Default Configuration

Trail ships with a sensible default configuration. This page documents exactly what's included out of the box.

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Default Relations

Trail includes four relations by default:

up

Setting	Value
Name	up
Visual direction	Ascending
Aliases	Property: up Dot property: relations.up Map: up
Implied relations	down (reverse)

Purpose: Link to parent/container notes. Shows ancestry above the current note.

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down

Setting	Value
Name	down
Visual direction	Descending
Aliases	Property: down Dot property: relations.down Map: down
Implied relations	up (reverse)

Purpose: Link to child/contained notes. Shows descendants below the current note.

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next

Setting	Value
Name	next
Visual direction	Sequential
Aliases	Property: next Dot property: relations.next Map: next
Implied relations	prev (reverse)

Purpose: Link to the following note in a sequence. Creates flat, sorted lists.

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prev

Setting	Value
Name	prev
Visual direction	Sequential
Aliases	Property: prev Dot property: relations.prev Map: prev
Implied relations	next (reverse)

Purpose: Link to the preceding note in a sequence.

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Default Groups

Trail includes three groups by default:

Ancestors

Setting	Value
Name	Ancestors
Members	up, depth 0
Display properties	(none)
Filters	(none)
Show conditions	(none)
Sort by	(none, alphabetical)
Chain sort	Primary

Purpose: Show the full chain of parent notes, from direct parent to the root.

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Children

Setting	Value
Name	Children
Members	down, depth 0
Display properties	(none)
Filters	(none)
Show conditions	(none)
Sort by	(none, alphabetical)
Chain sort	Primary

Purpose: Show all descendant notes, from direct children to the deepest level.

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Siblings

Setting	Value
Name	Siblings
Members	next, depth 1 prev, depth 1
Display properties	(none)
Filters	(none)
Show conditions	(none)
Sort by	(none, alphabetical)
Chain sort	Primary

Purpose: Show immediately adjacent notes in a sequence. Limited to depth 1 for focus.

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Implied Relation Matrix

The default configuration creates a complete bidirectional graph:

If you add...	Trail implies...
A -up-> B	B -down-> A
A -down-> B	B -up-> A
A -next-> B	B -prev-> A
A -prev-> B	B -next-> A

This means you only need to link in one direction—Trail fills in the reverse.

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Syntax Support

All default relations support all syntax formats:

Inline

up::[[Parent]]
[[Child]]::down
next::[[Following]]
[[Previous]]::prev

Frontmatter Property

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up: "[[Parent]]"
down: "[[Child]]"
next: "[[Following]]"
prev: "[[Previous]]"
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Frontmatter Dot Property

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relations.up: "[[Parent]]"
relations.down: "[[Child]]"
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Frontmatter Map

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relations:
  up: "[[Parent]]"
  down:
    - "[[Child 1]]"
    - "[[Child 2]]"
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When to Customize

Keep Defaults If...

• You're just starting with Trail
• Your hierarchy is simple (parent/child structure)
• You use next/prev for sequences
• You don't need filtering or special sorting

Customize If...

• You need domain-specific relation names (parent, cites, blocks)
• You want filtered views for different note types
• You need property-based sorting
• You want to show metadata badges
• You have complex multi-type hierarchies

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Resetting to Defaults

Trail doesn't have a "reset to defaults" button. To restore defaults:

1. Delete all existing relations
2. Delete all existing groups
3. Add new relations with default settings (see above)
4. Add new groups with default settings

Or, delete Trail's data file and restart:

1. Close Obsidian
2. Delete <Vault>/.obsidian/plugins/trail/data.json
3. Reopen Obsidian
4. Trail starts with fresh defaults

Warning

This erases all your Trail settings. Back up data.json first if you might want to restore.