The Bases plugin in Obsidian offers a powerful way to organize notes using database-like views. However, notes within a base are not currently represented as linked nodes in the Graph View, nor is the .base file itself visible. This limits the ability to visualize and navigate relationships between notes contained within a base.
Proposed solution
Introduce an optional feature that allows notes within a base to be displayed as linked nodes in the Graph View. Additionally, make the .base file itself visible in the Graph View. This feature would be optional, enabling users to choose whether they want to visualize these relationships.
The bases itself is visible in graph view if you enable attachments.
I donât think that just because two notes appear in the same base, they should be linked in the global graph view.
If you had a base with all notes, all notes would appear linked in global graph view.
If you change the filters in base (view), that would mean a change in the global graph view, this would also effect in/out-going links in the rest of the UI.
If you think about it, what you are asking implies that the global graph view should show a connection between two notes if they appear in any view of any base.
This also implies that before showing the graph view, we would have to run all bases and and all view and look for connection.
All of this doesnât make sense and is not feasible either.
Thank you for your response! I wasnât aware that enabling âAttachmentsâ makes the .base file visible in the Graph View. Iâll start using that feature.
To clarify, my request isnât to automatically link all notes within a base to each other. I would like the notes to be linked to the .base file itself, treating it as a central node. This way, my projects can appear unified in the Graph View, with the .base file as the central hub.
.base files have great functionalityâmuch more than a regular text file or even a Kanbanâbut currently, they donât show connections on the graph, which makes everything look disorganized. Linking notes to the .base as a central node would improve clarity and organization.
I understand the importance of maintaining control over the Graph Viewâs appearance. Therefore, I propose this feature be optional, allowing users to choose whether to enable it. This approach would provide flexibility while enhancing the visualization of project structures.
I think optionally adding this in the way you described is a great idea. Bases are flexible enough to cover a wide range of different use cases; I can see some where the graph reflecting the default view of a base would make sense.
In one of my simple cases, I like creating a âsummaryâ note of sorts for certain topics, a somewhat central note that explains and links to a bunch of different smaller notes. Maintaining these was somewhat cumbersome before bases, but now I can have a base to dynamically populate itself with all of these notes and embed that base into the summary note. Before, these notes would have appeared linked to the summary note on the graph. But since theyâre now managed in bases, they appear as a ton of disconnected floating notes.
These notes are definitely all connected in their topic, so I think having a way to reflect this connection on the graph view aligns well with the spirit of graphs in Obsidian.
I appreciate your thoughts on the matter- but is the point of Obsidian not to cater it to each individual way of thinking? It is supposed to be our second brain after all.
I agree that isnât feasible to just have on every base without any intent- it just wouldnât make sense and could easily blow up in your face. But if a general-purpose solution is not feasible, my wish is that you make the formulas feature more powerful.
Problem
I had intended to dynamically determine which base each individual note should belong to using a formula (which I actually had working), only to realize that these formulas cannot edit other properties, nor is it a property in and of itself.
Why would I need to have a dynamic property? Well if a property can be a link, I can just dynamically create a link- potentially multiple if I wanted to, and I would have much more granular control over this- removing many of the issues you mentioned prior.
Proposal
Allow for users to create their own dynamic properties, either through the existing formulas system. which is already plenty powerful for this, or by some other means.
I donât know anything about formulas, but Iâd love to have this funcionality in any way. My graph looks so messy because of how disconnected the notes in a .base areâŚ