Installation

1. Download and install Obsidian for your operating system (available for Windows, Mac and Linux).
2. Download the echinopscis sample vault. (“Vault” is the Obsidian term for a workspace or project; the contents of a vault are “pages”, arranged into “folders”). This vault is zipped and pre-configured with plugins for data access and visualisation of biodiversity informatics data. When the download is complete, you should extract the zip file to a directory on your computer.

3. Launch Obsidian. You will be given three options, to:

   • Create a new vault
   • Open a folder as a vault
   • Open a remote vault.

   Select the middle option: “Open folder as vault”. Choose the directory that you extracted in step 2.

   Security: You will be asked to confirm that you trust the author of the vault, so that plugins can be enabled. Click “Trust author and enable plugins”. You will be shown a list of the plugins contained in the vault, you can exit this listing using the Esc key.

   • Note for users of older versions of Obsidian: this message may be titled “Safe mode” and ask if you wish to disable safe mode and enable third party plugins. Click “Turn off safe mode”.
4. Explore - or work through the steps listed in the pinned “start here” page.

Note: a longer version of these instructions (aimed at Windows users) with a screenshot at each step is available here.