foam/docs/user/getting-started/get-started-with-vscode.md

Using Foam with VS Code Features

Foam builds on Visual Studio Code's powerful editing capabilities, integrating seamlessly with VS Code's native features to create a comprehensive knowledge management experience. This guide explores how to leverage VS Code's built-in functionality alongside Foam.

Keyboard shortcuts

VS Code supports various keyboard shortcuts, the most important for us are:

Shortcut	Action
cmd+N	create a new file
cmd+S	save the current file
cmd+O	open a file
cmd+P	use quickpick to open a file
alt+D	open the daily note for today
alt+H	open the daily note for a day
cmd+shift+P	invoke a command (see below)

For more information, see the VS Code keyboard cheat sheets, where you can also see how to customize your keybindings.

Commands

Commands make VS Code extremely powerful.

To invoke a command, press cmd+shift+P and select the command you want to execute. For example, to see the Foam graph:

• press cmd+shift+P to open the command bar
• start typing show graph
• select the Foam: Show Graph command

And watch the magic unfold.

To see all foam commands, type "foam" in the command bar. For more information on commands, see commands on the VS Code site.

If you want to learn more about VS Code, check out their website.

Panels

Foam integrates with VS Code panels to provide insights into individual notes and the whole knowledge base.

• Foam: links: Shows all notes that link to and from the currently active note, helping you understand connections and navigate your knowledge graph
• Foam: Orphaned Notes: Displays notes that have no incoming or outgoing links, helping you identify isolated content that might need better integration
• Tag Explorer: Shows all tags used across your workspace in a hierarchical view, see [tags] for more information on tags
• Foam: Graph: Visual representation of your note connections (also available as a separate graph view)

Styling and Themes

VS Code is very configurable when it comes to themes and style. Find your ideal set up by running the command Color Theme. For more information see the VS Code documentation.

Multi-Cursor Editing

Edit multiple locations simultaneously for efficient note management:

Basic Multi-Cursor:

• Alt+Click / Option+Click - Add cursor at click location
• Ctrl+Alt+Down / Cmd+Option+Down - Add cursor below
• Ctrl+Alt+Up / Cmd+Option+Up - Add cursor above
• Ctrl+D / Cmd+D - Select next occurrence of word
• Ctrl+Shift+L / Cmd+Shift+L - Select all occurrences

Bulk wikilink creation:

1. Select a word (e.g., "Python")
2. Press Ctrl+Shift+L to select all occurrences
3. Type [[]] to wrap all instances
4. Arrow key to position cursor inside brackets

Find and Replace

Powerful search and replace for note maintenance:

Basic Find/Replace:

• Ctrl+F / Cmd+F - Find in current file
• Ctrl+H / Cmd+H - Replace in current file
• Ctrl+Shift+F / Cmd+Shift+F - Find across workspace
• Ctrl+Shift+H / Cmd+Shift+H - Replace across workspace

Text Folding

Organize long notes with collapsible sections:

Folding Controls:

• Click fold icons in the gutter next to headings
• Ctrl+Shift+[ / Cmd+Option+[ - Fold current section
• Ctrl+Shift+] / Cmd+Option+] - Unfold current section
• Ctrl+K Ctrl+0 / Cmd+K Cmd+0 - Fold all
• Ctrl+K Ctrl+J / Cmd+K Cmd+J - Unfold all

File Management

Explorer Integration

Leverage VS Code's file explorer for note organization:

File Operations:

• Drag and drop files to reorganize
• Right-click context menus for quick actions
• New file/folder creation with shortcuts
• Bulk selection with Ctrl+Click / Cmd+Click

Quick File Actions:

• F2 - Rename file (Foam updates links automatically)
• Delete - Move to trash
• Ctrl+C / Cmd+C then Ctrl+V / Cmd+V - Copy/paste files
• Right-click → Reveal in Explorer/Finder - Open in file system

Quick Open

Rapid file navigation for large knowledge bases:

Quick Open Commands:

• Ctrl+P / Cmd+P - Go to file
• Ctrl+Shift+O / Cmd+Shift+O - Go to symbol (headings in Markdown)
• Ctrl+T / Cmd+T - Go to symbol in workspace
• Ctrl+G / Cmd+G - Go to line number

Search Patterns:

# Go to File (Ctrl+P)
machine       # Finds "machine-learning.md"
proj alpha    # Finds "project-alpha.md"
daily/2025    # Finds files in daily/2025 folder

# Go to Symbol (Ctrl+Shift+O)
@introduction # Jump to "Introduction" heading
@#setup       # Jump to "Setup" heading
:50           # Go to line 50

Search and Discovery

Global Search

Find content across your entire knowledge base:

Search Interface (Ctrl+Shift+F / Cmd+Shift+F):

• Search box - Enter your query
• Replace box - Toggle with replace arrow
• Include/Exclude patterns - Filter by file types or folders
• Match case - Case-sensitive search
• Match whole word - Exact word matching
• Use regular expression - Advanced pattern matching

Timeline View

Track changes to your notes over time:

Accessing Timeline:

1. Open Explorer panel
2. Expand "Timeline" section at bottom
3. Select a file to see its change history
4. Click timeline entries to see diff views

Timeline Features:

• Git commits show when notes were changed
• File saves track editing sessions
• Diff views highlight what changed
• Restore points for recovering previous versions

Outline View

Navigate long notes with hierarchical structure:

Outline Panel:

1. Enable in Explorer (expand "Outline" section)
2. Shows heading hierarchy for current note
3. Click headings to jump to sections
4. Collapse/expand sections in outline

Version Control Integration

Git Integration

Track changes to your knowledge base:

Source Control Panel:

• View changes - See modified files
• Stage changes - Click + to stage files
• Commit changes - Enter message and commit
• Sync changes - Push/pull from remote

Git Workflow for Notes:

1. Write and edit your notes
2. Review changes in Source Control panel
3. Stage relevant files for commit
4. Write meaningful commit message
5. Commit and push to backup/share

Useful Git Features:

• Diff view - See exactly what changed
• File history - Track note evolution over time
• Branch management - Experiment with different organization approaches
• Merge conflicts - Resolve when collaborating

Markdown Features

Preview Integration

View formatted notes alongside editing:

Preview Commands:

• Ctrl+Shift+V / Cmd+Shift+V - Open preview
• Ctrl+K V / Cmd+K V - Open preview to side
• Preview lock - Pin preview to specific file

Diagrams (with Mermaid extension):

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Foam Workspace] --> B[Notes]
    A --> C[Templates]
    A --> D[Assets]
    B --> E[Wikilinks]
    B --> F[Tags]
    E --> G[Graph View]
```

Extension Ecosystem

Extend Foam's capabilities with complementary extensions. Look for them in the VS Code Marketplace.

What's Next?

With VS Code mastery, explore advanced Foam topics:

1. [recommended-extensions] - See complementary extensions to improve your note taking experience
2. [publishing] - Share your knowledge base