Graph Visualization

The graph visualization in Lokus transforms your notes and their connections into an interactive network diagram, providing a visual representation of your knowledge structure. The graph helps you discover patterns, identify clusters, and navigate your notes in ways traditional folders and search cannot.

Overview

Lokus offers both 2D and 3D graph visualizations powered by Sigma.js, Three.js, and D3-force physics simulation. The graph dynamically updates as you create, edit, and link notes, giving you real-time insight into your knowledge base.

Key Features

• Interactive 2D and 3D graphs with smooth navigation
• Force-directed layout for natural clustering
• Real-time updates as notes and links change
• Advanced filtering by tags, folders, and properties
• Multiple layout algorithms for different perspectives
• Node and edge styling based on metadata
• Export capabilities for sharing and analysis

Graph Types

2D Graph View

The default 2D graph provides a clean, performant visualization:

Features:

• Sigma.js rendering engine
• WebGL-accelerated graphics
• Smooth zooming and panning
• Node labels at all zoom levels
• Edge bundling for clarity
• Hover interactions
• Click to navigate

Best For:

• Quick navigation
• Overview of structure
• Large workspaces (1000+ notes)
• Daily use

3D Graph View

The 3D graph adds depth for exploring complex relationships:

Features:

• Three.js rendering
• 3D force-directed layout
• Camera rotation and orbit
• Depth perception
• Node elevation by properties
• Animated transitions
• VR support (experimental)

Best For:

• Dense networks
• Hierarchical structures
• Presentations
• Deep exploration

Local Graph

Focus on a single note and its immediate connections:

Features:

• Current note at center
• 1-3 hop distance configurable
• Linked notes shown
• Backlinks highlighted
• Compact view
• Embedded in note view

Use Cases:

• Understanding note context
• Finding related content
• Checking link structure
• Quick navigation

Navigation

Basic Controls

2D Graph:

• Pan: Click and drag background
• Zoom: Mouse wheel or pinch
• Select: Click node
• Navigate: Double-click node
• Reset: Double-click background

3D Graph:

• Rotate: Click and drag background
• Pan: Right-click and drag
• Zoom: Mouse wheel
• Orbit: Shift + drag
• Navigate: Double-click node

Keyboard Shortcuts

Search and Focus

Node Search:

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + F in graph
2. Type note name
3. Fuzzy search filters nodes
4. Press Enter to focus
5. Navigate with arrow keys

Focus Mode:

• Press F to focus selected node
• Dims other nodes
• Shows immediate connections
• Adjustable focus distance

Layout Algorithms

Force-Directed Layout

Default physics-based layout using D3-force:

Forces:

• Link Force: Pulls connected nodes together
• Charge Force: Pushes all nodes apart
• Center Force: Keeps graph centered
• Collision Force: Prevents overlap

Parameters:

{
  linkDistance: 100,      // Distance between linked nodes
  linkStrength: 1,        // Pull strength
  chargeStrength: -300,   // Repulsion strength
  centerStrength: 0.1,    // Centering force
  velocityDecay: 0.4      // Movement damping
}

Characteristics:

• Natural clustering
• Reveals community structure
• Adapts to network topology
• Continuous optimization

Hierarchical Layout

Tree-like layout for hierarchical structures:

Options:

• Top-Down: Root at top
• Left-Right: Root at left
• Radial: Root at center

Parameters:

• Node spacing
• Level separation
• Sibling distance
• Direction

Best For:

• Folder hierarchies
• Taxonomy structures
• Sequential content
• Parent-child relationships

Circular Layout

Nodes arranged in a circle:

Features:

• Uniform distribution
• Clear edge patterns
• Compact visualization
• Aesthetic appeal

Sorting:

• Alphabetical
• By connections
• By date
• By custom property

Grid Layout

Nodes on a regular grid:

Features:

• Predictable positions
• Easy scanning
• Good for small graphs
• Stable layout

Grid Types:

• Square grid
• Hexagonal grid
• Custom spacing

Custom Layouts

Create custom layouts via plugins:

export const customLayout = {
  name: 'custom',
 
  compute(graph, settings) {
    graph.forEachNode((node, attributes) => {
      // Calculate x, y position
      const pos = calculatePosition(node, attributes);
      graph.setNodeAttribute(node, 'x', pos.x);
      graph.setNodeAttribute(node, 'y', pos.y);
    });
  }
};

Node Styling

Node Appearance

Visual Properties:

• Size: Based on importance, word count, or connections
• Color: By folder, tag, or custom property
• Shape: Circle, square, diamond, star
• Border: Thickness and color
• Label: Font, size, color

Size Modes:

• Fixed: Same size for all nodes
• By Links: Larger nodes have more connections
• By Word Count: Larger nodes have more content
• By Custom: Use any numeric property

Node Colors

Color Schemes:

• Folder-based: Each folder gets a color
• Tag-based: Color by primary tag
• Type-based: Color by note type
• Date-based: Gradient by creation date
• Custom: Define color rules

Color Palettes:

• Default (10 colors)
• Colorblind-friendly
• Pastel
• Vibrant
• Monochrome
• Custom (import from palette)

Node Labels

Label Display:

• Always: Show at all zoom levels
• On Hover: Show when mouse over
• On Zoom: Show when zoomed in
• Never: Hide labels

Label Content:

• Note title
• Note alias
• First heading
• Custom field
• Shortened title

Node Icons

Add icons to nodes:

Icon Sources:

• File type (markdown, PDF, etc.)
• Note property
• Folder icon
• Custom icon
• Lucide icon library

Example:

---
icon: FileText
color: "#3b82f6"
size: large
---

Edge Styling

Edge Appearance

Visual Properties:

• Color: By type, direction, or strength
• Thickness: By link count or weight
• Style: Solid, dashed, dotted
• Arrows: Direction indicators
• Curve: Straight, curved, bundled

Edge Types

Direction:

• Bidirectional: Both nodes link each other
• Unidirectional: One-way link
• Undirected: No direction (default)

Relationship:

• Wiki Link: Standard note link
• Backlink: Reverse reference
• Embed: Transclusion
• Reference: Citation or mention

Edge Weights

Represent connection strength:

Weight Calculation:

• Number of links between notes
• Number of shared tags
• Content similarity
• Custom formula

Visual Mapping:

• Thicker lines for stronger connections
• Darker colors for higher weights
• Animated for active connections

Filtering

Filter Panel

Access filters from graph toolbar:

Filter Types:

• Text: Filter by note name
• Folder: Include/exclude folders
• Tag: Show specific tags
• Date: Filter by date range
• Property: Filter by custom fields

Filter Syntax

Advanced filtering with queries:

# Show only project notes
folder:"Projects" AND tag:#active

# Exclude archived content
NOT folder:"Archive"

# Recent notes with links
created:>2024-01-01 AND links:>0

# High-connectivity nodes
connections:>10

# Complex query
(tag:#project OR tag:#idea) AND folder:"Current"

Saved Filters

Save frequently used filters:

1. Create filter
2. Click “Save Filter”
3. Name the filter
4. Access from dropdown

Pre-built Filters:

• Most Connected
• Recent Activity
• Orphaned Notes
• Hub Notes
• Untagged Notes

Clustering

Automatic Clustering

Lokus detects communities in your graph:

Algorithms:

• Louvain: Modularity optimization
• Label Propagation: Fast clustering
• Betweenness: Bridge detection
• K-means: Fixed number of clusters

Visualization:

• Color by cluster
• Cluster boundaries
• Cluster labels
• Inter-cluster links

Manual Clustering

Create custom clusters:

1. Select nodes (Shift + click)
2. Right-click selection
3. “Create Cluster”
4. Name and color cluster

Cluster Operations:

• Add/remove nodes
• Merge clusters
• Split clusters
• Nest clusters

Analysis

Graph Metrics

View statistics about your graph:

Network Metrics:

• Nodes: Total note count
• Edges: Total link count
• Density: Connection ratio
• Average Degree: Avg links per note
• Diameter: Longest shortest path
• Components: Disconnected groups

Node Metrics (per note):

• Degree: Total connections
• In-Degree: Incoming links
• Out-Degree: Outgoing links
• Betweenness: Bridge importance
• Closeness: Average distance to others
• PageRank: Influence score

Path Analysis

Find connections between notes:

Shortest Path:

1. Select source node
2. Shift + click target node
3. Path highlighted
4. Distance shown

All Paths:

• Show all routes
• Filter by length
• Highlight on hover

Path Metrics:

• Path length
• Intermediate nodes
• Alternative routes

Network Patterns

Identify structural patterns:

Hubs:

• Highly connected notes
• Central to knowledge graph
• Potential index pages

Bridges:

• Connect communities
• Critical connections
• Integration points

Isolates:

• No connections
• Orphaned content
• Candidates for linking

Cliques:

• Fully connected subgraphs
• Tightly related topics
• Dense knowledge areas

Interaction

Node Actions

Right-click node for context menu:

Actions:

• Open in current pane
• Open in new pane
• Open in new window
• Show in sidebar
• Show in canvas
• Copy link
• Delete note
• Properties

Selection

Select multiple nodes:

Methods:

• Click while holding Shift
• Drag selection rectangle
• Select by filter
• Select neighbors

Selection Actions:

• Create cluster
• Bulk edit properties
• Export selection
• Delete selection

Hover Effects

Hover over nodes for information:

Hover Display:

• Note title (full)
• First paragraph preview
• Link count
• Last modified date
• Tags
• Custom properties

Connected Nodes:

• Highlight immediate connections
• Dim unconnected nodes
• Show edge labels

Performance

Optimization

Graph performance with large workspaces:

Rendering:

• WebGL for 2D (10,000+ nodes)
• WebGL for 3D (5,000+ nodes)
• Level-of-detail (LOD) rendering
• Frustum culling in 3D
• Occlusion culling

Physics:

• Web Worker simulation
• Quadtree acceleration
• Adaptive timestep
• Sleep detection for stable nodes

Benchmarks:

• 10,000 nodes: 60fps
• 1,000 nodes: Full features
• 100,000 links: Supported

Performance Settings

Adjust for your needs:

Quality:

• High: All effects, smooth
• Medium: Balanced
• Low: Performance priority
• Auto: Adjust dynamically

Options:

• Particle effects
• Anti-aliasing
• Shadows (3D)
• Edge curves
• Label rendering

Export

Image Export

Export graph as image:

Formats:

• PNG (raster)
• SVG (vector)
• JPG (compressed)
• WebP (modern)

Options:

• Resolution (1x-4x)
• Transparent background
• Include labels
• Include legend
• Current view or full graph

Data Export

Export graph structure:

Formats:

• JSON (nodes + edges)
• GraphML (standard format)
• GEXF (Gephi format)
• DOT (Graphviz)
• CSV (nodes/edges separate)

Use Cases:

• External analysis
• Backup
• Migration
• Sharing

Interactive Export

Export as interactive HTML:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>Lokus Graph Export</title>
    <script src="sigma.min.js"></script>
  </head>
  <body>
    <!-- Embedded interactive graph -->
  </body>
</html>

Features:

• Standalone file
• Full interactivity
• No server required
• Share via email/web

Use Cases

Knowledge Exploration

Discover connections:

1. Open graph view
2. Navigate to topic area
3. Explore local connections
4. Follow interesting paths
5. Update notes with insights

Content Organization

Identify structure issues:

Find:

• Orphaned notes → link them
• Dense clusters → split topics
• Weak connections → add bridges
• Missing hubs → create index

Workflow Integration

Daily Review:

1. Check recent node activity
2. Verify new connections
3. Identify patterns
4. Plan next work

Project Planning:

1. Create project hub note
2. Link all related notes
3. Visualize project scope
4. Track connections

Configuration

Graph Settings

Configure in Settings > Graph:

Layout:

• Default algorithm
• Force parameters
• Animation speed
• Stability threshold

Appearance:

• Node size mode
• Color scheme
• Edge style
• Label display

Performance:

• Quality preset
• Max nodes to display
• Physics enabled
• Update frequency

Behavior:

• Click action
• Double-click action
• Hover delay
• Navigation mode

Integration

Editor Integration

Access graph from editor:

Local Graph:

• Embedded in note view
• Shows note connections
• Click to navigate
• Updates in real-time

Graph Panel:

• Side-by-side with editor
• Synchronized selection
• Linked scrolling

Canvas Integration

Combine graph and canvas:

Canvas Nodes:

• Drag notes from graph to canvas
• Maintain connections
• Visual layout control
• See Canvas

Search Integration

Graph-aware search:

connected-to:[[Note Name]]
distance:2 from:[[Start]]
cluster:"Research"

See Search System

Best Practices

Graph Maintenance

Regular Review:

• Check for orphans monthly
• Verify link accuracy
• Update hub notes
• Prune old connections

Strategic Linking:

• Link related concepts
• Create hub notes
• Maintain hierarchies
• Balance structure vs. flexibility

Visualization Tips

For Large Graphs:

• Use filters liberally
• Focus on subgraphs
• Leverage clustering
• Export for analysis

For Presentations:

• Use 3D view
• Enable animations
• Clean up layout
• Export high-res images

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Graph too cluttered Solution: Apply filters, increase charge force, use clustering

Issue: Slow performance Solution: Reduce quality, limit nodes shown, disable physics

Issue: Nodes overlapping Solution: Increase collision force, use different layout

Issue: Can’t find node Solution: Use search (Cmd/Ctrl + F), check filters

Next Steps

• Explore Wiki Links to create connections
• Try Canvas for manual graph layout
• Learn Search for graph-based queries
• See Templates for structured linking