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                          CHANGE LOG OF DENOTE

                              Protesilaos
                          info@protesilaos.com
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This document contains the release notes for each tagged commit on the
project’s main git repository: <https://github.com/protesilaos/denote>.

The newest release is at the top.  For further details, please consult
the manual: <https://protesilaos.com/emacs/denote>.

Table of Contents
─────────────────

1. Version 4.2.0 on 2026-05-20


1 Version 4.2.0 on 2026-05-20
═════════════════════════════

  This version brings several improvements to the core `denote' package
  as well as all the Denote extensions I maintain. The core package is
  stable, its feature set is rich, and the wider ecosystem of extensions
  is growing.

  Most of the changes documented herein are of interest to experienced
  users who may be looking for ways to refine their workflow. I
  recommend that new users start with the basics, as I explained them in
  the original video demonstration of Denote or as they are documented
  in the manual’s section for newcomers:

  Webpage
        <https://protesilaos.com/emacs/denote#h:c54bedb4-5377-4dbd-853c-5870ace6eb33>.
  Info manual
        With the latest `denote' package installed, evaluate `(info
        "(denote) Getting started with Denote")'.

  Remember that the release notes are true only at the time of
  publication. The single source of truth is the official manual.


1.1 Core Denote
───────────────

1.1.1 Overview of the new features
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  • The command `denote-dired-focus' will filter the results of an
    existing `denote-dired' buffer. Use this to narrow down the results.

  • In Org files, the `denote:' link type can now be previewed using the
    built-in `org-link-preview' command, starting with Org version
    `9.8.0'.

  • The command `denote-link-or-create-with-command' extends the
    existing convenience functions of the “do or create note” kind.

  • The `denote-file-prompt' uses completion metadata to sort by most
    recently accessed, group by directory or file extension, and cover
    packages that display cosmetic icons alongside completion
    candidates.

  • Denote now enforces a controlled vocabulary for keywords when
    `denote-infer-keywords' is set to `nil', such that only the
    `denote-known-keywords' are provided as an option at the relevant
    prompts.

  • The mechanism for integrating Denote with `org-capture' now supports
    prompting for an signature via `denote-org-capture-with-prompts'
    (the signature is an optional, free-form component of the Denote
    file-naming scheme).

  • Several packages that extend Denote are documented in the manual. If
    you have a package for Denote, let me know and I will write a
    section about it.


1.1.2 Focus a `denote-dired' buffer with `denote-dired-focus'
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  The command `denote-dired' produces a Dired listing of file names that
  match the given regular expressions. Users can benefit from the Denote
  file-naming scheme to, for example, include all files that have the
  keyword `_emacs'. In the resulting Dired buffer, the new command
  `denote-dired-focus' can then be invoked to further narrow down the
  results, such as to only show files that have `2026' in their file
  (with default settings, the date is part of the Denote identifier).

  I implemented this feature in response to issue 693 by 82Kang:
  <https://github.com/protesilaos/denote/issues/693>.


1.1.3 Improvements to the file prompt
╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌╌

  Various Denote commands prompt for a file name: for instance,
  `denote-link' asks which file to link to. This file prompt is now
  augmented with completion metadata that transform how files look and
  how the information is organised.

  Before, the prompt presented full file names like:

  ┌────
  │ 20220610T043241--initial-thoughts-on-the-zettelkasten-method__notetaking.org
  └────

  …  …
