#1

What kind of new horizons / possibilities will open, when API can be used? Can you list some practical application of using the API?

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#2

I’m interested to hear what others have to say on this as well.

I just found Obsidian and LOVE it! And I already do a ton of API integrations with other platforms so I’m looking forward to this API.

One use case could be hosting a webpage that is rendered from a markdown file, then updating that file with webhooks based on some other trigger.

You could create a logging system for an e-commerce site, or an RSS-feed like page that syncs when a record is modified in a CRM.

4 Likes
#3

First Class Zotero Integration

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#4

Zotero integration is definitely at the top my list too:

  • ability to link to a Zotero source
  • ability for Zotero to know that source has been linked
    It seems the Obsidian API should make 1 possible, but what about 2? I guess that’s on the Zotero side.
2 Likes
#5

I thought of a few more:

  • Button to create new draft email from HTML Preview of current note
    -Copy/Paste HTML Preview into Gmail!
  • Swap local image links for public URLs
    -Move local images from current note to designated /Public_Img folder
    -Swap local Image links for public URLs
    -Copy HTML Preview to clipboard
#6

I can imagine a light-weight CRM layer over top of Obsidian. But something that would have a few features that would give some CRM-like structure to keeping in touch with people, hiring, client leads, etc. Like recurring reminders. Some statuses/tasks integration.

I’ve been testing a few lightweight CRMs lately, and they are all either clunky, or hard to navigate, or overly focused on automatically cloud-syncing in data from social media. Or ridiculously priced. They have notes, but those notes are often hard to navigate or review.

6 Likes
What's a good way to manage contacts?
#7

@rigmarole, love this. I’m trying to set up a personal CRM in Obsidian now, but without an API it’s clunky. So far I have a folder People/ and a template (using the new template plugin) with a blank person record; One field per line. Name: Company: Email: Mobile: Office:, followed by Activity: at the bottom where I enter date stamped notes for any contact: [[2020-08-31]] Called Joe about [[Cure World Hunger]]; [[2020-09-01]] Send Soylent sample to Joe [[todo]]. Then I also have a folder Projects/ and a project template. I cross-reference people like [[Joe Smith]] and projects like [[Cure World Hunger]] and the date in any relevant item.

2 Likes
#8

Same. I have 2 templates. One for people. One for companies. I like the free-form nature of writing notes. And I imagine writing some Python tools to scrape or collect data in the future. Or when the API is available, using the attributes in each note to form database functionality.

image

I have some folders, for a bit of organization.

  • attachments for automatically sorting images or files.
  • Contacts is where I keep notes for People and Companies.
  • Journal is where I keep daily notes about people. I intend to mostly write free-form as a log, and then link to the people or companies. "Today I talked to [[so-and-so]] about [[Project Whatsit]]. But I’ll also keep logs and emails inside the person’s individual note, sometimes.
  • Notes is where I keep more permanent documents. Strategy, goals, or an overview of client leads, etc.
  • templates - just the templates I’ve got.

What I really want is a way to view multiple notes in a contiguous view, like Scrivenings in Scrivener, or multiple selections in Ulysses. I think it will make it powerful to search certain parameters, and then gain insight from that view.

Also, since I’m using a Daily Note workflow, I’d like an API functionality to be able to transclude a search inside the contact’s page, whenever they are mentioned. To see all activity about a certain person in one long collected stream, for example. Or to load up a queue of client leads to follow up on, etc.

3 Likes
#9

Yes. I’d like to have a “synthetic” note comprised of the note itself, followed by the backlinks as if they were in the note itself, followed by the next note in a sequence (like daily notes, or further search results, etc)

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#10

An API would be useful to integrate with Albert for quickly searching your notes and opening them up…

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#11

this is already possible

#12

Is there a help file that explains how-to?

#13

I’l try to write something down in the next days and add it to the doc.

#14

Thanks, that would be great!

#15

@icebear check this out: https://forum.obsidian.md/t/zotero-best-practices/164/57

#16

Here’s another possibility:

#17

Thanks, but if I’m using Zotero to keep bibliographic information and then also generating .md files in Obsidian for every Zotero entry it seems wholly duplicative - I’d rather just do one or the other.

If sticking with Zotero, I’d like to see a plug-in that handles links to Zotero well - they can search Zotero for the reference by name to insert a link, click through to the external application, and also show up well in the graph/search/backlinks so I can see what references are heavily utilized or not.

If sticking strictly with Obsidian (which I am for now), I use MarkDownload or CiteThis! add-ons for Firefox to generate a full copy/quick citation to copy into a .md file, which I [[link]] as appropriate in my own notes. This grows quickly though, so would eventually need some filtering of search results and graphing.

Ideal usage:

  1. Download to Obsidian/Zotero a reference
  2. Take notes in Obsidian, with link to reference (in Zotero, or Obsidian .md)
  3. Use Obsidian graph, search and backlinks to understand what references I’ve already integrated into my notes, and which need to be integrated. Seemless click through to original reference in either Zotero or Obsidian
#18

There are several parts in that workflow. You can limit yourself in doing this.

#19

Thanks, that looks closer to what I’d like! Will try that out.

Does this allow for graphing of external Zotero references? Perhaps once I’ve played around with it that’s a feature request I should submit.

#20

you can even use Better BibTex Quick Copy in Export and use Citekey select link or Zotero select link in better bibtex settings