LazyVim 'plugin configuration file' for Telekasten with extra functions to yank a link to a specific heading, line, or with a description.

telekasten.lua

-- Purpose:
--   1. Demonstrate configuring Telekasten with LazyVim 'plugin configuration' file.
--   2. Add ability to create links to ...
--      - a heading under the cursor
--      - a specific line under the cursor (using a 'block reference')
--      - the file with a description entered at a prompt
--   3. Demonstrate having a main vault and seperate one(s) for work
-- Usage: (look for 'TODO')
--   1. Save as ~/.config/nvim/plugins/telekasten.lua
--   2. Create directories for vault(s)
--   3. Examine and test key mappings
-- Notes:
--   1. Uses 'o' instead of 'z' as the shortcut, easier to remember for 'Obsidian' functionality.
--   2. New functionality shortcuts ...
--      - <leader>oh => Yank link to the heading under cursor
--      - <Leader>oi => Yank 'block reference' link to line under cursor
--      - <Leader>os => Yank link to file, and use description entered by user at a prompt
--   3. Feedback on this is welcome! Just leave a comment :-)
-- References:
--   Telekasten: https://github.com/renerocksai/telekasten.nvim
--   LazyVim: https://www.lazyvim.org
--   Neovim: https://neovim.io

-- Appends a 'block reference' to the line under the cursor, and yanks a link to it.
yank_notelink_id = function()
  local uuid = require("telekasten.utils.files").new_uuid("rand")
  local title = vim.fn.fnamemodify(vim.fn.expand("%:t"), ":r")
  local blockReference = "^" .. uuid
  vim.api.nvim_command("normal! $")
  vim.api.nvim_put({ " " .. blockReference }, "c", true, true)
  local blockReferenceLink = "[[" .. title .. "#" .. blockReference .. "|" .. title .. "]]"
  vim.fn.setreg('"', blockReferenceLink)
  print("yanked " .. blockReferenceLink)
end

-- Prompt user for link description, and yank a link to the file using the description.
yank_notelink_desc = function()
  local title = vim.fn.fnamemodify(vim.fn.expand("%:t"), ":r")
  vim.ui.input({
    prompt = "Description:",
    default = title,
  }, function(description)
    local link
    if description ~= "" then
      link = "[[" .. title .. "|" .. description .. "]]"
    else
      link = "[[" .. title .. "]]"
    end
    vim.fn.setreg('"', link)
    print("yanked " .. link)
  end)
end

-- Yank a link to the heading under the cursor.
yank_notelink_heading = function()
  local title = vim.fn.fnamemodify(vim.fn.expand("%:t"), ":r")

  local heading = vim.fn.getline(vim.fn.line("."))
  heading = string.gsub(heading, "^[#| ]*", "")

  local headingLink = "[[" .. title .. "#" .. heading .. "|" .. heading .. "]]"
  vim.fn.setreg('"', headingLink)
  print("yanked " .. headingLink)
end

return {
  "renerocksai/telekasten.nvim",
  dependencies = { "nvim-telescope/telescope.nvim" },
  lazy = false,
  opts = {
    -- TODO: Update with your vault location(s) ...
    home = vim.fn.expand("~/vaults/personal"),
    dailies = vim.fn.expand("~/vaults/personal/daily-notes"),
    templates = vim.fn.expand("~/vaults/personal/templates"),
    -- TODO: Create templates ...
    template_new_note = vim.fn.expand("~/vaults/personal/templates/new-note-template.md"),
    template_new_daily = vim.fn.expand("~/vaults/personal/templates/daily-note-template.md"),
    image_subdir = "media",
    tag_notation = "yaml-bare",
    filename_space_subst = "-",
    -- TODO: Example vault for specific company. (Remove 'vaults' if not needed).
    vaults = {
      company_xyz = { home = vim.fn.expand("~/vaults/company-xyz") },
    },
  },
  keys = {
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>o", "<cmd>Telekasten panel<CR>"),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<C-Enter>", "<cmd>Telekasten toggle_todo<CR>", { desc = "toggle_todo" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ob", "<cmd>Telekasten show_backlinks<CR>", { desc = "show_backlinks" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>od", "<cmd>Telekasten goto_today<CR>", { desc = "goto_today" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>of", "<cmd>Telekasten find_notes<CR>", { desc = "find_notes" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>og", "<cmd>Telekasten search_notes<CR>", { desc = "search_notes" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ol", "<cmd>Telekasten insert_link<CR>", { desc = "insert_link" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>on", "<cmd>Telekasten new_note<CR>", { desc = "new_note" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>or", "<cmd>Telekasten rename_note<CR>", { desc = "rename_note" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ot", "<cmd>Telekasten new_templated_note<CR>", { desc = "new_templated_note" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oy", "<cmd>Telekasten yank_notelink<CR>", { desc = "yank_notelink" }),
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oz", "<cmd>Telekasten follow_link<CR>", { desc = "follow_link" }),
    
    vim.keymap.set("i", "[[", "<cmd>Telekasten insert_link<CR>"),
    
    -- New functionality + key mappings ...
    
    -- Yank link to the heading under cursor
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oh", ":lua yank_notelink_heading()<CR>", { desc = "yank_notelink_heading" }),
    
    -- Yank 'block reference' link to line under cursor
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<Leader>oi", ":lua yank_notelink_id()<CR>", { desc = "yank_notelink_id" }),
    
    -- Yank link to file, and use description entered by user at a prompt
    vim.keymap.set("n", "<Leader>os", ":lua yank_notelink_desc()<CR>", { desc = "yank_notelink_desc" }),
  },
}

Hi John,

tl;dr: vim.fn.expand("~/Notes") expands to '/home/Notes' which does not exist on your system.

The expand function was used to convert '~' to the user's home directory. In my case, it will expand '~' to '/home/gary'. The full path '~/vaults/personal' will therefore expand to '/home/gary/vaults/personal'.

It seems that you have a folder named 'Notes' inside of the '/home' folder. In Linux, the '/home' folder typically contains one folder for each user of the operating system. As an example, my user is 'gary' and so the folder 'gary' exists under '/home'.

You may wish to move your 'Notes' folder into your user folder, i.e. '/home/YOUR_USER_NAME/Notes'. Then the expand function will output the absolute path to it. It's up to you where you want to store your documents though. Alternatively, you can keep using an absolute path if you wish, too.

Happy hacking, John.

References:

• Neovim documentation for expand: https://neovim.io/doc/user/builtin.html#extend()
• Home directory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_directory
• Absolute vs relative paths in Linux: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/absolute-relative-pathnames-unix/

Hi John,

tl;dr: vim.fn.expand("~/Notes") expands to '/home/Notes' which does not exist on your system.

You may wish to move your 'Notes' folder into your user folder, i.e. '/home/YOUR_USER_NAME/Notes'. Then the expand function will output the absolute path to itd

Happy hacking, John.

References:

• Neovim documentation for expand: https://neovim.io/doc/user/builtin.html#extend()
• Home directory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Home_directory
• Absolute vs relative paths in Linux: https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/absolute-relative-pathnames-unix/

Thanks for kind reply; very informative.
Strangely enough, my 'Notes' folder is in /home/user/ directory! And telkasten pulls the notes form there too, with the path I gave itts (home/notes) ; i discovered that after testing, and from searchin gfor information, after expand didn't work for me, nor did the full path.

I dont have recorded in my memos a precise explanantion for that, but that there are some path quirks in this case. I am on linux os, and that path description woud not work. for example on mac os.
To summarise; 'home is being interepeted as /home/user/ on linux os.

Oh and thnaks for the referecences.

As for your extended funcitonality, I am kken to use it in my note building, and I have run into problems when successfully calling the script from key shorcuts; shall report back, on that, shortly, if that's ok.