Simple linking to files outside the zettelkasten

ralfzosel

In the thread "Fallback Search for Zettels..." from @micahredding, @Will presents another Keyboard Maestro macro. It's really impressive, but I don't like Keyboard Maestro at all. I checked it out and it kind of overwhelms me. Same to Alfred, by the way.

I prefer the keep-it-simple approach. When I want to link to a file somewhere on my filesystem, I do the following:

1. I add a unique ID to the end of the filename, e. g. This is a sample file 20221220090709.pdf
2. Wherever I want to link to this file, I simply write: [This is a sample file 20221220090709.pdf] or something like: see the paper I wrote once [20221220090709]

To follow the link, I simply copy the UID to the search in Finder which only takes seconds. The UID allows me to change the filename later without breaking the link. Using single brackets make these links distinguishable to "real" links within the zettelkasten. The UID has two digits more than my normal zettelkasten UIDs which is another criterion for differentiation (and it allows me to rename more than one file per minute).

I have been doing it this way for a couple of months now and it has been working so far. What do you think of this approach?

Sascha

I love the approach. I use it for a decade now. So, I might be biased in my love..

With Keybaord Maestro it doesn't take more than a second to follow a link when you want to open the file with a specific app:

Mike_Sanders

Simple & elegant. Excellant thinking I say.

2022-invoice-filename.pdf
2022-pix-family.png

date-subject.extension

Sascha

Perhaps, a good way of thinking about the Time-Stamp is that it is a universal bookmark. I use it in TaskPaper in both ways (refering from my Zettelkasten to my research buffer).