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Event Naming

Prisma Calendar uses two complementary systems to manage event naming: ZettelID for unique file storage and Calendar Title for clean display.

ZettelID Naming System​

Create unlimited events with identical display names while maintaining unique file storage behind the scenes.

How It Works​

Prisma Calendar uses timestamp-based unique identifiers (ZettelIDs) that are automatically appended to filenames but stripped from the calendar display.

Display: Team Meeting (everywhere in the calendar UI)

Storage: Team Meeting-20250106143022.md (file system and vault browser)

ZettelID Format​

Format: -YYYYMMDDHHmmss (14-digit timestamp)

Example: -20250106143022 = January 6, 2025 at 14:30:22

This ensures every filename is unique, even when creating multiple events rapidly.

Auto-Assign ZettelID​

You can configure Prisma to automatically add ZettelIDs to files in the calendar directory that don't have one. Three modes are available in Settings → General:

  • Disabled (default) — no automatic assignment
  • Calendar events only — timed and all-day events
  • All events — including untracked events

When active, files like My Event.md are renamed to My Event-20260216120000.md as they are indexed.

ZettelID Property​

Optional: Configure a ZettelID property in Settings → Properties to store the ZettelID in frontmatter.

ZettelID filenames work automatically whether or not you configure the property. The property adds the ZettelID to frontmatter for additional tracking.

---
Title: Weekly Planning
ZettelID: 20250106143022
---

Benefits​

Manual Events​

Prisma format (-YYYYMMDDHHmmss): ZettelID is recognized and stripped from display. When cloning, the existing ZettelID is preserved.

Other formats (e.g., Meeting-2025-01-06.md): Full filename displayed. Cloning adds a new ZettelID, resulting in double timestamps.

Recommendation: Create events via the calendar interface for best results.

Calendar Title Property​

Prisma Calendar automatically assigns a Calendar Title property to event files — a clean wiki link with the ZettelID and recurring instance dates stripped.

How It Works​

When configured (enabled by default), event files receive a Calendar Title property containing a wiki link that displays the clean event name.

Given a file named Team Meeting-20250106143022.md:

---
Start Date: 2025-01-06T09:00
End Date: 2025-01-06T10:00
ZettelID: 20250106143022
Calendar Title: "[[Events/Team Meeting-20250106143022|Team Meeting]]"
---

The Calendar Title property:

  • Points to the event file itself
  • Displays the clean name with the ZettelID and recurring instance dates stripped

Where Calendar Title Is Used​

  • Calendar view — primary display name for all events
  • Bases view — renders as a clickable wiki link, much more readable than raw filenames
  • Modals, context menus, notifications — all UI surfaces use this for consistent clean display

Configuration​

Setting: Settings → Properties → Calendar title property Default: Calendar Title

The property is automatically maintained — it updates on creation, rename, or modification. No manual setup needed.

Calendar Title vs Title Property​

AspectCalendar TitleTitle Property
PurposeAuto-computed clean display nameManual override for event name
ValueWiki link (e.g., [[path|Clean Name]])Plain text (e.g., My Custom Name)
UpdatedAutomatically on every indexManually by the user
PriorityUsed first when availableFallback if Calendar Title is missing

Both properties can coexist. Calendar Title takes priority for display; the Title property serves as a fallback.