Keep local note modifications in subsequent updates

[ghost]

I've just started using omnivore and this plugin. Templates are relatively flexible and easy to customize, but I've noticed that if I modify an article note (like adding tags or notes directly inside obsidian) and then change the article in omnivore (like adding labels, highlights etc.) on next update all my local modifications to obsidian note are overridden with omnivore changes.
I guess this is expected behavior and resolving conflicts can be hard if we were not to override existing note. But this setup isn't useful in a PKM. Is there a way to keep locally added tags and notes on subsequent updates that I'm missing?

[MDsza]

For a PKM environment like Omnivore + Obsidian this is a key feature, so thumbs up for this!

[jacksonh]

I wonder if a simple solution is adding an item to front matter like omnivore_locked: true?

[MDsza]

The "front matter locked" (FML) idea from @jacksonh solves one issue: to prevent the overwriting of the edits (notes / labels / highlight / links to other notes /...) created in Obsidian. But: it would make it impossible to add subsequent Omnivore edits (like highlights / ...) to the Obsidian edits in the Obsidian Note. But I see: your FML - idea has the charm to be a quick part solution of this - from my point of you - quite essential issue of the actual "sync" problem.

[martinlackner]

As a quick fix, I would prefer the option to forbid overwriting existing files.

[rahji]

This seems like a big issue, or am I missing some other workflow where an article is read and notes are added on the omnivore site, synced to obsidian, then other notes (and especially internal links) are added in obsidian -- without having those changes wiped out when the article is re-synced from Omnivore. I guess the issue is in the terminology - articles are not being two-way synced, but fetched/downloaded from Omnivore to Obsidian?

[danny188]

In Readwise reader, highlight syncs from readwise to obsidian is append-only, so modifications you make to the obsidian file won't be overwritten. Can we do the same with Omnivore?

This would allow a user to progressively process highlights sync'ed to Obsidian. Without this feature, I have to keep using readwise reader.

[tprotopopescu]

+1 that this is a big issue. I format my highlights after importing them. My workaround so far has been to make a copy of the file and copy new highlights to it as I import them. This could work okay except that it is complicated by issue #131 , since new highlights do not always appear down the bottom (plugin set to order by date last saved). Would it be possible to add an option to only partially sync notes, that only adds highlights added since the last sync; while any changes made on the web or app to an already synced highlight would need a full reimport?

[toirl]

+1 for adding the option to leave at least parts of the document unchanged during sync.

For my workflow it would be sufficient, if there is a "marked" area at the bottom of the document which is left unchanged This area I can use to add my personal annotations or links. I would propose to separate such an area with a simple header called "Annotations". Everything below that is preserved during sync.

[voidCounter]

+1 I just forgot about this thing. Yesterday, I took one big note from a video. And today, after syncing, it's all gone! Well, Ctrl + Z saved me for now. Currently, what I'm doing is, after importing, I manually added the imported label to the article while having a custom query field: in:Inbox (label:"Send to Obsidian" -label:imported) in Obsidian.

[seehat]

In Readwise reader, highlight syncs from readwise to obsidian is append-only, so modifications you make to the obsidian file won't be overwritten. Can we do the same with Omnivore?

This would allow a user to progressively process highlights sync'ed to Obsidian. Without this feature, I have to keep using readwise reader.

I would also love an option or the sync to work like in Readwise. I would love to change to Omnivore, as it's awesome and this holds be back right now.

[davidrsim-p]

When I feel my notes are complete, I tag the Omnivore-created note as #litnote and Auto Note Mover plugin moves it out of the Omnivore folder into my Literature Notes folder.

This may lead to a duplicate if Omnivore recreates it, and it breaks the link between Omnivore and the Literature Note, but once I'm at the stage of processing it, I want it to be a relatively static document and I'm mostly linking and extracting.

That said, it would be far neater for local changes to be preserved.

[MDsza]

Any news here? On the roadmap? Not planned in future to add this wanted feature? Would be good, just to let us know. Thanks in advance.

[MesmerV]

+1 for this feature, this is IMHO a must-have for many people's workflow.
I suggest doing the same as the Obsidian-Zotero Integration. Part of their solution is to tag a section of the note that will not be overriden by a new sync:

%% begin notes %%
- Your notes are safe here
%% end notes %%

[HappySquid25]

+1 for a better workflow.
For now my workaround is to add a embedded note at the bottom of the file by adding "![[Notes - {{title}}]]" to the bottom of the template. I then put my personal notes in there. It's not perfect but it acts as an area where I can write my own notes without them being overwritten as @toirl suggested.

[SuzanaK]

My workaround is: Once I've "finished" working on a note, adding my thoughts, links and tags, I move the file from the Import/Omnivore folder to the folder the note belongs to thematically.

And then never use "Resync all articles" again!

This workaround has the disadvantage that future changes in my article template are only applied to new articles.

In my opinion, before this issue is solved, it's really not appropriate to call it a "Sync".

[kfstorm]

As a quick fix, I would prefer the option to forbid overwriting existing files.

+1 on this quick fix.

I have some post processing plugins enabled so that after an article is synced to Obsidian, some modifications are applied. But if I read the article in Omnivore (just read, no highlights, no notes), Omnivore will consider this article updated. The next time I sync articles in Obsidian, the modifications are gone.

I don't take notes or add highlights in Omnivore. I prefer treating articles as static files, so +1 for adding an option to not overwrite exiting files.

[kfstorm]

Another fix is to add an option to change "fetch articles updated after this timestamp" to "fetch articles saved after this timestamp".