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Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Nexus Properties in 5 minutes! This guide will walk you through creating your first relationship network.

Step 1: Open the Relationship Graph​

There are three ways to open the Relationship Graph view:

  1. Ribbon Icon: Click the fork icon in the left sidebar (if enabled in settings)
  2. Command Palette: Press Ctrl/Cmd+P and search for "Show Relationship Graph"
  3. Command: Use the command "Nexus Properties: Show Relationship Graph"

The graph view will open in the left sidebar by default.

Step 2: Create Your First Parent-Child Relationship​

Let's create a simple hierarchy to understand how Nexus Properties works.

Create a Parent Note​

  1. Create a new note called Project Overview.md
  2. Add frontmatter at the top of the file:
---
Child:
  - "[[Task 1]]"
  - "[[Task 2]]"
---

Create Child Notes​

Create two new notes: Task 1.md and Task 2.md.

You don't need to add anything to these notes! Nexus Properties will automatically update them.

See the Magic ✨​

Open Task 1.md or Task 2.md and check their frontmatter. You'll see that Nexus Properties automatically added:

---
Parent: "[[Project Overview]]"
---

That's bidirectional sync in action! When you set a child relationship in one file, the parent relationship is automatically created in the other file.

Step 3: View Your Hierarchy in the Graph​

  1. Open Project Overview.md
  2. Look at the Relationship Graph view
  3. You should see three nodes:
    • Project Overview (the root)
    • Task 1 (connected as a child)
    • Task 2 (connected as a child)

Try Different View Modes​

Use the dropdown in the graph header to try different views:

  • Hierarchical - Shows the parent-child tree (current view)
  • Related - Shows direct related connections
  • All Related - Shows all connected nodes in the constellation
  • Start from Current - Focuses on the current file instead of the root

Let's connect Task 1 and Task 2 as related items.

  1. Open Task 1.md
  2. Add to the frontmatter:
---
Parent: "[[Project Overview]]"
Related:
  - "[[Task 2]]"
---
  1. Open Task 2.md and check its frontmatter:
---
Parent: "[[Project Overview]]"
Related:
  - "[[Task 1]]"
---

Both tasks are now marked as related to each other! This is another example of bidirectional sync.

Step 5: Explore the Graph​

Now that you have a basic network, let's explore the graph features:

Zoom Mode​

  1. Click any node in the graph
  2. A preview panel appears at the bottom showing the file's content
  3. Click the node again to exit zoom mode
  4. Use the eye icons to toggle frontmatter and content visibility

Context Menu​

  1. Right-click any node in the graph
  2. You'll see options to:
    • Open the file
    • Open in new tab
    • Add Parent/Child/Related relationships
    • Edit the node's frontmatter
    • View node preview
    • Copy node path

Tooltips​

  1. Hover over any node for 1 second
  2. A tooltip appears showing the node's frontmatter properties
  3. You can click links inside the tooltip to navigate

Step 6: Create Nodes Quickly​

Nexus Properties provides commands to quickly create related nodes:

  1. Open Project Overview.md
  2. Open command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P)
  3. Search for "Create Child Node"
  4. A new child note will be created with:
    • All properties inherited from the parent
    • Automatic bidirectional relationship
    • A unique Zettel ID

Try the same with "Create Parent Node" and "Create Related Node"!

Step 7: Add Visual Categories with Color Rules​

Let's make the graph more visual by adding color rules:

  1. Open Settings → Nexus Properties → Node colors
  2. Click "Add Rule"
  3. Add an expression like: status === 'complete'
  4. Choose a green color
  5. Click "Add Rule" again
  6. Add: status === 'pending'
  7. Choose a yellow color

Now add a status property to your notes:

---
Parent: "[[Project Overview]]"
status: complete
---

The nodes will change color based on their status!

Step 8: Filter the Graph​

You can filter the graph to show only specific nodes:

  1. Open command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P)
  2. Search for "Toggle Graph Filter"
  3. Enter a filter expression: status === 'pending'
  4. Only nodes with status: pending will be shown

Next Steps​

Now that you understand the basics, explore more advanced features:

Common Workflows​

Project Management​

---
# Project.md
Child:
  - "[[Task 1]]"
  - "[[Task 2]]"
  - "[[Task 3]]"
status: active
priority: high
---

Knowledge Hierarchy​

---
# Concept.md
Child:
  - "[[Sub-concept A]]"
  - "[[Sub-concept B]]"
Related:
  - "[[Related Concept]]"
type: concept
---

Research Papers​

---
# Main Paper.md
Related:
  - "[[Supporting Study 1]]"
  - "[[Supporting Study 2]]"
  - "[[Contradicting Study]]"
tags:
  - research
  - published
---

Tips for Success​

  1. Use consistent property names - Stick with the default Parent, Child, Related or customize them in settings
  2. Let the plugin do the work - Only set relationships in one direction, the plugin handles the rest
  3. Use wiki links - Always use [[note name]] format for relationships
  4. Enable auto-link siblings - Makes sense for most hierarchies
  5. Configure directory scanning - Focus on specific folders if you have a large vault

Happy networking! 🚀