Request: The ability to pin the Backlinks view. (Alternatively, to have the Backlinks displayed as an integrated part of the note’s body.)
Use case: Sometimes I want to quickly open all the backlinked notes using shift-click. Or I want to browse through a series of notes on a topic.
In Obsidian, if you click or ctrl-click on a Backlink, it opens that note, and then it changes the Backlinks to the newly opened note. So it is impossible to quickly open all of the backlinks to a given note. Even if you have a note Pinned, the Backlink view changes, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to lock or pin that view.
In Roam - as an example - backlinks are an integrated part of the note, at the bottom of the note. This allows you to do something like this:
- Open a note
- See 5 backlinks
- Shift click on each backlink to open each of them in the sidebar as a queue or comparison.
Current Workaround
I do realize that I can do this by using the Search pane, and searching for the “[[Backlink]]”.
You can already have this workflow.
You can open a backlinks pane linked with a note and pin them.
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[Edit] I see. Pardon me! I didn’t realize you could turn an ordinary note view into a Backlink view. I was only seeing the Sidebar.
Thank you!
This workflow has a few problems for me. Perhaps these are bugs, or perhaps I misunderstand.
- It doesn’t appear to behave as you suggest. If make a separate Backlink pane and Pin it, the view does not lock on those Backlinks.
- You MUST have the Backlinks linked to one specific note pane, otherwise you can’t interact with the Backlinks menu without losing the view.
If you have two panes open horizontally, and a backlinks pane on the side, the Backlinks pane will show whatever note you have selected. This is good.
But if you go to click the Backlink pane to interact with the menu, such as pinning it, it switches focus to “Backlinks” and tries to show the Backlinks for Backlinks.
If you DO have the Backlinks pinned to a specific pane, it only shows the Backlinks for that specific pane, and it won’t show the Backlinks if you select the lower pane.
- This is a different issue. But if you do have the Backlinks in a pinned pane below the note, Obsidian appears to assume you want to split further notes Horizontally, rather than vertically. There doesn’t seem to be a way to specify which way it should split when using Ctrl-Click.
Summary:
Ultimately, what I am hoping for in this request is the ability to temporarily lock the Sidepane version of the Backlinks, without adding split pane complexity or requiring a fancy layout.
Sometimes I want to quickly open all the backlinked notes. Or I want to browse through a series of notes on a topic.
I repeat
You can open a backlinks pane linked with a note and pin them (Then browse through the backlinks using click and\or ctrl-click)
Which is something you are not doing.
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Gotcha, thanks. I was focused on pinning the Backlinks. You are pinning the note. You are right, this works. Thanks!
I do agree with you that some cleanups is probably needed. How we name things and some non-intuitive behaviour can happen.
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I also think it would be nice to be able to pin a note’s backlinks and then close the note. Sometimes I don’t need the note’s content, only its links/mentions.
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