Doclinks

Doclinks (also known as wikilinks) are how you connect notes and attachments in Octarine. They're the foundation for building a web of interconnected notes—and the only way for notes to appear in the Graph View.

Creating Doclinks

There are two ways to create a doclink:

1. Type [[ and ]] — Wrap any text with double brackets to create a link directly
2. Use the search command — Type [[ to open a search that finds notes, attachments, and dates as you type

Dragging a note from the sidebar now opens it as a tab or split pane instead of inserting a doclink. Use [[ when you want to add a link inside the note.

The search command finds:

• Note titles and folder names — Link to any note in your workspace
• Media attachments and external files — Embed images, videos, and other files using the same [[filename]] syntax
• Natural language dates — Type something like Dec5 to find or create a Daily Desk note for December 5, 2025

Use arrow keys to navigate results and press Enter to confirm your selection.

When a regular note is highlighted, its preview can show the folders between the workspace root and the note. This helps distinguish notes with similar filenames before you insert the doclink. Turn this preview on or off with Settings → Editor → Links & References → Wikilink Folder Tooltips.

Link to a Heading

Highlight a note in the [[ menu and press Tab to browse its headings. You can also type # after the note path, such as [[Projects/Launch#Open questions]]. Choose a heading to insert the section link; opening it jumps directly to that heading.

Add an Alias

Press | while a note or heading is highlighted, then type the text you want the link to display. For example, [[Projects/Launch#Open questions|unresolved work]] opens the Open questions heading but displays unresolved work in the editor.

How Doclinks Appear

Note doclinks appear as clickable links that show a preview when you hover over them. Media attachments are embedded directly in your note.

By default, doclinks use the shortest name that still identifies the note. Open Settings → Editor → Links & References → Linked Notes Display to choose Full Path, Shortest Name, or Only Note name. This changes how links appear in Octarine without rewriting their Markdown targets.

Folder wikilinks render with the folder's icon and color, which makes them easy to distinguish from note links.

Linking to Notes in Folders

When writing a doclink manually, use the note's full path relative to the workspace root, not just its name. For example, use [[Projects/Unique Note]] instead of [[Unique Note]]. If Octarine cannot resolve the link, it appears as a broken link and prompts you to create the note.

There is one exception: if only one note named Unique Note exists in the entire workspace, [[Unique Note]] links to it correctly regardless of which folder contains it. As soon as another note with the same name is created, the name is no longer unique. Octarine then treats [[Unique Note]] as a reference to a note in the workspace root; if no such root-level note exists, it appears as a broken link.

Creating Notes from Doclinks

The [[ command lets you create new notes on the fly. If nothing matches what you've typed, you'll see:

• Create a note in this folder — Creates the note alongside your current note
• Create a note at root — Creates the note at the workspace root

This lets you build out your notes organically without breaking your flow.

Automatic Link Updates

When you rename or move a file, Octarine updates incoming and outgoing doclinks. It also updates matching section links when you rename a heading in the editor.

Markdown Syntax

Under the hood, doclinks use standard wikilink syntax:

• Note doclinks: [[Documentation/Formatting]]
• Heading doclinks: [[Documentation/Formatting#Tables]]
• Aliased doclinks: [[Documentation/Formatting#Tables|table guide]]
• Folder doclinks: [[Documentation]]
• Attachments (with file extensions): [[Screenshot 23.05.png]]