Relation Types Reference¶

Complete reference for all relation settings and how they interact.

Relation Settings¶

Name¶

Type: String

Constraints: - Lowercase letters, numbers, dashes, underscores only - No spaces - Must be unique

Examples: up, parent, cites, related-to, step_1

Normalized: Input is automatically lowercased. UP becomes up.

Visual Direction¶

Type: Enum

Options:

Value	Display Behavior	Tree Orientation
`ascending`	Deepest items at root	Inverted tree
`descending`	Direct items at root	Normal tree
`sequential`	Flat sorted list	No nesting

Default: descending

Aliases¶

Type: Array of alias objects

Each alias maps a frontmatter format to this relation.

Alias Types¶

Type	Format	Example Key	Matches
`property`	Direct property	`up`	`up: "[[Note]]"`
`dotProperty`	Namespaced	`relations.up`	`relations.up: "[[Note]]"`
`relationsMap`	In relations object	`up`	`relations: { up: ... }`

Multiple aliases: A relation can have many aliases. Useful for supporting multiple property names or all three formats.

Implied Relations¶

Type: Array of implied relation objects

Each implied relation creates automatic edges based on this relation's edges.

Implied Relation Settings¶

Target Relation: Which relation to create (must exist)

Direction:

Value	From	To	Use Case
`forward`	Source	Target	Aliases
`reverse`	Target	Source	Bidirectional links
`both`	Both directions	Both	Symmetric relations

Valid Relation Names¶

Character Rules¶

Allowed	Not Allowed
`a-z`	Uppercase (normalized)
`0-9`	Spaces
`-` (dash)	Special characters
`_` (underscore)	Periods, colons, etc.

Examples¶

Input	Result	Notes
`up`	`up`	Valid
`UP`	`up`	Normalized
`Parent Note`	Invalid	Contains space
`parent-note`	`parent-note`	Valid
`parent_note`	`parent_note`	Valid
`parent.note`	Invalid	Contains period
`123`	`123`	Valid (numbers only)

Visual Direction Details¶

Ascending¶

For relations that point "upward" in a hierarchy.

Graph:

Current → Parent → Grandparent

Display:

Grandparent
  └── Parent
       └── (current note implied)

Deepest ancestor at root, progressively closer items nested below.

Use cases: up, parent, belongs-to, part-of

Descending¶

For relations that point "downward" in a hierarchy.

Graph:

Current → Child → Grandchild

Display:

Child
  └── Grandchild

Direct children at root, their children nested below.

Use cases: down, child, contains, has

Sequential¶

For relations that form ordered sequences.

Graph:

Current → Next1 → Next2
Current → Prev1 → Prev2

Display:

Prev2
Prev1
Next1
Next2

Flat list, sorted by chain order or properties.

Use cases: next, prev, follows, precedes

Alias Configuration¶

Property Alias¶

Maps a top-level frontmatter property.

Frontmatter:

---
up: "[[Parent]]"
---

Configuration: - Type: property - Key: up

Dot Property Alias¶

Maps a namespaced frontmatter property.

Frontmatter:

---
relations.up: "[[Parent]]"
---

Configuration: - Type: dotProperty - Key: relations.up

Relations Map Alias¶

Maps a key within a relations object.

Frontmatter:

---
relations:
  up: "[[Parent]]"
---

Configuration: - Type: relationsMap - Key: up

Implied Relation Direction¶

Forward¶

Same direction as source edge.

Source: A -up-> B
Rule:   up → parent (forward)
Result: A -parent-> B

Use: Creating aliases or synonyms.

Reverse¶

Opposite direction from source edge.

Source: A -up-> B
Rule:   up → down (reverse)
Result: B -down-> A

Use: Bidirectional hierarchies.

Both¶

Creates edges in both directions.

Source: A -related-> B
Rule:   related → related (both)
Result: A -related-> B (same as explicit)
        B -related-> A (new)

Use: Symmetric relationships like "related" or "sibling".

Common Patterns¶

Bidirectional Hierarchy¶

up (ascending)
  → down (reverse)

down (descending)
  → up (reverse)

Citation Network¶

cites (descending)
  → cited-by (reverse)

cited-by (descending)
  (no implications - derived only)

Symmetric Relation¶

related (descending)
  → related (reverse)

Multi-Level Hierarchy¶

project (ascending)
  → epic (reverse)

epic (descending)
  → project (reverse)

task (descending)
  → subtask (reverse)

subtask (ascending)
  → task (reverse)

Troubleshooting¶

Relation Not Recognized¶

Check aliases: Does the relation have an alias matching your syntax?
Check key: Is the alias key exactly right (case-sensitive)?
Check type: Is the alias type correct for your frontmatter format?

Implied Relation Missing¶

Check source relation: Does the source relation have the implied rule?
Check target exists: Is the target relation defined?
Check direction: Is forward/reverse/both correct for your use case?

Wrong Visual Direction¶

Check the relation: Is visual direction set correctly?
Ascending: Deep items at root (for "up" relations)
Descending: Direct items at root (for "down" relations)
Sequential: Flat list (for "next/prev" relations)