So, pinboard is a thing. It's an awesome thing, and since I started using it I've gone back and hunted down links that otherwise would have been lost forever.
I also use it as a reference system in my notebooks where, instead of generating shorturls, I add a tag onto the URL and mention the tag in my notebook - allowing any number of links to be associated with some writing with little hastle. Especially since I'll most likely have added the link to pinboard anyway.
As wonderful as it is, there are some aspects of tag management that I just wish were easier. Tags are the primary way in which I interact with my links, and I like to keep them fairly tightly curated. I sort my tags into groups, with sub-groups, something like the following:
concept:electronics:resistors
Where left to right we see least specific to most specific, using colons as separators. Spaces are converted to dashes, also. This is a pretty ad-hoc system, with a little bit of maintainance required on occasion to make sure it doesn't get too wild - but it works.
Now that's out of the way, onto the problem...
There are a couple of pieces to this. Firstly, searching through tags. Secondly, editing existing tags.
As mentioned earlier, my primary interaction with my saved links is through the tag interface, seen here:
The filter is usually how I narrow down what I'm looking for, but currently I
have to remember the tag from start to end. Using the previously mentioned
concept:electronics:resistors tag, I wouldn't be able to search for
electronics and find it, I would have to start with concept. While in this
case, I know that this tag begins with concept, that may not always be the case.
However, I do not want to remove the context that the starting words like
concept add. Fuzzy search for my tags would also be ideal.
This is related to the previous point tangenitally. Suppose I forget that I have
a concept:electronics tag, and start just an electronics tag (which may be
the case, if I start tagging enough electronics stuff). When I did my nice fuzzy
search for electronics I'd find both tags. This is the way articles get lost.
I'd love a UI interface for changing that electronics into
concept:electronics - or visa versa. There is an API endpoint for doing just
this, but no way of handling it via the pinboard website.
Another thing that I would find hugely useful is additive filters. For example, if I needed to find a functional programming language I remember reading about, I could apply both the filter 'lang' and 'prog:functional' and I'd find an intersection of links there. This may be for later, as it contradicts what I say below about not caring about seeing the articles associated. Since it relies on fuzzy search of tags, I can't just fob this action off on the current pinboard site. Perhaps if everything else goes well?
it'd be great if my fuzzy search could cover adding tags to posts -this thing is going to end up being a full client, I can feel it.
- The nice, quick overview where I can see all or most of my tags in one go
- The indication of usage frequency or importance displayed by pinboard
- being able to see the articles associated with these tags in situ - I expect a link to them in pinboard, but I have no desire to build a full-fledged pinboard client.
I'd like to create a mini-desktop-app that would allow me to manage my tags completely separately from the rest of the pinboard site. I could search for tags, get the links to the tags I find on the pinboard website itself, and manage tags in a way conducive to how I work. I may also be able to build up some views on how I interact with tags, as well as custom views of the heirarchy of my tags and tagging system.
- quick and dirty interface for talking to any relevant pinboard api functions.