Post

Tags System

Posted Updated
By Jason Rueckert
6 min read
Tags System

What is the Tags System?

Organize your notes with flexible tags using inline #hashtags or YAML frontmatter. Filter, search, and autocomplete your way to better organization.

Quick Start

Add inline tags:

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This is a note about authentication #backend #security #auth

Add frontmatter tags:

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---
tags: [backend, security, auth]
---

Note content here...

Both methods work - tags are automatically merged!

Adding Tags

Inline Tags

Use #tagname anywhere in your note content:

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# Meeting Notes

Discussed the new #feature-auth implementation.

## Action Items
- Review #security considerations
- Update #documentation
- Deploy to #production next week

#meeting #team

Tag Format Rules:

  • Start with #
  • Alphanumeric characters
  • Hyphens and underscores allowed
  • No spaces

Valid tags: #bug, #feature-auth, #work_notes, #Q4-2024

Invalid tags: #bug fix (space), #@urgent (special char)

YAML Frontmatter Tags

Add tags in frontmatter at the top of your note:

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---
tags: [backend, auth, security]
---

# Authentication Implementation

Note content here...

Supported Formats:

Unquoted:

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tags: [backend, auth, security]

Double-quoted:

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tags: ["backend", "auth", "security"]

Single-quoted:

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tags: ['backend', 'auth', 'security']

Mixed:

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tags: [backend, "auth flow", security]

Combined Tags

Use both inline and frontmatter in the same note:

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---
tags: [backend, security]
---

# Authentication Feature

Implementing #oauth2 with #jwt tokens.

#work #feature

Result: Tags are automatically merged → backend, security, oauth2, jwt, work, feature

Tags View

The Tags sidebar panel shows all your tags:

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Tags View
  ├── backend (15) ⭐
  ├── security (12)
  ├── feature (10)
  ├── bug (8)
  ├── meeting (6)
  └── documentation (3)

Features:

  • Tag name and usage count
  • Sort by name or frequency
  • Click to filter notes
  • See all tags at a glance

Tag Autocomplete

Type # anywhere in your note to get intelligent suggestions:

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# Daily Notes

Working on #[autocomplete shows: backend, bug, feature, security...]

Autocomplete Features:

  • Shows all existing tags
  • Fuzzy matching
  • Frequency-based ordering (most used first)
  • Works anywhere in note content

Enable/Disable:

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{
  "noted.tagAutoComplete": true  // default
}

Filtering by Tags

Single Tag Filter

Click a tag in the Tags View to filter:

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Click #backend → Shows only notes with #backend tag

The Notes View updates to show only matching notes.

Clear filter:

  • Click the “Clear Tag Filters” button
  • Click the same tag again to toggle off

Multiple Tag Filter

Use the Filter command for AND filtering:

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Command: Noted: Filter by Tag
Select: backend, security, auth
Result: Shows notes with ALL three tags

Active Filters Display:

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My Notes (Filtered: backend, security, auth)
  └── [Notes with all three tags]

Filter Indicator

When filters are active:

  • 🔍 Clear filters button appears in toolbar
  • Notes view title shows active tags
  • Context variable noted.hasActiveTagFilters is true

Tag Management

Sort Tags

By Name (A-Z):

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Command: Noted: Sort Tags by Name

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Tags View
  ├── auth (5)
  ├── backend (15)
  ├── bug (8)
  ├── feature (10)
  └── security (12)

By Frequency (Most Used First):

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Command: Noted: Sort Tags by Frequency

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Tags View
  ├── backend (15)
  ├── security (12)
  ├── feature (10)
  ├── bug (8)
  └── auth (5)

Rename Tag

Rename tags across all notes:

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Right-click tag → Rename Tag
Enter new name → Updates all occurrences

Before:

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#old-tag in 10 notes

After:

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#new-tag in 10 notes

Delete Tag

Remove tags from all notes:

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Right-click tag → Delete Tag
Confirm → Tag removed from all notes

Refresh Tags

Force rebuild of tag index:

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Command: Noted: Refresh Tags

Use this if:

  • Tags seem out of sync
  • New tags don’t appear
  • Tag counts are incorrect

Tag Search Integration

Tags enhance search capabilities:

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Command: Noted: Search Notes
Query: tag:backend authentication

Shows notes with #backend tag that contain “authentication”.

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Query: tag:backend tag:security password

Shows notes with BOTH tags that contain “password”.

Use Cases

Project Organization

Tag by project:

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---
tags: [project-alpha]
---

# Feature Implementation

Working on authentication. #backend #security

#project-alpha

Filter by #project-alpha to see all related notes.

Status Tracking

Tag by status:

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# Bug Fix

Fixed the CORS issue.

#bug #resolved #backend

Tags: #todo, #in-progress, #resolved, #blocked

Topic Categorization

Tag by topic:

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# Learning Notes

Studied OAuth 2.0 flow.

#learning #security #oauth

Topics: #learning, #reference, #tutorial, #howto

Priority Levels

Tag by priority:

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# Critical Bug

Payment processing failing.

#bug #critical #urgent

Priorities: #urgent, #high-priority, #low-priority

Time-Based Tags

Tag by quarter or sprint:

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# Sprint Planning

Goals for next sprint.

#sprint-5 #Q4-2024 #planning

Best Practices

  1. Be Consistent: Use a standard set of tags
  2. Use Hierarchical Naming: #project-alpha, #project-beta for grouping
  3. Combine Methods: Frontmatter for primary tags, inline for contextual
  4. Review Tag List: Periodically clean up unused or duplicate tags
  5. Tag at End: Add primary tags at the end of notes for easy scanning
  6. Use Autocomplete: Avoid creating near-duplicates (#auth vs #authentication)

Tag Naming Conventions

Kebab-case:

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#feature-auth
#bug-fix
#team-meeting

Snake_case:

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#work_notes
#code_review
#daily_standup

Hierarchical:

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#project-alpha
#project-beta
#meeting-standup
#meeting-planning

Avoid

Spaces (won’t work):

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#bug fix  ❌
#team meeting  ❌

Special characters:

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#@urgent  ❌
#bug!  ❌

Too generic:

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#note  (too broad)
#work  (too vague)

Tips & Tricks

Tag Templates

Include tags in templates:

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---
tags: [meeting, {workspace}]
---

# Meeting - {date}

Template content...

#meeting #team

Tag Statistics

See tag usage at a glance:

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backend (15)  ← Used in 15 notes
security (12)
feature (10)

Use frequency to identify:

  • Most important topics
  • Underutilized tags
  • Tag redundancy

Multi-Tag Workflows

Create focused views:

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Filter: #project-alpha + #todo
→ All todos for project alpha

Filter: #bug + #critical
→ Critical bugs only

Filter: #meeting + #Q4-2024
→ Q4 meetings

Tag Color Coding

While Noted doesn’t support tag colors directly, you can:

  • Use emoji prefixes: #🔴urgent, #🟢resolved
  • Use hierarchical naming: #priority-high, #priority-medium

Batch Tagging

Add tags to multiple notes:

  1. Use bulk operations to select notes
  2. Open each note
  3. Add tags to frontmatter or content
  4. Tags index updates automatically

Troubleshooting

Tags Not Appearing

Ensure:

  • Tag format is correct (#tagname)
  • File is saved
  • Tag index has refreshed (run Noted: Refresh Tags)

Autocomplete Not Working

Check settings:

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{
  "noted.tagAutoComplete": true
}

Restart VS Code if needed.

Duplicate Tags

If you have #auth and #authentication:

  1. Decide on standard name
  2. Use “Rename Tag” to consolidate
  3. Update tag conventions document

Organize your knowledge with tags! 🏷️

Features, Organization
tags organization filtering frontmatter
This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.