Including Microsoft Office documents? Also, linking to folders?

[MitchWagner]

My work requires me to include Microsoft Office documents in my knowledge base. Have any experienced Obsidian users found a workaround for that?

I guess one solution might be to have one folder per project, and then drop the Office files into the appropriate folder in the Mac Finder (I’m on a Mac). Then possibly create a “wrapper note” as described here:

Integrating Microsoft OneDrive/Office/365 Files into Obsidian

With new features such as iframes and application URIs, there are more opportunities to integrate Obsidian with external apps and files. Here are some options with Microsoft OneDrive and 365 (formerly Office) files. Iframe Embed For those not familiar with iframes, they are an html tag that allows you to embed one webpage into another. Many web apps and cloud storage services provide the iframe embed code with special widgets for file interaction. In OneDrive, you can right-click or select a f…

Also, is it possible to create links to folders, just as Obsidian can link to individual notes?If not, has anyone found a workaround?

Thanks!

[ryanjamurphy]

Ahoy!

No option to attach arbitrary file formats yet. There is a feature request for it—I’m actually surprised it hasn’t gotten more love:

Insert/Embed other file formats like .xlsx and .docx (but not limited to) in addition to pdf and images

Currently, obsidian only allows pdfs and images to be added to the edtior. It would be helpful to have the ability to insert/embed file formats other than pdf. I work with a lot of excel and word files and it helps having those files linked to notes for reference.

And no linking to folders yet. Looks like yours truly created a feature request for folder linking at the end of May:

Allow [[links]] to folders

I don’t think this has been explicitly requested previously. Similar posts exist here and here, but I don’t think they’re the same as this request. I’ll try to make it simple: if a folder exists in the vault, you should be able to backlink to it—like [[Folder]]. This would make it easier to interlace folder-and-note setups for those of us using them. It’s also in line with how DEVONthink interprets [[wikilinks]]—not sure about other wikilink-supporting apps. Another twist on this idea: ![[Fol…

I use DEVONthink links for both of these requirements.

[Leon666666]

Hi!
I will show my ways to build Hyperlinks from zotero to obsidian.
First of all, you need install zotero and Microsoft Office documents could be put into it.

Use the following method to add hyperlinks
-download https://github.com/willsALMANJ/Zutilo/releases And install
-find ‘copy selected item links’ or shortcut key’ copy select item links’ in settings
-the link of Zotero can be found in the context menu or copied with shortcut keys. the link format of Zotero: ‘zotero://select/library/items/QLXHF84N’
-In obsidian, you can add hyperlinks with Ctrl + K

-In this case, as long as Zotero is synchronous, the hyperlinks can be synchronized.

[MitchWagner]

Thanks, but that seems like too much work!

[Leon666666]

It’s true.
I used to use zotero, so it’s not so complex for me.
just show my way

[subie]

maybe we can automate it using autohotkey?

[Leon666666]

sorry, I never heard that software. Maybe we should try it.
The more solutions the better we use obsidian

[chanrish]

I dont know if you use Hook - some discussions about hook: Compatibility with Hook Productivity on Mac OS and Hook links now possible to underlying note . I use the following steps:

1. Use the newly launched show in folder option using the command palette or a shortcut (hotkeys)
2. Trigger hook using the default shortcut for hook
3. Copy markdown link (works for both folders and files) -
4. paste the link in obsidian
5. click on the link above to open the file/folder in the default app

Sounds like a lot of steps, but if you have been using hook for a while - its a very fast and useful workaround until obsidian adds hook support

[qithend]

This is too much work. Sadly as Ms Word and Excel are not supported, I am now looking for alternatives to Obsidian. Remember that the whole point is to facilitate work rather than complicating it! I thought Obsidian is doing that.

[Biartr]

This is too much work. Sadly as Ms Word and Excel are not supported, I am now looking for alternatives to Obsidian. Remember that the whole point is to facilitate work rather than complicating it! I thought Obsidian is doing that.

This is the example of a missing productivity feature (like eg also printing) that puts Obsidian for me in the novelty toy department rather than in the productivity tool category.

I’m curious to see Obsidian further mature…

[MitchWagner]

Did you ever find a suitable alternative?

[Omar1]

I totally Agree with this suggestion, I thought that it is already introduced but I am shocked that it isn’t actually.

1. Obsidian is a way to store unordered information.
2. but there are some kinds of information (like ordered information) that need to be stored in things like excel (E.g., Storing a list of Universities & their websites, emails, available degrees…).
   a. These information can be ordered in many ways (hence name “ordered information”).
   b. Using Table markdown style does not give you any kind of opportunities to list or order anything in any way, it is just a very rudimentary way of making a table. Hence It is extremly advised/recommended NOT to store ordered information in a table format.
3. There are other kinds of information (like procedural information) which only have a single order (e.g., a technique procedures). These things require different programs to store such information; It is quite better and necessary to link to these kind of formats without “mentally” remembering things or writing them down in the notes and manually open each file.

I just gave a brief “usefulness” to having multiple formats and how is it necessary.

[MitchWagner]

Since I created this topic about two years ago, Obsidian now supports including linking to unsupported document types—Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.—when they are contained in vaults. That seems sufficient to me.

If you need more, and if you are using a Mac, you may want to consider DevonThink. Many people use DT in conjunction with Obsidian.