A Quick and Easy Way to Create Anki Flashcards in Vim

AnkiConnect is a powerful and versatile plugin for Anki, the popular flashcard application that utilizes spaced repetition to enhance learning and retention. Designed to facilitate seamless integration between Anki and external applications, AnkiConnect provides a robust API that allows users to programmatically interact with their Anki decks, cards, and notes.

With AnkiConnect, users can automate various tasks, such as creating, updating, and deleting cards, retrieving card information, and managing decks—all through simple HTTP requests.

In the video below, we explore the possibility of interacting with the AnkiConnect server from the Vim text editor as the client. To facilitate easy server-client communication, we installed the Vim REST Console plugin, which allows us to send HTTP requests directly from Vim.

This example illustrates how to create a JSON request for AnkiConnect, enabling the generation of new Anki notes within the Anki desktop application. The request specifies the deck, model, and field values, and it returns an array of identifiers for the newly created notes. If any errors occur, all issues are collected and returned in a new Vim buffer.

This particular deck creates a collection of flashcards designed to enhance the note-taking process using index cards. Each card addresses a specific aspect of effective note-taking, providing practical advice and strategies for users. The use of tags allows for easy categorization and retrieval of cards based on related topics.

As shown, these notes can be added to Anki directly from Vim, offering a more streamlined alternative to using the Anki editor. Of course, this process can be further optimized by generating valid JSON requests from a Markdown or TOML text file—something we would like to explore in a future blog post.

    http://127.0.0.1:8765
    POST
    {
        "action": "deckName",
        "version": 6
    }

    Content-Type: application/json
    POST 
    {
        "action":"addNotes",
        "version":6,
        "params":{
            "notes":[
                {
                    "deckName": "Default",
                    "modelName": "Basic",
                    "fields": {
                        "Front": "What is a good method for organizing index cards?",
                        "Back": "Use categories or subjects to group related cards together, and label each group clearly."
                    },
                    "tags": ["organization", "index cards"]
                },
                {
                    "deckName": "Default",
                    "modelName": "Basic",
                    "fields": {
                        "Front": "How can I make my index card notes more effective?",
                        "Back": "Use diagrams, and color coding to highlight key information and make it visually appealing."
                    },
                    "tags": ["study tips", "visual learning"]
                },
                {
                    "deckName": "Default",
                    "modelName": "Basic",
                    "fields": {
                        "Front": "What should I include on my index cards?",
                        "Back": "Summarize key concepts, definitions, and examples. Keep it concise and focused on main ideas."
                    },
                    "tags": ["summarization", "study techniques"]
                },
                {
                    "deckName": "Default",
                    "modelName": "Basic",
                    "fields": {
                        "Front": "How can I review my index card notes effectively?",
                        "Back": "Use spaced repetition: review cards at increasing intervals to reinforce memory retention."
                    },
                    "tags": ["review", "memory"]
                },
                {
                    "deckName": "Default",
                    "modelName": "Basic",
                    "fields": {
                        "Front": "What is a creative way to use index cards for studying?",
                        "Back": "Create a quiz game with your index cards: quiz yourself or a friend by asking questions based on the cards."
                    },
                    "tags": ["study methods", "interactive learning"]
                }
            ]
        }
    }

You can pair your Anki cards with a physical index card notebook, as the one shown below, to either use the physical cards as drafts for the Anki version or to extend the Anki cards with notes and ideas while reviewing the deck. Thanks to a comprehensive indexing system integrated into the header of each card, the notebook facilitates referencing between any Anki deck and the paper index cards.