# Getting started with `zk` A short introduction showing how to use `zk`. ## Create a new notebook Create a [notebook](notebook.md) to host your notes. You are free to organize your notebook as you want, adding subdirectories if needed. ```sh $ zk init my-notes Initialized a notebook in my-notes $ cd my-notes ``` ## Create your first notes Now you are ready to write your very first note. Pick a subject, [create a new note](note-creation.md) and write on! ```sh $ zk new --title "An interesting concept" ``` You can customize your experience using [custom templates](template.md) to generate many kind of notes.
Create a note
If you are not sure whether a note already exists for a particular subject, the "search or create" mode might be more appropriate than `zk new`. It is inspired by [Notational Velocity](https://notational.net/) and enables searching for an existing note or creating a new one in a single action. From `zk`'s interactive edit screen, press `Ctrl-N` to create a new note using the current search query as title.
Create a note
## List existing notes After some time, hopefully you will have enough notes to be lost in it. Use `zk`'s powerful [filtering capabilities](note-filtering.md) to find the notes you need. ```sh $ zk list --tag "recipe" --match "pizza -pineapple" ```
Format the list output
Sort the results however you need with `--sort`.
Format the list output
`--format` and `--delimiter` offer some versatile formatting options to customize the output.
Format the list output
`zk` is aware of the links you set between your notes. You can use the linking options to find the backlinks or outbound links of a note. It even supports listing indirect links thanks to `--recursive`.
Format the list output
`zk` supports an interactive mode powered by [`fzf`](https://github.com/junegunn/fzf) to further filter notes manually.
Format the list output
## Edit existing notes To edit notes with your default editor, use `zk edit`. It supports the same [filtering options](note-filtering.md) as `zk list`. ```sh $ zk edit --interactive --match "recipe pizza -pineapple" # or with short flags $ zk edit -i -m "recipe pizza -pineapple" ```
Format the list output
## Edit the configuration file To customize your experience with `zk`, you may want to edit the [user configuration file](config.md). ```sh $ vim .zk/config.toml ``` Declaring your own [aliases](config-alias.md) is a great way to make your experience with `zk` easier and more familiar.
Format the list output