Configure the running Zettelstore

You can configure a running Zettelstore by modifying the special zettel with the ID 00000000000100. This zettel is called “configuration zettel”. The following metadata keys change the appearance / behavior of Zettelstore:

default-copyright

Copyright value to be used when rendering content. Can be overwritten in a zettel with meta key copyright.

Default: (the empty string).

default-lang

Default language to be used when displaying content. Can be overwritten in a zettel with meta key lang. Default: en.

This value is also used to specify the language for all non-zettel content, e.g. lists or search results.

Use values according to the language definition of RFC-5646➚.

default-license

License value to be used when rendering content. Can be overwritten in a zettel with meta key license. Default: (the empty string).

default-role

Role to be used, if a zettel specifies no role meta key. Default: zettel.

default-syntax

Syntax to be used, if a zettel specifies no syntax meta key. Default: zmk (“Zettelmarkup”).

default-title

Title to be used, if a zettel specifies no title meta key. Default: Untitled.

You can use all inline-structured elements of Zettelmarkup.

default-visibility

Visibility to be used, if zettel does not specify a value for the visibility metadata key. Default: login.

expert-mode

If set to a boolean true value, all zettel with visibility “expert” will be shown (to the owner, if authentication is enabled; to all, otherwise). This affects most computed zettel. Default: False.

footer-html

Contains some HTML code that will be included into the footer of each Zettelstore web page. It only affects the web user interface. Zettel content, delivered via the API as JSON, etc. is not affected. Default: (the empty string).

home-zettel

Specifies the identifier of the zettel, that should be presented for the default view / home view. If not given or if the identifier does not identify a zettel, the zettel with the identifier 00010000000000 is shown.

marker-external

Some HTML code that is displayed after a reference to external material. Default: ➚, to display a “➚” sign.

max-transclusions

Maximum number of indirect transclusion. This is used to avoid an exploding “transclusion bomb”, a form of a billion laughs attack➚. Default: 1024.

site-name

Name of the Zettelstore instance. Will be used when displaying some lists. Default: Zettelstore.

yaml-header

If true, metadata and content will be separated by ---\n instead of an empty line (\n\n). Default: false.

You will probably use this key, if you are working with another software processing Markdown➚ that uses a subset of YAML➚ to specify metadata.

zettel-file-syntax

If you create a new zettel with a syntax different to “meta” and “zmk”, Zettelstore will store the zettel as two files: one for the metadata (file extension .meta) and one for the content (file extension based on the syntax value). If you want to specify alternative syntax values, for which you want new zettel to be stored in one file (file extension .zettel), you can use this key. All values are case-insensitive, duplicates are removed.

For example, you could use this key if you're working with Markdown syntax and you want to store metadata and content in one .zettel file.

If yaml-header evaluates to true, a zettel is always stored in one .zettel file.