Querying and filtering notes

settle can also query-filter notes based on various criteria, on various
elements of their metadata.

Note that all filters compound, that is to say, any resulting note must match
ALL criteria specified, not one or the other.

Also note that all filter options that accept a parameter use regex
matching by default, but if you specify the --exact option, then
all regex is disabled.

Query parameters

Filter by title

settle query --title ".*word.*" returns all notes whose title contains the
word word.

Filter by project

settle query --project "inbox" returns all notes that are in the inbox
project.

Filter by tag

NOTE: subtags are also included.

settle query --tag "psychology" returns every note that has a psychology tag.

Filter by text content

settle query --text "sample" returns every note that contains the word
"sample"

Filter by forward links

(also read: Links and Backlinks)

settle query --links "Neurons" keeps every note that Neurons links to, i.e.
its forward links.

settle query --links ".*connection.*" keeps the links of every note whose
title contains the word connection.

Filter by backlinks

settle query --backlinks "Neurons" keeps every note that has forward links
pointing to the note called Neurons.

settle query --backlinks ".*connection.*" returns every note that links to any
note that has the word connection in its title.

Filter loner notes

settle query --loners keeps all loner notes in your
Zettelkasten.

Result format

settle query --format <FORMAT> allows you to specify a certain format
according to which you can print every queried note's data. It has a few flags:

  - %t - replaced with the title
  - %p - replaced with the project name
  - %P - replaced with the absolute path to the Zettel
  - %l - replaced with the (forward) links of the Zettel
  - %a - when used together with the --text option, replaced by the matches
    that settle found while filtering the Zettel. This may not be that useful
    for exact matches, but it's extremely useful when using regex. Note that,
    when your query is enclosed with two .* on both ends, such as
    ".*example.*", the entire line is printed; the practical application is
    giving your queries a (somewhat limited) context.
  - %b - replaced with the backlinks of the Zettel; note that since settle
    only stores forward links in the database, fetching backlinks is a
    little bit more time consuming

settle query --format "%t [%l]" --link_sep "\t" prints the title of every
Zettel along with its forward links. Note the --link_sep option; it specifies
how both forward and backward links are separated - single tabs, in this case.

The default format is [%p] %t, and the default link separator is |.

Making a graph

(read: Graphs)

settle query --graph takes all the results and outputs the DOT graph result to
stdout.

Examples

  - settle query --text "sample" --loners returns all notes that contain sample
    in their text and that aren't linked with any other note in the
    Zettelkasten.

  - settle query --project "" --title ".*word.*" returns all notes that are in
    the main Zettelkasten (the empty-string project) and have the word word
    within their title.

  - settle query --formatting "[%p] %t" --link_sep " | " is the same as the
    default format. Note that, since no links are printed, the separator is
    actually never used for this format.

  - settle query --tag "literature" --links "Neurons" returns all notes that
    have the literature tag and link to a note called precisely Neurons
    (note the absence of regex wildcards)

  - settle query --format "[%P]\t%l" --link_sep "\t" --title "Note.*" takes
    every Zettel whose title starts with Note, printing their absolute path
    between square brackets, separating links with tabs.

  - settle query --graph prints a DOT file of the entire Zettelkasten to stdout

  - settle query --text ".*search.*" --format "%t (%a)" not only prints every
    Zettel that contains the word search in it, but it also prints every line
    containing that word.
