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Graph View

The Graph View visualizes your entire vault as an interactive, force-directed network. Notes appear as nodes, and [[wikilinks]] form directed connections, allowing you to explore idea clusters and discover non-obvious relationships.

Accessing the Graph​

  • Global Graph: Open via the ribbon icon or command palette (Graph: Open graph view). Opens a full-tab interactive map of the vault.
  • Local Graph: Open the Backlinks & Local Graph view in the side dock to see connections focused around the currently active note.

Navigation & Controls​

  • Pan: Click and drag on empty canvas space.
  • Zoom: Scroll with mouse wheel or pinch on trackpad.
  • Inspect: Hover over any node to highlight its direct link neighborhood and dim unrelated clusters.
  • Open Note: Click any node to navigate directly to that note. Ctrl+Click / Cmd+Click opens it in a split pane.

Filters & Customization​

The graph toolbar provides granular control over what is displayed:

1. Filters​

  • Search Query: Filter nodes by text or file path.
  • Tags: Show or hide nodes containing specific tags.
  • Orphan Nodes: Toggle visibility of unlinked notes (degree = 0).
  • Depth Slider (Local Graph): Adjust neighborhood radius (1 to 5 hops away from the active note).

2. Group Colors​

Assign distinct colors to nodes based on directory or tag patterns (e.g. path:Projects in emerald, tag:#research in purple).

3. Physics Forces​

Customize the physical layout simulation:

  • Center Force: Pulls nodes toward the origin.
  • Repulsion (Charge): Distance between non-linked nodes.
  • Link Distance & Strength: Length and rigidity of connecting edges.

WASM Simulation Engine (ADR-044)​

In JavaScript-based tools, calculating n-body forces for thousands of nodes results in stuttering animations and high CPU temperature.

Basalt offloads force calculation to a compiled WebAssembly module (graph_sim.wasm):

  • Runs velocity-Verlet numerical integration in parallel.
  • Utilizes quadtree Barnes-Hut spatial approximation for $O(N \log N)$ repulsion calculations.
  • Renders smoothly at 60 FPS on high-refresh desktop monitors.