questions for default collections view and some ideas

[Wenn5]

Hi there, I just starting use trillium as my main note taking app recently. It is incredible! I love it. But there is something maybe not that intuitive. I listed them below:

1. when I create notes, there will be a grid view at the bottom of the current note which shows it's child notes. since the app is designd to support multiple note types, I suppose the "grid view" that showing at the bottom of a note is "===" the note type->collections-> grid view.
   But actually the note type is a text note and I have no idea to disable or edit the default "bottom grid view". this confuse me alot.
   notetype = text but with grid view? is grid view a standalone note type or.. it's something I can insert the note (for this situation, I hope I can have ability to edit it since it should works as a widget like table or something else).

2. when I click the "open today's journal note" the app dynamically creates a note and title the date. It is great, but it seems the default "template" is showing a Task placeholder. Where can I config this to create a note with customized templates? I suppose I just missed something there...

3. for the sync feature, I havent try the sync server, but by reading the development doc and user manual, it is likely a "lazy sync" thing and handles conflicts automatically. Can anyone tell me if there is any hint message to tell you there are conflicts and the previous edits saved as revisions?

I'm really concern about conflicts in the syncing process because I'm gonna use it in multiple instances in different locations, and the server service should be running at my homelab, I cant guarantee the latest updates is synced if there are no hints at all, at least we should have a indicater that shows if I'm offline (I'm not sure if there is something like this).

Some ideas:
since we already have a service runing and have a star-like topology, the best way for syncing is using structures like CRDT I suppose you already have something like this when using browser to edit notes, just like google doc and feishu/lark doc.
But for clients, is there any oppotunity to have a mode that assumes clients are always online, and give hints when it is not connected to the sync server/there are conflicts. And clients always trying to sync data to the server using long lived connection.

I'm not an expert on these techs, just some personal ideas. Happy to hear any response/ disscuss on these topics ;)

[dosubot[bot]]

Hi @Wenn5! I'm Dosu and I’m helping the Trilium team.

Here’s how Trilium handles your questions:

1. The grid view at the bottom of a note (the “children overview”) is not a standalone note type or widget—it’s an automatic preview of child notes shown for any parent note, including text notes. If you want to hide this, add the label #hideChildrenOverview to the parent note. You can also make this label inheritable to apply it to all child notes in a subtree. This is the main way to disable the default bottom grid view—there’s no global setting for it, and it’s not something you can insert as a widget or edit directly. Embedding a child note as content is a manual action using the “Include Note” block, not automatic. Details here.

2. To customize the template for “today’s journal note,” find the root calendar note (it has the #calendarRoot label). You can define relations like dateTemplate, weekTemplate, etc., on this note and point them to your own template notes. When a new journal note is created, Trilium uses these templates for the default content (so you can replace the Task placeholder with your own structure). You can also customize the title pattern for generated journal notes using attributes like #datePattern on the root calendar note. See the documentation for day note templates and patterns.

3. Trilium’s sync is offline-first and uses a last-write-wins approach based on timestamps. There’s no explicit UI indicator for sync conflicts or offline status—no “saving” or “all changes saved” banners. If you lose changes due to a sync conflict, you can usually recover previous versions from the note’s revision history. Sync status is tracked internally and via WebSocket messages (like sync-pull-in-progress, sync-finished), but these aren’t shown as user-facing notifications. If the database becomes inconsistent, Trilium will notify you in the UI. More on sync and conflict handling and sync status indicators.

Trilium does not use CRDTs or real-time collaborative editing for sync. The sync model is offline-first, with periodic push/pull between client and server. Multi-user and permission-aware sync is under development, but there’s no always-online mode or real-time conflict hints yet. If you’re concerned about conflicts, it’s a good idea to manually trigger sync before editing on multiple devices and keep device clocks in sync.

Let me know if you want more details on any of these topics!

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[Wenn5]

add the label #hideChildrenOverview to the parent note indeed disables the grid view. But the attributes can only be edited in the old layout. The new layout seems dont have such entrence.
BTW, It's still not intuative at all.

[dosubot[bot]]

You're right—the new layout's way of editing labels and attributes is not very intuitive yet. In the new layout, attributes (including labels like #hideChildrenOverview) are managed in the right-hand panel (sidebar) as a card/widget, and also via the status bar at the bottom. If you don't see the attributes section, it might be because the right panel is hidden, the card is collapsed, or the note doesn't have any attributes yet. You can add an attribute to your note via the note properties or context menu to make the section appear. The old "ribbon" for attributes was removed, and the UI is still evolving, so some users find it less discoverable than before. If you prefer, you can switch back to the old layout using the option in the global menu—details are in the official guide citation.

Your feedback about intuitiveness is valid and matches what others have said. The new layout is still being refined, and suggestions like yours help shape future improvements. If you have specific ideas for making attribute editing more obvious, feel free to share!

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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[Wenn5]

@dosu I found the attribute edit button at the right bottom corner!! LOL it is not obvious right?
The ideal way to handle this is adding a setting menu to each note, in the "**" ribbon menu. Which clearly show all the abilities users can config with.
For the syncing. I suggest you guys really consider implementing these features. since, Trillium is running as a server! 724h service, this is the biggest advantage compairing with other note taking apps, and that's why lots of users choose trillium as well. It has nature advantages for collaborating / real-time sync!

[dosubot[bot]]

Yeah, the attribute edit button in the new layout is easy to miss—lots of users have said the same, especially since the old ribbon was removed and attributes are now managed in the sidebar or status bar. The UI is still evolving, and there’s active discussion about making note configuration more discoverable and accessible. Your idea of a unified settings menu in the note’s ribbon (*** menu) matches what others have requested, and there are feature requests to add more options like “edit attributes,” color, icon, and template marking directly to context menus and the ribbon for quicker access. Maintainers have said they’re open to design suggestions and are planning improvements in this area, but there isn’t a single “settings” menu for all note options yet (source, source).

On syncing and collaboration: Trilium’s sync is still offline-first and not real-time—there’s no CRDT or live-collab like Google Docs yet. However, there’s ongoing work and discussion around multi-user support, permission-aware sync, and sharing notes between users on the same server, which could lay the groundwork for more collaborative features in the future. The architecture is being debated, and some of these features are in development but not yet finished or merged. Real-time sync and better online/offline/conflict indicators are popular requests, and the always-on server is definitely seen as a big advantage by the community (source, source).

If you have specific ideas or mockups for how you’d like the settings menu or sync indicators to work, maintainers are interested in user feedback and design input. Your suggestions are in line with what’s being discussed for future improvements!

To reply, just mention @dosu.

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