zk/docs/config-extra.md

Extra user variables

zk is opened for template context extension which can be useful when creating new notes, for example:

• expanding custom metadata (author, subject, etc.)
• modifying a template's output dynamically depending on the value of an extra variable

Static extra variables

You can declare static extra variables in the configuration file's [extra] section. Each note group can have its own [extra] section, which may override values from the root section.

[extra]
visibility = "public"
author = "Mickaël"

[group.journal.extra]
visibility = "private" # overrides

Dynamic extra variables

Maybe more useful, you can provide additional extra variables dynamically to zk new from the command-line with --extra. Multiple variables must be separated by a semicolon ;, in which case quoting the argument is required.

$ zk new --extra author=Thomas
$ zk new --extra "show-header=1;author=Thomas"

Using extra variables in templates

After declaring extra variables, you can expand them inside the template used when creating new notes, using the usual Handlebars syntax.

# {{title}}

Written by {{extra.author}}.

{{#if extra.show-header}}
Behold, the mighty dynamic header!
{{/if}}