Embeds
An Embed is a Connection Lino creates for you when one object references another. Mention "Chlorophyll" in the "Photosynthesis" Card, and the two are connected with an embeds Connection, with no line to draw. Delete the mention and the Connection goes away.
Embeds keep your Canvas honest: what your writing points to is what the lines show.
Where Embeds come from
An Embed runs from the object that holds the Reference (the container) to the object it references.
| Where the Reference is | Example |
|---|---|
| A Card's text: a Reference chip or Reference block | Typing @Chlorophyll in "Photosynthesis" |
| A text, URL or Artifact Property of any object | An Artifact Property "Source" on an Image, pointing at a Link |
| A Table cell (text, URL or Artifact column) | A row whose "Paper" cell references a Card |
A Table gets one Embed per object, however many cells mention it.
Inserting a Reference: type @ in a Card and pick the object, or click a word with a dashed underline (a Potential Concept) and choose Create & Link to. See References.
How Embeds look
- Name:
embeds. Read from the other end it's "embedded in". - One arrow, pointing at the referenced object.
- Dashed, half-strength line (style 3).
- If two objects reference each other, you get one line with arrows at both ends.
- In Priority order, Embeds come after your named Relationships and before
connects(see Relationships).
What you can and can't do
Embeds belong to the content, so you change them by changing the content.
| You want to… | Do this |
|---|---|
| Remove the Embed | Delete the Reference from the text, Property or cell. |
| Rename it, add arrows, restyle it | Not possible: the toolbar has no edit controls and there's no Disconnect. Add your own named Relationship to the same pair instead. It will show first. |
| Keep the objects connected after removing the Reference | Draw a normal Connection between them first. Your Connection stays when the Embed goes. |
| Hide its label | Settings → Connection Labels → Hide Default hides embeds and connects labels. See Connection appearance. |
An Embed and your own Relationships coexist on the same pair. Neither replaces the other.
Hide Table Embeds
A Table that references many objects would draw a line to each of them. To keep the Canvas readable, Embeds that come from Tables are hidden on the Canvas by default.
- Turn them on or off in Settings → Connection Labels → Hide Table Embeds.
- Hidden or not, they still count in the Connection badge and still appear in the Connection list.
Relation property Connections
A Relation property is a Property whose values are other objects, for example an "author" Property on a book Card holding two Cards. Each value is a Connection from the object to that value, named after the Property ("author").
- Edit the Property to change them: add or remove a value and the Connection follows.
- On the Canvas their label has a small Relation icon. Selecting one shows Open property in the toolbar, which jumps to that Property.
- Like Embeds, they can't be renamed, restyled or disconnected from the Canvas, and the draft hint says Belongs to a Relation property if you try to name that pair the same way.
To add one, see Relation properties. For References inside Table cells, see Tables.