camscortex

Creating Your First Workspace

A Foam workspace is where all your notes, ideas, and knowledge live. Think of it as your digital garden where thoughts can grow and connect. This guide will help you set up a workspace that’s organized, scalable, and tailored to your thinking style.

Understanding Workspaces

A Foam workspace is simply a folder containing Markdown files (.md) - your actual notes.

Optionally it can contain:

Single vs. Multiple Workspaces

Recommended: Single Workspace

Deprecated: Multiple Workspaces (deprecated - advanced users only)

Multiple workspaces are to be considered deprecated at this point, and might become unsupported in the future. You can simulate a complex workspace by using file/folder links.

The easiest way to start is with our pre-configured template:

Step 1: Create from Template

  1. Visit github.com/foambubble/foam-template
  2. Click “Use this template” (you’ll need a GitHub account)
  3. Name your repository (e.g., “john-knowledge-base”, “my-second-brain”)
  4. Choose visibility:
    • Private - for personal notes (recommended)
    • Public - if you want to share your knowledge openly

Step 2: Clone Locally

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/your-repo-name.git
cd your-repo-name

Step 3: Open in VS Code

  1. Launch VS Code
  2. File > Open Folder
  3. Select your cloned repository folder

Method 2: Start from Scratch

For a minimal setup:

  1. Create a new folder on your computer
  2. Open the folder in VS Code (File > Open Folder)

That’s all, you can start working with your markdown files and Foam will take care of the rest.

Ideas for your knowledge base

1. Customize Your Settings

Review and adjust .vscode/settings.json based on your preferences:

2. Set Up Your Inbox

Create inbox.md as your default capture location:

# Inbox

Quick notes and ideas go here before being organized.

## Today's Captures

-

## To Process

-

## Ideas

-

3. Create Core Structure Notes

Workspace Organization Strategies

Establish your main organizational notes. You can use any methodology, Foam is not opinionated.

The only recommendation is to get started, you can improve later.

The two main methods adopted by users are PARA and Zettelkasten.

The PARA Method

Organize around four categories:

Zettelkasten Approach

Number-based system for atomic ideas:

4. Configure Daily Notes

Daily notes are perfect for:

Test your daily notes setup:

  1. Press Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P
  2. Type “Foam: Open Daily Note”
  3. Verify the note is created in the right location

Alternatively you can press Alt+D to open today’s daily note, or Alt+H to open another day’s daily note. Use the .foam/templates/daily-note.md to customize your daily note.

Best Practices for New Workspaces

1. Start Small

2. Use Templates

4. Regular Reviews

Syncing and Backup

Foam works on simple files, you can add whatever backup method you prefer on top of it.

Git

Your workspace is a Git repository:

git add .
git commit -m "Add new notes and ideas"
git push origin main

You can also use other VS Code extensions to manage the git synching if that’s helpful.

Alternative Sync Methods

What’s Next?

With your workspace set up, you’re ready to:

  1. Learn note-taking fundamentals - Master Markdown and writing effective notes
  2. Explore navigation - Connect your thoughts with wikilinks
  3. Discover the graph view - Visualize your knowledge network
  4. Set up templates - Standardize your note creation process

Getting Help

If you encounter setup issues: