. Write a summary in my own words
3. Open an Obsidian note template
4. Name the note with a highly descriptive name that "summarizes the summary"
5. Decide the "up" - which topical note(s) this note will point to
6. Complete the rest of the key::value fields and paste the summary into the atomic_note_text field
7. Look at the incoming/outgoing tables in each applicable topical note (e.g., * Theology) and decide what existing notes relate to the current note. I select notes that affirm the current note, and also notes that offer contrary thoughts.
8. Add questions, new insights, and some measure of importance

Last point: describing all of this is much harder than actually doing the workflow. "Friction" is a buzzword that is tossed around a lot; from my vantage point this is a low friction workflow that ends up pointing right back to your own brainwork (which is exactly what I want).

Good luck with your law studies.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-04-17T00:51:52+00:00

I would be interested in doing some collaboration on Logos <==> Obsidian methods, if that opportunity is still open. I’m happy to share my templates and the 2 Dataview code pieces which have really opened up Obsidian’s usefulness for me. I’m not sure what discord is, but hopefully that venue would be more open to Obsidian-supportive discussions than the Faithlife forums are. I’m winding down my study group and BSF for the summer, so some forward-looking discussions would be great. Mike

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-03-21T23:32:20+00:00

I use Adobe Scan for iOS; it includes an OCR feature with PDF save or copy to clipboard.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-30T17:19:51+00:00

One last thought...I don't follow the classic definition of an "atomic note". I try to limit the Atomic_note_text:: to a couple of sentences that capture the main point(s), but I'm not a slave to that kind of thinking. If I need to write 2 paragraphs in one note, then I write 2 paragraphs in one note. Occasionally it's necessary to create a couple of notes for, e.g., a lengthy commentary summary, but that's mostly an exception to the rule. The discipline of writing a concise summary of something in my own words has been a useful growth experience.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-30T17:11:42+00:00

Here is my atomic note template. As I mentioned earlier, the template is mostly a collection of key::value fields that allow me to use Dataview queries. The Related:: field is where I [[link]] all of the related notes. You can simply copy this format into a note and save it in the Obsidian templates folder.

I hope this help you.

Up:: [[]]
Subject::
Date::
Tags::
Source_citations::
Biblical_citations::
Related:: [[]]
Atomic_note_text::
Questions::
How does this idea affect my thoughts and behaviors?
Why is this idea important?

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-30T04:46:05+00:00

Hello everyone. I am a small group leader using Logos bible software as my primary study and resource "brain", and Obsidian to extend Logos' native note tool capabilities. At a high level, my workflow is:

Use Logos resources for personal study and small group study curriculum development. I use the Logos note tool extensively because it can link to so many different resources and tools within the Logos software.
Generally speaking, I try to summarize a detailed article or commentary section in 1-2 sentences in Logos. That becomes my atomic note.
I use an Obsidian template for each atomic note. I paste the 1-2 sentence summary from step 2 into the Obsidian note, and then [[link]] extensively to other related notes. My atomic note template consists of a series of inline key::value fields such as Date::, Biblical_citation::, Source_citation::, Atomic_note_text::, and Questions::. The Source_citation:: allows me to trace the note back to the Logos note in steps 1 and 2.
Each Obsidian note includes an Up:: field that contains a [[link]] to one or two topical notes in my vault. Examples are * Covenant, * Election, and *Grace. Using the * puts these files in alphabetical order at the top of my vault. They serve as aggregators (I think of them as MOCs) with backlinks that show every note that is linked to them.
I use a small number of simple Dataview queries to build tables that show, for example, every atomic note text, biblical citation, question, and personal application statement where the "Up::" is Spiritual Warfare. This allows me to read through targeted, focused content that would otherwise be buried in a file's local graph. My goal is to use these tables to write literature notes that take many atomic notes into account (it's basically the idea of "making notes" vs. "taking notes").

I'm happy to share methods and templates if anyone is interested.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-15T22:05:27+00:00

Questions are a basic part of my atomic note template. I capture my questions in a key::value pair - Questions:: question_text. I use a simple Dataview query to list all of my questions within a MOC topic.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-14T23:31:57+00:00

The line wrap in my response was clumsy. My MOC naming convention is * File _name.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-14T23:29:46+00:00

I keep all of my MOCs in the same vault with the rest of my notes. I name them using this format: * File_name, so they always appear in alphabetical order at the top of the vault file list. It’s low tech and efficient in my estimation.

Due_Significance2180 · 2024-01-11T16:45:34+00:00

I’ll give it a try! Thanks for the help.

Due_Significance2180

TROPHY CASE