This feature request has zero appeal for me, and I’m concerned it would compromise the principle of plaintext files in standard operating system folders.
I don’t use the folder notes plugin, and wouldn’t want to see it sherlocked unless it could be fully disabled.
It would make absolutely no difference to the actual system folders and markdown files. None.
If that’s the case I’d be okay with it, as long as it could be disabled.
I’d rather the dev team focus on implementing other features, but that’s okay. Everyone can’t all enthusiastic about the same feature requests, including my own favorites! 
But it would remove the ability to access them directly in Obsidian
Okay.
Here’s a link to a feature request, although it isn’t exactly relevant to the discussion: Flat view - Folder toggle - (mode to only show files in Explorer pane)
That is not at all what I requested. It’s practically the exact opposite.
Perhaps a visual will help explain, since I appear to have done a poor job of it above. This is what the Obsidian tree pane would look like if my suggestion were implemeted:
I see. My apologies. I was a bit confused by the title of the post. And, as I skimmed the discussion, I knew something wasn’t quite right. So, when adding the link, I qualified its relevance by writing that it didn’t exactly match the discussion.
You described your idea just fine. And I like the idea a lot, maybe as a toggle. It was my fault for rushing.
Also: Ability to create sub pages and Folder as markdown note
Thanks.
I think AidenLx’s Folder Note plugin implements this feature. Or am I missing something?
I’ve been using the Folder Note plugin for years—but I create the folder manually first, then create the folder note. Instead, I could be creating the note and then using the plugin to create the parent folder.
The image and example remind me of Workflowy. A graph database, where everything is a node. There are many apps available like that – all (or almost all?) of them are web-based. Perhaps something like Workflowy, or Tana, etc. would scratch your itch?
Exactly like Dynalist. And the Devs have already said that capability can’t be added to Obsidian. It’s a very different program design.
I think of Obsidian as an IDE for text. Sure there are some IDEs that experiment with other abstractions than files in folders, but very few with mainstream adoption that try to hide or eliminate that underlying structure to the degree that’s being proposed. The great thing about Obsidian is that it’s likely flexible enough for you to experiment with these alternate abstractions and possibly be successful for your use case.
That’s why if this request ever got implemented, I’d want a way to completely disable it
“I think that eliminating the concept of “folders” within the Obsidian interface would greatly simplify so many things.
I can’t think of any reasons to make the user manually keep track of “folders”. If there are use cases where this would cause a problem, I would be interested in hearing about them.“
I certainly understand you having a preference, but to assert it would simplify things is quite a stretch. Simplify for you and other users who like this approach maybe, but certainly not overall.
Human beings think categorically, it’s how we function. And a huge part of that thinking involves “containers”, because that’s how things work in the real world. I put papers inside of a manilla folder, and that folder is Not “another paper”, it’s a container with a title. Likewise that folder goes in a hanging folder which goes in a drawer which in turn goes in a file cabinet - all containers.
So the folder (container) and note (item) paradigm closely reflects real life and how most users are used to thinking.
Now of course the advantage of the digital world is that it doesn’t have the constraints of the physical world. So depending on the program the same note may be able to reside in multiple folders.
But even there, the direction most software has taken is to instead implement something like tags, while staying with the single folder paradigm, providing the best of both worlds.
No way. My Obsidian reflects the way that my file system and projects are set up exactly, and it would not if folders=notes. I do work from the File Finder or from other apps and expect my folder system to look exactly the same way whether I am accessing it from Obsidian, File Finder, or another app, and no matter what device I am using. My folders are not just note hierarchies. They are used to store all kinds of media including notes. They separate roles, projects, types of information, topics, workflows, etc.
If a parent note=folder, then where does the information for that note go? You would need to have a folder with a note inside it that represented the parent in Obsidian. Obsidian would have to create a note for every folder. What would that note look like in my file system? Would it be a .file ? Would it be hidden from the file system? How would Obsidian identify it as the note attached to the system folder? When I look at the files system from File Finder or another app, where would I find that note? Instead of removing complexity, you are adding it. Best to add it in a plugin like Folder Note, make.md, or some of the others that create new workspaces or alternative file explorers within Obsidian, if it is something users want.
This is exactly why I’ve have my own Templater “folder note template”: so I can create folder notes at my own discretion without having to explicitly and manually exclude a bunch of stuff in some settings somewhere and having to keep track of these instead…
I was referring to Workflowy as a structurally similar design reminiscent of the OP’s sample image. I wasn’t referring to Dynalist. They are two different things.
Dynalist and Workflowy are structurally similar. And, indeed, many users swap between them (at least they did before Dynalist moved into maintenance mode).
This topic amused me because it’s good to see the different opinions. It also introduced me to the idea of ‘Folder Notes’, which I think is what you are really after? Especially as the xpgo/obsidian-folder-note-plugin plugin includes the ability to hide the parent/folder note in the Obsidian UI, the only difference between your suggestion and the plugin appears to be the button you click to create the notes. The folder notes solution is also great for my workflow in publishing Quartz websites. Thanks.
