# Custom Layout Manager, Pinned Graph View, and Saving Custom Workspace **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature archive\ **Created:** [May 24, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393 "2020-05-24T23:00:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Xavier](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/2bfe46/32.png) [@Xavier](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/1 "2020-05-24T23:00:17Z")
1. it would be cool to have a Layout Manager Option so that I could have notes displayed as a I need them. I’m trying to track my ideas for a new assessment tool and I keep having to go back and forth between items and it would be good if I could just always have one open in a designated spot without having to worry about another page I have getting overrwitten, or having a document open in a new pane, but not the way I want. Example. I’m working on one doc with and I have the preview pane open horizontally. However, I’d like to open a different doc over to the right. This can be done, but it’s not a straightforward affair. 2. Adding onto the Layout Manager request, I’d also like to have the Graph View available to open in a designated spot at all times. I find the Graph view is pretty useful in showing me where I should have connections and/or tie-backs but don’t. 3. Based on comments in the Discord chat - would absolutely **LOVE** the ability to save a custom Workspace (especially, one for each vault. ---
**Author:** ![Fovea](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/977dab/32.png) [@Fovea](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Fovea)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/2 "2020-05-25T00:41:14Z")
Adding, Conditional/Contextual Triggers for your custom layouts. Ability to save custom “workspace”, can select from your workspace list (Adobe suite), but also can set a saved “workspace” to a certain note or condition. Perhaps my [[Index]] note triggers to change to “Workspace 1”, if I got into my [[Research Inbox]] it triggers to change to “Workspace 2”. Conditional could even get more advanced. eg when I navigate from [[Link A]] to [[Link B]] a custom layout is triggered. ---
**Author:** ![Fovea](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/977dab/32.png) [@Fovea](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Fovea)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 12:52am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/3 "2020-05-25T00:52:47Z")
@Xavier when you say pinned graph view, are you seeing something like this? [https://shuziyoumin.com/](https://shuziyoumin.com/) I love this view, not that I’d want it to function like that all the time. (I’d like to have to toggle to live orient to the links that are visible in my view currently or just a more static graph of the entire note I’m on & expand/contract a step at will) There’s _lots_ of discussions in the community on leveraging the power of graph views/exploration/filtering currently so I’m sure whatever you’re picturing will be possible eventually. ---
**Author:** ![shydlou](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@shydlou](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/shydlou)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/4 "2020-05-25T02:21:29Z")
I would love to see this idea of predefined “workspace layouts” become a reality. In my workflow, I have different notes pinned at various sizes and layouts depending on on what task/project I’m focused on at the time. Having a way to switch between these workspaces would be awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Xavier](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/2bfe46/32.png) [@Xavier](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/5 "2020-05-25T20:39:46Z")
I’m thinking almost exactly like that. Literally the _only_ thing I’d change differently is that I’d like the ability to animate the Graph a bit. Like, be able to rotate it with a mouse almost like a 3-d model. But yeah, a pinned place for that graph is ideal. For me, that graph is the cherry on top of the banana split and the icing on the cake. It needs to be show-cased. ---
**Author:** ![Xavier](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/x/2bfe46/32.png) [@Xavier](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Xavier)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 8:41pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/6 "2020-05-25T20:41:36Z")
100%. I do the same thing with my dual monitors at home. I have a display/layout manager where I can divide each screen in to pre-defined areas and I can pin/drag items into each area as needed. On one screen I might have it divided evenly int 4 spaces, and on the other I may have it divided into two large panes. ---
**Author:** ![Fovea](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/f/977dab/32.png) [@Fovea](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Fovea)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 11:22pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/7 "2020-05-25T23:22:58Z")
Adding to the mix. Custom Graph Views. Saved states/layouts of the graph. Drag & arrange nodes, sort & filter visible nodes, expand/collapse steps of connections (global or for a particular node), show tags graph, show embeds, toggle visualizations (thicker lines), etc. Customize it how you like and then save that status as a “graph layout” that you can pull up. ---
**Author:** ![sam.baron](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/sam.baron/32/20_2.png) [@sam.baron](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/sam.baron)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/8 "2020-05-25T23:31:09Z")
I would like to be able to apply the same filter to the file explorer and graph view (and any other interesting plugins) in the same workspace. ---
**Author:** ![jusrhee](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/59ef9b/32.png) [@jusrhee](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/jusrhee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/9 "2020-05-28T17:10:15Z")
Having the graph view “remember” position state by default would be a game-changer. I find myself always rearranging the graph to separate regions of information but it always resets as soon as the graph view is closed. ---
**Author:** ![goodsignal](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/goodsignal/32/129_2.png) [@goodsignal](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/goodsignal)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2020, 5:44am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/10 "2020-06-23T05:44:15Z")
**+1** on the ability to work with different workspaces! Electron clearly remembers our last workspace when we shutdown and reopen Obsidian. Maybe it’s trivial to save multiple versions of our workspace. It would be brilliant to have a **Sidebar Item** – in addition to file explorer, search, and starred – that listed custom **Project Workspaces**. While a Project Workspace is selected, all panel positions and sizes are **automatically saved**. At any time, we can click a different Project Workspace and the associated set of notes and pane positions replace the previous workspace. A user can create and rename as many workspaces as needed. And switch back and forth whenever they want **with a simple click** in the workspace panel. This could also lead to a solution to some related feature requests: > [@Minimizing panes into side bar](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/minimizing-panes-into-side-bar/291/2): > > I also really want a feature like this. Motiviation: in Roam, I can open like ~10 documents in the sidebar and I can ‘collapse’ each one, so that with one click I can expand any of the 10 documents and start editing, but since they’re collapsed they don’t take up much space. In Obsidian if I want 10 documents open, they each need to either take up a lot of space, or if I resize them manually I need to resize them manually each time I want to edit them – a huge hassle. Here’s an implementation… > [@Tabs in the Main Area of Obsidian view (in the panes) (like a browser)](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/multiple-tabs-like-a-browser/1160): > > It would be nice of Obsidian supported multiple tabs. This way a user could open a set of documents in each tab to work on multiple things at once, like personal and work-related things, etc. And a way to preserve what was last opened in case the app crashes or the system has to restart would be helpful as well. An alternative would be to create a new window, but supposedly there’s a technical limitation that prevents that, iirc. And maybe this could facilitate multiple Obsidian instances to each have an independent choice of workspace. > [@Floating \\ Pop-out \\ Multiple windows of the same vault](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/multiple-windows-on-the-same-vault/837/7): > > There is a bit of misinformation here. VSCode actually does allow multi-window. Even dragging tabs between windows. What is lost is the javascript / project context. This is crucial in VSCode for things like autocomplete, code analysis, debugging, etc. But… I don’t see how this applies to Obsidian, which is just dealing with text files? I would be very happy to have a v1.0 of this feature which added nothing but allowing multiple Obsidian instances looking at the same vault. ---
**Author:** ![KatsumiYM](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/katsumiym/32/85101_2.png) [@KatsumiYM](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/KatsumiYM)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 2:03pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/11 "2020-07-23T14:03:15Z")
I’m currently in need of something like this. Saving workspace configurations – even temporarily – would be a huge game-changer for me since I’m doing multiple things in a single vault. For example I have a set of notes open right now in preparation for an article I’m going to write. However I have decided to work on that at the end of the day instead of right now. I would love to be able to save this configuration (on the sidebar like the starred menu would be perfect) and then go on to do something else in the vault, then come back to this when I’m ready. - the ability to override existing configurations / “save to” existing configuration names so I can always have my “next article” configuration up to date. ---
**Author:** ![sam.baron](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/sam.baron/32/20_2.png) [@sam.baron](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/sam.baron)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/12 "2020-07-23T19:53:05Z")
It is currently possible to save and reuse workspaces with a workaround. You can copy/move/rename the `.obsidian/workspace` file to be reused later. When you want to use it, just rename to `workspace` and reload the app. ---
**Author:** ![mkaralevich](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/e9c0ed/32.png) [@mkaralevich](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/mkaralevich)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/13 "2020-08-07T02:21:41Z")
(Perhaps it might be an idea for a plugin) Option to save a session: opened files and its window positions are saved and can be restored from a session manager in a right pane. **Case:** I work on multiple projects and need to quickly switch between them. Currently I need to close all my documents and then start over every time I switch projects. Since I am aware of multiple window instance issue, maybe session manager could do the trick. **How it works** _Option A._ If user wants to update a session after document arrangements have been done, use clicks “Update session”. _Option B._ Once the session is opened and user makes changes (e.g. opens/closes documents), the session is updated automatically—no need to “Update session”. ---
**Author:** ![Mbagwu](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mbagwu](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Mbagwu)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 8:58am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/14 "2021-04-13T08:58:42Z")
I think Markdown has a couple of interesting tools here ! [https://www.markdownlayoutmanager.com](https://www.markdownlayoutmanager.com) ---
**Author:** ![Mbagwu](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mbagwu](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/Mbagwu)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2021, 9:00am UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/15 "2021-04-13T09:00:37Z")
and here too! [Markdown custom graphing tools!](https://www.markdowntools.com/) ---
**Author:** ![midas0441](https://forum.obsidian.md/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@midas0441](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/midas0441)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:15pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/16 "2021-06-05T17:15:53Z")
I too have been itching for a way to drag notes in graph view and leave them pinned where I put them. I could then rearrange notes in a spatial way as I flesh out ideas…. Like a bunch of note cards on a desk. I wrote a bit about it here: [Developing ideas by working with notes on a canvas](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/developing-ideas-by-working-with-notes-on-a-canvas/17335) I’m not sure if this is what you’re also driving at? ---
**Author:** ![WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/user_avatar/forum.obsidian.md/whitenoise/32/11_2.png) [@WhiteNoise](https://forum.obsidian.md/u/WhiteNoise)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 2:32pm UTC](https://forum.obsidian.md/t/custom-layout-manager-pinned-graph-view-and-saving-custom-workspace/393/17 "2022-10-13T14:32:11Z")
Archived on October 13, 2022, 2:32pm UTC