Block Anchors

Block anchors let you link to a specific paragraph, list item, heading, or blockquote within a note — not just to the note as a whole or to a section heading.

Adding a Block Anchor

Place ^your-id at the end of any block element. The ID can contain letters, numbers, and hyphens.

The ^id marker is hidden in the preview — it’s metadata, not visible text.

Paragraph

This is an important finding from the experiment. ^key-finding

Multi-line paragraphs work too — put the anchor at the end of the last line:

The first measurements were inconclusive.
After repeating the experiment, results became clear. ^experiment-result

List item

Place the anchor at the end of the item text. Foam anchors the entire item, including any sub-items:

- Mix dry ingredients thoroughly ^dry-step
  - 2 cups flour
  - 1 tsp salt
- Add wet ingredients ^wet-step

To anchor an entire list, place ^id on its own line immediately after the last item (no blank line):

- First item
- Second item
- Third item
^shopping-list

Heading

## Methodology ^methodology

The anchor applies to the heading line itself, not the entire section below it.

Blockquote

Three placements are supported:

As the last line inside the blockquote:

> The only way to do great work is to love what you do.
> ^jobs-quote

On its own line immediately after the blockquote:

> We shall fight on the beaches,
> we shall fight on the landing grounds.
^churchill-beaches

After the blockquote with a blank line (useful if your markdown formatter inserts one):

> We shall fight on the beaches,
> we shall fight on the landing grounds.

^churchill-beaches

Code block

Place ^id on its own line after the closing fence. One blank line between the fence and ^id is also accepted (useful if your markdown formatter adds one automatically):

```python
def greet(name):
    return f"Hello, {name}"
```
^greet-function

Table

Place ^id on its own line after the table. One blank line is also accepted:

| Name  | Score |
| ----- | ----- |
| Alice | 95    |
| Bob   | 87    |
^results-table

Linking to a Block

Use [[note-name#^blockid]] to link directly to a block:

[[research-notes#^key-insight]]
[[research-notes#^list-ref]]

Foam provides autocomplete for block IDs when you type #^ inside a wikilink.

You can also add display text:

[[research-notes#^key-insight|See the key insight]]

Embedding a Block

Use ![[note-name#^blockid]] to embed just that block inline:

![[research-notes#^key-insight]]

Only the referenced block’s content is shown — not the entire note.

Renaming a Block ID

Place your cursor on a ^blockid anchor and press F2 to rename it. Foam updates the anchor and all wikilinks that reference it across your workspace.

Diagnostics

Foam warns you when a block link points to a ^id that doesn’t exist in the target note. A quick-fix lets you pick from the available block IDs.

If you accidentally use the same ^id twice in one file, Foam flags the duplicate with a warning. A quick-fix replaces it with a freshly generated unique ID.

Related

• Wikilinks - General linking
• Footnotes - Adding references and side notes
• Note Embeds - Embedding notes and blocks

LINKS TO THIS PAGE

Using Foam Note Embeds Footnotes Wikilinks Wikilinks