dotfiles

My personal configuration files.

School Manager

Problem

Notes for a class are stored in my Obsidian Vault, but there are often additional non-note files required. These might be code projects, practice tests, or standalone portable programs.

An easy solution to this issue is to just have a folder for each class:

.
├── Class1/
│   ├── Notes
│   └── Files
├── Class2/
│   ├── Notes
│   └── Files
├── Class3/
│   ├── Notes
│   └── Files
└── Class4/
    ├── Notes
    └── Files

However, we encounter a few issues with this approach:

• If I was in Class1 and wanted to quickly check something in Class2, changing directories can be quite clunky and a distraction from the actual content
• Notes are isolated for each class, preventing internal links (one of the main features of Obsidian)
• The Obsidian GUI would attempt to read all files as well

This inevitably has led to the very inconvenient workflow cycle of shuffling between multiple locations for notes, and a rapidly deteriorating folder structure as the semester progresses. Take the following as an example:

• Lecture notes are taken in class and put in the Obsidian Vault
• Homework assignments in latex are introduced, requiring the use of a very specific template. Obsidian is good at embedding latex snippets via MathJax, but not when it comes to fully standalone .tex files. Consequently, these have to be moved to a separate folder.
• A code-related project is introduced in the class. It doesn't make sense

Solution

I wanted a system robust enough to always provide a consistent location for notes, but with the flexibility of adding more folders of non-note content if needed. At the end of the day, the Obsidian notes should all be grouped together--both to allow easier navigation and to allow me to access the notes from a phone:

.
└── $OBSIDIAN_VAULT/
    └── Classes/
        └── FALL2024/
            ├── Class1/
            │   └── <markdown note files>
            ├── Class2/
            │   └── <markdown note files>
            ├── Class3/
            │   └── <markdown note files>
            └── Class4/
                └── <markdown note files>

The final solution is a combination of tmux and symbolic links:

.
└── FALL2024/
    ├── Class1/
    │   ├── Notes (symlink) -> $OBSIDIAN_VAULT/Classes/FALL2024/Class1
    │   └── Files
    ├── Class2/
    │   ├── Notes (symlink) -> $OBSIDIAN_VAULT/Classes/FALL2024/Class2
    │   └── Files
    ├── Class3/
    │   ├── Notes (symlink) -> $OBSIDIAN_VAULT/Classes/FALL2024/Class3
    │   └── Files
    └── Class4/
        ├── Notes (symlink) -> $OBSIDIAN_VAULT/Classes/FALL2024/Class4
        └── Files

Workflow

At any given point in time, I can access my Obsidian vault through the standard GUI from any device (synchronized via Syncthing). However, most of the time I navigate via terminal:

1. When I have tmux (a session manager for persisting terminal state after closing) open, I have a keybind <prefix>P for opening the school manager script.
2. The current semester is identified by the current date. August-December is Fall semester, and January-May is Spring semester.
3. The script will prompt me to either select an existing course through fzf (fuzzy finder) or create a new course.
4. If a new course is inputted, a folder on Obsidian for the course will be generated, and a new directory under Classes will be created with a symlink to Obsidian and a Files directory.
5. A tmux session at the course directory is either created or restored, allowing per-class session management.
6. Any note changes from the symlink will be propagated to all other devices, allowing all notes to be accessible via a mobile device.