Option to show only non-reciprocal backlinks

Feature requests
1

If your notes have lots of links, the backlinks panel can be cluttered with notes that already have explicit links. It could be useful to have an option (either a setting or a simple checkbox in the backlinks panel) to only show backlinks to notes that AREN’T linked from the current note. This would let you solidify connections between related notes.

24 Likes
2

That would be unlinked mentions (at bottom of backlinks panel) right? Meaning you just want to turn off backlinks and leave unlinked mentions on? Seems like the easiest way to do that would be to just have the backlinks be collapsible like the unlinked mentions are…

3

OP is describing something different.

Backlinks list all files that link to this note.
“Tech features” Backlink Panel:
Note 1
Note 2
Note 3
Note 4
Note 5
(Ie “tech features” is in all of these)

But if in “tech features” I have links to Note 2 & Note 4, then toggle to filter the backlink list as:

Note 1
Note 3
Note 5

This allows you to see only notes that link to this note, and excludes links from this note that happen to also link to it.

I think the idea is that the links to files that are already in this note already have “strong” connections to this note and filtering them out will allow you to have a novel view which focuses in, increases chance of discovering links that could be strengthened.

6 Likes
4

That’s exactly it, Fovea! I started to type something up, but you describe it perfectly.

I would use a feature like this when I am trying to make new connections between notes. In your example, I already KNOW Notes 2 and 4 are connected to my current note, so I can safely exclude them from my “one way links” backlinks list.

Maybe I’m compiling lists of recipes, and although I’ve linked from my apple pie recipe to my main [[Recipes]] note, I want to know that the two notes are connected, but that it’s not actually listed yet.

5

Yeah, I view it as “strengthening” connections. And I’ll all for it! More control of views & what gets pulled up is only a good thing :slight_smile:

1 Like
6

I’d love to see any kind of sorting, filtering, highlightinging of reciprocial backlinks, pinning, etc.

1 Like
7

There is already plan in the roadmap to have the backlinks panel be at the bottom of every note so multiple panels can be open at the same time with multiple notes. I think it’d be a good interface to have tabs at the top of the backlinks panel to have these filter settings. This way those filters can be customised by the user to decide which tabs to have and which to default to. Also there could be custom filters like show me only backlinks from notes created in the last week

1 Like
8

This is also useful when you’re building a MOC. So every link in the MOC’s linked mentions are notes that needs to be added to the MOC. When the note is included in the MOC, the link disappears from linked mentions. However you lose the ability to go back to the the note you were before.

1 Like
9

Show paired (bidirectionally) linked mentions in separate section from one-way linked mentions.

Let’s mark current file “C” for conciseness.
Now there are two sections/lists of files/links:

  • Linked mentions = files linking to “C”.
  • Unlinked mentions = files mentioning “C”.

Instead, there would be more sections/lists:

  • Paired linked mentions = files linking to “C” which are also linked from “C”.
  • One-way linked mentions = files linking to “C” which are not linked within “C”.
  • Unlinked paired mentions = files mentioning “C” which are also mentioned (either linked or unlinked) from “C”.
  • Unlinked one-way mentions = files mentioning “C” which are not mentioned within “C”.

purposes, thoughts:

  • Fold section of paired links and see only those that are not yet incorporated in body “C”.
  • See things to-do when preparing integral body of text for publishing outside Obsidian where backlinks do not work.
  • Describing meaning of connections between files locally and more concisely, utilizing already existing context information within body of “C”, instead of finding the meaning of connection each time through list of all mentions.
  • Reduce workload of information worker - avoid need to read the same information twice when analysing whole context of “C” which already contains information about some backlinks.

options:

  • If there exists workflow which requires all links to be mixed in one list of “Linked mentions”, than keep here requested functionality optional:
  • on Right-click on “Linked mentions” or (headers of lists)- add option “show paired links separately”.
  • on Right-click on “Paired linked mentions” or “One-way linked mentions” or … (headers of lists) - add option “merge lists of paired/one-way links”
  • Divide/Merge paired/one-way sections for Linked and Unlinked mentions at the same time for simplicity. (either 2 or 4 sections, not 3)

Current workaround:

  • Open local graph and look for missing arrows on edges. Requires visual search each time.

Related feature requests:

4 Likes
12

I would suggest a filter via a simple toggle.
I agree with you and would love to see this- at the same time sometimes i dont need the distinction, and having more sections to fold/unfold to see it all wouldnt be welcome.

So perhaps via a toggle:
Mentions - simple (x—) full
[try to imagine a toggle, above the dot would be toggled to simple]
Simple just divides between linked and unlinked, as it is.
Full would split it all by all cases.

This would be the best for me. I could use a simple list, and a toggle would fulfill the criteria better then more indirect ways (like applying specific filters and whatnot on the sidebar). A toggle would solve it all

1 Like
13

+1 for this feature.

Particularly useful when building MOCs.

14

Also looking for this. The workaround of “Open local graph and look for missing arrows on edges. Requires visual search each time.” isn’t really usable.

Say I wanted to build a MOC for “Inspiring” and in a new note “My Note” I link “[[Inspiring]]”. I’d like to in the “Inspiring” note be able to then go mention “[[My Note]]” with a link back.

Workaround could be to manually create the bidirectional link each time. Another is to write “[[My Note]]” in the “My Note” note, select it and “Extract current selection” then append it to the bottom of “Inspiring”, maybe where the bottom of the file is an # Unprocessed section. This results in both files having bidirectional links.

This is kind of wanting to write something about each backlink, in whatever order/arrangement I want in my note, and being able to do accounting for which backlinks have not been mentioned yet.

15

Found in the LYT kit “Concepts MOC” note this dataview snippet that would be handy for this purpose, but have to create for every such MOC.

Unrequited notes (by link)

These notes point directly to this note. But this note doesn’t point back.

table file.mtime.year + "-" + file.mtime.month + "-" + file.mtime.day as Modified
from [[Concepts MOC]]
and !outgoing([[Concepts MOC]])
sort file.mtime desc
1 Like
16

It’s been a while, but I just found this answer. Exactly what I came looking for - thank you!