Wikilinks and Graph

Learn how to create connections between notes and visualize your knowledge network with Ametrine’s powerful linking features.

What Are Wikilinks?

Wikilinks are double-bracket links that connect notes together. They’re inspired by Wikipedia’s internal linking system and popularized by tools like Obsidian.

Wikilinks are better than regular markdown links because:

• Faster to write: [[Page]] vs [Page](page.md)
• Auto-complete in most editors
• Work with note titles, not file paths
• Support aliases and sections
• Show backlinks automatically

Basic Wikilink Syntax

Simple Link

Link to another note by its title:

[[Quick Start]]

Result: Quick Start

The link resolves to the note with matching title in frontmatter, case-insensitive.

Link with Custom Text

Display different text than the page title:

[[Configuration Guide|customizing your site]]

Result: customizing your site

Link to a Section

Link directly to a heading within a page:

[[Deployment Guide#Netlify]]

Result: Deployment Guide

Section with Custom Text

Combine both features:

[[Configuration Guide#Theme Customization|changing colors]]

Result: changing colors

Aliases

Define alternate names for notes in frontmatter:

---
title: Obsidian Features Demo
aliases: [Obsidian Demo, Feature Demo]
---

Now all these link to the same page:

• [[Obsidian Features Demo]] → Obsidian Features Demo
• [[Obsidian Demo]] → Obsidian Demo
• [[Feature Demo]] → Feature Demo

Backlinks

Every note automatically tracks which other notes link to it. Backlinks appear at the bottom of each page in the “Links to this note” section.

For example:

• This page links to Quick Start
• Quick Start shows this page in its backlinks
• Backlinks create a bidirectional knowledge graph

Backlinks help you:

• Discover unexpected connections
• Navigate related content
• Find orphaned notes (pages with no backlinks)
• Build a network of ideas

Graph Visualization

Ametrine includes two types of graph views powered by D3.js.

Local Graph

The local graph appears on every page and shows:

• The current page (center node)
• All pages linking TO this page (incoming links)
• All pages this page links TO (outgoing links)

Try scrolling to the bottom of this page to see its local graph!

Features:

• Drag nodes to rearrange
• Click nodes to navigate
• Zoom with mouse wheel
• Pan by dragging background

Global Graph

Press Ctrl/Cmd+G (or click the graph icon) to open the global graph modal.

The global graph shows:

• All pages in your garden
• All connections between them
• Interactive time-travel controls

Time-Travel Controls

The global graph includes powerful filtering:

1. Date Range Slider ¹Drag to filter notes by date

   • Shows only notes created/updated within date range
   • Useful for seeing your garden’s growth over time
   • Toggle between “created” and “updated” dates

2. Show Undated Notes

   • Include/exclude notes without dates
   • Helpful for focusing on timestamped content

3. Play/Pause Animation

   • Watch your garden grow over time
   • Animates through the timeline
   • Pause at any point to explore

Graph Physics

The graph uses force-directed layout with:

• Link forces - Connected nodes attract
• Charge forces - All nodes repel slightly
• Collision detection - Nodes don’t overlap
• Center gravity - Keeps graph centered

The result: Highly connected “hub” notes naturally move to the center, while isolated notes drift to the edges.

Building a Knowledge Network

Hub Notes

“Hub notes” are pages with many connections. They act as Maps of Content (MOCs) ²Like the index page.

Hub characteristics:

• Link to many related notes
• Summarize a topic or area
• Provide navigation entry points
• Appear central in the graph

Create hubs by:

1. Identifying theme clusters
2. Creating an overview note
3. Linking to all related notes
4. Using descriptive headings

Evergreen Notes

Evergreen notes are continuously refined and updated. They benefit from strong linking because:

• They accumulate backlinks over time
• Updates propagate through connections
• Related ideas cluster naturally

Best practices:

• One idea per note ³Atomic notes
• Descriptive titles
• Link to related concepts
• Update as you learn more

Progressive Summarization

Build understanding through layers:

1. Capture - Quick note with wikilinks
2. Connect - Link to related concepts
3. Summarize - Add highlights and marginalia
4. Synthesize - Create hub notes

Each layer strengthens the network.

Link Strategies

Dense vs Sparse Linking

Dense linking: Many connections, high discoverability

• Good for reference material
• Enables serendipitous discovery
• Risk: Too many links become noise

Sparse linking: Few strategic connections

• Good for narrative content
• Maintains focus
• Risk: Orphaned notes, islands

Balance both: Link generously in hubs, selectively in focused notes.

Link Placement

Where you place links matters:

Inline links (like this) work well for:

• Direct references
• Supporting evidence
• Related tangents

List links work well for:

• Collections
• See-also sections
• Navigation menus

Contextual links (within sentences) work best for:

• Natural reading flow
• Explaining relationships
• Building arguments

Graph Insights

What the graph reveals:

Clusters

Groups of highly connected notes indicate:

• Topic areas or themes
• Projects or areas of focus
• Related concepts

Clusters might warrant:

• A hub note to organize them
• A tag to group them
• Better separation if unrelated

Bridges

Notes connecting separate clusters are valuable:

• Show relationships between topics
• Enable idea cross-pollination
• Reveal unexpected connections

Orphans

Notes with no connections are:

• New notes not yet integrated
• Private/draft content
• Potential duplicates
• Candidates for deletion

The stats page shows orphan notes so you can connect or remove them.

Central Nodes

Highly connected notes are:

• Hubs or MOCs
• Frequently referenced concepts
• Potential candidates for splitting

If a note has too many connections, consider splitting it into multiple focused notes.

Practical Examples

Example 1: Topic Hub

---
title: Digital Gardening Resources
tags: [hub, digital-garden]
---

# Digital Gardening Resources

Central hub for all digital gardening content.

## Core Concepts
- [[index|What is a Digital Garden?]]
- [[Knowledge Management]]

## Guides
- [[Quick Start]]
- [[Configuration Guide]]
- [[Deployment Guide]]

## Features
- [[Wikilinks and Graph]]
- [[Obsidian Features Demo]]
- [[Marginalia Demo]]

This creates a hub with many outgoing links.

Example 2: Concept Note

---
title: Atomic Notes
tags: [concept, pkm]
---

# Atomic Notes

Each note should express ==one complete idea==.

Atomic notes are fundamental to [[Zettelkasten Method|Zettelkasten]]
and [[Knowledge Management|PKM systems]].

Benefits:
- Easier to link
- More reusable
- Clearer focus

See also: [[Building a Knowledge Network]]

This creates targeted connections to related concepts.

Example 3: Project Note

---
title: Website Redesign
tags: [project, active]
status: in-progress
---

# Website Redesign

Using [[Ametrine]] to build the new site.

## Tasks
- [x] Choose template ([[Quick Start]])
- [x] Configure theme ([[Configuration Guide#Theme Customization]])
- [ ] Deploy ([[Deployment Guide]])

## Resources
- [[Obsidian Features Demo]]
- [[Syntax Reference]]

This links to relevant documentation and creates context.

Advanced Techniques

Bidirectional Thinking

Don’t just link forward - think about backlinks:

• When writing, ask: “What should link here?”
• Create landing spots for backlinks
• Use descriptive text around links for context

Link Context

The text surrounding a link provides context for backlinks:

Bad: “See this page” Good: “Learn more about customizing themes”

The backlink panel shows surrounding text, so good context helps readers.

Orphan Prevention

When creating a note:

1. Link to it from at least one existing note
2. Add relevant tags
3. Include outgoing links to related content

This ensures the note joins the network immediately.

Graph Keyboard Shortcuts

Master the graph with keyboard shortcuts:

Global graph:

• Ctrl/Cmd+G - Toggle global graph
• Esc - Close graph
• Arrow keys - Pan view
• +/- - Zoom in/out
• Space - Play/pause timeline

Limitations and Caveats

Case Sensitivity

Wikilinks are case-insensitive, but:

• File names might be case-sensitive on Linux
• Keep title casing consistent
• Use aliases for common variations

Performance

Large graphs (1000+ notes) may be slow:

• Consider chunking into multiple gardens
• Use date filters to reduce visible nodes
• Optimize image sizes

External Links

Regular markdown links still work:

[External Site](https://google.com)

Use wikilinks for internal navigation, markdown links for external references.

Inspiration and Resources

The wikilink and graph concepts draw from:

• Zettelkasten Method - Niklas Luhmann’s slip-box system
• Memex - Vannevar Bush’s vision (1945)
• HyperCard - Bill Atkinson’s knowledge system
• Wiki - Ward Cunningham’s original wiki (1995)
• Roam Research - Popularized bidirectional links
• Obsidian - Local-first knowledge management

Try It Yourself

Practice creating connections:

1. Create a new note about a topic you know
2. Link it to this page: [[Wikilinks and Graph]]
3. Add 3-5 links to related notes
4. Check the backlinks on those pages
5. Open the global graph (Ctrl/Cmd+G)
6. Find your new note in the network

Next Steps

Now that you understand linking:

• Obsidian Features Demo - Learn content formatting
• Marginalia Demo - Add side notes
• Advanced Features - Explore search and popovers
• Syntax Reference - Quick reference guide

Build your knowledge graph, one link at a time!