VsMemo

A comprehensive memo management system for VS Code that transforms how you create, link, and explore your notes. VsMemo combines template-based creation, intelligent cross-linking, backlink analysis, and interactive graph visualization to create a powerful knowledge management experience.

Features

📝 Template-Based Memo Creation

• Create memos using configurable types and templates
• Variable substitution with system variables ({YEAR}, {MONTH}, {DAY}, {DATE}, {TITLE}) and custom user-defined variables
• Organized memo types with dedicated directories
• Automatic file naming and directory creation

🔗 Cross-Memo Linking System

• Custom URI Scheme: Use vsmemo://path/to/memo.md syntax for cross-references
• Go-to-Definition: Navigate to linked memos using VS Code's standard F12 functionality
• Hover Information: Preview memo content by hovering over links
• IntelliSense Completion: Auto-complete memo paths while typing
• Markdown Preview Support: Clickable links in preview mode
• Link Insertion: Interactive command to insert links with file selection

🔍 Backlink Analysis

• Automatic Indexing: Real-time tracking of all memo cross-references
• Backlink View: Tree view showing which files reference the current memo
• Orphaned File Detection: Find memos with no incoming links
• Link Statistics: Analytics on memo connectivity and relationships
• Dynamic Updates: Automatic refresh on file save and edit

📊 Interactive Graph Visualization

• Relationship Graph: Cytoscape.js-powered visualization of memo connections
• Multiple Display Modes:
  • Focus Mode: Active file + directly connected memos
  • Context Mode: Active file + 2 degrees of separation
  • Full Mode: Complete memo network
• Active File Tracking: Graph automatically updates when switching files
• Visual Highlighting: Active file emphasized with distinctive styling
• Toolbar Controls: Easy switching between display modes

🎯 VS Code Integration

• Explorer Views: Two custom tree views (VsMemo Explorer, Backlinks)
• 13 Commands: Comprehensive set of memo operations accessible via Command Palette
• Context Menus: Right-click operations for rename/delete in Explorer
• Language Providers: Enhanced Markdown editing with definition, hover, and completion
• Event-Driven Updates: Responsive UI that reacts to file changes

Installation

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Open a workspace folder
3. Create a .vsmemo directory in your workspace root
4. Create a config.json configuration file (see Configuration section)

Configuration

Create a .vsmemo/config.json file in your workspace root. You can use the provided sample configuration in the examples/ directory as a starting point:

{
  "baseDir": "memos",
  "fileExtensions": [".md", ".markdown"],
  "memoTypes": [
    {
      "id": "daily",
      "name": "Daily Note",
      "templatePath": "templates/daily.md",
      "baseDir": "daily-notes"
    },
    {
      "id": "project",
      "name": "Project Note",
      "templatePath": "templates/project.md",
      "baseDir": "projects"
    },
    {
      "id": "meeting",
      "name": "Meeting Note",
      "templatePath": "templates/meeting.md",
      "baseDir": "meetings"
    }
  ],
  "variables": {
    "AUTHOR": "Your Name",
    "COMPANY": "Your Company"
  }
}

Directory Organization

VsMemo uses a three-tier directory structure for flexible memo organization:

1. Config baseDir: Global base directory (e.g., "memos")
2. MemoType baseDir: Per-memo-type subdirectory (e.g., "daily-notes", "projects")
3. Template baseDir: Per-template subdirectory (e.g., "archives", "active")

Final path: workspace/config.baseDir/memoType.baseDir/template.baseDir/file.md

For example, with the configuration above:

• Daily notes go to: memos/daily-notes/archives/2025/01/15.md
• Project notes go to: memos/projects/active/project-name.md

Template Files

Create template files in your .vsmemo/templates/ directory. For example:

.vsmemo/templates/daily.md:

---
title: {TITLE}
date: {DATE}
path: {YEAR}/{MONTH}/{DAY}.md
baseDir: archives
tags: [daily]
---

# {TITLE}

## Tasks
- [ ] 

## Notes

## Reflections

.vsmemo/templates/project.md:

---
title: {TITLE}
type: project
created: {DATE}
path: {TITLE}.md
baseDir: active
---

# {TITLE}

## Overview

## Goals

## Resources

## Progress

Usage

Creating Memos

1. Use Command Palette → VsMemo: Create New Memo
2. Select a memo type from the dropdown
3. Enter a title when prompted
4. The memo will be created with the template and opened

Linking Memos

1. Insert Link: Use VsMemo: Insert Memo Link command to browse and select files
2. Manual Linking: Type [Link Text](vsmemo://path/to/memo.md)
3. Navigation: Use F12 (Go to Definition) on any vsmemo:// link
4. Preview: Hover over links to see content preview

Exploring Relationships

1. Backlink View: Open the Backlinks panel in Explorer to see incoming references
2. Graph View: Use VsMemo: Show Memo Graph command for visual exploration
3. Orphaned Files: Use VsMemo: Show Orphaned Memos to find isolated notes
4. Statistics: Use VsMemo: Show Link Statistics for connectivity analytics

File Management

• Rename: Right-click memo files in Explorer → Rename Memo
• Delete: Right-click memo files in Explorer → Delete Memo
• Refresh: Use refresh buttons in tree views to update indexes

Commands

Command	Description
VsMemo: Create New Memo	Create a new memo using templates
VsMemo: Insert Memo Link	Insert a link to another memo
VsMemo: Show Backlinks	Display backlinks for current file
VsMemo: Show Memo Graph	Open interactive graph visualization
VsMemo: Show Orphaned Memos	Find memos with no incoming links
VsMemo: Show Link Statistics	Display connectivity analytics
VsMemo: Refresh Backlink Index	Rebuild backlink database
VsMemo: Rename Memo	Rename memo file
VsMemo: Delete Memo	Delete memo file
VsMemo: List Memos	Browse all memos
VsMemo: Commit Memo Changes	Commit changes via Git

Requirements

• VS Code 1.101.0 or higher
• Git (for commit functionality)
• Workspace folder (memos are workspace-specific)

File Structure

VsMemo organizes your memos in a structured way:

your-workspace/
├── .vsmemo/
│   ├── config.json          # Configuration file
│   └── templates/           # Template files
│       ├── daily.md
│       ├── project.md
│       └── meeting.md
└── memos/                   # Base directory (configurable)
    ├── daily-notes/         # MemoType baseDir
    │   └── archives/        # Template baseDir
    │       ├── 2025/01/15.md
    │       └── 2025/01/16.md
    ├── projects/            # MemoType baseDir
    │   └── active/          # Template baseDir
    │       ├── project-alpha.md
    │       └── project-beta.md
    └── meetings/            # MemoType baseDir
        ├── team-standup-jan.md
        └── client-review.md

Extension Settings

VsMemo currently uses file-based configuration (.vsmemo/config.json). No VS Code settings are required.

Known Issues

• Graph visualization requires modern browsers (uses Cytoscape.js)
• Large memo collections (1000+ files) may experience slower indexing
• Git functionality requires a Git repository in the workspace

Contributing

This extension is open source. Feel free to contribute improvements, report issues, or suggest features on GitHub.

Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Run npm install to install dependencies
3. Use F5 in VS Code to launch Extension Development Host
4. Make changes and test functionality
5. Run npm test to ensure tests pass

See CONTRIBUTING.md for detailed development guidelines.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

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Enjoy building your knowledge base with VsMemo! 🚀