Filtering Relations¶

The Trail pane's filter menu lets you temporarily hide specific relation types. This helps you focus on what matters without changing your configuration.

Click the Filter button (funnel icon) in the Trail pane header.

The menu shows all defined relation types with checkboxes.

Using Filters¶

Toggle Relations¶

Click a relation name to toggle its visibility:

Checked (✓): Relation appears in the Trail pane
Unchecked: Relation is hidden

Changes apply immediately—no need to confirm.

Select All / Select None¶

Quick actions at the top of the menu:

Select all: Show all relation types
Select none: Hide all relation types (useful as a starting point)

Filter Badge¶

When not all relations are visible, a badge appears in the header:

📄 Current Note  [2/4]

This shows "2 of 4 relation types are visible". It's a quick reminder that filtering is active.

What Filtering Affects¶

What's Filtered¶

Relation items in all groups
Group item counts
Empty state detection

What's NOT Filtered¶

Group visibility (controlled by show conditions, not the filter menu)
Configuration settings
The actual data in your notes

Filter Persistence¶

Filters persist during your session:

Switching notes: Filters stay
Closing/reopening the pane: Filters stay
Restarting Obsidian: Filters reset to "all visible"

Filters are a temporary view preference, not a saved setting.

Use Cases¶

Focus on Hierarchy¶

When exploring a hierarchical structure, hide sequential relations:

Open filter menu
Uncheck next and prev
Only up and down appear

Now the Trail pane shows pure hierarchy without sibling noise.

Focus on Sequence¶

When navigating sequential content like book chapters:

Open filter menu
Click Select none
Check only next and prev

See only the reading order, not the category hierarchy.

Debugging Relations¶

To see all relations of a specific type:

Open filter menu
Click Select none
Check only the relation you're investigating

Isolate one relation type to verify it's working as expected.

Simplify Complex Graphs¶

If you have many relation types:

Open filter menu
Uncheck rarely-used relations
Keep only the most relevant ones visible

Reduce clutter while exploring.

Filtering vs Configuration¶

Feature	Filter Menu	Configuration
Scope	Current session	Permanent
Speed	Instant toggle	Requires save
Purpose	Temporary focus	Define structure
Persists	Until restart	Always

Use filters for quick, temporary changes. Use configuration for your permanent setup.

Filtering vs Group Filters¶

The filter menu is different from group filters in settings:

Feature	Filter Menu	Group Filters
What it filters	Relation types	Files by properties
Scope	All groups	One group
Where configured	Trail pane	Settings

They can work together:

Group filters hide notes without type: task
Filter menu hides prev relations
You see only up/down/next relations to task notes

Tips¶

Start with All¶

Begin with all relations visible to see the full picture, then filter down.

Use for Learning¶

When learning Trail, toggle relations on/off to understand what each type shows.

Reset When Stuck¶

If the Trail pane seems empty but shouldn't be, check if filtering is hiding everything. Click Select all to reset.

Filter to one relation type, then click through notes to follow that specific path through your vault.