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WEBVTT - EmacsConf 2022, Ramin Honary: "Build a Zettelkasten with the Hyperbole Rolodex" captioned by ramin

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Hello, attendees of EmacsConf 2022!

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The title of my talk is:

00:00:08.840 --> 00:00:16.159
"Build a Zettelkasten with the Hyperbole Rolodex."

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My name is Ramin Honary.

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I work as a software engineer

00:00:19.280 --> 00:00:22.839
writing apps for a small machine learning consultancy.

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I have been using Emacs since roughly 2018

00:00:24.840 --> 00:00:26.479
after having switched from a workflow

00:00:26.480 --> 00:00:29.439
using Vim together with Screen/Tmux for over a decade.

00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:31.439
Today I'd like to talk a bit about

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the Hyperbole package for Emacs.

00:00:34.040 --> 00:00:36.159
Others are presenting talks later today

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about Hyperbole as well,

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including some of the the authors and maintainers,

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so I won't go into too much detail

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about how Hyperbole works.

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Instead, I want to present

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a more concrete use case for Hyperbole,

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which is how to use it to facilitate

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the Zettelkasten method.

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Most Emacs users will probably be

00:00:53.760 --> 00:00:56.039
more familiar with Org Roam.

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Org Roam may even be the first thing that comes to mind

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when you hear the word "Zettelkasten."

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But personally, I use Hyperbole

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because I found it easier to get started with

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using it as an ideas database.

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All you need to do is install the Hyperbole package

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(which is available on GNU-ELPA)

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and then set a few customization options.

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There is nothing else you really need to do

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to get started.

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And also, Hyperbole works nicely with Org Mode.

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So Hyperbole's built-in functionality

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can be used as a nice, light-weight alternative

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to other Emacs Zettelkasten packages.

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This talk is for people who are curious about

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getting started with the Zettelkasten method,

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but are not ready to commit

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to a more purpose-built solution like Org Roam.

00:01:41.040 --> 00:01:42.719
So the thing I'd like people

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to take away from this presentation

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is that the Hyperbole Emacs package

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provides you with a flat-file database called "HyRolo"

00:01:50.640 --> 00:01:53.239
which you can use to store ideas.

00:01:53.240 --> 00:01:55.999
Then you can use what Hyperbole calls "buttons"

00:01:56.000 --> 00:01:57.239
(which are hyperlinks)

00:01:57.240 --> 00:02:00.519
to execute arbitrary Emacs commands

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and by inserting links into your database

00:02:03.160 --> 00:02:06.159
that execute queries against the database itself.

00:02:06.160 --> 00:02:08.959
These query-action links serve as

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a means to link ideas together,

00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:13.439
thus creating a functioning "Zettelkasten."

00:02:13.440 --> 00:02:15.479
If this doesn't make sense to you,

00:02:15.480 --> 00:02:19.839
I'll explain what all of this means presently.

00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:24.359
So just a quick overview of what "Zettelkasten" is.

00:02:24.360 --> 00:02:26.199
Note that most of what I say

00:02:26.200 --> 00:02:27.359
about the Zettelkasten method

00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:29.759
comes from a guy called Sascha Fast,

00:02:29.760 --> 00:02:33.119
and his website: zettelkasten.de .

00:02:33.120 --> 00:02:34.999
So a Zettelkasten is, in brief,

00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:38.199
a database containing many nodes of interconnected ideas,

00:02:38.200 --> 00:02:40.759
each idea being a single quantity of knowledge

00:02:40.760 --> 00:02:42.039
(about a paragraph)

00:02:42.040 --> 00:02:46.319
and linked to other related ideas.

00:02:46.320 --> 00:02:47.959
Also, let me quickly mention

00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:49.679
that there are actually many tools I use

00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:51.879
that assist me with the zettelkasten method:

00:02:51.880 --> 00:02:53.599
Hyperbole for hyperlinks;

00:02:53.600 --> 00:02:56.079
Embark for general text editing;

00:02:56.080 --> 00:02:57.279
Org Mode for markup;

00:02:57.280 --> 00:02:59.439
Dired for managing large sets of files;

00:02:59.440 --> 00:03:01.959
Consult, Vertico, Orderless, Marginalia;

00:03:01.960 --> 00:03:04.519
for interactive search through directories and documents;

00:03:04.520 --> 00:03:06.359
and Magit for revision control,

00:03:06.360 --> 00:03:08.159
and syncing my database of ideas

00:03:08.160 --> 00:03:10.199
across a few of my computers.

00:03:10.200 --> 00:03:12.959
Each of these tools provides some unique functionality,

00:03:12.960 --> 00:03:15.439
but today I will be focusing mostly on Hyperbole

00:03:15.440 --> 00:03:17.039
and how it is especially useful

00:03:17.040 --> 00:03:19.839
for the task of linking information together

00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:21.399
which is the most important aspect

00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:25.359
of the Zettelkasten methodology.

00:03:25.360 --> 00:03:28.399
And now I'll briefly go over what Hyperbole is.

00:03:28.400 --> 00:03:31.159
At it's core, Hyperbole is a simple markup language

00:03:31.160 --> 00:03:34.519
specifically designed to markup hyperlinks.

00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:38.439
Now, a hyperlink usually is only able to jump to

00:03:38.440 --> 00:03:40.959
ordinary URLs and file paths.

00:03:40.960 --> 00:03:44.319
Hyperbole extends the function of a hyperlink to provide

00:03:44.320 --> 00:03:45.999
a simple human-readable markup

00:03:46.000 --> 00:03:49.639
for executing Emacs commands (called "button actions")

00:03:49.640 --> 00:03:52.359
and then, on top of this core functionality,

00:03:52.360 --> 00:03:53.239
a few mini applications

00:03:53.240 --> 00:03:56.839
for example "HyRolo" and "Koutline",

00:03:56.840 --> 00:04:00.959
have been built to make Hyperbole more generally useful

00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:03.519
as a personal information management tool.

00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:07.959
"HyRolo" is the feature that I use as my Zettelkasten,

00:04:07.960 --> 00:04:10.999
and in particular, the HyRolo search feature

00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:12.319
in combination with

00:04:12.320 --> 00:04:16.719
the usual Hyperbole hyperlink markup language.

00:04:16.720 --> 00:04:19.199
So let me just quote the Hyperbole manual:

00:04:19.200 --> 00:04:24.759
"Hyperbole includes HyRolo for convenient management of

00:04:24.760 --> 00:04:27.439
hierarchical, record-oriented information.

00:04:27.440 --> 00:04:30.879
Most often, this is used for contact management

00:04:30.880 --> 00:04:33.519
but it can quickly be adapted to most any

00:04:33.520 --> 00:04:37.199
record-oriented lookup task requiring fast retrieval."

00:04:37.200 --> 00:04:38.839
So in other words, for example,

00:04:38.840 --> 00:04:41.399
it can be used to run search queries

00:04:41.400 --> 00:04:44.679
across the full set of nodes in a set of Org-Mode files.

00:04:44.680 --> 00:04:47.679
This means we can use an Org-Mode file

00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:49.639
as a flat-file database

00:04:49.640 --> 00:04:52.159
in which entries in the database can be linked together.

00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:55.239
This, in essence, is a what a Zettelkasten is.

00:04:55.240 --> 00:04:58.959
HyRolo needs almost no configuration,

00:04:58.960 --> 00:05:00.239
even if you are using it

00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:01.719
for the purpose of Zettelkasten,

00:05:01.720 --> 00:05:03.839
but you should at least make sure

00:05:03.840 --> 00:05:05.599
you set the location of the database

00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:08.159
in your Emacs config file, using the Customize system

00:05:08.160 --> 00:05:10.359
or however you prefer to configure your Emacs.

00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:13.799
I use "use-package", and on this slide I have here

00:05:13.800 --> 00:05:15.879
an abridged version of what my "init.el" file

00:05:15.880 --> 00:05:18.199
looks like for the Hyperbole package.

00:05:18.200 --> 00:05:21.159
A few relevant environment variables are set:

00:05:21.160 --> 00:05:23.879
the "hyrolo-file-list" variable

00:05:23.880 --> 00:05:26.919
selects where to find Rolo database files

00:05:26.920 --> 00:05:29.279
for the purpose of search. I have it set

00:05:29.280 --> 00:05:31.919
to just the Zettelkasten flat file database.

00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:35.199
And I also set "hyrolo-date-format" variable.

00:05:35.200 --> 00:05:37.879
Each database entry has a time stamp, and

00:05:37.880 --> 00:05:40.239
I use the time stamp as a unique ID

00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:43.279
for each entry (that is, each idea node)

00:05:43.280 --> 00:05:44.279
in the database.

00:05:44.280 --> 00:05:48.199
Finally, before I get into the actual demo,

00:05:48.200 --> 00:05:49.599
let me quickly explain

00:05:49.600 --> 00:05:51.559
the Hyperbole mini-buffer menu system.

00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:54.599
Mini-buffer menus in Hyperbole work just like

00:05:54.600 --> 00:05:55.559
in an ordinary GUI,

00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:58.759
except you typically enter into the mini-buffer menu

00:05:58.760 --> 00:06:01.159
with a key binding instead of a mouse click.

00:06:01.160 --> 00:06:03.319
To open the Hyperbole menu,

00:06:03.320 --> 00:06:06.479
you use the Hyperbole universal leader key

00:06:06.480 --> 00:06:09.519
that's C-h h, which by the way,

00:06:09.520 --> 00:06:13.239
this rebinds the "view-hello-file" command,

00:06:13.240 --> 00:06:15.759
which is a command that probably most people never use.

00:06:15.760 --> 00:06:20.919
So all Hyperbole menu key sequences begin with C-h h.

00:06:20.920 --> 00:06:23.239
Please remember this:

00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:25.159
as I explain how to do things,

00:06:25.160 --> 00:06:26.959
please don't worry too much

00:06:26.960 --> 00:06:28.679
about the key sequences I use

00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:30.319
to perform certain actions.

00:06:30.320 --> 00:06:32.319
Really, I am just navigating

00:06:32.320 --> 00:06:33.479
the Hyperbole mini-buffer menus.

00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:37.599
It is a very discoverable and fluid user interface.

00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:42.159
Anyway, now that we have configured our Rolo database,

00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:45.399
let's see how we enter new ideas into the database.

00:06:45.400 --> 00:06:48.879
And I will start with an empty database,

00:06:48.880 --> 00:06:53.639
then I'll switch over to a more complete database

00:06:53.640 --> 00:06:57.039
that I prepared for this demo. So...

00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:04.159
first we type the Hyperbole universal leader key C-h h,

00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:08.919
and then, you can see the menus down here

00:07:08.920 --> 00:07:15.279
we type "r" for "Rolo" and "a" for "add".

00:07:15.280 --> 00:07:19.479
That's C-h h r a to enter a new idea.

00:07:19.480 --> 00:07:23.319
And this command is available globally so,

00:07:23.320 --> 00:07:26.599
much like with the "org-capture" feature in Org-Mode,

00:07:26.600 --> 00:07:28.879
you can run this command at any time,

00:07:28.880 --> 00:07:32.479
at the very moment you want to enter an idea.

00:07:32.480 --> 00:07:36.159
First we are prompted for an entry title,

00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:38.799
and if you were using HyRolo as a contact list,

00:07:38.800 --> 00:07:40.959
this is where you would enter the person's name.

00:07:40.960 --> 00:07:43.199
I am using it as a Zettelkasten,

00:07:43.200 --> 00:07:45.439
so I instead enter a title for my idea.

00:07:45.440 --> 00:07:46.839
I'll just type in...

00:07:46.840 --> 00:07:53.159
and as soon as I press enter after this prompt,

00:07:53.160 --> 00:07:55.999
my Zettelkasten org file is opened,

00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:02.879
a new entry with the timestamp is created,

00:08:02.880 --> 00:08:06.319
and the cursor is placed at this entry

00:08:06.320 --> 00:08:09.079
ready for me to enter the body text of the idea.

00:08:09.080 --> 00:08:14.799
I'll type that in...

00:08:14.800 --> 00:08:18.039
Now I save the "idea" file (C-x C-s)

00:08:18.040 --> 00:08:20.879
and switch back to what I was working on before

00:08:20.880 --> 00:08:23.759
with the usual C-x 0 (delete-window) command.

00:08:23.760 --> 00:08:26.279
Next, I'd like to talk about

00:08:26.280 --> 00:08:28.719
the HyRolo database search feature,

00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:30.879
which is very useful.

00:08:30.880 --> 00:08:33.719
The HyRolo search feature uses

00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:35.319
only Emacs built-in functions

00:08:35.320 --> 00:08:36.599
and there is no indexing

00:08:36.600 --> 00:08:38.679
as with tools like "mlocate" or Org-Roam.

00:08:38.680 --> 00:08:41.439
So far, I have not had any trouble with efficiency.

00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:42.759
I don't know if at some point in the future,

00:08:42.760 --> 00:08:44.079
it will start slowing down.

00:08:44.080 --> 00:08:46.199
Emacs built-in search functionality

00:08:46.200 --> 00:08:47.679
is already pretty efficient as it is.

00:08:47.680 --> 00:08:50.839
It could also be that I am in the habit

00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:55.679
of storing larger bodies of text in separate files,

00:08:55.680 --> 00:08:57.559
and not in the flat file database.

00:08:57.560 --> 00:08:58.999
Anyway, you can search

00:08:59.000 --> 00:09:02.239
by regex, by string, or by words.

00:09:02.240 --> 00:09:03.799
I personally find the string search

00:09:03.800 --> 00:09:04.719
to be the most useful.

00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:07.479
The difference between word search and string search

00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:09.199
is that string search provides

00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:12.119
logical query operators like AND, OR, XOR, and NOT.

00:09:12.120 --> 00:09:14.199
Once you run a search query,

00:09:14.200 --> 00:09:16.479
a "*HyRolo*" buffer is opened

00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:18.159
with the query's results.

00:09:18.160 --> 00:09:20.439
And this is a read-only-mode buffer

00:09:20.440 --> 00:09:23.239
with a few useful single-key action bindings

00:09:23.240 --> 00:09:25.079
for navigating the list of results

00:09:25.080 --> 00:09:27.119
which I will now demonstrate.

00:09:27.120 --> 00:09:31.879
By the way, I have now switched over

00:09:31.880 --> 00:09:34.639
to a larger example Rolo database that I have created

00:09:34.640 --> 00:09:36.559
to demonstrate more of the HyRolo features.

00:09:36.560 --> 00:09:39.479
The HyRolo search is available

00:09:39.480 --> 00:09:40.679
in the Hyperbole mini-buffer menu

00:09:40.680 --> 00:09:42.239
so it is always available to you.

00:09:42.240 --> 00:09:46.959
Start with the Hyperbole universal leader key C-h h

00:09:46.960 --> 00:09:53.839
then "r" for Rolo and "s" for search. That is C-h h r s.

00:09:53.840 --> 00:09:56.039
Now we are prompted for a search string:

00:09:56.040 --> 00:10:02.519
I type in "Alice Abelton", and when I press enter,

00:10:02.520 --> 00:10:03.999
the search results pop up

00:10:04.000 --> 00:10:06.959
and the number of results is printed in the mini-buffer.

00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:09.599
We could also enter a search expression

00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:12.159
similar to a Lisp S-expression

00:10:12.160 --> 00:10:14.759
with logical operators like AND or NOT,

00:10:14.760 --> 00:10:19.279
but you would not need to quote the search terms.

00:10:19.280 --> 00:10:24.519
So, for example (C-h h r s), I could write

00:10:24.520 --> 00:10:30.279
"(and university character)" within parentheses

00:10:30.280 --> 00:10:31.959
and this would find entries

00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:33.799
that only contain both of the words

00:10:33.800 --> 00:10:35.759
"university" and "character".

00:10:35.760 --> 00:10:39.239
For the most part, I only really ever use

00:10:39.240 --> 00:10:41.719
the ordinary string search without logical operators.

00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:44.759
So as you can see, a search result buffer

00:10:44.760 --> 00:10:47.239
called "*HyRolo*" has popped up

00:10:47.240 --> 00:10:48.359
with all of the matching entries.

00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:51.319
And the search results buffer is a read-only buffer

00:10:51.320 --> 00:10:54.319
with several useful navigation key bindings:

00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:01.399
I can press "o" to switch to "overview" mode,

00:11:01.400 --> 00:11:03.959
which shows all of the headings, but no content.

00:11:03.960 --> 00:11:05.479
This would include subheadings

00:11:05.480 --> 00:11:07.959
with like 2 stars in front of it or 3 stars

00:11:07.960 --> 00:11:12.159
I can press "a" to switch to "show all mode"

00:11:12.160 --> 00:11:14.559
which shows all of the content under each heading.

00:11:14.560 --> 00:11:17.079
If I know I am looking for a keyword

00:11:17.080 --> 00:11:17.999
in a top-level heading,

00:11:18.000 --> 00:11:22.639
I can press "t" to switch to the "top-level" view mode

00:11:22.640 --> 00:11:25.439
which shows only the top-level headings.

00:11:25.440 --> 00:11:27.119
As is always the case

00:11:27.120 --> 00:11:28.879
with the Emacs default key bindings,

00:11:28.880 --> 00:11:32.359
"n" and "p" move the cursor down and up lines,

00:11:32.360 --> 00:11:34.519
so I can navigate the cursor downward

00:11:34.520 --> 00:11:37.599
to an entry that looks interesting.

00:11:37.600 --> 00:11:40.279
I can press "s" to show the content

00:11:40.280 --> 00:11:41.519
of that particular entry.

00:11:41.520 --> 00:11:44.799
I can press "h" to hide the entry again.

00:11:44.800 --> 00:11:49.479
And I can press "e" or M-RET on the entry heading

00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:53.279
to "edit" that heading (that entry),

00:11:53.280 --> 00:11:56.279
which will open the Org-Mode file,

00:11:56.280 --> 00:11:59.039
that is, the Zettelkasten database file

00:11:59.040 --> 00:12:01.759
with the cursor at this particular entry.

00:12:01.760 --> 00:12:07.639
Be warned that editing an entry creates a new timestamp,

00:12:07.640 --> 00:12:10.159
which I do not need, and there is currently

00:12:10.160 --> 00:12:12.039
no way to avoid this behavior.

00:12:12.040 --> 00:12:15.199
I work around this by simply using the undo command

00:12:15.200 --> 00:12:20.039
which removes the unwanted timestamp.

00:12:20.040 --> 00:12:25.559
And so that is how I use the HyRolo search functionality.

00:12:25.560 --> 00:12:31.999
Now... since the most important aspect of Zettelkasten

00:12:32.000 --> 00:12:33.839
is linking ideas in the database,

00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:37.039
how do we actually make this work in HyRolo?

00:12:37.040 --> 00:12:40.039
So this is the secret sauce of Hyperbole,

00:12:40.040 --> 00:12:41.119
and the key take-away

00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:43.279
for this presentation (as I said earlier).

00:12:43.280 --> 00:12:46.679
Hyperbole provides markup syntax

00:12:46.680 --> 00:12:50.079
for executing arbitrary Emacs commands

00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:53.759
so you can link HyRolo entries together

00:12:53.760 --> 00:12:56.039
using the HyRolo search function.

00:12:56.040 --> 00:12:58.279
Let me demonstrate this now.

00:12:58.280 --> 00:13:03.879
I am back in my example HyRolo database,

00:13:03.880 --> 00:13:06.239
and if you take a closer look

00:13:06.240 --> 00:13:11.399
you can see some of the hyperlinks

00:13:11.400 --> 00:13:13.119
that I already created

00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:15.839
with the angle-round bracket syntax.

00:13:15.840 --> 00:13:19.279
Now with the cursor inside of these brackets,

00:13:19.280 --> 00:13:23.439
I can press M-RET to "click" on this link.

00:13:23.440 --> 00:13:27.799
As you can see, the search query

00:13:27.800 --> 00:13:32.039
corresponding to this hyperlink here has executed

00:13:32.040 --> 00:13:34.919
and popped up the "*HyRolo*" search results buffer.

00:13:34.920 --> 00:13:38.719
There is only one linked entry,

00:13:38.720 --> 00:13:41.399
but the list of ideas that are produced

00:13:41.400 --> 00:13:43.759
by the search query in this buffer here

00:13:43.760 --> 00:13:45.639
are the list of all of the other ideas

00:13:45.640 --> 00:13:47.799
that are related to this hyperlink

00:13:47.800 --> 00:13:49.479
that we just clicked on here.

00:13:49.480 --> 00:13:52.199
(Let me get rid of the other window...)

00:13:52.200 --> 00:13:55.239
Now from within this "*HyRolo*" buffer,

00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:57.839
I can navigate to another hyperlink...

00:13:57.840 --> 00:14:03.759
and clicking on that updates the "*HyRolo*" buffer

00:14:03.760 --> 00:14:04.799
with new results again.

00:14:04.800 --> 00:14:10.119
I can just keep navigating through

00:14:10.120 --> 00:14:13.959
all the Zettelkasten entries in this way.

00:14:13.960 --> 00:14:18.639
And so this is it.

00:14:18.640 --> 00:14:22.719
This is my simple but effective Zettelkasten,

00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:25.119
constructed entirely with the functionality

00:14:25.120 --> 00:14:26.799
already built-in to Hyperbole.

00:14:26.800 --> 00:14:32.599
In the remaining time,

00:14:32.600 --> 00:14:36.999
I'd like to talk about how Hyperbole hyperlinks work,

00:14:37.000 --> 00:14:38.799
because it's slightly different

00:14:38.800 --> 00:14:40.759
from how hyperlinks work in Org Mode

00:14:40.760 --> 00:14:49.199
or with the Emacs clickable text properties.

00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:52.239
The easiest way to create a hyperlink button

00:14:52.240 --> 00:14:55.279
that runs an Emacs command

00:14:55.280 --> 00:14:59.479
is simply to type the Emacs command as an S-expression,

00:14:59.480 --> 00:15:03.399
but with angle brackets instead of parentheses.

00:15:03.400 --> 00:15:05.679
If you were looking closely,

00:15:05.680 --> 00:15:08.639
you probably already saw a hyperlink of this form,

00:15:08.640 --> 00:15:10.559
an angle-bracketed Emacs command.

00:15:10.560 --> 00:15:13.159
This hyperlink simply calls

00:15:13.160 --> 00:15:18.079
the "hyrolo-fgrep" function with this string argument.

00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:20.839
and so clicking on this button

00:15:20.840 --> 00:15:23.119
is equivalent to running a HyRolo search

00:15:23.120 --> 00:15:27.319
with the C-h h r s key sequence.

00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:31.399
As you can see, clicking on it

00:15:31.400 --> 00:15:32.919
produced the search results

00:15:32.920 --> 00:15:35.079
for entries associated with that string query.

00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:41.079
It's also possible to label an action

00:15:41.080 --> 00:15:43.599
with a so-called "implicit link",

00:15:43.600 --> 00:15:47.079
and that's this angle-and-square bracketed notation.

00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:51.999
If I click on this button,

00:15:52.000 --> 00:15:54.159
it will activate this action

00:15:54.160 --> 00:16:01.359
to the right of the colon separator,

00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:03.639
and there are the relevant search results

00:16:03.640 --> 00:16:04.679
from that string query.

00:16:04.680 --> 00:16:09.119
Finally, there are "explicit links",

00:16:09.120 --> 00:16:11.239
which I find to be especially useful

00:16:11.240 --> 00:16:12.599
for the Zettelkasten method.

00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:15.239
I've already shown an example

00:16:15.240 --> 00:16:17.079
of using an explicit link before.

00:16:17.080 --> 00:16:20.759
What makes explicit links so useful is, firstly,

00:16:20.760 --> 00:16:23.919
that the button works with just the label alone.

00:16:23.920 --> 00:16:26.599
There is no need to write an S-expression or anything.

00:16:26.600 --> 00:16:28.919
You can write the link label

00:16:28.920 --> 00:16:31.959
inline with the body text of the idea.

00:16:31.960 --> 00:16:34.879
(For example, like this.)

00:16:34.880 --> 00:16:38.999
Explicit links are identified by their label,

00:16:39.000 --> 00:16:40.839
so they are especially good for

00:16:40.840 --> 00:16:43.119
the names of people and places.

00:16:43.120 --> 00:16:46.399
By the way, this Zettelkasten database is for

00:16:46.400 --> 00:16:47.919
a fictional story I started writing

00:16:47.920 --> 00:16:50.079
for the purpose of demonstrating HyRolo

00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:52.879
in this presentation, and I had so much fun writing it

00:16:52.880 --> 00:16:54.999
that I may actually continue developing this story.

00:16:55.000 --> 00:16:58.639
Anyway, let's create a new explicit link

00:16:58.640 --> 00:17:01.679
and a new idea entry for a character in the story.

00:17:01.680 --> 00:17:10.239
So suppose I want to create a new idea node entry

00:17:10.240 --> 00:17:11.959
for this fictional character here,

00:17:11.960 --> 00:17:15.359
and I'll also want to link this entry to that node.

00:17:15.360 --> 00:17:17.839
Since hyperlinks are just string search,

00:17:17.840 --> 00:17:19.799
we don't actually need to have

00:17:19.800 --> 00:17:22.279
an entry in the database for this character.

00:17:22.280 --> 00:17:24.879
The worst that can happen is that the hyperlink

00:17:24.880 --> 00:17:27.319
executes a search that returns no results.

00:17:27.320 --> 00:17:29.079
So it's OK to create the hyperlink

00:17:29.080 --> 00:17:31.879
before we have an actual entry for this person.

00:17:31.880 --> 00:17:36.719
(I'll just M-w copy the name.)

00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:40.919
Now I use the universal Hyperbole leader key C-h h,

00:17:40.920 --> 00:17:44.519
and then "e" for "explicit links"

00:17:44.520 --> 00:17:49.359
and "c" for "create". That's C-h h e c.

00:17:49.360 --> 00:17:52.639
We are prompted for an entry label

00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:56.119
but it defaults to the text highlighted by the region,

00:17:56.120 --> 00:17:57.959
so I just press enter.

00:17:57.960 --> 00:18:00.479
Now it prompts for a button type,

00:18:00.480 --> 00:18:03.119
so I select "hyrolo-fgrep"

00:18:03.120 --> 00:18:06.479
(and there's Orderless helping me go faster),

00:18:06.480 --> 00:18:10.319
and since "hyrolo-fgrep" requires

00:18:10.320 --> 00:18:12.679
a string argument for the search query,

00:18:12.680 --> 00:18:14.479
I am prompted for the query string.

00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:21.839
I'll type in "character:", (yank "Kerri Katz's" name)

00:18:21.840 --> 00:18:26.839
and there we are, the link has been created, and

00:18:26.840 --> 00:18:31.159
(let me just get rid of the # character)

00:18:31.160 --> 00:18:32.719
I can try it out.

00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:36.199
There's no search results. That's fine.

00:18:36.200 --> 00:18:38.959
We haven't created an idea entry yet

00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:40.799
for this character now.

00:18:40.800 --> 00:18:43.399
So let's go ahead and do that now.

00:18:43.400 --> 00:18:45.679
If we remember how to create a new idea,

00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:52.359
it's C-h h r a, and then I type "character:"

00:18:52.360 --> 00:18:56.799
and then yank the name again.

00:18:56.800 --> 00:18:58.399
Now a new node has been created,

00:18:58.400 --> 00:19:04.359
and I can start describing this character.

00:19:04.360 --> 00:19:08.839
Notice that I like to precede my characters

00:19:08.840 --> 00:19:11.479
with the keyword "character:" colon.

00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:14.919
This technique helps me to create hyperlinks

00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:16.999
using more descriptive search queries

00:19:17.000 --> 00:19:19.879
that return fewer but more useful search results.

00:19:19.880 --> 00:19:23.839
And finally, I can create an explicit link

00:19:23.840 --> 00:19:26.039
from this character back to

00:19:26.040 --> 00:19:28.839
the other character (her boyfriend).

00:19:28.840 --> 00:19:31.159
I just type in "<(Bertrand Becket)>",

00:19:31.160 --> 00:19:37.039
and this explicit link has already been created

00:19:37.040 --> 00:19:39.679
so I don't need to create it again. It just works.

00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:41.879
Hyperbole identifies buttons by their label,

00:19:41.880 --> 00:19:44.719
so as long as an explicit link button with that label

00:19:44.720 --> 00:19:46.039
has been created before,

00:19:46.040 --> 00:19:51.079
I just can type in the button with markup by hand,

00:19:51.080 --> 00:19:53.279
and then I can just use it.

00:19:53.280 --> 00:19:57.839
Now I am back to the search results

00:19:57.840 --> 00:19:59.319
for the boyfriend character.

00:19:59.320 --> 00:20:04.159
I hope you can see how minimal but useful

00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:07.759
is this particular Zettelkasten technique I have

00:20:07.760 --> 00:20:10.559
that uses this "HyRolo".

00:20:10.560 --> 00:20:19.359
I should also make clear that Hyperbole explicit links

00:20:19.360 --> 00:20:22.279
are encoded in a separate file in the same directory

00:20:22.280 --> 00:20:24.279
as the Zettelkasten flat-file database.

00:20:24.280 --> 00:20:37.079
(So, let's go back to that and C-x C-f ".hypb").

00:20:37.080 --> 00:20:41.239
You should not edit this file by hand,

00:20:41.240 --> 00:20:43.599
but it is human readable,

00:20:43.600 --> 00:20:45.399
so it works well with Git

00:20:45.400 --> 00:20:47.079
and other revision control systems.

00:20:47.080 --> 00:20:49.559
Whenever an explicit link is activated,

00:20:49.560 --> 00:20:52.559
it consults this file and runs the associated action,

00:20:52.560 --> 00:20:55.839
which, in the Zettelkasten use case,

00:20:55.840 --> 00:20:58.799
will always be to run a HyRolo search query.

00:20:58.800 --> 00:21:02.039
The advantage of keeping a separate table of links

00:21:02.040 --> 00:21:03.919
is that you can edit the link action

00:21:03.920 --> 00:21:06.999
(that is, the search query) in just one place,

00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:10.559
and the updated button action works everywhere

00:21:10.560 --> 00:21:12.479
without having to change any other files.

00:21:12.480 --> 00:21:18.399
So, that is all for today.

00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:20.519
Thank you so much for listening to my talk.

00:21:20.520 --> 00:21:23.079
I'll be available for questions

00:21:23.080 --> 00:21:24.919
for the next 20 minutes or so.

00:21:24.920 --> 00:21:27.959
If there are any questions that I cannot answer,

00:21:27.960 --> 00:21:29.439
you will have a chance to ask

00:21:29.440 --> 00:21:31.799
the author of Hyperbole himself, Bob Weiner,

00:21:31.800 --> 00:21:34.239
later today after his presentation.

00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:43.920
Thanks for your attention!