Confused by different kinds of links

Discussion & Help
1

Started Using Hookmark again.

Confused about the difference between links, universal links, markdown links and the use cases/benefits/drawbacks of each.

2

@Redhawk Here is what my good friend Claude AI says of the links in Hookmark: Based on the official Hookmark documentation, here’s a clear summary of the differences between the link types:

Copy Link (⌘C)

Format: Creates a formatted hyperlink with both title and URL

  • Output: In rich text apps you get a clickable hyperlink; in plain text apps you get just the URL

  • URL schemes: Uses native app schemes (like omnifocus://, hook://email/, hook://file/) or https:// for web pages

  • Use case: General purpose linking across apps on your Mac

  • Limitation: Custom URLs (like omnifocus://) won’t work in web apps like Notion or Google Docs - they appear as plain text

Copy Markdown Link (⌘⇧M)

Format: Creates a markdown-formatted link: [Title](URL)

  • Output: Always gives you both title and URL in markdown format

  • URL schemes: Same as Copy Link (native app schemes or https://)

  • Use case: When pasting into plain text or markdown apps (like TaskPaper, BBEdit, Obsidian)

  • Benefit: Ensures you always get both title and URL, even in plain text fields

  • Limitation: Same as Copy Link - custom URLs won’t work in web apps

Copy as Universal Link (⌥⌘C)

Format: Creates a formatted hyperlink using https://hookmark.net/hm/ URLs

  • Output: Converts custom app URLs into web-accessible links

  • URL schemes: https://hookmark.net/hm/... (which Hookmark translates back to native schemes)

  • Use case:

    • Sharing links to emails with colleagues

    • Pasting links in web apps (Notion, Google Docs, Gmail) where custom URLs don’t work

  • Requirement: Only works in Safari (not Chrome/Firefox)

  • Limitation: Cannot be used for web pages or in web browsers

Copy as Universal Markdown Link (⌥⌘M)

Format: Markdown link with universal URL: [Title](https://hookmark.net/hm/...)

  • Output: Combines markdown formatting with universal link URLs

  • Use case: Same as Universal Link but in markdown format

  • Same limitations as Universal Link

Key Decision Guide:

  • Working only on your Mac → Use Copy Link or Copy Markdown Link

  • Pasting into web apps (Notion, Google Docs) → Use Universal Link

  • Sharing with colleagues → Use Universal Link (especially for emails)

  • Working in markdown apps → Use Copy Markdown Link

  • Need it to work in Chrome/Firefox → Stick with Copy Link (Universal won’t work)

1 Like
3

Thank you @Pugless. Your friend provided an excellent rundown, just what I was looking for.

4

PS: You query just prompted me as I have had the exact same confusion. Your query motivated me to educate myself as well. Hookmark is a fantastic tool and I look forward to mastering it on iOS, but it appears even more arcane there than on the Mac. I need a 001 video.. :slight_smile:

5

A related notion is that each link returned by Hookmark has a URL scheme. Often apps define their own URL schemes, like x-devonthink-item:// or OmniFocus:// . Web links of course are the most common, and have the https:// URL scheme.

Sometimes however Hookmark returns links with its own hook:// URL schemes. Hookmark actually defines a number of hook:// URL sub-schemes. They are:

  • hook://addressbook: For Apple’s Contacts app.
  • hook://email/: for linking to emails in an email-client agnostic way (based on RFC email ID).
  • hook://file/: for linking to files in Finder.
  • hook://ical/ for Apple Calendar app links.
  • hook://macJournal/.
  • hook://notes/ for Using Hookmark with Apple Notes.
  • hook://outlook/, hook://outlook/task/, and hook://outlook/note/. However, note that Outlook’s IDs are not proper URLs.
  • hook://search/: triggers a Spotlight search.
  • hook://slack/ for the Slack app.
  • hook://spotify/for Spotify, obviously
  • hook://tbx/ for accessing Tinderbox items.

See Principles That Determine the URL Scheme Returned by Copy Link for a Given App – Hookmark.

6

Thank you @LucB A related question. If I link multiple urls to an obsidian note via the hook to copied link command, is there a way to paste them all into the obsidian note from the dialogue window?

7

On the source item that has multiple hooks, you can

  1. invoke Hookmark
  2. Choose Copy All Hooked Links (⌃C)
  3. paste the into the Obsidian note
8

Awesome. Just what I was looking for. Sorry I missed in documentation.