Editor: block ids on quotes and callouts need one written form that Obsidian and both converters read #90

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opened 2026-09-25 14:02:04 +00:00 by kayg · 1 comment

kayg commented

2026-09-25 14:02:04 +00:00

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Problem

A block id on a blockquote or a callout has three different forms in calternal today, and the two Markdown converters do not agree on them.

TS converter (packages/editor/src/markdown.ts, used by the fallback editor and the tests). It reads the Obsidian "following line" form
```
> Quoted text
^id
```
as the quote's own id (appendContainerAnchor sets blockAnchor / blockAnchorRunCount on the container). It writes the same compact form back (containerWithoutAnchor). Under CommonMark the bare ^id line is a lazy continuation of the quote paragraph.
Rust converter (crates/calternal-collab/src/markdown.rs, used by every live note through the Yrs room). The blockquote and callout readers stop at the first line that does not start with > and always set blockAnchor: null. The ^id line becomes a separate paragraph. The writer joins blocks with a blank line, so a save changes the file to > Quoted text\n\n^id, and the live editor shows ^id as a paragraph of its own.
Copy link to block (apps/web/src/lib/notes/anchors.ts, ensureAnchorAt). For a quote or callout it finds the inner paragraph and appends ^id to its text, so the file gets > Quoted text ^id. findAnchor then finds the inner paragraph, not the quote.

Obsidian's help (https://obsidian.md/help/links) says a structured block (list, quote, callout, table) takes its id "on a separate line, with a blank line before and after", but its own example puts the id directly under the quote. It is not verified which forms Obsidian really resolves.

Impact: interoperability and byte stability (a note opened and saved in calternal can change bytes the user did not touch). No text is lost.

Reproduce

Put > Quoted text\n^abc123\n\nNext paragraph\n in Notes/test.md.
Open it in the web editor (live mode) and type one character in "Next paragraph".
The file now has a blank line between the quote and ^abc123, and the editor showed ^abc123 as its own paragraph.
In a new quote, use Copy link on the quote: the file gets > text ^xxxxxx (a third form).

Relevant files

packages/editor/src/markdown.ts (appendContainerAnchor, containerWithoutAnchor, lastLineIsBlockId)
packages/editor/src/anchor.ts (block id grammar, blockIdFromNode)
crates/calternal-collab/src/markdown.rs (blockquote and callout reader and writer)
apps/web/src/lib/notes/anchors.ts (ensureAnchorAt, findAnchor)
Deep-link grammar /n/<id>#^<block-id>: DESIGN §33.

Decisions already made

^block-ids are a file-level feature, never hidden editor state (DESIGN §17, §19). Keep the calternal.js Markdown dialect (DESIGN §19).
The TS and Rust converters must produce identical bytes: #87 is porting the TS reader and writer to Rust. Do this issue on top of #87 (or together with it), not as a separate Rust special case.
Always read every form that exists in user files (compact, blank-line, inline > text ^id); write one form only.

Work

Verify in real Obsidian (the owner has it) which forms resolve [[note#^id]] to the whole quote and the whole callout: compact, blank line before, inline on the last quote line. Also check that a blank line after the id keeps the next block separate. Record the result in the module doc of anchor.ts.
Pick the write form Obsidian resolves; keep reading all three.
Make ensureAnchorAt give a quote or callout a container id in that form (not an inline id on the inner paragraph), and make findAnchor resolve it to the container.

Acceptance criteria

A shared vector (contracts/vectors/markdown or the editor vector set) for each read form and the one write form, passing in both converters with identical bytes.
Opening and saving a note that has any of the three forms, without touching the quote, keeps the file bytes (or changes only to the chosen form, if the owner accepts that).
Copy link on a quote and a callout gives /n/<id>#^<block-id>; opening it scrolls to and flashes the whole quote.
Gates: cargo test -p calternal-collab, bun run check, bun run test in apps/web and packages/editor, quoted verbatim.

Carried over from kayg/calternal.js#192

## Problem A block id on a blockquote or a callout has three different forms in calternal today, and the two Markdown converters do not agree on them. 1. **TS converter** (`packages/editor/src/markdown.ts`, used by the fallback editor and the tests). It reads the Obsidian "following line" form ``` > Quoted text ^id ``` as the quote's own id (`appendContainerAnchor` sets `blockAnchor` / `blockAnchorRunCount` on the container). It writes the same compact form back (`containerWithoutAnchor`). Under CommonMark the bare `^id` line is a lazy continuation of the quote paragraph. 2. **Rust converter** (`crates/calternal-collab/src/markdown.rs`, used by every live note through the Yrs room). The blockquote and callout readers stop at the first line that does not start with `>` and always set `blockAnchor: null`. The `^id` line becomes a separate paragraph. The writer joins blocks with a blank line, so a save changes the file to `> Quoted text\n\n^id`, and the live editor shows `^id` as a paragraph of its own. 3. **Copy link to block** (`apps/web/src/lib/notes/anchors.ts`, `ensureAnchorAt`). For a quote or callout it finds the inner paragraph and appends ` ^id` to its text, so the file gets `> Quoted text ^id`. `findAnchor` then finds the inner paragraph, not the quote. Obsidian's help (https://obsidian.md/help/links) says a structured block (list, quote, callout, table) takes its id "on a separate line, with a blank line before and after", but its own example puts the id directly under the quote. It is not verified which forms Obsidian really resolves. Impact: interoperability and byte stability (a note opened and saved in calternal can change bytes the user did not touch). No text is lost. ## Reproduce 1. Put `> Quoted text\n^abc123\n\nNext paragraph\n` in `Notes/test.md`. 2. Open it in the web editor (live mode) and type one character in "Next paragraph". 3. The file now has a blank line between the quote and `^abc123`, and the editor showed `^abc123` as its own paragraph. 4. In a new quote, use Copy link on the quote: the file gets `> text ^xxxxxx` (a third form). ## Relevant files - `packages/editor/src/markdown.ts` (`appendContainerAnchor`, `containerWithoutAnchor`, `lastLineIsBlockId`) - `packages/editor/src/anchor.ts` (block id grammar, `blockIdFromNode`) - `crates/calternal-collab/src/markdown.rs` (blockquote and callout reader and writer) - `apps/web/src/lib/notes/anchors.ts` (`ensureAnchorAt`, `findAnchor`) - Deep-link grammar `/n/<id>#^<block-id>`: DESIGN §33. ## Decisions already made - `^block-ids` are a file-level feature, never hidden editor state (DESIGN §17, §19). Keep the calternal.js Markdown dialect (DESIGN §19). - The TS and Rust converters must produce identical bytes: #87 is porting the TS reader and writer to Rust. Do this issue on top of #87 (or together with it), not as a separate Rust special case. - Always read every form that exists in user files (compact, blank-line, inline `> text ^id`); write one form only. ## Work 1. Verify in real Obsidian (the owner has it) which forms resolve `[[note#^id]]` to the whole quote and the whole callout: compact, blank line before, inline on the last quote line. Also check that a blank line after the id keeps the next block separate. Record the result in the module doc of `anchor.ts`. 2. Pick the write form Obsidian resolves; keep reading all three. 3. Make `ensureAnchorAt` give a quote or callout a container id in that form (not an inline id on the inner paragraph), and make `findAnchor` resolve it to the container. ## Acceptance criteria - A shared vector (`contracts/vectors/markdown` or the editor vector set) for each read form and the one write form, passing in both converters with identical bytes. - Opening and saving a note that has any of the three forms, without touching the quote, keeps the file bytes (or changes only to the chosen form, if the owner accepts that). - Copy link on a quote and a callout gives `/n/<id>#^<block-id>`; opening it scrolls to and flashes the whole quote. - Gates: `cargo test -p calternal-collab`, `bun run check`, `bun run test` in `apps/web` and `packages/editor`, quoted verbatim. Carried over from kayg/calternal.js#192

kayg commented

2026-10-03 12:41:16 +00:00

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I rechecked origin/dev. The original TS/Rust mismatch is addressed in packages/editor/src/markdown.ts and crates/calternal-collab/src/markdown.rs: both now attach a following-line anchor to quote/callout container metadata, and both serializers emit that container anchor after the block. contracts/vectors/markdown/README.md records the own-line form. The checked-in shared vectors and converter tests I found cover unanchored quote/callout blocks, but not anchored quote/callout round trips; this issue’s real Obsidian resolution check is also not recorded. Keeping #90 open for those two pieces of evidence.

kayg referenced this issue

2026-10-03 12:56:40 +00:00

Issue hygiene sweep 2026-10-03 #1008

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