#notebooknavigator — Public Fediverse posts

Still chipping away at my note-taking migration from Evernote to Obsidian

More than six months into the biggest switch of productivity apps I’ve undertaken since I stopped using Microsoft Word for everyday writing, I’m relieved to report that moving to a new note-taking app has so far involved much less drama than I expected. Or deserved, considering I staged this cutover right before my busiest workweek of the year.

But my transition from Evernote to Obsidian–spurred by Evernote’s owners at the Italian firm Bending Spoons sticking me with a 92 percent rate increase that was going to land two days before the start of CES–isn’t complete either. Here’s how things have come along to date:

• Import: I had a choice of note-taking apps that could import notes from the app I’d used regularly since 2010 (Microsoft’s OneNote not among them, ruling it out even though I already pay for it with my Microsoft 365 subscription). The biggest hassle with migrating some 15 years worth of notes turned out to be on Evernote’s end–its cap of 100 notes per export. Obsidian imported every batch without complaint but not without formatting glitches that I could not have avoided in an app based on the Markdown formatting system. And then I only realized Thursday morning that I had somehow failed to bring over about two years of notes from one notebook; about 10 minutes later, I had remedied that oversight.
• Filename games: Obsidian’s implementation of the text format that Apple developer and blogger John Gruber released in 2004 (see Anil Dash’s recap of Markdown’s unlikely ascent) saves notes as individual files with names derived from their titles. But since characters like a colon and a slash are illegal filename bits in many of the operating systems Obsidian supports, this clashed with my habit of including dates in mm/dd/yyyy format in the titles of notes from specific events. Obsidian usually took out the slashes, leaving it to me to insert dashes in their place to restore sense to smushed-together date-digit strings like “6122018,” but in a few cases the Mac app gave up and renamed a note “Untitled.”
• Mastering Markdown: I feel like I’ve had to reprogram part of my brain to deal with Markdown’s note-title restrictions, but this is nowhere near the first time I’ve done something like that for the sake of note-taking efficiency (for example, the way I hand-write a capital G remains influenced by Palm OS Graffiti). Markdown also uses a syntax of markup characters to format strings of text, which Obsidian hides in practice with the usual keyboard shortcuts and formatting buttons… except when I edit, select or tap inside a word that’s already been formatted, which surfaces the hidden markup characters around it. I find these compromises a reasonable price for the long-term reward of using a lock-in-resistant format that nobody owns and which any text-editing app can read.
• Writing: Note-taking has always been a text-first experience for me, going back to Palm handheld organizers, and Obsidian has proved pleasantly efficient in that while delivering two unexpected advances over Evernote. One is a tiny bit of input acceleration: When I type a quotation mark or parenthesis, Obsidian automatically adds the closing character in front of the cursor. The other is a feature that’s mandatory in word processors but uncommon in note apps: a word count you can have displayed in the bottom right corner, and which responds to your selection of a block of text by showing the words and characters in that selection.
• Syncing: The part of Evernote I was most reluctant to leave behind was the synchronization that Bending Spoons had immensely improved, to the point where I accepted a steep rate hike at the end of 2023. Obsidian doesn’t match Evernote’s near-real-time sync, which let me see characters I’d typed on one device appear an instant later in another device’s copy of Evernote. But Obsidian’s optional sync service, $48 a year, is damn fast on its own, generally getting edits from device to device in under five seconds. And because every note is a text file, I can get a note from my phone to my laptop even when both are offline: plug the phone into the laptop via USB, open Obsidian’s folder on the phone in Windows Explorer, and open the file in any text-editing app.
• Security: Obsidian Sync features end-to-end encryption between devices by default, a security feature I have come to appreciate more after seeing how the Trump administration is willing to treat certain journalists. The tradeoff of that approach and its device-to-device architecture is not having any Web app for Obsidian–but since I almost never used Evernote’s Web app, I can live with that.
• Plug-ins: Obsidian’s resolutely indie developers tout the ability to extend and augment the app with some of the 5,500-plus plug-ins available. I’m not entirely sold on this tinkering-required approach, since some of these–in particular, the Importer plug-in maintained by Obsidian’s own developers–provide capabilities so essential that they shouldn’t require in-app downloading. In other cases, there are so many plug-ins for a specific task that I’ve postponed picking one. That said, I will put in a plug for the free Notebook Navigator, which lets you switch between notes and folders in a simple tree-style interface like the one I got used to in Evernote.
• Incomplete items: After succumbing to paralysis via analysis when looking at all of the different audio-transcription options, I opted to outsource that task to a third-party app–the Google Recorder app on my Pixel 9 Pro, which does its AI transcription offline. But I have yet to find any plug-in that can match Evernote’s ability to scan and digitize business cards for easy access to people’s contact details. That is why the desk in front of this keyboard now features a stack of recently-collected business cards two inches tall, held together with an elastic band until I can find some other way to save the useful bits from them in a searchable way. Any suggestions?

Still chipping away at my note-taking migration from Evernote to Obsidian

More than six months into the biggest switch of productivity apps I’ve undertaken since I stopped using Microsoft Word for everyday writing, I’m relieved to report that moving to a new note-taking app has so far involved much less drama than I expected. Or deserved, considering I staged this cutover right before my busiest workweek of the year.

But my transition from Evernote to Obsidian–spurred by Evernote’s owners at the Italian firm Bending Spoons sticking me with a 92 percent rate increase that was going to land two days before the start of CES–isn’t complete either. Here’s how things have come along to date:

• Import: I had a choice of note-taking apps that could import notes from the app I’d used regularly since 2010 (Microsoft’s OneNote not among them, ruling it out even though I already pay for it with my Microsoft 365 subscription). The biggest hassle with migrating some 15 years worth of notes turned out to be on Evernote’s end–its cap of 100 notes per export. Obsidian imported every batch without complaint but not without formatting glitches that I could not have avoided in an app based on the Markdown formatting system. And then I only realized Thursday morning that I had somehow failed to bring over about two years of notes from one notebook; about 10 minutes later, I had remedied that oversight.
• Filename games: Obsidian’s implementation of the text format that Apple developer and blogger John Gruber released in 2004 (see Anil Dash’s recap of Markdown’s unlikely ascent) saves notes as individual files with names derived from their titles. But since characters like a colon and a slash are illegal filename bits in many of the operating systems Obsidian supports, this clashed with my habit of including dates in mm/dd/yyyy format in the titles of notes from specific events. Obsidian usually took out the slashes, leaving it to me to insert dashes in their place to restore sense to smushed-together date-digit strings like “6122018,” but in a few cases the Mac app gave up and renamed a note “Untitled.”
• Mastering Markdown: I feel like I’ve had to reprogram part of my brain to deal with Markdown’s note-title restrictions, but this is nowhere near the first time I’ve done something like that for the sake of note-taking efficiency (for example, the way I hand-write a capital G remains influenced by Palm OS Graffiti). Markdown also uses a syntax of markup characters to format strings of text, which Obsidian hides in practice with the usual keyboard shortcuts and formatting buttons… except when I edit, select or tap inside a word that’s already been formatted, which surfaces the hidden markup characters around it. I find these compromises a reasonable price for the long-term reward of using a lock-in-resistant format that nobody owns and which any text-editing app can read.
• Writing: Note-taking has always been a text-first experience for me, going back to Palm handheld organizers, and Obsidian has proved pleasantly efficient in that while delivering two unexpected advances over Evernote. One is a tiny bit of input acceleration: When I type a quotation mark or parenthesis, Obsidian automatically adds the closing character in front of the cursor. The other is a feature that’s mandatory in word processors but uncommon in note apps: a word count you can have displayed in the bottom right corner, and which responds to your selection of a block of text by showing the words and characters in that selection.
• Syncing: The part of Evernote I was most reluctant to leave behind was the synchronization that Bending Spoons had immensely improved, to the point where I accepted a steep rate hike at the end of 2023. Obsidian doesn’t match Evernote’s near-real-time sync, which let me see characters I’d typed on one device appear an instant later in another device’s copy of Evernote. But Obsidian’s optional sync service, $48 a year, is damn fast on its own, generally getting edits from device to device in under five seconds. And because every note is a text file, I can get a note from my phone to my laptop even when both are offline: plug the phone into the laptop via USB, open Obsidian’s folder on the phone in Windows Explorer, and open the file in any text-editing app.
• Security: Obsidian Sync features end-to-end encryption between devices by default, a security feature I have come to appreciate more after seeing how the Trump administration is willing to treat certain journalists. The tradeoff of that approach and its device-to-device architecture is not having any Web app for Obsidian–but since I almost never used Evernote’s Web app, I can live with that.
• Plug-ins: Obsidian’s resolutely indie developers tout the ability to extend and augment the app with some of the 5,500-plus plug-ins available. I’m not entirely sold on this tinkering-required approach, since some of these–in particular, the Importer plug-in maintained by Obsidian’s own developers–provide capabilities so essential that they shouldn’t require in-app downloading. In other cases, there are so many plug-ins for a specific task that I’ve postponed picking one. That said, I will put in a plug for the free Notebook Navigator, which lets you switch between notes and folders in a simple tree-style interface like the one I got used to in Evernote.
• Incomplete items: After succumbing to paralysis via analysis when looking at all of the different audio-transcription options, I opted to outsource that task to a third-party app–the Google Recorder app on my Pixel 9 Pro, which does its AI transcription offline. But I have yet to find any plug-in that can match Evernote’s ability to scan and digitize business cards for easy access to people’s contact details. That is why the desk in front of this keyboard now features a stack of recently-collected business cards two inches tall, held together with an elastic band until I can find some other way to save the useful bits from them in a searchable way. Any suggestions?

#NotebookNavigator is truly a golden plugin for #Obsidian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BewIlG8wLAM&list=WL&index=5&t=5s

#NotebookNavigator is truly a golden plugin for #Obsidian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BewIlG8wLAM&list=WL&index=5&t=5s

Had to boost as I run out of ideas.

Weirdly hiding the sidebar still doesn't help. I don't understand why they're are so many actions from notebook navigator whilst I type.

#obsidian #ObsidianMD #notebooknavigator #plugin

Obsidian community I'd appreciate your input on this:

Whenever I enable notebook navigator on my laptop (older, but not ancient) running windows 10, my typing starts to lag. Performance monitor confirms the same thing that it's causing CPU spike.

Unfortunately that plugin is crucial to my workflow and apparently people tend to have more performance issues with other plugins instead of this one and there has been no reported issues and fixes that apply to my scenario.

What are my options?

#Obsidian #ObsidianMD #notetaking #notetakingapp #notebooknavigator #help

Die populäre Erweiterung #NotebookNavigator für #Obisidian ist seit heute in der dritten Version verfügbar und bringt in Anlehnung an Apss wie #Ulysses und #Scrivener viele praktische Funktionen für das Schreiben mit.

https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/notebook-navigator

#ObsidianMD

Die populäre Erweiterung #NotebookNavigator für #Obisidian ist seit heute in der dritten Version verfügbar und bringt in Anlehnung an Apss wie #Ulysses und #Scrivener viele praktische Funktionen für das Schreiben mit.

https://community.obsidian.md/plugins/notebook-navigator

#ObsidianMD

How to use Notebook Navigator (Obsidian Community plug-in) https://elizabethtai.com/2025/11/25/how-to-use-notebook-navigator-obsidian-community-plug-in/ #Documentation, #Ideas, #NotebookNavigator, #Obsidian, #Tech, #Techwriting

How to use Notebook Navigator (Obsidian Community plug-in) https://elizabethtai.com/2025/11/25/how-to-use-notebook-navigator-obsidian-community-plug-in/ #Documentation, #Ideas, #NotebookNavigator, #Obsidian, #Tech, #Techwriting

Another day, another update of #NotebookNavigator

Another day, another update of #NotebookNavigator

How to use Notebook Navigator (Obsidian Community plug-in)

I love Obsidian and am ever so grateful for the Obsidian community’s contributions to make a great software even greater.

While I was learning how to use Notebook Navigator, a fantastic community plug-in by Johan Sanneblad, I took notes.

I’m actually a technical writer by trade. So, I thought it would be a great idea to share a simple Notebook Navigator users’ guide for users who want a quick and easy way to get started with the plug-in.

This document is a work-in-progress. However, what’s available will quickly help you get started with Notebook Navigator.

PS: I’m open to suggestions for improvement (do leave a comment below).

Table of contents

1. Notebook Navigator: Overview
2. Quick start guide
   1. 1. Installing Notebook Navigator
   2. 2. Activating the Navigator
   3. Basic setup tips
3. Notebook Navigator: The User Guides
   1. Getting to know Notebook Navigator’s toolbar buttons
      1. The Navigation Pane menu
      2. List Pane menu
      3. The right-click menu
   2. Switching from “list” to “card” view
   3. How to pin your favourite notes
   4. How to add a shortcut to your notes or folders
   5. Using Tags and Folders
   6. Changing icons and colour-coding your folders and notes
   7. How to manually sort your notes
   8. Searching inside a specific folder
4. FAQ
   1. What are the recommended community plug-ins to extend Notebook Navigator’s features?
   2. Why aren’t images showing up on my cards?
   3. How do I customize Notebook Navigator?
   4. How do I add images to my note cards in the list pane?

Notebook Navigator: Overview

Notebook Navigator changes how you view your Obsidian vault. Instead of a simple list of folders and file, it gives you a visual, two-pane interface similar to apps like Apple Notes or Evernote.

Why use it?

• Visual browsing: See the first few lines of your notes (and even images) before you open them. This makes finding the right note easier than just reading filenames.
• Better organization: Navigate using Folders OR Tags side-by-side. You can colour-code your folders and add icons to make them stand out.

How Notebook Navigator improves on the standard Obsidian file view:

• Pin any note, folder, or tag to the top of the list for instant access.
• Preview the first few lines of text for each note, so you know what is inside without opening it.
• Display images on your note cards, turning your list into a visual gallery.
• Folders and Tags are brought together in one sidebar for ease of navigation.
• Search inside a specific folder.
• Colour-code and assign custom icons to notes to make them stand out visually.
• Drag and drop a note in the order you want.

Quick start guide

Follow these steps to get Notebook Navigator running in under 5 minutes.

1. Installing Notebook Navigator

• Open Obsidian settings > Community Plugins. Turn off “Restricted Mode” if it is on. (See Toolbar buttons guide for more information.)
• Click Browse and search for “Notebook Navigator”.
• Click Install and then Enable.

2. Activating the Navigator

Once enabled, you will see a new “Notebook” icon in your left ribbon sidebar.

• Click the icon to open the Notebook Navigator view.
• It will replace your standard file explorer with the new two-pane view.

Tip: If you don’t see the two-pane view, widen the left sidebar.

Basic setup tips

• Adjust the view: You can drag the divider line between the folders and the note list to see more text.
• Pin important items: Right-click any important folder or tag and select Pin. This keeps it at the top of your list for quick access.
• Keyboard navigation: You don’t need a mouse. Use your Arrow Keys to move up and down. Press Tab to switch between the folder list and the note list.

Next steps:

• Get to know Notebook Navigator’s toolbar buttons.
• Read the User Guides to really master the key features of Notebook Navigator.
• Read the FAQs to get your answers to commonly asked questions.

Notebook Navigator: The User Guides

The following guides will help you understand how to use Notebook Navigator’s features.

Getting to know Notebook Navigator’s toolbar buttons

ℹ️ You can choose which buttons will appear on the toolbar. Go to Obsidian’s Settings and scroll down to the Community plug-ins section. Then, click Notebook Navigator > General and scroll down to Toolbar buttons. Just click on the icons to select or deselect the icons.

The Navigation Pane menu

This is the narrow column on the far left where you pick where to look.

1. Notebook Navigator button (📒) – By clicking on this you activate the panes.
2. Show single pane – Switch to single pane view.
3. Shortcuts (⛉): Add the notes you want to access quickly here.
4. Collapse items – Minimise file tree
5. Reorder root folders and tags (Three Horizontal Lines): Rearrange your items by dragging and dropping them to the order you desire.
6. New folder – Add new folder
7. Recent files (Clock Icon): This shows a list of the notes you opened most recently. It is great for jumping back into work you were doing yesterday.
8. Tags: Navigate via the tags in your vault.

List Pane menu

This pane will show you more information on the items you’ve selected on the navigator menu. You can do the following in the list pane:

1. Search (🔍): This searches only the folder or tag you are currently looking at. It does not search your whole computer. Use this to find a specific file quickly within a folder.
2. Show notes from subfolders/descendants:
   • If ON: You see notes in the current folder plus notes inside any folders underneath it.
   • If OFF: You only see notes that are directly inside the current folder. Change sort order: Reorder the list pane results according to your preferences.
3. Change sort order: Sort from date created, date edited, title and more.
4. Change appearance: Switch between card view and list view.
5. Create new note

The right-click menu

When you right-click on a note/file, folder, or tag, you get a special menu.

(ℹ️To select a note, you need to click on the folder in the navigation pane, then right click on the note on the list pane.)

Here are the most useful options:

• Pin note: Pins the note so that it’ll be at the top of the list pane when the folder it’s in is selected.
• Add to shortcuts: Add the note to shortcuts.
• Change color: Lets you highlight a folder name with a specific color (like Red for urgent or Green for personal).
• Change icon: Lets you replace the standard folder icon with an emoji or symbol (like a house icon for your “Home” folder).

Switching from “list” to “card” view

⚠️ Pre-requisites: If you want to see images on these cards, install the “Featured Image” plugin from the Obsidian community store.

By default, files can be viewed as cards. Here is how to change them into a list.

1. On the second pane, click on the paint palette icon.
2. Click Slim.
3. To change back to the card view, click on the paint palette icon (🎨) > Default.

You can select the card or “slim” list view as the default view in Notebook Navigator’s settings.

How to pin your favourite notes

Stop searching for the same note over and over again. Pin it to the top of the list pane each time you click on the folder.

ℹ️ You can pin more than one note.

1. Right click at the note.
2. Select Pin note.
3. Look at the very top of the second pane on the left. You will see a pin icon. Your pinned items are below it.

The pinned note appears at the folder level. Let’s say the note belongs to a folder called “Inbox”. To see the pinned note, click on the Inbox folder at the navigation pane. The pinned note will appear on the list pane on the right.

How to add a shortcut to your notes or folders

1. Right click at the note or folder.
2. Select Add to shortcuts.
3. Your notes or folder will now be below the Shortcuts icon on the navigator pane for quick access.

Using Tags and Folders

Notebook Navigator puts your Folders and Tags in the same menu. This helps you organize notes quickly.

To Browse: Click a folder to see files by location. Click a Tag to see files by tags.

To tag a note

1. Click and hold a note card from the right side.
2. Drag the note over to a Tag in the left sidebar.
3. Drop it.

The note now has that tag added to it automatically!

Alternatively, just select the note and click on the tag icon or right click and select Add tag.

Changing icons and colour-coding your folders and notes

Make your important folders stand out instantly with colours and icons.

1. Right-click on any Folder, Note or Tag in the left sidebar.
2. To change color: Select Change Color. Pick a color (like Red for “Urgent”).
3. To change icon: Select Change Icon. Type a word like “Home” or “Work” to find a matching symbol.

How to manually sort your notes

Sometimes you don’t want notes or folders sorted by date. You want them in a specific order.

1. Click the Reorder icon at the top of the navigator pane.
2. Click and hold any note or folder.
3. Drag it up or down to place it exactly where you want it.

Searching inside a specific folder

⚠️ Pre-requisite: Installed the “Omnisearch” plug-in.

If you type in the main Obsidian search bar, you get results from everywhere. Here is how to search just one area.

1. Click the Folder or Tag you want to search (e.g., “Recipes”).
2. On the list pane, click the magnifying glass icon.
3. Type your search query (e.g., “Chicken”).
4. The list will only show notes inside the folder that matches your query.

FAQ

What are the recommended community plug-ins to extend Notebook Navigator’s features?

Notebook Navigator works great on its own, but these three additional plugins make it even better. Installing them is optional but recommended.

Tip: If you’re unsure how to install community plug-ins, please read Obsidian’s documentation on community plug-ins.

Style Settings

• What it does: Allows you to change the look of Notebook Navigator without writing code.
• Why you need it: You can change font sizes, background colors, and hide elements you don’t use to make the interface cleaner.

Featured Image

• What it does: Automatically finds the first image inside your note and creates a small thumbnail cover.
• Why you need it: It turns your note list into a visual gallery.

Omnisearch

• What it does: A powerful search engine for your notes.
• Why you need it: Notebook Navigator connects to this plugin to let you search the contents of your notes (not just the titles) directly from the navigator bar.

Why aren’t images showing up on my cards?

• Ensure you have the Featured Image plugin installed and enabled.
• Check that your note actually contains an image.

How do I customize Notebook Navigator?

Go to Obsidian’s settings > Notebook Navigator. There, you have the option to customize:

• Navigation pane
• List pane
• Menu buttons
• Folders & tags
• Notes
• Set hotkeys and search options

How do I add images to my note cards in the list pane?

If your note cards look plain, you can add cover images automatically.

⚠️ Pre-requisite: Installed the Featured Image community plugin.

1. Go to Obsidian’s Settings > Notebook Navigator > Notes
2. Turn on “Show Feature Image”.

Now, the first image inside any note will automatically appear as a thumbnail on its card in the list.

#documentation #ideas #notebookNavigator #obsidian #tech #techwriting

How to use Notebook Navigator (Obsidian Community plug-in)

I love Obsidian and am ever so grateful for the Obsidian community’s contributions to make a great software even greater.

While I was learning how to use Notebook Navigator, a fantastic community plug-in by Johan Sanneblad, I took notes.

I’m actually a technical writer by trade. So, I thought it would be a great idea to share a simple Notebook Navigator users’ guide for users who want a quick and easy way to get started with the plug-in.

This document is a work-in-progress. However, what’s available will quickly help you get started with Notebook Navigator.

PS: I’m open to suggestions for improvement (do leave a comment below).

Table of contents

1. Notebook Navigator: Overview
2. Quick start guide
   1. 1. Installing Notebook Navigator
   2. 2. Activating the Navigator
   3. Basic setup tips
3. Notebook Navigator: The User Guides
   1. Getting to know Notebook Navigator’s toolbar buttons
      1. The Navigation Pane menu
      2. List Pane menu
      3. The right-click menu
   2. Switching from “list” to “card” view
   3. How to pin your favourite notes
   4. How to add a shortcut to your notes or folders
   5. Using Tags and Folders
   6. Changing icons and colour-coding your folders and notes
   7. How to manually sort your notes
   8. Searching inside a specific folder
4. FAQ
   1. What are the recommended community plug-ins to extend Notebook Navigator’s features?
   2. Why aren’t images showing up on my cards?
   3. How do I customize Notebook Navigator?
   4. How do I add images to my note cards in the list pane?

Notebook Navigator: Overview

Notebook Navigator changes how you view your Obsidian vault. Instead of a simple list of folders and file, it gives you a visual, two-pane interface similar to apps like Apple Notes or Evernote.

Why use it?

• Visual browsing: See the first few lines of your notes (and even images) before you open them. This makes finding the right note easier than just reading filenames.
• Better organization: Navigate using Folders OR Tags side-by-side. You can colour-code your folders and add icons to make them stand out.

How Notebook Navigator improves on the standard Obsidian file view:

• Pin any note, folder, or tag to the top of the list for instant access.
• Preview the first few lines of text for each note, so you know what is inside without opening it.
• Display images on your note cards, turning your list into a visual gallery.
• Folders and Tags are brought together in one sidebar for ease of navigation.
• Search inside a specific folder.
• Colour-code and assign custom icons to notes to make them stand out visually.
• Drag and drop a note in the order you want.

Quick start guide

Follow these steps to get Notebook Navigator running in under 5 minutes.

1. Installing Notebook Navigator

• Open Obsidian settings > Community Plugins. Turn off “Restricted Mode” if it is on. (See Toolbar buttons guide for more information.)
• Click Browse and search for “Notebook Navigator”.
• Click Install and then Enable.

2. Activating the Navigator

Once enabled, you will see a new “Notebook” icon in your left ribbon sidebar.

• Click the icon to open the Notebook Navigator view.
• It will replace your standard file explorer with the new two-pane view.

Tip: If you don’t see the two-pane view, widen the left sidebar.

Basic setup tips

• Adjust the view: You can drag the divider line between the folders and the note list to see more text.
• Pin important items: Right-click any important folder or tag and select Pin. This keeps it at the top of your list for quick access.
• Keyboard navigation: You don’t need a mouse. Use your Arrow Keys to move up and down. Press Tab to switch between the folder list and the note list.

Next steps:

• Get to know Notebook Navigator’s toolbar buttons.
• Read the User Guides to really master the key features of Notebook Navigator.
• Read the FAQs to get your answers to commonly asked questions.

Notebook Navigator: The User Guides

The following guides will help you understand how to use Notebook Navigator’s features.

Getting to know Notebook Navigator’s toolbar buttons

ℹ️ You can choose which buttons will appear on the toolbar. Go to Obsidian’s Settings and scroll down to the Community plug-ins section. Then, click Notebook Navigator > General and scroll down to Toolbar buttons. Just click on the icons to select or deselect the icons.

The Navigation Pane menu

This is the narrow column on the far left where you pick where to look.

1. Notebook Navigator button (📒) – By clicking on this you activate the panes.
2. Show single pane – Switch to single pane view.
3. Shortcuts (⛉): Add the notes you want to access quickly here.
4. Collapse items – Minimise file tree
5. Reorder root folders and tags (Three Horizontal Lines): Rearrange your items by dragging and dropping them to the order you desire.
6. New folder – Add new folder
7. Recent files (Clock Icon): This shows a list of the notes you opened most recently. It is great for jumping back into work you were doing yesterday.
8. Tags: Navigate via the tags in your vault.

List Pane menu

This pane will show you more information on the items you’ve selected on the navigator menu. You can do the following in the list pane:

1. Search (🔍): This searches only the folder or tag you are currently looking at. It does not search your whole computer. Use this to find a specific file quickly within a folder.
2. Show notes from subfolders/descendants:
   • If ON: You see notes in the current folder plus notes inside any folders underneath it.
   • If OFF: You only see notes that are directly inside the current folder. Change sort order: Reorder the list pane results according to your preferences.
3. Change sort order: Sort from date created, date edited, title and more.
4. Change appearance: Switch between card view and list view.
5. Create new note

The right-click menu

When you right-click on a note/file, folder, or tag, you get a special menu.

(ℹ️To select a note, you need to click on the folder in the navigation pane, then right click on the note on the list pane.)

Here are the most useful options:

• Pin note: Pins the note so that it’ll be at the top of the list pane when the folder it’s in is selected.
• Add to shortcuts: Add the note to shortcuts.
• Change color: Lets you highlight a folder name with a specific color (like Red for urgent or Green for personal).
• Change icon: Lets you replace the standard folder icon with an emoji or symbol (like a house icon for your “Home” folder).

Switching from “list” to “card” view

⚠️ Pre-requisites: If you want to see images on these cards, install the “Featured Image” plugin from the Obsidian community store.

By default, files can be viewed as cards. Here is how to change them into a list.

1. On the second pane, click on the paint palette icon.
2. Click Slim.
3. To change back to the card view, click on the paint palette icon (🎨) > Default.

You can select the card or “slim” list view as the default view in Notebook Navigator’s settings.

How to pin your favourite notes

Stop searching for the same note over and over again. Pin it to the top of the list pane each time you click on the folder.

ℹ️ You can pin more than one note.

1. Right click at the note.
2. Select Pin note.
3. Look at the very top of the second pane on the left. You will see a pin icon. Your pinned items are below it.

The pinned note appears at the folder level. Let’s say the note belongs to a folder called “Inbox”. To see the pinned note, click on the Inbox folder at the navigation pane. The pinned note will appear on the list pane on the right.

How to add a shortcut to your notes or folders

1. Right click at the note or folder.
2. Select Add to shortcuts.
3. Your notes or folder will now be below the Shortcuts icon on the navigator pane for quick access.

Using Tags and Folders

Notebook Navigator puts your Folders and Tags in the same menu. This helps you organize notes quickly.

To Browse: Click a folder to see files by location. Click a Tag to see files by tags.

To tag a note

1. Click and hold a note card from the right side.
2. Drag the note over to a Tag in the left sidebar.
3. Drop it.

The note now has that tag added to it automatically!

Alternatively, just select the note and click on the tag icon or right click and select Add tag.

Changing icons and colour-coding your folders and notes

Make your important folders stand out instantly with colours and icons.

1. Right-click on any Folder, Note or Tag in the left sidebar.
2. To change color: Select Change Color. Pick a color (like Red for “Urgent”).
3. To change icon: Select Change Icon. Type a word like “Home” or “Work” to find a matching symbol.

How to manually sort your notes

Sometimes you don’t want notes or folders sorted by date. You want them in a specific order.

1. Click the Reorder icon at the top of the navigator pane.
2. Click and hold any note or folder.
3. Drag it up or down to place it exactly where you want it.

Searching inside a specific folder

⚠️ Pre-requisite: Installed the “Omnisearch” plug-in.

If you type in the main Obsidian search bar, you get results from everywhere. Here is how to search just one area.

1. Click the Folder or Tag you want to search (e.g., “Recipes”).
2. On the list pane, click the magnifying glass icon.
3. Type your search query (e.g., “Chicken”).
4. The list will only show notes inside the folder that matches your query.

FAQ

What are the recommended community plug-ins to extend Notebook Navigator’s features?

Notebook Navigator works great on its own, but these three additional plugins make it even better. Installing them is optional but recommended.

Tip: If you’re unsure how to install community plug-ins, please read Obsidian’s documentation on community plug-ins.

Style Settings

• What it does: Allows you to change the look of Notebook Navigator without writing code.
• Why you need it: You can change font sizes, background colors, and hide elements you don’t use to make the interface cleaner.

Featured Image

• What it does: Automatically finds the first image inside your note and creates a small thumbnail cover.
• Why you need it: It turns your note list into a visual gallery.

Omnisearch

• What it does: A powerful search engine for your notes.
• Why you need it: Notebook Navigator connects to this plugin to let you search the contents of your notes (not just the titles) directly from the navigator bar.

Why aren’t images showing up on my cards?

• Ensure you have the Featured Image plugin installed and enabled.
• Check that your note actually contains an image.

How do I customize Notebook Navigator?

Go to Obsidian’s settings > Notebook Navigator. There, you have the option to customize:

• Navigation pane
• List pane
• Menu buttons
• Folders & tags
• Notes
• Set hotkeys and search options

How do I add images to my note cards in the list pane?

If your note cards look plain, you can add cover images automatically.

⚠️ Pre-requisite: Installed the Featured Image community plugin.

1. Go to Obsidian’s Settings > Notebook Navigator > Notes
2. Turn on “Show Feature Image”.

Now, the first image inside any note will automatically appear as a thumbnail on its card in the list.

#documentation #ideas #notebookNavigator #obsidian #tech #techwriting

@LePertti I enjoy using #notebooknavigator https://notebooknavigator.com/ #Obsidian

@LePertti I enjoy using #notebooknavigator https://notebooknavigator.com/ #Obsidian

Spent almost 30 mins trying to configure #NotebookNavigator the way I want it and gave up. What fucked me in the end was its locked-in 58pixel height positioning of each cell in the file list. I want to set height:auto and then have the next cell start immediately beneath. Whatever. First world problems.

Disabled, but not uninstalled yet.

Spent almost 30 mins trying to configure #NotebookNavigator the way I want it and gave up. What fucked me in the end was its locked-in 58pixel height positioning of each cell in the file list. I want to set height:auto and then have the next cell start immediately beneath. Whatever. First world problems.

Disabled, but not uninstalled yet.

First things I looked for in the config for #NotebookNavigator - font size and family - aren’t there. But the much more important font WEIGHT is. Fuck me. Loading up my custom css... again…..

https://github.com/johansan/notebook-navigator/issues/230

First things I looked for in the config for #NotebookNavigator - font size and family - aren’t there. But the much more important font WEIGHT is. Fuck me. Loading up my custom css... again…..

https://github.com/johansan/notebook-navigator/issues/230

#notebooknavigator
Don’t get me wrong, *great* plugin - but I’d like the entire hamburger in one go rather than one sesame seed, tomato slice or grilled onion strand at a time. 104 releases already. FFS!

“Twos” for iOS did this as well. Let’s try not to become a victim of our own popularity..

#notebooknavigator
Don’t get me wrong, *great* plugin - but I’d like the entire hamburger in one go rather than one sesame seed, tomato slice or grilled onion strand at a time. 104 releases already. FFS!

“Twos” for iOS did this as well. Let’s try not to become a victim of our own popularity..

Seems like this #Obsidian plugin is gaining traction quick. I forgot about it but will check it out again soon. Will take a bit of getting used to I think. #notebooknavigator

https://old.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1o0i8hu/notebook_navigator_152_out_now_pinned_shortcuts

Seems like this #Obsidian plugin is gaining traction quick. I forgot about it but will check it out again soon. Will take a bit of getting used to I think. #notebooknavigator

https://old.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1o0i8hu/notebook_navigator_152_out_now_pinned_shortcuts

Aaaaaand here come the tutorials for it. We knew it was only a matter of time. #obsidian #notebooknavigator

Edit: watched half before quitting out in disgust. All the guy cares about is colors and look. Background color, text color, icon packs. None of it has anything to do with actual NOTE TAKING.

https://old.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1nukhq2/full_walkthrough_on_how_to_get_the_most_out_of

Aaaaaand here come the tutorials for it. We knew it was only a matter of time. #obsidian #notebooknavigator

Edit: watched half before quitting out in disgust. All the guy cares about is colors and look. Background color, text color, icon packs. None of it has anything to do with actual NOTE TAKING.

https://old.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1nukhq2/full_walkthrough_on_how_to_get_the_most_out_of

I've been testing #Obsidian for a while now to finally make the switch from Evernote. Today I stumbled across the #NotebookNavigator plugin. It looks quite promising.

https://notebooknavigator.com/

I've been testing #Obsidian for a while now to finally make the switch from Evernote. Today I stumbled across the #NotebookNavigator plugin. It looks quite promising.

https://notebooknavigator.com/

#NotebookNavigator ist ein Plugin für #Obsidian, das die grafische Benutzeroberfläche aufmöbelt und um ein paar Funktionen erweitert. Vielversprechend (ohne es getestet zu haben) klingen Rich note previews mit Bildern und Tag management. Die zusätzliche Leiste mit der Notizenvorschau im jeweiligen Ordner (Dual-pane interface) erinnert stark an Apple's hauseigene Notizen-App.

https://notebooknavigator.com/

#NotebookNavigator ist ein Plugin für #Obsidian, das die grafische Benutzeroberfläche aufmöbelt und um ein paar Funktionen erweitert. Vielversprechend (ohne es getestet zu haben) klingen Rich note previews mit Bildern und Tag management. Die zusätzliche Leiste mit der Notizenvorschau im jeweiligen Ordner (Dual-pane interface) erinnert stark an Apple's hauseigene Notizen-App.

https://notebooknavigator.com/