Export All Linked Notes

Feature requests
1

Summary

This is inspired by the Pack and Go feature in Solidworks. Their help description aptly summarizes what I’m seeking:

Gathers all related files for a model design… into a folder or zip file.

Motivation

I currently utilize a riff on the PARA workflow for my vault. I’ve concluded that all of my knowledge belongs in the same vault to maximize use of the linking features that make Obsidian stand out. This workflow has been working pretty well for me as I work out how to sort out my notes and generate relevant links, and it allows me to avoid duplicating notes between vaults, which would require updating files in multiple locations and so on…

The other thing I’ve done to streamline insertion of images is that I have a single Attachments photo archive where any pasted photos get stored. This, too, works very well for me because I don’t have to worry about changing my Set Attachments Folder prior to working on a different project.

The main thing I am missing right now is the ability to consolidate data (notes, images, files) into a smaller package - either for archival (e.g. project notes in a commercial setting) or to share with fellow students (e.g. class/research notes). I may want to share my notes on Control Theory, but that could also references a note from Statics, a few from Dynamics, and a few images stored in my Attachments folder.

In order to share those notes (with all of the information they reference), I would need to go through and find each link inside my notes, and copy each file into a new distribution folder. If my links are non-minimal (i.e. they include folder paths beyond just the file name), this is further complicated by requiring me to recreate the folder structure in my new distribution, or changing the links in my files.

Pack and Go Process

  • Select a single note or folder. This may or may not support folders with sub-directories. PARA wouldn’t require this, but other workflows might.
  • Right click or hit a plug-in button to Pack and Go.
  • User selects the number of degrees of separation to package.
  • Obsidian identifies all the links within that note or folder of notes
  • Obsidian makes copies of all the files in the folder, plus all linked documents, and assembles them into a distribution folder/package. This could be chucked into a pre-determined folder to keep with the current aesthetic, or a dialog could open up to allow the user to select a destination.
  • The user should be able to choose if the file structure is flattened to a single folder, or if files from other folders are names in so-named folders within the distribution package.

Comments

This should be a fairly simple thing to implement, given that Obsidian is already painfully aware of every link I’ve included in my notes, and is already capable of paring down to links within a certain degree of separation.

Obviously, this will have limitations depending on the complexity of linking that a user implements in their workflow.

Sample Dialog from Solidworks

684×549 69.3 KB

Link to source

21 Likes
2

+1 on this feature, please.

OP, could you please change the title to reflect the effect of the change rather than another software set’s feature? (E.g. Export all linked notes or similar.) That may get the feature request a little more visibility. :pray:

3 Likes
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This would be really useful!

3 Likes
4

Yes!
This would be very nice for sharing Information with colleagues and fellow students.

Select a root note => Export all child notes and generate the corresponding cache folder.

P.S.: Would be great as an option in graph view as well!

4 Likes
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That would be great really great !!!

  • It could support *.md + attached files export with or without folder structure.
  • support *.pdf export and the possibility to generate separate pdf files or one file. Separate files could be export with or without folder structure.
  • feature could include export from graph view. You could for exemple filter what you want from the graph view (e.g all connected notes on 2 depth level, without path:“X”, …) and then export all the notes that your graph view is showing. We could imagine the process in the following way
    • Show graph view and add the filters you want
    • Click on export
    • A new windows open, showing all the concerned notes in a file tree with checkboxes ticked (as presented by brhubbar)
    • You can choose to uncheck some files
    • You can check some export settings and then export.
3 Likes
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I’d greatly appreciate such feature !
I usually cut my note into small individual notes and build up massive note about a topic that are just links to others note.

When I need to share one of those massive note, it is a real pain in the a** to export them !

1 Like
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I wrote a simple script in python for anyone that wants to copy all the files linked in a page obsidian.

Unfortnately it has the following limitations (might work on this later):

  1. All files must be in a single source directory
  2. It is non-recursive i.e. it does not parse the linked files for their links.

If anyone wants to make improvements you’re more than welcome to do so!

1 Like
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This would be a fantastic feature to have.

1 Like
9

:+1: I would love this feature too

1 Like
10

This would be a great feature and is something that is keeping me from publishing and collaborating with others on subjects. I do all my notetaking in the same vault to maximise consolidation of notes, but find it difficult to export all notes relevant to a subject. This is already a feature for Obsidian Publish, and all the same needs apply for just straight up export of files. It would also bring in more new users because a common sharing usecase is to share part of your vault as a folder of markdown-files and tell others to open the folder in Obsidian.

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