feat: Add aliases support to Story Bible for flexible linking

- Add aliases field to StoryBibleItem struct
- Add items_by_alias HashMap to StoryBibleIndex for quick alias lookup
- Add find_by_alias() method and update find_by_partial_name() to search aliases
- Parse aliases from YAML frontmatter (list and comma-separated formats)
- Update find_references() to match aliases in addition to IDs and names
- Fix @mention pattern matching to properly stop at spaces
- Add comprehensive tests for aliases functionality
- Update README.md with aliases documentation and usage examples

This allows Story Bible entries to have alternative names that can be
referenced in draft text using wiki-style [[...]] or mention-style @ syntax.

Generated by Mistral Vibe.
Co-Authored-By: Mistral Vibe <vibe@mistral.ai>

README.md

@@ -383,13 +383,27 @@ location, lore, and other reference directories. It supports:
 * **Purple background highlighting** of Story Bible references in the editor
 * Click items in the Story Bible window to see all references to them in the current file
 * Click reference buttons to jump directly to that location in the editor
-* Metadata extraction from YAML frontmatter (id, title, type fields) or from filenames
+* Metadata extraction from YAML frontmatter (id, title, type, **aliases** fields) or from filenames
 * Case-insensitive search and lookup
+* **Aliases support**: References match item IDs, names, **and aliases** for flexible linking
 
 Character sheets in the `Characters` folder are automatically indexed, and any
 markdown file with YAML frontmatter containing `id:` and `title:` fields will be
-included in the index. References in your draft text that match Story Bible items
+included in the index. You can also add an `aliases:` field with alternative names
-are highlighted and clickable.
+for a character or item:
+
+```yaml
+---
+id: john_smith
+title: "John Smith"
+type: character
+aliases: ["Johnny", "JS"]
+---
+```
+
+With aliases defined, references like `[[Johnny]]` or `@JS` will match the "John Smith"
+character entry. References in your draft text that match Story Bible items
+by ID, name, or alias are highlighted and clickable.
 
 ### Story Bible Editor (Edit ▸ Story Bible…)
 

src/story_bible.rs

@@ -33,6 +33,8 @@ pub struct StoryBibleItem {
     pub id: String,
     /// The item's type (character, location, lore, etc.).
     pub item_type: String,
+    /// Alternative names for this item (from aliases field in YAML frontmatter).
+    pub aliases: Vec<String>,
     /// Line in the file where the name/ID is defined.
     pub definition_line: usize,
 }
@@ -44,6 +46,8 @@ pub struct StoryBibleIndex {
     pub items_by_id: HashMap<String, StoryBibleItem>,
     /// Map from lowercase name to item info.
     pub items_by_name: HashMap<String, StoryBibleItem>,
+    /// Map from lowercase alias to item info.
+    pub items_by_alias: HashMap<String, StoryBibleItem>,
 }
 
 impl StoryBibleIndex {
@@ -52,6 +56,7 @@ impl StoryBibleIndex {
         Self {
             items_by_id: HashMap::new(),
             items_by_name: HashMap::new(),
+            items_by_alias: HashMap::new(),
         }
     }
 
@@ -93,7 +98,13 @@ impl StoryBibleIndex {
                     // Index by name (lowercase for case-insensitive lookup)
                     index
                         .items_by_name
-                        .insert(item.name.to_lowercase(), item);
+                        .insert(item.name.to_lowercase(), item.clone());
+                    // Index by aliases (lowercase for case-insensitive lookup)
+                    for alias in &item.aliases {
+                        index
+                            .items_by_alias
+                            .insert(alias.to_lowercase(), item.clone());
+                    }
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -111,12 +122,23 @@ impl StoryBibleIndex {
         self.items_by_name.get(&name.to_lowercase())
     }
 
-    /// Find all items matching a partial name.
+    /// Find an item by one of its aliases.
+    pub fn find_by_alias(&self, alias: &str) -> Option<&StoryBibleItem> {
+        self.items_by_alias.get(&alias.to_lowercase())
+    }
+
+    /// Find all items matching a partial name or alias.
     pub fn find_by_partial_name(&self, query: &str) -> Vec<&StoryBibleItem> {
         let query_lower = query.to_lowercase();
         self.items_by_name
             .values()
-            .filter(|item| item.name.to_lowercase().contains(&query_lower))
+            .filter(|item| {
+                item.name.to_lowercase().contains(&query_lower)
+                    || item
+                        .aliases
+                        .iter()
+                        .any(|a| a.to_lowercase().contains(&query_lower))
+            })
             .collect()
     }
 
@@ -152,6 +174,7 @@ fn extract_story_bible_item(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
         name: name.clone(),
         id: name.to_lowercase().replace(' ', "_"),
         item_type,
+        aliases: Vec::new(),
         definition_line: 0,
     })
 }
@@ -174,6 +197,7 @@ fn extract_from_frontmatter(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
     let mut name: Option<String> = None;
     let mut id: Option<String> = None;
     let mut item_type: Option<String> = None;
+    let mut aliases: Vec<String> = Vec::new();
 
     for line in &lines[start + 1..end] {
         let trimmed = line.trim();
@@ -183,6 +207,10 @@ fn extract_from_frontmatter(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
             id = Some(trimmed["id:".len()..].trim().trim_matches('"').to_string());
         } else if trimmed.starts_with("type:") {
             item_type = Some(trimmed["type:".len()..].trim().trim_matches('"').to_string());
+        } else if trimmed.starts_with("aliases:") {
+            // Parse aliases as a YAML list: aliases: ["Alias 1", "Alias 2"] or aliases: Alias1, Alias2
+            let value = trimmed["aliases:".len()..].trim();
+            aliases = parse_aliases(value);
         }
     }
 
@@ -225,10 +253,77 @@ fn extract_from_frontmatter(relative_path: &str, content: &str) -> Option<StoryB
         name,
         id,
         item_type,
+        aliases,
         definition_line: start + 1,
     })
 }
 
+/// Parse aliases from YAML frontmatter value.
+/// Supports both list syntax: aliases: ["Alias 1", "Alias 2"]
+/// and comma-separated: aliases: Alias1, Alias2
+fn parse_aliases(value: &str) -> Vec<String> {
+    if value.is_empty() {
+        return Vec::new();
+    }
+    
+    // Check if it's a YAML list: ["...", "..."]
+    if value.trim().starts_with('[') && value.trim().ends_with(']') {
+        let inner = value.trim()[1..value.trim().len() - 1].trim();
+        // Parse items from the list
+        let mut aliases = Vec::new();
+        let mut in_quote = false;
+        let mut quote_char = '\0';
+        let mut current = String::new();
+        
+        for c in inner.chars() {
+            match c {
+                '"' | '\'' => {
+                    if in_quote && c == quote_char {
+                        in_quote = false;
+                        quote_char = '\0';
+                        if !current.is_empty() {
+                            aliases.push(current.clone());
+                            current.clear();
+                        }
+                    } else if !in_quote {
+                        in_quote = true;
+                        quote_char = c;
+                    }
+                }
+                ',' => {
+                    if !in_quote {
+                        if !current.is_empty() {
+                            aliases.push(current.clone());
+                            current.clear();
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        current.push(c);
+                    }
+                }
+                _ => {
+                    if in_quote {
+                        current.push(c);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        
+        // Add the last item
+        if !current.is_empty() {
+            aliases.push(current);
+        }
+        
+        return aliases;
+    }
+    
+    // Comma-separated format
+    value
+        .split(',')
+        .map(|s| s.trim().trim_matches('"').trim_matches('\'').to_string())
+        .filter(|s| !s.is_empty())
+        .collect()
+}
+
 /// Find all Story Bible references in a text.
 ///
 /// Looks for patterns like `[[Character Name]]` or `@CharacterName`.
@@ -247,9 +342,10 @@ pub fn find_references(text: &str, index: &StoryBibleIndex) -> Vec<StoryBibleRef
                     .map(|p| pos + 2 + p + 2);
                 if let Some(end) = end_pos {
                     let identifier = line[pos + 2..end - 2].trim().to_string();
-                    // Check if this matches any Story Bible item
+                    // Check if this matches any Story Bible item (by ID, name, or alias)
                     if index.find_by_id(&identifier).is_some()
                         || index.find_by_name(&identifier).is_some()
+                        || index.find_by_alias(&identifier).is_some()
                     {
                         references.push(StoryBibleReference {
                             file_path: String::new(), // Will be set by caller
@@ -266,15 +362,16 @@ pub fn find_references(text: &str, index: &StoryBibleIndex) -> Vec<StoryBibleRef
 
             // Check for mention-style: @Name
             if line[pos..].starts_with('@') && pos + 1 < line.len() {
-                // Extract word after @
+                // Extract word after @ - stop at space or other non-word characters
                 let word_end = line[pos + 1..]
-                    .find(|c: char| !c.is_alphanumeric() && c != '_' && c != '-' && c != ' ')
+                    .find(|c: char| !c.is_alphanumeric() && c != '_' && c != '-')
                     .map(|p| pos + 1 + p)
                     .unwrap_or(line.len());
                 let identifier = line[pos + 1..word_end].trim().to_string();
                 if !identifier.is_empty()
                     && (index.find_by_id(&identifier).is_some()
-                        || index.find_by_name(&identifier).is_some())
+                        || index.find_by_name(&identifier).is_some()
+                        || index.find_by_alias(&identifier).is_some())
                 {
                     references.push(StoryBibleReference {
                         file_path: String::new(),
@@ -331,6 +428,7 @@ Some content here."#;
                     name: "John Doe".to_string(),
                     id: "john_doe".to_string(),
                     item_type: "character".to_string(),
+                    aliases: Vec::new(),
                     definition_line: 0,
                 },
             );
@@ -341,6 +439,7 @@ Some content here."#;
                     name: "John Doe".to_string(),
                     id: "john_doe".to_string(),
                     item_type: "character".to_string(),
+                    aliases: Vec::new(),
                     definition_line: 0,
                 },
             );
@@ -356,16 +455,16 @@ Some content here."#;
     fn test_find_references_mentions() {
         let index = {
             let mut idx = StoryBibleIndex::new();
-            idx.items_by_name.insert(
+            let item = StoryBibleItem {
-                "jane".to_string(),
+                path: "Characters/jane.md".to_string(),
-                StoryBibleItem {
+                name: "Jane".to_string(),
-                    path: "Characters/jane.md".to_string(),
+                id: "jane".to_string(),
-                    name: "Jane".to_string(),
+                item_type: "character".to_string(),
-                    id: "jane".to_string(),
+                aliases: Vec::new(),
-                    item_type: "character".to_string(),
+                definition_line: 0,
-                    definition_line: 0,
+            };
-                },
+            idx.items_by_name.insert("jane".to_string(), item.clone());
-            );
+            idx.items_by_id.insert("jane".to_string(), item);
             idx
         };
 
@@ -373,4 +472,107 @@ Some content here."#;
         assert_eq!(refs.len(), 1);
         assert_eq!(refs[0].identifier, "Jane");
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_find_by_alias() {
+        let mut index = StoryBibleIndex::new();
+        let item = StoryBibleItem {
+            path: "Characters/john.md".to_string(),
+            name: "John Smith".to_string(),
+            id: "john_smith".to_string(),
+            item_type: "character".to_string(),
+            aliases: vec!["Johnny".to_string(), "JS".to_string()],
+            definition_line: 0,
+        };
+        index.items_by_id.insert("john_smith".to_string(), item.clone());
+        index.items_by_name.insert("john smith".to_string(), item.clone());
+        index.items_by_alias.insert("johnny".to_string(), item.clone());
+        index.items_by_alias.insert("js".to_string(), item);
+
+        assert!(index.find_by_alias("Johnny").is_some());
+        assert!(index.find_by_alias("JS").is_some());
+        assert!(index.find_by_alias("johnny").is_some());
+        assert!(index.find_by_alias("nonexistent").is_none());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_find_by_partial_name_with_aliases() {
+        let mut index = StoryBibleIndex::new();
+        let item = StoryBibleItem {
+            path: "Characters/john.md".to_string(),
+            name: "John Smith".to_string(),
+            id: "john_smith".to_string(),
+            item_type: "character".to_string(),
+            aliases: vec!["Johnny".to_string(), "JS".to_string()],
+            definition_line: 0,
+        };
+        index.items_by_name.insert("john smith".to_string(), item);
+
+        let results = index.find_by_partial_name("Johnny");
+        assert_eq!(results.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(results[0].name, "John Smith");
+
+        let results = index.find_by_partial_name("JS");
+        assert_eq!(results.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(results[0].name, "John Smith");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_find_references_with_aliases() {
+        let mut index = StoryBibleIndex::new();
+        let item = StoryBibleItem {
+            path: "Characters/john.md".to_string(),
+            name: "John Smith".to_string(),
+            id: "john_smith".to_string(),
+            item_type: "character".to_string(),
+            aliases: vec!["Johnny".to_string()],
+            definition_line: 0,
+        };
+        index.items_by_name.insert("john smith".to_string(), item.clone());
+        index.items_by_id.insert("john_smith".to_string(), item.clone());
+        index.items_by_alias.insert("johnny".to_string(), item);
+
+        let refs = find_references("Some text with [[Johnny]] here.", &index);
+        assert_eq!(refs.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(refs[0].identifier, "Johnny");
+
+        let refs = find_references("Some text with @Johnny here.", &index);
+        assert_eq!(refs.len(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(refs[0].identifier, "Johnny");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_parse_aliases_yaml_list() {
+        let aliases = parse_aliases(r#"["Alias 1", "Alias 2", "Alias 3"]"#);
+        assert_eq!(aliases, vec!["Alias 1", "Alias 2", "Alias 3"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_parse_aliases_comma_separated() {
+        let aliases = parse_aliases("Alias1, Alias2, Alias3");
+        assert_eq!(aliases, vec!["Alias1", "Alias2", "Alias3"]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_parse_aliases_empty() {
+        let aliases = parse_aliases("");
+        assert!(aliases.is_empty());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_extract_from_frontmatter_with_aliases() {
+        let content = r#"---
+id: character_01
+title: "John Doe"
+type: character
+aliases: ["Johnny", "JS"]
+---
+
+Some content here."#;
+        let item = extract_from_frontmatter("test.md", content).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(item.id, "character_01");
+        assert_eq!(item.name, "John Doe");
+        assert_eq!(item.item_type, "character");
+        assert_eq!(item.aliases, vec!["Johnny", "JS"]);
+    }
 }