#Foam

Foam is an extension that turns VS Code into a personal knowledge management system based on the Zettelkasten method, similar to Obsidian but integrated directly within VS Code.

#Setup

1. Install the Foam extension from the VS Code Marketplace.
2. Alternatively, clone the foam-template repository.
3. Ensure your workspace includes .vscode/settings.json and .vscode/extensions.json.

Recommended complementary extensions:

• Markdown All in One — shortcuts, Table of Contents, and preview enhancements.
• Markdown Links — interactive clickable wikilinks.
• Paste Image — paste images directly from clipboard.

#Wikilinks

Syntax reference:

[[note-name]]              ← Link to file note-name.md
[[note-name#heading]]      ← Link to specific section heading
[[note-name|Display Text]] ← Custom display text for link

Creating a new note: type [[new-note]] → press Ctrl+Click → Foam automatically creates the file.

#Daily Notes

Execute Foam: Open Daily Note (Alt+D):

• Automatically generates a file using the format yyyy-mm-dd.md.
• Customize daily templates in .foam/templates/daily-note.md.

Sample template:

# ${FOAM_DATE_YEAR}-${FOAM_DATE_MONTH}-${FOAM_DATE_DATE}

## Tasks
- [ ]

## Notes

## Links

#Note Templates

Define custom templates inside .foam/templates/:

---
foam_template:
  name: Meeting Note
  description: Template for meeting notes
---
# ${FOAM_TITLE}

**Date:** ${FOAM_DATE_YEAR}-${FOAM_DATE_MONTH}-${FOAM_DATE_DATE}
**Attendees:**

## Agenda

## Action Items
- [ ]

Trigger via command: Foam: Create New Note From Template

#Tags

Organize content using tag annotations:

#project #aem #debug

Use command Foam: Find notes by tag to filter workspace notes.

#Graph Visualization

Execute Foam: Show Graph to view your interactive knowledge graph:

• Nodes represent notes.
• Edges represent wikilinks connecting notes.
• Filter node displays by folder or tag.
• Click any node to open the corresponding note.

#Backlinks

The Backlinks panel in the sidebar displays all notes referencing the currently active note.

Useful for:

• Viewing contextual references surrounding a concept.
• Identifying orphan notes (notes with zero incoming links).

#Front Matter Properties

---
title: My Note
type: reference
tags: [aem, debug]
created: 2024-01-15
---

Foam indexes front matter metadata for filtering and searching.

#Placeholders & Variables

Available template variables:

#Embedded Notes

> ![[other-note]]          ← Embed entire note inline
> ![[other-note#section]]  ← Embed specific section inline

Markdown previews render embedded note contents dynamically.

#Recommended Workspace File Structure

workspace/
├── .foam/
│   └── templates/
│       ├── daily-note.md
│       ├── meeting.md
│       └── new-note.md
├── .vscode/
│   ├── settings.json
│   └── extensions.json
├── daily/           ← Daily journal notes
├── projects/        ← Project-specific documentation
├── references/      ← Permanent and reference notes
├── inbox/           ← Quick capture notes
└── attachments/     ← Embedded media and assets

#Recommended Settings

Configuration for .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "foam.openDailyNote.directory": "daily",
  "foam.files.newNotePath": "inbox",
  "foam.edit.linkReferenceDefinitions": "withExtensions",
  "foam.graph.titleMaxLength": 24,
  "foam.dateSnippets.afterCompletion": "createNote",
  "editor.wordWrap": "on",
  "markdown.preview.breaks": true
}

#Keyboard Shortcuts

#Advanced Tips

• Zettelkasten IDs: Prefix filenames using timestamps (e.g. 202401151030-concept-name.md) for chronological sorting.
• MOC (Map of Content): Create index notes listing links to related notes as an alternative to folder hierarchies.
• Git Integration: Commit notes regularly to maintain version history and backup copies.
• Publishing with VitePress: Use wikilinks while editing, then convert to relative Markdown links during deployment workflows.
• Orphan Notes: Run Foam: Show Graph to identify unlinked nodes for periodic review.