# Frontmatter & Naming Conventions **Frontmatter** is the YAML block at the very top of a note, fenced by `---` lines. It holds the note's properties — its type, date, and the links that connect it to dimensions. The whole system runs on getting this right. Two small rules account for almost every problem people hit. ## Rule 1: quote your wiki-links inside YAML lists Links inside frontmatter lists **must be wrapped in double quotes**: ```yaml people: - "[[Alex Rivera]]" # correct - [[Sam Chen]] # WRONG — Dataview may misparse the brackets ``` Always `"[[Name]]"`, never bare `[[Name]]`, when the link is a YAML value. (In the body of a note, bare `[[links]]` are fine — this rule is only for frontmatter.) ## Rule 2: use ISO dates Dates are always `YYYY-MM-DD`: ```yaml date: 2026-03-14 # correct date: 3/14/26 # WRONG — sorts and comparisons break ``` ISO dates sort correctly as plain text, which is what the timelines rely on. ## Activity frontmatter Every activity note shares a common core. Any link list can be left empty if it doesn't apply — keep the key, just omit the items. ```yaml --- type: meeting # email | task | call | meeting | class-session | submission date: 2026-03-14 people: - "[[Alex Rivera]]" projects: - "[[Website Redesign]]" classes: # academic only; leave empty otherwise assignments: # academic only sources: # link to another activity that spawned this one --- ``` Each type adds a few fields of its own (a Task has `status`, `due`, `closed`; an Email has `subject` and `source_link`; a Class Session has `topic` and `week`). The [[05 Templates|templates]] carry the canonical set for each — you rarely type frontmatter by hand. ### The `sources` field: activity → activity `sources` is special: it links one activity to another, not to a dimension. Use it when one thing led to another — a task created off the back of an email, a meeting booked after a call: ```yaml sources: - "[[2026-03-10 Email - Budget question from Alex]]" ``` The source note shows a **Spawned activities** list, so opening that email reveals every task, meeting, or call that grew out of it. ## Person & Student frontmatter People store contact info and a **static affiliation** to organizations/departments. This affiliation lives in the *person's* frontmatter — it is not an activity. Put the University and the College in `organizations:`, and the specific Department in `departments:`: ```yaml --- type: person # or "student" role: Associate Professor organizations: - "[[State University]]" - "[[State University — School of Computing]]" departments: - "[[State University — Computer Science]]" email: phone: --- ``` Org and Department pages read these fields to list who belongs to them — and, through those people, what activity has involved them. (Students add `student_id`, `program`, and a `classes` list.) ## Organization & Department frontmatter Organizations cover Universities, Colleges, and Companies; the `org_type` field distinguishes them. `parent_organization` is set on Colleges (→ their University) and Departments (→ a College or Company), and left empty on Universities and Companies. ```yaml # University type: organization org_type: university parent_organization: # College type: organization org_type: college parent_organization: - "[[State University]]" # Department type: department parent_organization: - "[[State University — School of Computing]]" ``` This forms a 3-tier academic hierarchy (University → College → Department) or a 2-tier business one (Company → Department). You don't usually type these by hand — the interactive [[05 Templates|Organization and Department templates]] build them for you. ## File naming Consistent names keep the file list browsable and make wiki-links predictable. | Note kind | Pattern | Example | |---|---|---| | **Activity** | `YYYY-MM-DD <Type> - <brief description>` | `2026-03-14 Meeting - Q2 planning.md` | | **Person** | Full name | `Alex Rivera.md` | | **Class** | Course code | `CS 101.md` | | **Project** | Short descriptive name | `Website Redesign.md` | | **University** | Short name | `State University.md` | | **College** | `<University> — <College>` | `State University — School of Computing.md` | | **Company** | Short name | `Acme Corp.md` | | **Department** | `<Institution> — <Department>` | `State University — Computer Science.md` | | **Assignment** | Brief name | `Assignment 1 - Intro Lab.md` | The em-dash (`—`) prefix on colleges and departments keeps names unambiguous when two institutions have a "Computer Science." The interactive templates apply it automatically. Next: [[05 Templates|Templates]] — install the note generators.