Improvements to Note Links
I often use the note links feature to create wiki-style notes within PB, however I would like to suggest a couple of improvements to this feature:
There should be an option in the preferences settings to automatically create a corresponding jump link every time a note link is created. By definition, creating a note link means that the thought is related to the linked thought. If no link currenly exists, then PB should automatically create a jump link. The user would of course be able to remove the jump link or change it to a different type of link at his discretion.
The note link feature only works if you have typed the name of the thought exactly right. I would like to propose a couple of improvements to this:
a. If you try to insert a link to a thought that doesn't yet exist, PB should give you the option to automatically create a new thought. This is how wiki's work.
b. If the user clicks the Insert Note Link button when no text is highlighted, PB should display a search box where the user could search for the exact note he wants to insert a link to. This search box would function identically to the search box in the plex.
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Pierre Rousseau commented
Yes, I wholeheartedly agree with this idea, so I would like to add some points, in the hope that the huge improvement of the idea for PB as brain-simulator is even clearer.
1. Links of many thoughts in our regular brains are virtual, fuzzy association, or implied. The idea will allow for a far more intuitive dynamic.
2. Flexible in-note links would be extension of the visible links between thoughts. It would be the added functionality of links without arrows, a vast improvement, and 'higher-order' extension of the idea of link arrows and one-way link arrows on the map itself.
3. The main brain map would be far less cluttered.
4. I am setting up a philosophy thought map, integrated with mediawiki, but it sure would even better if it were more fully integrated.
To repeat, it seems implicit linking would make PB very significantly more like human brains.
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Jon Mease commented
I fully agree, these enhancements would be very useful