NotesBar

NotesBar is a native macOS application that provides rapid access to your Obsidian vault directly from the menu bar. Designed for speed and minimal context switching, it allows users to search, preview, and visualize their knowledge base without full app transitions.

Architecture

The diagram below outlines the core components and data flow within the application.

graph TD
    A[MenuBar Controller] --> B[Vault Provider]
    B --> C[File System Watcher]
    A --> D[Note ListView]
    A --> E[Interactive Graph]
    D --> F[Markdown Preview]
    F --> G[Mermaid/KaTeX Engines]
    D --> H[Floating Windows]
    D --> I[Obsidian Integration]

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User Workflow

NotesBar streamlines the navigation of your markdown notes through a concise interaction model.

graph LR
    Start([Open App]) --> Select[Select Vault]
    Select --> Hover[Hover Icon]
    Hover --> List[View Note List]
    List --> Search[Search Note]
    Search --> Preview[Show Markdown Preview]
    Preview --> Action{Open Mode}
    Action --> Floating[Floating Window]
    Action --> Obsidian[Obsidian App]

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Features

• Menu Bar Access: Instant visibility and interaction from the macOS menu bar.
• Vault Graph: A force-directed graph to visualize note connections and clusters.
• Markdown Rendering: High-performance previews with syntax highlighting and task lists.
• Mermaid Diagrams: Native rendering of flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and gantt charts.
• Mathematical Support: Full KaTeX integration for high-quality mathematical notation.
• Floating Windows: Persist notes in independent windows for cross-task reference.
• Deep Integration: Seamlessly opens notes in Obsidian via URI schemes.

Installation

Requirements

• macOS 12.0 or later.
• Obsidian installed locally.

Steps

1. Download: Obtain the latest distribution as a ZIP archive from the Releases page.
2. Extraction: Unpack the ZIP archive to your local storage.
3. Deployment: Move NotesBar.app to your /Applications directory.
4. Execution: Launch the application and designate your primary Obsidian vault directory when prompted.

Development

Prerequisites

• Xcode 15.0 or later.
• Swift 5.9+ toolchain.

Build Process

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/aman-senpai/NotesBar.git

2. Open the project configuration:

   open NotesBar.xcodeproj

3. Compile and execute using Cmd+R within Xcode.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome via pull requests. Please ensure code quality and adhere to the existing design patterns.

Acknowledgments

• Obsidian ecosystem.
• Mermaid.js for diagramming logic.
• KaTeX for mathematical rendering.
• D3.js for graph visualization.