Build a Searchable Icon Library in Obsidian With Bases

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In this video, I'll show you how I built my ultimate searchable icon library inside Obsidian using the new Bases feature and Excalidraw. Reusing icons has been a game-changer for my visual thinking and Personal Knowledge Management (PKM). The new bases icon library allows me to find and reuse icons faster than ever before and spark serendipitous connections between ideas.

This is a technical tutorial. I walk you through all the components you need. I'll explain my icon naming convention, how to use an Excalidraw startup script to automate the process, and even provide a custom script to bulk-export your existing Excalidraw icons as SVG files for use with the new library. I also share a simple CSS snippet to make the library look great in dark mode.
All the scripts and resources I mention are linked below for you to download and use in your own vault.
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00:00 The Serendipity Machine & Reusing Icons
01:40 The "Extended Mind" and Spatial Thinking
02:24 The New Geography: The Internet
05:05 New Solution: The Obsidian Bases Icon Library
06:12 My Old Icon Library Method (Excalidraw)
09:00 My Icon Naming Convention Explained
10:15 How It Works: The Excalidraw Startup Script
13:25 Important: Why I Use a "No Sync" Folder for the Library
16:17 How Excalidraw Auto-Exports to SVG
18:05 The onImageExportPathHook
19:40 Script to Bulk Export Your Existing Icons
22:15 Custom CSS for a Better Dark Mode View
25:20 Why This New Method is a Game-Changer
27:56 Final Thoughts & Resources
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Videos Referenced:
📽️ Knowledge Discovery Using Icons    • Improve knowledge discovery by reusing ico...  
📽️ Obsidian Excalidraw 2.13: Complete Control Over Auto-Export Location & Type    • Obsidian Excalidraw 2.13: Complete Control...  
🧑‍💻 Source Code https://gist.github.com/zsviczian/2fd...

My tools and processes:
📽️ The Excalidraw-Obsidian Showcase: 57 key features in just 17 minutes    • The Excalidraw-Obsidian Showcase: 57 key f...  
📽️ Getting Started with Excalidraw    • Getting Started with Visual PKM from scrat...  
📽️ Getting Started with ExcaliBrain    • Getting started with ExcaliBrain - startin...  

Visual PKM:
📽️ How are these related?    • How are Picasso's Bull, Tiago's Building a...  
📽️ Visually Connect Ideas    • The Visual Thinking Framework with Obsidia...  
📽️ Idea Mixer    • Iconic Insights: A Journey into Visual Con...  
📽️ 6 Strategies for Linking Visual Thoughts    • 6 Strategies for Linking your Visual Thoug...  

📽️ Colorful Second Brain - Part 3: Simple rules for beautiful and reusable sketches    • Colorful Second Brain - Part 3: Simple rul...  
📽️ Debunking Visual Myths: What Science Says and How to Leverage It for Better PKM    • Debunking Visual Myths: What science says ...  
📽️ The Compass of Zettelkasten    • Connect Ideas with The Idea Compass and Vi...  
📽️ Idea Integration Board    • Get More Out of What You Read with the Ide...  
📽️ Visual Zettelkasten    • Visual Zettelkasten  
📽️ 4D PKM    • 4D Visual Thinking: Effective PKM & the Vi...  
📽️ Digest What You Read    • Digest What You Read: Walkthrough of my pr...  

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