OneDrive offers limited out of the box capabilities to create links. Often it takes many clicks and manual editing to embed these links in your notes, blog, etc.
The primary reason I have created and use Get-My.link is to embed documents in my notes such that I have a thumbnail image of the document and a private link with the full file-path and filename, so that I can open the document or the containing folder for editing regardless of the device I have in hand and without having to download and re-upload the file into my notes.
Some people may say I am paranoid. I consider myself pragmatic but careful. I prefer the convenience of storing information in the cloud, but I am reassured by having a synchronized copy of my files on my PC. Without Get-My.link I simply could not find a way to include the full file-path information for my documents when creating links. Should I need to resort to finding the documents in my offline archive I would need the file path information to efficiently navigate my data. Also I am cautious about the security of the various note taking services I use. Storing my files in a more industrial grade solution like OneDrive mitigates some of the risks associated with the uncertain security of the note taking tools I have chosen to use.
With Get-My.link you can create up to 4 different customized link templates that are saved in your browser cookies for quick access whenever you need them.
Here are some examples of how you could use Get-My.link:
Note taking:
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Apps like
Obsidian.md,
Roam,
TiddlyWiki,
TheBrain,
OneNote,
iA Writer,
1Writer,
Byword,
Editorial,
Journey,
JotterPad,
Markor, etc.
allow you to add links to web resources, but often lack the feature to add attachments or offer this feature for a premium subscription. Even if attachments are allowed, these files are often stored/referenced on your local device or uploaded/synchronized to their own cloud. In either case this will limit your ability to edit the attached files, especially if you are regularly accessing your notes from multiple devices. With Get-My.link you can easily insert a link in your notes to the editable document on OneDrive. By also including a thumbnail image you can make your notes more visually appealing.
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In my notes I often want to reference a picture that I saw on the web. Sure, you can insert a link to the picture where you found it, but you run the risk of the webpage changing, the image getting deleted from the source, etc. Get-My.link offers a quick and convenient way to save images from websites to OneDrive, such that you can rename the image before it is saved. In addition, the link to the image on OneDrive is automatically generated, so you can immediately include it in your notes.
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I prefer keeping my documents, pictures, etc. organized following my established filing logic. I want to avoid creating an additional copy of the file just for inclusion in my notes, such as the case with apps that offer the option to upload documents into your notes. Having some files attached to notes and others in my filing system leads to a mess. With Get-My.link you can solve this problem. Your files stay in your folders, and you can insert a link in your notes. You can even include the full file path, so that you can integrate your document filing with your notes even more.
- Finally, here are some app specific thoughts
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TiddlyWiki: TiddlyWiki's speed and scalability is highly impacted by file size. Images and other attachments in your Tiddlers get stored in the tidlywiki.html files. Even if you use a version like TiddlyWiki on Node.js which stores individual tiddlers in separate files, all the files get loaded in memory when you access the Wiki. Using links to documents and pictures with a thumbnail, or in an iFrame will result in much smaller TiddlyWiki file size. You can also define your own macros in TiddlyWiki to format your picture/document and customize Get-My.link to generate a link matching the macro format.
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TheBrain: The free version of TheBrain provides unlimited thoughts, synchronization between devices, notes and link attachments. File attachments are only available in the paid version. With Get-My.link you can attach links to files. Even with the paid version, attaching links to documents instead of the files themselves has the benefit, that these attachments can be edited even via Web Brain and the iOS and Android Brain apps. Also Get-My.link can generate thumbnails and links you can include in your thought notes where you can provide additional context, instead of keeping these links on separate tabs attached to the thought.
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Roam: Roam is a new note taking app for networked thought. You can freely upload files and attach images to your notes, which is great! Uploaded files get stored on Google's Firebase Cloud Storage and are referenced in your note with a public read link (try copying one of the links from Roam and opening it in a private / incognito browser window. The file will download without issues). If you prefer a bit more safety but would still like to enjoy the many benefits of Roam, with Get-My.link you can create thumbnails and private links to your files and folders that you can include in your notes on Roam with only a few clicks. Yes, it is a bit more clicking then uploading to Roam, but far less then uploading to OneDrive and playing around with sharing options to get a link you can insert and format.
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Obsidian: Like Roam Obsidian treats images and PDFs natively, but does not support other type of attachments such as documents, presentations, etc. With Get-My.link you can attach these freely as a OneDrive link with a thumbnail image. Also, when you copy an image into Obsidian, the image will get an autogenerated name. With Get-My.link you can upload images to OneDrive with a simple drag & drop, rename them, and get the insertable Markdown code to insert the image in your note all in one step.
Blogging:
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Customized links are handy when you want to post a picture or document from OneDrive on your blog.
Link sharing:
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I often send links to documents on OneDrive to friends via email or Messenger, Hangouts, WhatsApp, etc. Get-My.link will also help when sharing a single file (or multiple files at once).
Get-My.link is a hobby project, a simple utility function I created for myself and use as a productivity tool on a daily basis. Get-My.link is shared as-is. While I've done my outmost to ensure the website and the 3rd party components used are safe, by using Get-My.link you acknowledge and accept all risks associated with using this service.
Get-My.link may contain links to third-party web sites or services that are not owned or controlled by Get-My.link. Get-My.link has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third party web sites or services.
By using Get-My.link you acknowledge and accept that I shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on Get-My.link and any 3rd party content, goods or services available on or through any 3rd party web sites or services accessible via Get-My.link.
I created Get-My.link for my own personal use, then decided to share it more widely. Maybe someone else will find it helpful as well. I store documents, pictures, ebooks, presentations, etc. on OneDrive and use Get-My.link to reference them in the personal notes I maintain in TheBrain and sometimes in other apps. I prefer to store the full file-path information of my files in my notes, because I can use the file path to locate the synchronized copy of the file on my PC, should I lose access to OneDrive for any reason and need a fallback solution to find my information. I prefer storing documents on OneDrive and embedding them in my notes using links, as with this approach I am able to edit embedded files even from my mobile devices.
I created a short course on Udemy about my journaling practice using TheBrain. If you are interested, check out the Getting Organized course here.
