FeaturesBases (Database Views)Overview

Database Views (Bases) - Overview

Bases in Lokus bring structured database functionality to your notes, allowing you to organize, filter, and visualize information in multiple views. Think of Bases as lightweight databases that live alongside your markdown notes, providing spreadsheet-like power without leaving your knowledge base.

Version: 1.3.1 | Status: Production Ready

What Are Bases?

Bases transform collections of notes into structured data that can be viewed as tables, cards, galleries, calendars, or lists. Each Base is a special note that aggregates other notes based on criteria you define, displaying them with customizable properties and views. Your notes remain standard markdown files - Bases simply provide powerful views on top of them.

Key Capabilities

  • Table View Available - Spreadsheet-like display with inline editing
  • YAML Frontmatter Properties Available - Add metadata without leaving markdown
  • Advanced Filtering Available - Complex queries with multiple operators
  • Multi-column Sorting Available - Sort by multiple properties simultaneously
  • Inline Editing Available - Click cells to edit properties directly
  • 8 Property Types Available - Text, number, date, select, tags, checkbox, URL, email
  • Export capabilities Available - Export to CSV, JSON, Markdown
  • MCP Integration Available - AI assistants can query and manipulate bases
  • Grouping Coming v1.4 - Group by any property with aggregations
  • Gallery & Calendar Views Coming v1.4 - Additional view types
  • Formula Support Coming v1.4 - Calculated fields and rollups

How Bases Work with Markdown

YAML Frontmatter Properties

Bases read metadata from YAML frontmatter in your markdown files. Your notes remain standard markdown - no proprietary format!

Example Note:

---
title: Build Landing Page
status: In Progress
priority: High
tags:
  - web
  - design
due_date: 2025-10-30
owner: John Doe
completed: false
---
 
# Build Landing Page
 
Your note content here...

What Bases Do:

  1. Scan all markdown files in your workspace
  2. Extract properties from YAML frontmatter
  3. Index values for fast filtering and sorting
  4. Display in table view with inline editing
  5. Auto-update when files change

Tip: Your markdown files remain fully portable. You can open them in any text editor, and the frontmatter follows standard YAML conventions.

Automatic Property Detection

Lokus automatically detects property types based on YAML format:

YAML FormatDetected TypeExample
key: "value"Texttitle: "My Note"
key: 42Numberscore: 85
key: 2025-10-30Datedue_date: 2025-10-30
key: ["a", "b"]Tagstags: ["work", "urgent"]
key: trueCheckboxcompleted: true
key: "https://..."URLlink: "https://site.com"
key: "user@..."Emailcontact: "john@email.com"

Inline Editing

Edit properties directly in the table view:

How it works:

  1. Click any cell in the table
  2. Edit the value (dropdown for select, date picker for dates, etc.)
  3. Press Enter or click away
  4. Auto-saves to the markdown file’s frontmatter after 300ms

Behind the scenes:

Before:  status: Todo
After:   status: In Progress  ← Updated in YAML automatically

The entire note content remains unchanged - only the frontmatter property is updated!

Creating Your First Base

Method 1: From Menu

  1. File → New Base
  2. Name your Base (e.g., “Project Tracker”)
  3. Choose initial view type (Table recommended)
  4. Define source (folder, tag, or query)

Method 2: From Folder

  1. Right-click any folder in your file tree
  2. Select “Create Base from Folder”
  3. Base is auto-configured for that folder
  4. Start adding properties immediately

Method 3: Command Palette

  1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + P
  2. Type “new base”
  3. Follow the prompts
  4. Customize as needed

Base Sources

Define which notes to include in your Base:

Source Types:

  • Folder: All notes in a specific folder

    Example: /Projects/Active

  • Tag: All notes with a specific tag

    Example: #task or #project

  • Query: Custom filter query

    Example: tag:#project AND status:active

  • Manual: Manually selected notes

    Example: [[Note 1]], [[Note 2]], [[Note 3]]

Warning: Using the root folder / as a source in large workspaces (5,000+ notes) may slow performance. Use specific folders or enable Quantum Search for better performance.

Base Templates

Start quickly with pre-built Base templates:

Available Templates:

  • Project Tracker - Manage projects with status, priority, and timelines
  • Task Manager - GTD-style task management with due dates
  • Book Library - Track books with ratings, authors, and reading status
  • Contact Database - CRM-lite for managing contacts
  • Meeting Notes - Organize meeting records with attendees and action items
  • Blog Posts - Content calendar for blog post management
  • Recipe Collection - Organize recipes with ingredients and ratings
  • Habit Tracker - Track daily habits and streaks

Each template comes with:

  • Pre-configured properties
  • Appropriate view layouts
  • Sample filters and sorting
  • Entry templates for consistency

Performance & Optimization

Quantum Search Integration

Enable Quantum Search for dramatically improved performance on large workspaces:

How to Enable:

  1. Preferences → Performance
  2. Toggle “Enable Quantum Search”
  3. Restart Lokus
  4. Bases automatically use quantum indexing

Performance Improvements:

  • 100x faster search on 10,000+ files
  • O(1) lookup complexity for property queries
  • 90% less memory usage during queries
  • Sub-millisecond filter application
  • Predictive caching for frequently-used queries

Recommended for:

  • Workspaces with 5,000+ notes
  • Complex multi-filter queries
  • Real-time collaboration scenarios
  • Users experiencing lag in Bases

Performance Benchmarks (v1.3)

  • 10,000+ entries supported smoothly
  • Complex queries execute under 100ms
  • Real-time updates reflect under 50ms
  • Inline editing saves in <300ms
  • Initial load <2 seconds for 1,000 notes

Large Workspace Tips

For workspaces with 1,000+ notes:

  1. Use specific source folders

    sourceFolder: "/projects"  # Specific folder
# Not:  "/"  #  Entire workspace (slower)

  2. Add exclude patterns

    exclude:
  - "archive/**"
  - ".lokus/**"
  - "node_modules/**"
  - "large-media/**"

  3. Limit default view

    views:
  - name: "Recent"
    filters:
      - property: "modified_date"
        operator: "after"
        value: "{{today-30d}}"

  4. Close unused Bases tabs - Each open Base uses memory for indexing

  5. Enable Quantum Search (see above)

What’s Next?

Now that you understand the basics, explore specific features:

  • Views - Learn about Table, Card, Gallery, Kanban, and Calendar views
  • Properties - Deep dive into all 8 property types and advanced features
  • Filtering - Master advanced filtering and saved queries
  • MCP Integration - Connect AI assistants to your Bases
  • Examples - Real-world use cases and best practices

Learn More

Task Management & KanbanViews