This project is a working prototype of a Zettelkasten implemented on top of a conventional blog system. Blog systems are web-based publishing tools that streamline the posting of content even by users with little or no knowledge of html. The main elements of this Zettelkasten are: (1) the blog website where zettels are displayed (this website), (2) the blog editor where the zettels are authored, and (3) the blog system where the zettels are stored and queried.


Implementation

Zettel types

  • Enduring zettels — Permanent Note, Hub Note, CreativeWork Note, Video Note, and Software Note.
  • Operational zettels — Fleeting Note, Literature Note, Question Note, and Project Note.

Fig. 1 — Zettel types
Notes:
  1. 1) Zettels are Blog Posts.
  2. 2) There basically are two types of zettels — Enduring and Operational zettels.
  3. 3) Fleeting notes, Literature notes, Question notes, and Project notes are Operational zettels.
  4. 4) Hub notes, Permanent notes, Video Notes, and Software Notes are Enduring zettels.
  5. 5) Enduring zettels have a long lasting behavior.
  6. 6) Operational zettels are used for the Zettelkasten operation — workflows; and for recording short pieces of information.

Zettel sections

  • Top — for metadata.
  • Body — for the note itself.
  • Bottom — for connections and references.

Fig. 2 — Zettel sections
Notes:
  1. 1) Most types of zettels have three sections: Top, Body, and Bottom.
  2. 2) Hub notes have only two sections — Top and Body.
  3. 3) The Body section of a Hub note has mainly references.
  4. 4) Each section is an html <section> element.

Zettel references

Fig. 3 — Zettel references
Notes:
  1. 1) Zettel references are <a> html elements, hyperlinks.
  2. 2) Internal references, External references, and Book references are zettel references.
  3. 3) Zettel references interconnect zettels in many ways; but also connect zettels to and from external pages or online documents.

Semantic references

Fig. 4 — Semantic references
Notes:
  1. 1) Semantic references are zettel-to-zettel references with a meaning or intention.
  2. 2) hasCause, hasEffect, causes, hasEvidence, and hasSolution references are semantic references.
  3. 3) Semantic references interconnect zettels in many ways, allowing record, analyze, study, and understand phenomena or events for the sake of writing.
  4. 4. The hasQuestion semantic relation is an operational relation used in the second step of the active reading workflow.

Zettel metadata

Fig. 4 — Zettel metadata
Notes:
  1. 1) Zettel metadata is the schema.org CreativeWork metadata.
  2. 2) Abstract, Credit, Date Created, Date Modified, Description, Identifier, Keywords, Learning Outcome, Name, URL, Version, and Language are recognized zettel metadata.
  3. 3) The Top section of a zettel contains most metadata.
  4. 4) CreativeWork zettels are annotated by zettel metadata on Top and Body sections.
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