Speaking for myself, with my use case, where the system is for thoughts, I
want as little clutter and distraction as possible, which is the main
reason I’ve never even used markdown. When I’m thinking and writing my
thoughts, I don’t want to have to think about anything at all but writing
nouns and verbs; not formatting code or anything else. I don’t know how
many of my silly breed are thus afflicted, but I know some are. I’m having
to work at accepting that I probably have to learn some markdown, but I
won’t be messing with it until after I’m done writing my nouns and verbs.
Likewise when I make a gathering of a cluster of zettels to work with, I
just want to see the text ("Just the text, ma'am"). Don’t want to see meta
data or any other sort of informational or system stuff. Just the text,
please, so I can focus on the meat. I’ll be thinking and writing further
notes then as well, so keep the dogs quiet and tell that silly parrot to
just shut up.
Ok well, enough drama. But this strongly felt need of mine is one reason I
suggested (in my zettel template file attached to another post) a
sub-divided zettel instead of a monolithic zettel. Let the system be able
to address each sub-element independently. Bind the elements together by
adding one more digit to the zettel’s UID and let that extra digit
differentiate the individual elements. Now, let the system permit
displaying only the body element, and now I have my distraction free
thinking/writing environment. If all the link stuff is in one sub-zettel
then the system need only look at that sub-element and not have to scan
everything else to find what it’s looking for. Distraction free environment
for the system as well. The links blocks from all the zettels are all the
system needs to form the entire zettel web. Neat and clean, hopefully
easier on the programmer (speaking as a non-programmer).
If the body (including title) comprises a separate element, then we can
easily export only the body (if that’s what we want to do), free of all the
system stuff. Or, if we wanted to export some but not all the specialized
blocks. We can do whatever we want with ease.
Too, if the title is a sub-block of the body block, then we can view title
only, or many titles, stacked up so we can scan them undistracted by
everything else in the zettel. But maybe it’s only my use case that would
benefit from such a capability.
If the links block is a separate element, containing only links (using
’links’ broadly) then the system only has to directly address that block,
and everything in it is code that the system understands. It could even
contain the addresses of the other blocks.
All of which brings me to another reason I’m suggesting this, and you are
free to tell me I’m crazy. This is a jealously guarded secret so don’t tell
a soul:
If the zettel is modular, then a user can design his own zettels and his
own system…
Suppose the user wants a GTD system, specialized for his own use case. Now
I realize the zettelkasten system can be used as is for a GTD, a PIM or
most anything else. But, a GTD system would probably benefit from
specialized templates for GTD. Likewise a PIM would better suit with
specialized templates (fields for data, etc). You yourself designed a
specialized ‘zettel’ for your URL management system. If this system has
the capability to allow the user to ‘roll his own’ for specialized
purposes, then I think we’ve got something pretty special. Heck you or I
might want to redesign the zettel for our own use case. It looks already as
if we have slightly different preferences in some ways each to suit his own
use case. I’d like to be able to see first lines only, but you may have
little or no interest in such a feature. But if my custom modified zettel
template allows the first line to be a separate zet (cute name for a
sub-element?), then I can have my wish, and you can have yours. Too, we
could combine multiple systems in one: Notes, GTD, PIM, URL manager,
project manager, … all in one integrated system.
Many researchers and writers want citations. If there’s a separate block
for them, they can be hidden unless wanted (keep the dogs quiet). Or the
user can easily view or form a list of all zettels’ citations. Or titles.
Or links. Or header info. With such a system maybe the header block would
contain the descriptor for the zettel. A list of the 'zets', their types,
address of each. The system will need all that, and that and making a
template for each sub element may be about all it takes.
I know---wild idea. And, I know too that it’s not as simple as just
enabling the user to custom build his own zettel. The rest of the system
has to accommodate this concept. But my non-programmers mind naively
thinks: how difficult could that be, really? Well, maybe way too difficult,
for all I know. So tell me I’m crazy and I’ll return it back under my hat
where it belongs, and you don’t have to ever tell anyone, even your mother.
Cheers
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