Auto-Linking with Compass Zettelkasten

Hello everyone,

I’d like to introduce an idea for a new Obsidian plugin based on some parts of the concept of “Compass of Zettelkasten Thinking.” This plugin aims to better structure and automate linking between notes.

Concept of the Compass of Zettelkasten Thinking

Imagine an idea (X) placed at the center. Surrounding this idea are four compass directions, each highlighting different aspects of X:

  • NORTH: Where does X come from? What are its origins or higher-level categories?
  • WEST: What is similar to X? In which other disciplines could X exist or be useful?
  • SOUTH: Where can X lead? What could X influence or nurture?
  • EAST: What competes with X? What is X lacking or could improve?

Plugin Functionality

The plugin should offer the following features:

  • Automatic Linking: In the properties of a note, there are four specific fields: North, East, West, and South. When a link is placed in one of these fields to another note, an automatic link should be created in the corresponding counterpart of the linked note. The assignments are as follows:
    • North to South and vice versa
    • East to East
    • West to West

Examples

Here are some examples of how the plugin would function:

  • Example 1:
    • Note 1 has a link in North to Note 2.
    • Automatically, Note 2 will have a link in South back to Note 1.
  • Example 2:
    • Note 3 has a link in East to Note 4.
    • Correspondingly, Note 4 will have a link in East back to Note 3.

Goal of the Plugin

This plugin aims to enable users to intuitively and automatically create complex relationships and networks between ideas, fostering deep understanding and broad contextualization of their notes.

What do you think? Is this feasible to implement, or do you have better ideas?

1 Like

Nice idea.
The cloest plugin to compass idea model now I think are breadcrumb and excalibrain, but they don’t have this feature I think. They could be completed with

@SkepticMystic what do you think of it?