---
title: CrawlLinks
tags:
  - plugin/transformer
---

This plugin parses links and processes them to point to the right places. It is also needed for embedded links (like images). See [[Obsidian compatibility]] for more information.

> [!note]
> For information on how to add, remove or configure plugins, see the [[configuration#Plugins|Configuration]] page.

This plugin accepts the following configuration options:

- `markdownLinkResolution`: Sets the strategy for resolving Markdown paths, can be `"absolute"` (default), `"relative"` or `"shortest"`. You should use the same setting here as in [[Obsidian compatibility|Obsidian]].
  - `absolute`: Path relative to the root of the content folder.
  - `relative`: Path relative to the file you are linking from.
  - `shortest`: Name of the file. If this isn't enough to identify the file, use the full absolute path.
- `prettyLinks`: If `true` (default), simplifies links by removing folder paths, making them more user friendly (e.g. `folder/deeply/nested/note` becomes `note`).
- `openLinksInNewTab`: If `true`, configures external links to open in a new tab. Defaults to `false`.
- `lazyLoad`: If `true`, adds lazy loading to resource elements (`img`, `video`, etc.) to improve page load performance. Defaults to `false`.
- `externalLinkIcon`: Adds an icon next to external links when `true` (default) to visually distinguishing them from internal links.
- `substitutions`: default `[]`, a list of regex-image pairs. When you write a link's URL to match the regex, it will display the image after the link on your webpage.
  - images may either be an `Image(url)`, `Emoji(text)`, or `Path({code: code, viewbox: viewbox})`. Examples:
    - `Image("https://website.com/image.jpg")`
    - `Image("/static/icon.png")`
    - `Emoji("🪴")`
    - `Path({code: "really long string like M320 0H288V64h32 82.7L201.4 265.4...", viewbox: "0 0 512 512"})`
  - Example use: `substitutions: [ [/garden!(.+)/, Emoji("🪴")], ],`
    - This would let you write links in Markdown like `[Someone's garden](garden!https://their-website.com)`, which would look like `Someone's Garden🪴` on the website.

> [!warning]
> Removing this plugin is _not_ recommended and will likely break the page.

## API

- Category: Transformer
- Function name: `Plugin.CrawlLinks()`.
- Source: [`quartz/plugins/transformers/links.ts`](https://github.com/jackyzha0/quartz/blob/v4/quartz/plugins/transformers/links.ts).