Backlinks

Generating backlinks for a Zettelkasten-like note-taking experience is relatively easy with ReadStor. It requires two separate templates: One for rendering the book and one for rendering each of its annotations.

See the using-backlinks templates for a fully working example.

Template Configuration

First, let's define the configurations for our two templates. They should be almost identical to one another.

group is set to the same value across the two templates. This makes sure that if we select a grouped Structure Mode, the templates will be rendered to the same directory.
context is set to book for the book template and annotation for the annotation template.
structure can be set to any of the four modes, however, nested-grouped feels the most appropriate as it would place each book into its own directory and place them all under a directory named after the value for the group key. See Structure Modes for more information.
extension is set to md as the template will be outputting Markdown.
names can be set to anything as long as the values are identical between the two templates. It might seem odd to see the values for names duplicated across the two templates. Shouldn't the book template define names.book and the annotation template define names.annotation? Ideally, yes. This need for duplication is the result of a current limitation of ReadStor, therefore they must be identical, so the backlinks are correctly generated.

Book Template Configuration

group: my-vault
context: book # <- The only difference!
structure: nested-grouped
extension: md
names:
  book: "{{ book.author }} - {{ book.title }}"
  annotation: "{{ annotation.slugs.metadata.created }}-{{ book.slugs.title }}"
  directory: "{{ book.author }} - {{ book.title }}"

Annotation Template Configuration

group: my-vault
context: annotation # <- The only difference!
structure: nested-grouped
extension: md
names:
  book: "{{ book.author }} - {{ book.title }}"
  annotation: "{{ annotation.slugs.metadata.created }}-{{ book.slugs.title }}"
  directory: "{{ book.author }} - {{ book.title }}"

Template Body

With our configuration all set up, we can now use the names object, which contains all the rendered Names, to link between our rendered output files. See Context Reference - Names for more information.

Book Template Body

The names.annotations object is a list of dictionaries, where each dictionary refers to a rendered annotation file and contains its filename along with metadata about its respective annotation. This allows us to link back to the annotation and sort the links based of off different criteria. In the example below, Tera's sort filter is used with the attribute argument and the location attribute.

# {{ book.author }} - {{ book.title }}

{% for name in names.annotations | sort(attribute="location")-%}
![[{{ name.filename }}]]
{% endfor %}

Alternatively we can use the names.directory variable to access the rendered name of the parent directory. This value is only available if the Structure Mode is set to nested or nested-grouped.

# {{ book.author }} - {{ book.title }}

{% for name in names.annotations -%}
![[{{ name.directory }}/{{ name.filename }}]]
{% endfor %}

Annotation Template Body

Finally, using the names.book variable we're able to link back to the source book.

# [[{{ names.book }}]]

{{ annotation.body }}

{% if annotation.notes %}notes: {{ annotation.notes }}{% endif -%}
{%- if annotation.tags %}tags: {{ annotation.tags | join(sep=" ") }}{% endif -%}

Output Structure

[output-directory]
 ├── my-vault
 │   └── Robert Henri - The Art Spirit
 │       ├── 2021-11-02-180445-the-art-spirit.md
 │       ├── 2021-11-02-181250-the-art-spirit.md
 │       ├── 2021-11-02-181325-the-art-spirit.md
 │       ├── 2021-11-02-181510-the-art-spirit.md
 │       └── Robert Henri - The Art Spirit.md
 │
 ├── [group]
 │    └── ...
 └── ...

Output Rendered Files

Robert Henri - The Art Spirit.md

# Robert Henri - The Art Spirit

![[2021-11-02-180445-the-art-spirit.md]]
![[2021-11-02-181250-the-art-spirit.md]]
![[2021-11-02-181325-the-art-spirit.md]]
![[2021-11-02-181510-the-art-spirit.md]]

2021-11-02-180445-the-art-spirit.md

# [[Robert Henri - The Art Spirit.md]]

Of course it is not easy to go one’s road. Because of our education we
continually get off our track, but the fight is a good one and there is joy in
it if there is any success at all. After all, the goal is not making art. It is
living a life. Those who live their lives will leave the stuff that is really
art. Art is a result. It is the trace of those who have led their lives. It is
interesting to us because we read the struggle and the degree of success the
man made in his struggle to live. The great question is: “What is worth while?”
The majority of people have failed to ask themselves seriously enough, and have
failed to try seriously enough to answer this question.

2021-11-02-181250-the-art-spirit.md

# [[Robert Henri - The Art Spirit.md]]

We are not here to do what has already been done.

2021-11-02-181325-the-art-spirit.md

# [[Robert Henri - The Art Spirit.md]]

The object of painting a picture is not to make a picture—however unreasonable
this may sound. The picture, if a picture results, is a by-product and may be
useful, valuable, interesting as a sign of what has past. The object, which is
back of every true work of art, is the attainment of a state of being, a state
of high functioning, a more than ordinary moment of existence. In such moments
activity is inevitable, and whether this activity is with brush, pen, chisel,
or tongue, its result is but a by-product of the state, a trace, the footprint
of the state.

tags: #artist #being

2021-11-02-181510-the-art-spirit.m

# [[Robert Henri - The Art Spirit.md]]

Do not let the fact that things are not made for you, that conditions are not
as they should be, stop you. Go on anyway. Everything depends on those who go
on anyway.

tags: #inspiration