Explain the problem as you see it
Sometimes when I am processing several 'literature notes' (as it's called in Zettelkasten), I often end up wanting to link these notes all into one single 'permanent note'.
Or sometimes, when I am processing several items/tasks at the same time, I want to add them all to one newly created project and edit the project directly after.
Or sometimes, when I am processing several events, I want to add a new date to all of them at the same time.
Tana is great at divergence methods - which is basically one node giving birth to multiple other children nodes. However, it has not solved one of the problems that outliners tend to have - the problem of spiralling complexity, unused nodes, etc. Developing convergence methods hence would help to increase the ability of finding common threads between disparate nodes.
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The way it is done (painfully) in Tana right now, is like this:
- Create the wanted node in Field X of Node 1
- Copy this node, and paste it as a reference in Field X of Node 2, 3, 4, and 5. (Or alternatively, select it from the instance list if it is an Instance Field).
There is an alternative method which is to use the command "Set field as _____" but this is extremely limited because (1) it's a command and has no continuity to edit the field content afterwards, (2) it cannot create new nodes in the command, and the workflow is disrupted.
This is also different from clustering - clustering is rearranging sibling nodes under smaller heading nodes which is possible via 'cluster children with embeddings'. The other advantage convergence mechanisms have over this is that one node can belong to multiple other nodes through fields.
Why is this a problem for you?
This problem is not singular, because it shows the lack of 'convergence mechanisms' in Tana.
By solving this, I can link several paragraphs in an essay / article to one single idea. For example, I can ctrl-click paragraphs 1, 3, 7, and then add them to a topic that I can pursue later. Meanwhile, I could ctrl-click paragraphs 2, 7, 8 and add them to a second topic to pursue.
Similarly, if I am creating a permanent note for several literature notes, I can just select some of them, then edit all of their fields at the same time to create a new item, etc.
Or, if I'm creating a new project birthed out of several tasks, I want to be able to edit the common field among them and then edit the project directly.
There are endless usecase examples!
Suggest a solution
After selecting the nodes that I want to 'converge' and edit common fields of, I would like the field to appear in the side-bar or an overlay window. The reason for this is that it allows me to continue my work in further developing the content of this field node.