tegwick
5697669063
SQLite-local PKB whose standout is note cloning — a single note can sit in multiple tree locations at once via the note (identity) vs branch (placement) split, so the hierarchy is a DAG, not a tree, with no single canonical path. The identity-not-equal-placement model is the clean way to represent a page in multiple locations/shards and the namespace-level form of the clone/reference primitive. Also: attributes (labels + typed relations) are inherited + templated, so metadata is computed (own + inherited + template), not a flat bag; content opacity is per-item (per-note encryption / protected notes), refining the proposed 12th spectrum; HTML-native (CKEditor, lossy to Markdown); dual extension surface (scripting code notes + ETAPI token REST). TriliumNext is the active community fork of zadam's Trilium (TWiki->Foswiki pattern). Added UC-66 (DAG hierarchy / note cloning), UC-67 (inherited/templated attributes, effective vs own); enriched UC-15/22/34/38/42/61. Catalog now 67 UCs. Architecture for SHARD-WP-0002 T11/T12/T14/T15/T16: DAG namespace + identity/placement split, computed/inherited metadata, per-item content opacity, HTML source model, scripting + ETAPI host surfaces. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
260614 — Trilium (TriliumNext) deep dive (note cloning, attribute inheritance, HTML-native)
Date: 2026-06-14
What this is
A focused study of Trilium / TriliumNext — the open-source hierarchical personal knowledge base — read through shard-wiki's lens. It is another SQLite-local note app, but it brings a structural feature none of the prior twelve systems had: note cloning — a single note can sit in multiple places in the tree at once, so the hierarchy is a DAG, not a tree, with note identity cleanly separated from placement (a note has many "branches"). It also has an attribute system with inheritance + templates (computed metadata) and is one of the few HTML-native (not Markdown) tools.
Lineage: TriliumNext is the community fork of the original Trilium (zadam, now maintenance-only) — the same pattern as TWiki→Foswiki.
Distinctive material:
- Architecture — single SQLite file (
document.db); desktop or self-host server; multi-instance sync protocol w/ conflict resolution + WebSocket; 12-char IDs (noteId/branchId/attributeId/attachmentId) - Note cloning — note vs branch (identity vs placement); DAG hierarchy; no single canonical path
- Attributes — labels (
#tag) + typed relations (~relation), inheritable + templates (~template) → effective vs own metadata - Content — HTML (CKEditor5), plus canvas/mindmap/spreadsheet/geo/render note types; export to MD/HTML (lossy)
- Extension — scripting (frontend/backend code notes, Script API) + ETAPI (token REST); per-note encryption (protected notes)
Contents
| Path | Role |
|---|---|
findings.md |
Architecture, note cloning/DAG, attributes+inheritance, HTML content, scripting/ETAPI, per-note encryption, capability profile, INTENT mapping, UC seeds, sources |
Status
Initial deep dive complete. Two new use cases promoted to spec/UseCaseCatalog.md (UC-66
attach a shard with a DAG hierarchy / note cloning, identity separated from placement;
UC-67 preserve inherited/templated attributes — effective vs own metadata); UC-15/22/34/
38/42/61 enriched. Logged for SHARD-WP-0002 (T11/T12/T14/T15/T16): DAG namespace +
identity/placement (note/branch) split, computed/inherited metadata in the page model,
per-item content opacity (refining the 12th spectrum), HTML as a source content model,
and scripting + ETAPI host surfaces.
Key takeaways recorded: Trilium's note/branch split (identity ≠ placement) is the clean model for pages that live in multiple locations/shards and the namespace-level form of the clone/reference primitive; metadata is computed (own + inherited + template), not a flat bag; and content opacity is per-item (per-note encryption), not only whole-shard. Boundary: one SQLite-local candidate shard (DAG hierarchy, HTML-native), best attached via ETAPI; not a substrate and not the federation layer.