ideaDrop.nvim

💡 A powerful Neovim plugin for capturing, organizing, and managing your ideas with multiple view modes, tagging system, and advanced search capabilities.

✨ Features

• 🎯 Multiple View Modes: Floating windows, current buffer, or persistent right-side buffer
• 🏷️ Smart Tagging System: Add, remove, and filter ideas by tags
• 🔍 Advanced Search: Fuzzy search through titles and content
• 📁 File Tree Browser: Integrated nvim-tree for easy file navigation
• 🕸️ Graph Visualization: Obsidian-style force-directed graph view of your notes
• 📝 Markdown Support: Full markdown editing with syntax highlighting
• 💾 Auto-save: Changes saved automatically
• 📅 Date-based Organization: Automatic date-based file naming
• 🗂️ Folder Support: Nested organization with subdirectories
• 🎨 Clean Interface: Distraction-free writing environment

📦 Installation

Using lazy.nvim

{
  "CarGDev/ideadrop.nvim",
  name = "ideaDrop",
  dependencies = {
    "nvim-tree/nvim-tree.lua",
    "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
  },
  config = function()
    require("ideaDrop").setup({
      idea_dir = "/path/to/your/ideas", -- where your ideas will be saved
    })
  end,
}

Using packer

use {
  "CarGDev/ideadrop.nvim",
  requires = {
    "nvim-tree/nvim-tree.lua",
    "nvim-tree/nvim-web-devicons",
  },
  config = function()
    require("ideaDrop").setup({
      idea_dir = "/path/to/your/ideas",
    })
  end,
}

⚙️ Configuration

Option	Type	Default	Description
idea_dir	string	vim.fn.stdpath("data") .. "/ideaDrop"	Directory where your idea files will be stored
graph.animate	boolean	false	Enable animated graph layout
graph.show_orphans	boolean	true	Show nodes without connections
graph.show_labels	boolean	true	Show node labels by default
graph.node_colors	table	nil	Custom colors by folder/tag

Example Configuration

require("ideaDrop").setup({
  idea_dir = "/Users/carlos/Nextcloud/ObsidianVault",
  graph = {
    animate = false,      -- Set true for animated layout
    show_orphans = true,  -- Show unconnected notes
    show_labels = true,   -- Show note names
  },
})

🎮 Commands

Core Commands

Command	Description
:Idea	Opens today's idea in floating window
:Idea name	Opens or creates an idea with the specified name (floating)
:IdeaBuffer	Opens today's idea in current buffer
:IdeaBuffer name	Opens or creates an idea in current buffer
:IdeaRight	Opens today's idea in persistent right-side buffer
:IdeaRight name	Opens or creates an idea in right-side buffer
:IdeaTree	Opens nvim-tree file browser on the left

Tag Commands

Command	Description
:IdeaTags	Shows tag picker to browse files by tag
:IdeaAddTag tag	Adds a tag to the current idea file
:IdeaRemoveTag tag	Removes a tag from the current idea file
:IdeaSearchTag tag	Searches for files with a specific tag

Search Commands

Command	Description
:IdeaSearch query	Fuzzy search through idea titles and content
:IdeaSearchContent query	Search only in idea content
:IdeaSearchTitle query	Search only in idea titles

Graph Commands

Command	Description
:IdeaGraph	Opens the Obsidian-style graph visualization
:IdeaGraph animate	Opens graph with animated layout
:IdeaGraph refresh	Refreshes the graph data
:IdeaGraph close	Closes the graph window
:IdeaGraphFilter tag tagname	Opens graph filtered by tag
:IdeaGraphFilter folder foldername	Opens graph filtered by folder

⌨️ Keymaps

The plugin automatically sets up convenient keymaps:

Keymap	Command	Description
<leader>id	:IdeaRight	Open today's idea in right buffer
<leader>in	:IdeaRight	Open named idea in right buffer
<leader>it	:IdeaTree	Open tree browser
<leader>is	:IdeaSearch	Search ideas
<leader>ig	:IdeaTags	Browse tags
<leader>if	:Idea	Open today's idea in float
<leader>iG	:IdeaGraph	Open graph visualization

🗂️ Usage Examples

Basic Usage

:IdeaRight                    " Open today's idea in right buffer
:IdeaRight project/vision     " Open project/vision.md in right buffer
:IdeaTree                     " Browse all ideas with nvim-tree

Tag Management

:IdeaAddTag #work             " Add #work tag to current idea
:IdeaAddTag #personal         " Add #personal tag to current idea
:IdeaTags                     " Browse all tags
:IdeaSearchTag #work          " Find all ideas with #work tag

Search and Discovery

:IdeaSearch "machine learning"    " Search for "machine learning" in all ideas
:IdeaSearchContent "algorithm"    " Search content for "algorithm"
:IdeaSearchTitle "project"        " Search titles for "project"

File Organization

:IdeaRight meetings/2024-01-15    " Create nested folder structure
:IdeaRight projects/app/features  " Organize by project and feature

Graph Visualization

:IdeaGraph                        " Open the graph view
:IdeaGraph animate                " Open with animated layout
:IdeaGraphFilter tag work         " Show only notes tagged #work
:IdeaGraphFilter folder projects  " Show only notes in projects folder

🏷️ Tagging System

The plugin includes a powerful tagging system:

• Add tags: Use #tag format in your markdown files
• Auto-completion: Tags are automatically detected and indexed
• Filter by tags: Browse and filter ideas by tags
• Tag statistics: See how many files use each tag

Tag Examples

# My Idea Title

This is my idea content.

#work #project-x #feature #todo

🕸️ Graph Visualization

The plugin includes an Obsidian-style graph view that visualizes the connections between your notes.

How It Works

• Nodes: Each markdown file appears as a node
• Edges: Internal links using [[Note Name]] syntax create connections
• Layout: Uses Fruchterman-Reingold force-directed algorithm
• Positioning: Highly connected nodes drift to center, orphans to periphery

Graph Keymaps (inside graph window)

Key	Action
h/j/k/l	Navigate between nodes
Enter	Open selected note
t	Filter by tag
f	Filter by folder
r	Reset filter
L	Toggle labels
c	Center graph
+/-	Zoom in/out
?	Toggle help
q/Esc	Close graph
R	Refresh graph

Visual Encoding

• Node Size: Scales with degree (number of connections)
• Node Color:
  • Blue: Normal nodes
  • Purple: High-connectivity nodes (hubs)
  • Gray: Orphan nodes (no connections)
  • Red: Selected node
• Edges: Thin, semi-transparent lines showing connections

Linking Notes

To create links between notes, use wiki-style links in your markdown:

# My Note

This relates to [[Another Note]] and also to [[Projects/My Project]].

Check out [[2024-01-15]] for more context.

The graph will automatically detect these links and create visual connections.

🔍 Search Features

Fuzzy Search

• Search through file titles and content
• Real-time results as you type
• Navigate through search results easily

Content Search

• Search only in the body of your ideas
• Perfect for finding specific concepts or references

Title Search

• Search only in file names
• Quick way to find specific ideas

📁 File Tree Integration

The plugin integrates with nvim-tree for seamless file browsing:

• Left-side tree: Opens on the left side of your screen
• File selection: Click or press Enter to open files
• Directory navigation: Browse through your idea folders
• File operations: Create, delete, rename files directly

🎯 View Modes

1. Floating Window (Original)

• Opens ideas in a floating window
• Good for quick notes
• Command: :Idea

2. Current Buffer

• Opens ideas in the current buffer
• Replaces current content
• Command: :IdeaBuffer

3. Right-Side Buffer (Recommended)

• Persistent buffer on the right side
• Stays open while you work
• Perfect for ongoing projects
• Command: :IdeaRight

4. Tree Browser

• Full file tree on the left side
• Integrated with nvim-tree
• Command: :IdeaTree

5. Graph View

• Obsidian-style force-directed graph
• Visualizes note connections via [[links]]
• Interactive filtering and navigation
• Command: :IdeaGraph

🛠️ Development

This plugin is built with:

• Lua: Core functionality
• Neovim API: Native Neovim integration
• nvim-tree: File tree browsing
• vim.ui.select: Native picker for search and tag selection
• Markdown: Rich text support

📋 Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for a detailed list of changes.

📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use this plugin in your own projects!

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

Development Setup

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies (nvim-tree, telescope)
3. Configure the plugin in your Neovim setup
4. Test with the provided commands and keymaps

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Module not found errors: Ensure all dependencies are installed
2. Tree not opening: Make sure nvim-tree is properly configured
3. Search not working: Verify your idea directory path is correct
4. Tags not showing: Check that your idea directory exists and contains markdown files
5. Graph showing no connections: Make sure you're using [[Note Name]] syntax for links
6. Graph layout looks cramped: Try zooming out with - or use :IdeaGraph animate for better initial layout
7. Graph is slow: Large vaults (500+ notes) may take a moment to compute layout

Getting Help

• Check the configuration examples above
• Ensure all dependencies are installed
• Verify your idea directory path is correct
• Test with the basic commands first

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Happy idea capturing! 🚀