Glossary
A quick reference for the terms used across TypeMD documentation, CLI, and configuration files.
A directory managed by TypeMD. Contains .typemd/ (configuration), objects/ (content), and optionally templates/ (object templates). Each Vault is self-contained and can be version-controlled.
Object
Section titled “Object”The basic unit of knowledge in TypeMD. Instead of thinking in “files” or “notes”, you think in Objects — a book, a person, an idea, a meeting. Each Object is a Markdown file with YAML frontmatter (properties) and a free-form body.
Defines what kind of Object you’re creating. Every Object belongs to exactly one Type (e.g. book, person, note). Types are defined by YAML schema files in types/. Optional schema fields include plural (grammatically correct display name for collections), emoji, color, description, version, and unique.
Property
Section titled “Property”A named field on an Object, defined by its Type schema. Properties have types (string, number, date, select, relation, etc.) and are stored in YAML frontmatter. Properties can have optional attributes like emoji, pin, and default.
Relation
Section titled “Relation”A named, typed link between two Objects. Unlike a simple hyperlink, Relations are defined in the Type schema and can be bidirectional — updating one side automatically updates the other.
An inline reference to another Object written using wiki-link syntax ([[...]]) in the Markdown body. TypeMD tracks these links and their reverse connections (backlinks). Also called a wiki-link.
Backlink
Section titled “Backlink”A reverse connection automatically computed from Links. If Object A links to Object B, then B has a backlink from A. Backlinks are read-only and maintained by the index.
A first-class Object of the built-in tag type. Tags have enforced name uniqueness and can be linked to any Object via the tags system property. Tags support color and icon properties.
Template
Section titled “Template”Provides default frontmatter and body content when creating new Objects. Object templates are stored as Markdown files in templates/<type>/. Name templates use {{ date:FORMAT }} syntax to auto-generate Object names.
A saved configuration that controls how Objects of a Type are displayed — including sort order, filter rules, grouping, and layout. Views are stored as YAML files in types/<name>/views/. Every Type has an implicit default View (list layout, sorted by name).
The human-readable part of an Object’s filename. For example, golang-in-action in book/golang-in-action-01jqr3k5mpbvn8e0f2g7h9txyz.md. Derived from the name you provide when creating an Object.
When you create an Object with a natural-language name (e.g., “Clean Code”), TypeMD converts it to a slug using these rules:
- Convert to lowercase
- Replace spaces and underscores with hyphens
- Remove characters that are not letters, digits, or hyphens (Unicode letters like CJK and accented characters are preserved)
- Collapse consecutive hyphens into a single hyphen
- Trim leading and trailing hyphens
| Input | Slug |
|---|---|
Clean Code | clean-code |
What's the plan? | whats-the-plan |
my_great_idea | my-great-idea |
Chapter 3 Notes | chapter-3-notes |
clean-code | clean-code (already valid) |
The original input is always preserved as the name property — slug conversion only affects the filename.
A 26-character Universally Unique Lexicographically Sortable Identifier, automatically appended to the slug by the CLI. Ensures uniqueness even when two Objects share the same slug. Objects created manually (without the CLI) do not require a ULID.
Object ID
Section titled “Object ID”The full identifier for an Object in type/slug-ulid format. For example: book/golang-in-action-01jqr3k5mpbvn8e0f2g7h9txyz. Used in Link targets and relation references.
Display ID
Section titled “Display ID”The human-readable form of an Object ID with the ULID suffix stripped. For example: book/golang-in-action from book/golang-in-action-01jqr3k5mpbvn8e0f2g7h9txyz. Used when rendering wiki-links without display text.
Frontmatter
Section titled “Frontmatter”The YAML metadata block at the top of an Object file, delimited by ---. Contains properties in a fixed order: system properties first, then schema-defined properties.
A SQLite database (.typemd/index.db) that caches Object metadata for fast querying and full-text search. Automatically built and updated — never needs manual editing.
The process of reading Object files and updating the Index. Happens automatically when opening a Vault. During sync, missing name properties are added, tag references are resolved, and the search index is refreshed.
Validation
Section titled “Validation”Checks that schemas, Objects, Relations, Links, and name uniqueness constraints are all correct. Run with tmd type validate.