# Base Backlinks Viewer

An [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) plugin that adds a **"Show backlinks"** entry to the right-click context menu of any link, opening a temporary Bases view filtered to show all notes that link to that target.

## What it does

Right-clicking a link anywhere in Obsidian adds **Show backlinks** to the context menu. Clicking it creates (or updates) a single reusable `_backlinks.base` file filtered to display every note whose outgoing links include the clicked target.

- **Navigate Back** works as expected: the base opens in the current leaf, so you can return to the note you came from with the standard shortcut.

## Supported contexts

| Context                    | Behaviour                                                    |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Source mode & Live Preview | Item added to Obsidian's native context menu                 |
| Properties panel           | Item injected into Obsidian's native properties context menu |
| Reading mode               | Custom context menu shown (with open/navigate actions)       |

## Customising the base view

The `_backlinks.base` file is **reused** across every "Show backlinks" action. Each time you trigger the command, only two things change:

- The `file.hasLink("...")` filter — updated to the new target note.
- The view `name:` label — updated to reflect the new target.

Everything else — view type (`table`, `card`, `board`), sort order, visible columns, column widths, grouping, and any other Bases settings — is left exactly as-is. This means you can open the base once, configure it however you like, and those settings will persist for all future searches.

> **Tip:** To reset to defaults, simply delete `_backlinks.base` from your vault root. It will be recreated automatically on the next "Show backlinks" action.

## Installation

### Manual

1. Download `main.js` and `manifest.json` from the [latest release](https://github.com/tibog/obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer/releases).
2. Copy them into `<your vault>/.obsidian/plugins/base-backlinks-viewer/`.
3. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin under **Settings → Community plugins**.

### Using BRAT

[BRAT](https://github.com/TfTHacker/obsidian42-brat) lets you install plugins that aren't yet in the community directory.

1. Install **Obsidian42 - BRAT** from the Community Plugins directory.
2. Open **Settings → BRAT** and click **Add Beta plugin**.
3. Enter the repository URL: `https://github.com/tibog/obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer`
4. Click **Add Plugin**, then enable it under **Settings → Community plugins**.

BRAT will also notify you of future updates automatically.

### From source

Requires [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) and [Yarn](https://yarnpkg.com).

```bash
git clone https://github.com/tibog/obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer.git
cd obsidian-base-backlinks-viewer
yarn install
yarn build
```

Copy the resulting `main.js` and `manifest.json` into your vault's plugin folder as above.

## Compatibility

- Requires **Obsidian 1.12+**
- Desktop and mobile

## License

MIT