Graph Views

Nexus Properties provides multiple viewing modes to visualize your knowledge network. Each mode reveals different aspects of your note relationships and helps you navigate your vault in unique ways.

Opening the Graph

There are three ways to open the Relationship Graph:

1. Ribbon Icon - Click the fork icon in the left sidebar (if enabled)
2. Command Palette - Ctrl/Cmd+P → "Show Relationship Graph"
3. Command - "Nexus Properties: Show Relationship Graph"

The graph opens in the left sidebar by default.

View Mode Selector

The view mode dropdown is located in the graph header. Use it to switch between different visualization modes.

View Modes

Hierarchical Mode

Purpose: Display parent-child tree structures Best for: Project hierarchies, outlines, taxonomies

Shows the complete hierarchy starting from the root (topmost parent) down through all descendants.

What's shown:

• The source file (or its root parent)
• All parent nodes up to the root
• All child nodes recursively
• Sibling nodes (if auto-link siblings is enabled)

Example use cases:

• Project management with tasks and subtasks
• Book outlines with chapters and sections
• Academic hierarchies (topics → subtopics → concepts)
• File system-like structures

Layout: Tree layout with parent at top, children below

         Project
        /    |    \
    Task 1 Task 2 Task 3
      |
   Subtask 1.1

Start from Current

Enable "Start from Current" to begin the hierarchy at the currently open file instead of traversing up to the root. This is useful for viewing just a subtree.

Related Mode

Purpose: Show direct related connections Best for: Exploring immediate connections

Shows only the source file and its directly related notes (one hop away).

What's shown:

• The source file
• All notes marked as "Related" in the source file's frontmatter
• All notes that mark the source file as "Related"

Example use cases:

• Finding related concepts
• Seeing cross-references
• Discovering similar notes
• Exploring lateral connections

Layout: Radial layout with source in center, related nodes around it

    Note B
      |
Note A ← Source → Note C
      |
    Note D

All Related Mode

Purpose: Explore entire constellations of related notes Best for: Discovering indirect connections, seeing the full network

Shows the source file and ALL related notes recursively, up to the configured max depth.

What's shown:

• The source file
• All directly related notes
• All notes related to those notes
• Continues recursively up to max depth

Example constellation:

Note A ↔ Note B ↔ Note C
         ↓
      Note D ↔ Note E
         ↓
      Note F

If you view Note A with max depth 3+:

• Depth 1: Note A (source), Note B (direct)
• Depth 2: Note C, Note D (related to B)
• Depth 3: Note E, Note F (related to D)

Example use cases:

• Discovering hidden connections
• Exploring knowledge clusters
• Finding indirect relationships
• Seeing the full scope of a topic

Layout: Constellation layout - clusters of related nodes grouped together

Performance

Large constellations can impact performance. If the graph becomes slow, reduce the All Related Max Depth setting.

Start from Current File

Toggle: "Start from Current" checkbox in graph header Works with: All view modes

When enabled, the graph shows relationships starting from the currently open file rather than traversing to the root.

Hierarchical mode:

• Without: Shows from topmost parent down
• With: Shows from current file down (subtree only)

Example:

Full hierarchy:
    Root
     ├── Parent
     │   ├── Current File ← You are here
     │   │   ├── Child 1
     │   │   └── Child 2
     │   └── Sibling
     └── Uncle

Start from Current OFF (default):

• Shows: Root, Parent, Current File, Sibling, Child 1, Child 2
• Also shows: Uncle (descendant of root)

Start from Current ON:

• Shows: Current File, Child 1, Child 2
• Hides: Root, Parent, Sibling, Uncle

Use Case

Enable this when you want to focus on just the children/descendants of a specific node without seeing the rest of the hierarchy.

Graph Header Controls

The graph header contains several controls:

File Name Display

Shows the name of the currently focused file. Click to open the file in a new tab.

View Mode Dropdown

Options:

• Hierarchical
• Related
• All Related

Changes how the graph interprets and displays relationships.

Include All Related Checkbox

Only visible in "Hierarchical" mode. When checked, adds all related notes (and their constellations) to the hierarchy view.

Example:

Project (parent-child hierarchy)
├── Task 1
└── Task 2

Task 1 Related To:
- Note A → Note B → Note C

With "Include All Related" checked, the graph shows:

• The hierarchy (Project, Task 1, Task 2)
• The related constellation (Note A, Note B, Note C)

Start from Current Checkbox

When checked, starts the graph from the current file instead of the root parent.

Layout Behavior

Hierarchical Layout (Dagre)

• Tree-like structure
• Parent nodes at top
• Children below
• Automatic spacing based on node count
• Vertical alignment

Constellation Layout

Used for Related and All Related modes:

• Groups of connected notes
• Organic, network-style layout
• Automatic clustering
• Collision detection
• Radial distribution

Animation

Layout changes are animated by default. The animation duration can be configured in Graph Settings.

Set to 0ms for instant layout (performance mode).

Source Node Highlighting

The source node (the file you're currently viewing) is always highlighted in the graph:

• Border: Thicker border (3px)
• Border color: Bright blue (#2563eb)
• Always visible: Never hidden by filters

Interaction

Click Behavior

Single click: Enter Zoom Mode

• Preview panel appears
• Node is focused
• Can navigate between nodes

In Zoom Mode click: Switch focus to clicked node

• Updates preview panel
• Moves focus highlight
• Maintains zoom mode

Double click: Open file in new tab

Right-Click

Opens Context Menu with actions:

• Open file
• Open in new tab
• Add relationships
• Edit node
• Preview node
• Copy path

Hover

After 1 second, shows Property Tooltip with frontmatter

Drag

• Pan the graph view
• Rearrange nodes (positions not saved)

Scroll

• Zoom in/out
• Pinch to zoom on trackpads

Comparing View Modes

Feature	Hierarchical	Related	All Related
Shows parent-child	✅ Yes, full tree	❌ No	⚠️ If in constellation
Shows related	⚠️ Optional	✅ Direct only	✅ Recursive
Recursion depth	Unlimited	1 hop	Configurable (1-20)
Best for	Hierarchies	Immediate connections	Full networks
Layout	Tree	Radial	Constellation
Performance	Fast	Fast	Can be slow
Start from current	✅ Supported	✅ Supported	✅ Supported

Common Use Cases

Exploring a Project Hierarchy

1. Open a project file
2. Select "Hierarchical" mode
3. Disable "Start from Current" to see the full tree
4. Use Search to find specific tasks
5. Use Zoom Mode to preview task details

Finding Related Concepts

1. Open a concept note
2. Select "Related" mode
3. See all directly related concepts
4. Click any related note to explore its connections
5. Use Color Rules to categorize by type

Discovering Hidden Connections

1. Open any note
2. Select "All Related" mode
3. Increase max depth if needed
4. See the entire constellation
5. Use Filtering to focus on specific properties

Focusing on a Subtree

1. Open a mid-level note in a hierarchy
2. Select "Hierarchical" mode
3. Enable "Start from Current"
4. See only children/descendants
5. Use Context Menu to quickly create children

Tips & Tricks

Performance Optimization

• Use "Related" mode for quick exploration
• Limit max depth in "All Related" mode
• Enable "Start from Current" to reduce nodes shown
• Use filtering to hide irrelevant nodes

Navigation

• Use keyboard shortcuts to toggle view modes (configure in settings)
• Double-click nodes to open in new tab
• Use Search to quickly find nodes
• Right-click for quick actions

Visual Organization

• Use Color Rules to distinguish node types
• Display key properties in nodes
• Enable tooltips for detailed information
• Adjust graph size for your screen

Troubleshooting

No Nodes Appearing

• Check that the file is in a scanned directory
• Verify the file has relationships (Parent, Child, or Related)
• Check that filters aren't hiding all nodes
• Try "All Related" mode to see if any connections exist

Too Many Nodes

• Enable "Start from Current"
• Use "Related" mode instead of "All Related"
• Reduce max depth
• Apply filters to show only relevant nodes

Performance Issues

• Reduce animation duration
• Lower max depth
• Limit directory scanning
• Use filtering to reduce node count

Next Steps

• Learn about Node Layout to understand how nodes are positioned
• Use Search to quickly find nodes in large graphs
• Apply Filters to focus on specific subsets
• Try Zoom Mode to explore nodes in detail
• Customize Colors to add visual categories