# ZIM Examples
This directory contains example sidecar files showing the YAML + Markdown format that ZIM uses.
## Files
- [`minimal-sidecar.md`](minimal-sidecar.md) - A freshly generated sidecar with minimal metadata
- [`sidecar-example.md`](sidecar-example.md) - A fully populated sidecar showing all features:
- User-provided title and description
- Audio technical metadata (from FLAC/WAV files)
- File system metadata
- Tags for organization
- Visual art references with purposes
- Extensive markdown notes including recording details, mix notes, TODOs, and links
## YAML Fields
### Required Fields (automatically generated)
- `file`: Filename
- `path`: Relative path within project
- `file_size`: Size in bytes
- `modified`: Last modification timestamp
### Optional Fields (user-editable)
- `title`: Track/file title
- `description`: Brief description
- `tags`: Array of string tags
- `art`: Array of visual references, each with:
- `path`: Path to visual file
- `description`: What it is
- `purpose`: One of `inspiration`, `cover_art`, or `other`
### Audio-specific Fields (auto-extracted from FLAC/WAV)
- `duration`: Length in seconds
- `sample_rate`: Hz (e.g., 44100, 48000)
- `channels`: Number of channels
- `bit_depth`: Bits per sample
## Validation
Run `zim lint` to validate all YAML frontmatter in your project. This ensures your metadata is properly formatted before using it in scripts or automation.