Skip to content
Open
Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension

Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
41 changes: 41 additions & 0 deletions pages/Alias Limitations.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
# Alias Limitations in Logseq

Aliases in Logseq allow pages and blocks to be referenced by multiple names. Below are limitations observed directly from the codebase implementation:

## 1. Alias Resolution
- Alias resolution mainly occurs when accessing pages: if a name matches an alias, Logseq tries to redirect to the source page of the alias (`get-alias-source-page`).
- Redirection can be ignored in some routes (using the `ignore-alias?` parameter).
- Alias matching is exact and case-sensitive; there is no partial or fuzzy matching.
- Aliases are only resolved if explicitly defined in the page/block properties.

## 2. Scope and Propagation
- Aliases are properties of pages or blocks, not global.
- An alias is only recognized within the current repository context.
- There is no automatic update of aliases in backlinks or references when renaming pages.
- When adding aliases to a page, the system can merge existing and new aliases, but always explicitly.

## 3. Editing, Updating, and Synchronization
- Renaming a page does not automatically update aliases pointing to it.
- The `add-aliases-to-properties` function only adds explicitly listed aliases, with no advanced deduplication beyond case-insensitive comparison.
- There is no automatic propagation of alias changes to other blocks or pages that reference them.

## 4. Search, Links, and Backlinks
- Alias search depends on specific properties (`:alias`), and backlinks may not work correctly if the alias is not properly registered.
- References and links may not resolve if the alias is not unique or if there are name conflicts.
- Aliases are not considered in all search operations, only in specific code contexts.

## 5. Export and Plugins
- Exports (e.g., Markdown, OPML) may not preserve aliases.
- Plugins and integrations may not support aliases, as this depends on how each one reads properties.

## 6. Special Characters and Formatting
- Aliases with special characters, spaces, or emojis may not work correctly in all contexts.
- It is recommended to avoid reserved names or system keywords as aliases.

## 7. Technical and Performance Limitations
- Excessive use of aliases can impact performance, especially in large databases.
- There is no support for nested or recursive aliases.

---

**References**: These limitations were identified from the analysis of the functions `get-alias-source-page`, `get-redirect-page-name`, `add-aliases-to-properties`.
2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion pages/term___alias.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ type:: [[Feature]]
platforms:: [[All Platforms]]
description:: Provides a readable alias for a page. A page can have multiple aliases. Page references with the alias will automatically redirect to the original page

- TODO Describe alias limitations #docs
- See also: [[Alias Limitations]]
- produced by:
- a page title can be given aliases by adding frontmatter(aka `first block of any page`) to the page properties
- Markdown:
Expand Down