I think the root folder is superfluous and it should be our vault instead. Also, our “vault” should support encryption if desired
(because a vault is literally a “safe”)
Proposed solution
A) the root folder should not be in the File browser (just clutter)- the root folder should be our vault and use the name we assigned when we first created our vault.
B) our Vault should be a true “Vault” and support encryption, even locally. Encryption would add another layer of protection, for those who desire so. Our data is important.
I think the root folder is superfluous and it should be our vault instead. Also, our “vault” should support encryption if desired
(because a vault is literally a “safe”)
Proposed solution
A) the root folder should not be in the File browser (just clutter)- the root folder should be our vault and use the name we assigned when we first created our vault.
B) our Vault should be a true “Vault” and support encryption, even locally. Encryption would add another layer of protection, for those who desire so. Our data is important.
I’m not sure I know what you mean by root folder.
A vault is just an ordinary folder with md files (and maybe others) that Obsidian recognises as a target for its functions.
I see. I tried to unpack your points, and built-in encryption seemed to be the main actionable point.
A) The root folder already is the vault. And it already is the name you assigned when you first created your vault. The files and folders you see in the File Explorer are the contents of your vault. I’m just not sure what you are proposing in point A) that isn’t already the case. If you post a screenshot of your current structure in #Help or #Knowledge Management, others may have ideas about how you could organize it more effectively.
For point B) “literally a safe”. In Obsidian a vault literally is a configuration scheme to organize and store a collection of Markdown files and your app’s settings and plugins. The word “vault” can also mean arch, as in supporting structure. Or a large area used for storage.
Data is important. And you are free to encrypt your files. This thread and others have people who have shared techniques for how to do so.
Yes, i understand that the keyword “encryption” sounds more important than some wording related to file structures. But, I’m interested to details and how these relate to the existing system. Even if you can improve just 1% of a system - nothing is nothing, and something is something.
The word vault has multiple meanings, essentially it’s a place and not just a simple shelf… And mostly, a safe place, broken down in simple words.
A good definition, imo, to store large amounts of objects, in our case digital data.
Since our work is valuable, the definition of a safe place is more than desired but this promise wasn’t yet fulfilled, because our nameless genetic “vault” doesn’t support encryption.
When we first create our vault - we assign a name to our top/main/root folder, (call it as you like, to indicate, you can’t navigate outside that folder, everything is stored inside this folder) so we don’t assign a name to our vault. Vault is always called vault.
This top/main/root folder is visible on the very top of the file explorer
What’s the use of that top/main/root folder in our file explorer ? Of course, it stores all our data but it sits just there as a name placeholder and does nothing (visual clutter)
why is our vault called vault instead to use the name we assigned to our vault ? our vault needs a name.
I know, there’s a plugin in the community repos, called meld encryption - a good step forward to what a vault should be.
Actually I never do this.
I have folders with md files in the file system. I give Obsidian the ability to work with some of them. When it does those files and folders remain accessible to other programs and I often have the same file open in a number of programs at the same time.
What you are describing sounds, to me, more like the system in database apps such as Roam, Notion, Evernote etc.
Straightforward, natural and pragmatic. Can’t agree more.
My point is, unfortunately we live in a less than perfect world, and so there’s a need to have a key for our “homes” whatever place we identify as home for our belongings or our people.
Even in the animal world, we can see that each living being needs a place to rest and grow.
Encryption makes sense. But it makes most sense imo as a separate external utility. Encryption utilities tend to be specialist and there’s a free choice of open source or proprietary. Some prefer whole disk encryption. Will also work with files that have nothing to do with Obsidian.
It also avoids the problem of having to change the way Obsidian functions to produce that encryption. At the moment, it opens into a vault. That vault has to be unencrypted to open. Currently it opens the most recently open vault. It could be set to open into the Help vault and then the Open Vault switch could bring an encryption dialog when the vault is selected, but that seems pretty cumbersome workflow to me. You wouldn’t want Obsidian to start by unencrypting all the vaults it knows of because you may have no intention of using those files in this session and it is safest to leave them encrypted.
Your vault is not called “vault”. Your vault is called the name you choose. I think you should post a screenshot of your setup in the Help category so we can assist you. (Not here in this thread.)