lynchjames
Add a command to merge notes
If I want to merge note A into note B, I think a good starting place would be to append the contents of note A in note B and delete note A's file.
Which of these are you thinking of to select note A, the source to merge into the target note, B?
- While editing note B, select note A from a picker (like the quick switcher).
- While editing note B, place the cursor over an internal link/embed for note A in note B.
In order to delete note A, there are other links to note A to consider to avoid orphaning the links. I think this would need to check if there are any existing links, embeds, block refs to note A other than from note B and, if there are, display a similar modal warning of existing links to that file as Obsidian core.
Which of these are you thinking of to select note A, the source to merge into the target note, B?
While editing note B, select note A from a picker (like the quick switcher).While editing note B, place the cursor over an internal link/embed for note A in note B.
I like the first option, but I can offer a third one (which I find more intuitive) ... having note A open as the active leaf, then selecting the command to move to note B (which is perhaps open in a different pane).
In order to delete note A, there are other links to note A to consider to avoid orphaning the links. I think this would need to check if there are any existing links, embeds, block refs to note A other than from note B and, if there are, display a similar modal warning of existing links to that file as Obsidian core.
This is a good point I hadn't considered. I think the warning is a very good starting point, eventually (maybe for a future iteration) and for practical purposes what we want is to substitute [[note A with [[note B in all the vault (as long as it's followed by either ]] or #. If that's the case, whatever comes after the file name ends can stay the same (]],#heading]] or #^blockref]]), right? I guess we're looking at a sligthly smart mass-search and replace.
+1 to this feature. There is a thread about this subject on the Obsidian forum: https://forum.obsidian.md/t/whats-the-best-practice-for-merging-two-notes/6027
I believe the thread pre-dates Obsidian's block referencing / header referencing so that is a nuance that needs to be taken into consideration with any regexp vault search/replace.
+1 for this feature too
IMO it could be implemented by first making first a "Move references to another note" (Ideally with support for aliases and section references)
May use case:
- I have reference material from a cloud platform referencing the same service with a different name (Cloud XXXXX vs XXXX, I will miss it when reading and make a note for each
- When reviewing it becomes apparent that only one note is necessary
- I go to the note with "worst name" and run the command
Move references to another note - I'm given a prompt for the new reference name
- The plugin rename all reference of the "worst" name to the supplied one
