trilium/docs/User Guide/User Guide/Collections.md

# Collections
Collections are a unique type of notes that don't have a content, but instead display its child notes in various presentation methods.

## Main collections

|     |     |
| --- | --- |
| <figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1651/810;" src="Collections_collection_ca.webp" width="1651" height="810"></figure> | <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Calendar%20View.md">Calendar View</a>  <br>which displays a week, month or year calendar with the notes being shown as events. New events can be added easily by dragging across the calendar. |
| <figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1643/647;" src="Collections_collection_ta.webp" width="1643" height="647"></figure> | <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Table%20View.md">Table View</a>  <br>displays each note as a row in a table, with <a class="reference-link" href="Advanced%20Usage/Attributes/Promoted%20Attributes.md">Promoted Attributes</a> being shown as well. This makes it easy to visualize attributes of notes, as well as making them easily editable. |
| <figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1174/850;" src="Collections_collection_bo.webp" width="1174" height="850"></figure> | <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Board%20View.md">Board View</a>  <br>displays notes in columns, grouped by the value of a label. |
| <figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:844/639;" src="Collections_collection_ge.webp" width="844" height="639"></figure> | <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Geo%20Map%20View.md">Geo Map View</a>  <br>which displays a geographical map in which the notes are represented as markers/pins on the map. New events can be easily added by pointing on the map. |
| <figure class="image"><img style="aspect-ratio:1120/763;" src="Collections_collection_pr.webp" width="1120" height="763"></figure> | <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Presentation%20View.md">Presentation View</a>  <br>which shows each note as a slide and can be presented full-screen with smooth transitions or exported to PDF for sharing. |

## Classic collections

Classic collections are read-only mode and compiles the contents of all child notes into one continuous view. This makes it ideal for reading extensive information broken into smaller, manageable segments.

*   <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Grid%20View.md">Grid View</a> which is the default presentation method for child notes (see <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/Notes/Note%20List.md">Note List</a>), where the notes are displayed as tiles with their title and content being visible.
*   <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/List%20View.md">List View</a> is similar to <a class="reference-link" href="Collections/Grid%20View.md">Grid View</a>, but it displays the notes one under the other with the content being expandable/collapsible, but also works recursively.

## Configuration

To adjust the view type, see the dedicated _Collections_ tab in the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/UI%20Elements/Ribbon.md">Ribbon</a>.

## Use cases

### Creating a new collection

To create a new collections, right click in the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/UI%20Elements/Note%20Tree.md">Note Tree</a> and look for the _Collections_ entry and select the desired type.

### Adding a description to a collection

To add a text before the collection, for example to describe it:

1.  Create a new collection.
2.  In the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/UI%20Elements/Ribbon.md">Ribbon</a>, go to _Basic Properties_ and change the note type from _Collection_ to _Text_.

Now the text will be displayed above while still maintaining the collection view.

### Using saved search

Collections, by default, only display the child notes. However, it is possible to use the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/Navigation/Search.md">Search</a> functionality to display notes all across the tree, with advanced querying functionality.

To do so, simply start a <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/Navigation/Search.md">Search</a> and go to the _Collection Properties_ tab in the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/UI%20Elements/Ribbon.md">Ribbon</a> and select a desired type of collection. To keep the search-based collection, use a <a class="reference-link" href="Note%20Types/Saved%20Search.md">Saved Search</a>.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> While in search, none of the collections will not display the child notes of the search results. The reason is that the search might hit a note multiple times, causing an exponential rise in the number of results.

### Creating a collection from scratch

By default, collections come with a default configuration and sometimes even sample notes. To create a collection completely from scratch:

1.  Create a new note of type _Text_ (or any type).
2.  In the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/UI%20Elements/Ribbon.md">Ribbon</a>, go to _Basic Properties_ and select _Collection_ as the note type.
3.  Still in the ribbon, go to _Collection Properties_ and select the desired view type.
4.  Consult the help page of the corresponding view type in order to understand how to configure them.

## Archived notes

By default, archived notes will not be shown in collections. This behaviour can be changed by going to _Collection Properties_ in the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/UI%20Elements/Ribbon.md">Ribbon</a> and checking _Show archived notes_.

Archived notes will be generally indicated by being greyed out as opposed to the normal ones.

## Under the hood

Collections by themselves are simply notes with no content that rely on the <a class="reference-link" href="Basic%20Concepts%20and%20Features/Notes/Note%20List.md">Note List</a> mechanism (the one that lists the children notes at the bottom of a note) to display information.

By default, new collections use predefined <a class="reference-link" href="Advanced%20Usage/Templates.md">Templates</a> that are stored safely in the <a class="reference-link" href="Advanced%20Usage/Hidden%20Notes.md">Hidden Notes</a> to define some basic configuration such as the type of view, but also some <a class="reference-link" href="Advanced%20Usage/Attributes/Promoted%20Attributes.md">Promoted Attributes</a> to make editing easier.

Collections don't store their configuration (e.g. the position on the map, the hidden columns in a table) in the content of the note itself, but as attachments.