Of course tags would play a much smaller role in Lettera than in Bear, because a large part of the organization in Lettera is handled through folders. And even if Lettera’s purpose is as matteo described, that doesn’t contradict the fact that with a proper implementation of tags Lettera can also be a PKM (I actually dislike that term) tool. One doesn’t rule out the other. Only by proving itself in multiple areas Lettera can truly compete with other apps, especially Obsidian where incidentally tags don’t really play a central role.
The key question of course is how tags should be displayed in the UI. There’s no doubt that displaying them in the sidebar would be counterproductive, since it already contains a long list of folders and files that would only get longer.
Quick thoughts on a possible implementation
- Single tags or nested tags? Nested tags, because those exported from Bear or created in Obsidian also contain nested tags, and I’d like to have a consistent implementation. Furthermore, nested tags are clearer and more compact.
- What should happen if I click onto a tag inside a file? Just filter the sidebar by that tag and show only those files that contain that tag. Place a closable token to show that the sidebar is filtered by a special tag.
- And now for the most important part: Where should the nested tag tree be displayed if not in the file browser? A simple pop-up that you can open from the toolbar would actually be enough for me, but why not do it the Obsidian way: Just place the tag tree in the right sidebar, et voilà! If you click on one of the tags, the left sidebar is simply filtered. The same principle as described above when you click a tag in the editor.
Why resp. when would such an unobtrusive implementation be unique and more powerful than in any other app including Obsidian?
On the one condition that only those tags contained in the files from left sidebar are displayed in a tag panel or popup (what else?), the display of tags would indeed be context-sensitive and dynamic. If I open a folder from within Lettera in a separate window or tab then the reduced file tree in the left sidebar would result in an equally reduced view of tags. And I haven’t seen THAT in any app so far.