Make [[folder/file|file]] display text alias change optional

Feature requests
1

Use case or problem

I use obsidian for work and my project structure leads to a lot of duplication in file names, so I use the full folder path to differentiate what I’m linking to. This change means I have to go and delete the auto-added |file off the end of every link I add so that I can tell the difference between e.g. [[Projects/ABC/Go live plan]] and [[Projects/XYZ/Go live plan]].

I use the daily notes plugin to link tasks and focus day to day, it’s important to me to be able to tell at a glance which projects I was working on and what state they were in. I can see how the change is super helpful for a lot of people, but if you use Obsidian with a focus on folder structure over wiki-style linking then context is more important (and actually the ability to work folder-style rather than wiki-style is one of the reasons I gravitate to Obsidian over other tools)

Proposed solution

Add a tickbox in the Files & Links section of the settings to toggle this behaviour. It would fit nicely next to New link format.

8 Likes
2

+1 This thread has a few others chiming in about this behavior change.

Quoting my post:

I rely on folders being part of the note’s display name.

For example, at work I’ve got folders for taking notes in my 1:1s with colleagues. The schema is something like meetings/<person>/<date>, so if I’m meeting with Bob and Sally on the same day, I’ll have:

  • meetings/bob/2023-05-10
  • meetings/sally/2023-05-10

I consider that full path to be the note’s “name”, and want it displayed as such.

Given that there’s already a configuration option for “New link format”, surely the original behavior can be added as an option there?

4

I’ve found a temporary workaround. When you type in a link, if you use <tab> to select the page in the list rather than <enter> then it automatically selects the page title for you. This allows you to easily change/delete it with two keystrokes.

image

3 Likes
5

+1 for the option to turn if off.

Another problem I’ve faced with that feature that is shadows name of header I’m linking to and always adds alias to the filename.

I prefer to use extension GitHub - scottwillmoore/obsidian-short-links: An Obsidian plugin to display short internal links. that can change the view of links without messing up with actual content.