Objects and collections ​

Object databases are the central storing unit in Capacities. Use object databases and collections to create workflows around your notes.

Object databases ​

All your objects are organized in databases, you can find them in the sidebar on the left.

Databases are the storage units of your space. All your pages are stored in one database, all images are automatically added to another. Let's see why they are useful. Open your pages database and focus on the navigation section on the top first.

View all content ​

Here you can first of all search all your pages or create a new one on the right. In the area below you have the option to switch between different views: List, grid, wall, or table. Choose the one that works best for you. Grid, wall, and list are great if you need an overview while tables are great to get an in-depth view and to edit multiple items in one view.

On the left side, you can toggle between seeing all your objects and the database dashboard. Let's see what this is useful for.

The Object dashboard ​

As soon as you have hundreds of pages in your space browsing through all of them can be overwhelming. Your object dashboard is a curated view that helps you not get lost in your second brain. Let's start at the top.

Collections ​

Here you have a section with collections. Collections are units to organize your database. You can think of collections as something like a folder within your database that holds multiple objects.

But they are way more powerful than that, because you can add objects to multiple collections which takes away arguably the major friction that comes with folders. Collections aren't a place for your objects to live, they're a place for your objects to be grouped. It's not unsual for groups to crossover, and collections give you the easiest way to deal with this.

Here is a video all about collections:

Inbox ​

The section below is your inbox. Capacities automatically looks for all pages that you did not organize in collections yet and displays the ones you created last. That way you can create a new web link or a new image from everywhere without thinking about where it gets stored. Later you can come back to your database and organize them in collections if you want.

Last edited ​

The last section shows the pages you edited last. These are the objects you are currently working on. If you want to get an overview of your current work next time you just need to open your database dashboard.

More on collections ​

Let's create a collection in your weblinks database (just click "Create collection"). You can give your collection a name first if you want. On the top right, you can search through your collection or add new content.

Collections are awesome. You can remix content within seconds into a curated list that you can reuse everywhere in your notes and you can share them as a website with others.

Removing items from a collection in the data view ​

To remove items from a collection in the data view, click on the three dots on the top right of the item, then go to "Collections" and deselect the current collection (or any other collection you want to remove the item from).

You now know what object databases are and how you can use them to be more productive. Next time your friends ask you something you can proudly answer: Give me a second, I'll search my databases. 🤓