Database Folder uses the Dataview plugin under the hood, but provides some nice quality of life improvements on top of it. Is i tas good as Notion's databases? Probably not yet, but maybe soon! ... Themes used in this video: Minimal (dark) and Sanctum (light). Plugins mentioned: Dataview, Templater, QuickAdd, Buttons, Database Folder
Hi Nicole, I tried using all these plugins and still don't have the command palette as it shows for you. I am trying to create a note in a specific folder, kickstarter/project for example. Also, it takes quiet some time for the plugins to load and removed many of them for faster loading but still feels buggy and hangs if there is a folder with images that I am browsing. Would you have a demo vault or how you can create files in folders from the command palette itself?
Hey, sorry for the delay! It's not the Command Palette that you want-- it is the Quick Switcher, which is a core plugin that you'll need to enable in your settings. I do have a demo vault that is available for Patreon members. Perhaps you would consider ending your membership on RU-vid and joining the Patreon instead? RU-vid unfortunately does not let me give as much to members since there is no central place that I can post things here.
Hi nicole, in the video (20:22 to be specific), are you using dataview API to use Javascript syntax? If so, what's the benefit of doing so rather than just simple dataview syntax? Thanks in advance!
I’ve so loved binging your videos recently! Am restarting my notetaking practice with Obsidian after trying Notion and wishing everything were more interlinked, instant, and less aesthetic. Your videos are interesting, clear, helpful, and give me hope for improved organization. Thank you! -Charles
Your videos are always ridiculously helpful and easy to understand. Thank you for yet another great Obsidian video. I'm sure this info will be very helpful.
Thank you for another great video! Your whole channel has made learning obsidian really easy for me, and I appreciate all the time and effort you put into each one.
Absolutely wonderful video ! Thank you so much ! I use Obsidian since almost a year and just considered to switch to Notion because of the Database system, but hey, this is actually better. Thanks for explaining it so well
Highly Recommend Obsidian Projects as an alternative to Database Folder. It not only provides better filter and sort functionality, it also provides alternate views such as a Kanban board, allowing you to drag-and-drop a kickstarter project from "In Progress" to "Fulfilled" state and similar! Still not a perfect solution but it's nearly there.
You know, it's interesting... I have been using Obsidian for a long time, but I essentially never integrate with it's community. Over time, however, certain names just become familiar. Either they made a plugin everyone uses, or they answer a lot of newbie forum questions, or they are co-cited on a lot of githubs... Then, by chance, I actually see one of these people on RU-vid. They now have a face, a name, a voice... and all of a sudden, the "brain dots"-connect, and a previously digital entity becomes a full-fledged human (with a bit of celebrity as well). And I realize that this complete stranger I know nothing about has had a very positive impact on my life without me even realizing it. So, thank you.
What a nice comment. I'm just a regular person geeking out about Obsidian, but I'm very happy that I've been able to share what I know! It's very humbling to think I've had a positive impact on your life. That really encourages me to keep going. So thank you for your kind words!
I really appreciate sharing your Data Model . I think I've finally got it straight in my mind how I want to organize my Obsidian usage to be optimized for me. That is, Capture what I need/want to remember or keep and Retrieve/Find it when I want it later. I REALLY appreciate showing the model of your metadata. That is something I really need. I sort of had an epiphany about using metadata to both automate and organize things from Josh Plunket's video on using the JSON/CSV importer. While I can find things based on folders and tags, I'm limited on how easily I can just build a query to put things on one page. I re-watched this video this morning (I first watched it a few days ago and couldn't remember which video you showed the data model, but I took a screenshot that showed the name of the video. lol) I then took notes on my re-watch so I don't have to rely on memory and a few screenshots. There's just so many cool things you can do with Obdisian that I get lost checking them all out insread of implementing one at a time. In re-watching I had a realization that this is just using Dataview queries to make a MOC page without manually creating every link. I really like how the Templater, QuickAdd, and Buttons plugins really leverage this. I've got a lot of notes in other text formats that I will be able to find and use the information more efficiently than my current process that worked great in the 90's but the tool I use (NoteTab) has not kept up with the times. Nearly no text highlighting and development has ceased. I learned its custom scripting language that doesn't transfer to other software, so I'm leveraging that knowledge to get the text in a useful format with helpful metadata in *.md files so I can use it in Obsidian. I really leveraged that tool nearly 25 years ago to be quick and efficient at my job, but I don't do as much of the things I originally used it for. Obsidian for tracking information is so much simpler and more customizable than OneNote, which I like some of it, but the data is locked up in Microsoft's proprietary format. Since Obsidian is so easy and portable, I plan to move out my OneNote data once I solve the NoteTab data transformation/transfer. I'm even more glad that I backed your Patreon a few days ago. Thanks for sharing such helpful and relevant information to get the most out of Obsidian!
Hey! It's weird for me to think you screenshotted my data model when I feel like it's pretty haphazard. :D But I'm glad that it helped! Yes, absolutely, you could definitely think of this as a MoC! Sometimes I like to add links myself, but I knew going in that I'd have a lot of projects, so I opted to automate it. :) I'm grateful for your support and I'm looking forward to seeing you on Patreon/Discord!
Thanks for the video! Have not heard of Database Folder before so definitely learned something new. Thanks for the performance overview as well. Because I don't trust my typing... for my Templater templates, I would use prompt like Status::
Awesome video Nicole, thank you. I took two specific actions to improve my own workflow based on things I learned from this: 1) active project list built by dataview using some of the techniques you showed, 2) button to open "this week's note"
Great work so far!! I'm amazed with how fast it's developed. Actually, I already deleted a part of this video because when I recorded it, there was an issue with scripts in the vault with a workaround of setting a different folder for js in the settings, but I see that's already been fixed! Speedy work. :)
Very nice (as usual). I especially appreciated the discussions discussing why you picked one implementation over another. I thought it added a lot to the explanations.
Thank you, Scott! Appreciate that feedback. I hemmed and hawed and wondered whether I should just show one or both without expressing opinions. Good to know you liked the extra explanation.
Awesome real-world example. I recently put together a google sheet with all of the various services I subscribe to across the web (netflix, readwise etc) to track them better. I hadn't quite put together at the time how I would do it in Obsidian. This is a great model. Thanks!
Happy you liked it! I suspect you have the same problem I do with subscriptions getting out of hand. :) I use You Need a Budget for all money-related things, but if I didn't, I think I'd use Obsidian for it as well!
With so many video options these days it has gotten to the point where I need to rotate them. I think I will note down the upcoming shows I want to watch on each service and use that as an indicator of which to add/drop each month. thanks again for the ideas.
Yes, red is great ❤ It's so cool when plugins work together to be more than their sum. For instance, the minimal theme, the minimal plugin, the style settings plugin, and the supercharged links plugin. Auto note mover looks useful but there are problems with v16+ and the dev seems to be unresponsive at the moment. Have a great weekend.
Well there you have it: you can be an absolute wizard at this stuff, and still, creating a database with a handful of entries is going to take a day. And dataview still only provides a "view", nothing that allows quick editing of entries (like Notion, for example). Same goes for the view itself; each one will require a new dataview codebox to create. @Rafael Gómez Bermejo / DB Folder, save us from ourselves!! Nicole, Love the video, love your work!
Thanks, JP! Yeah, there's no plugin that will help with entering data from multiple sources and accounts! This definitely took some time, but now that it's set up, it's super useful for me. Thanks for the support!
Nicole, you're the best! This video solved a major problem for me. I'm developing a project for a group I help manage, and I've been trying to decide the best method to do the work involved. I dabbled with Notion, and while it's "pretty," it has a pretty steep learning curve. A MySQL database is a bit of overkill, etc. This video gave the perfect solution, especially since I'm fairly familiar with Obsidian. Thanks a million!
I recently discovered the DB Folder plugin and I was wondering what would be its pros and cons against the use of Dataview, because I don't know how to program in Java.... This has solved some doubts for me, thank you. Although since you posted this video I imagine DB Folder has evolved.
Nicole, thank you for this excellent explainer! Got a tantalizing glimpse of your plugins. I know you have other videos detailing your top 5 or 10, but do you by any chance publish a list of all the ones you use? They all look useful to me; I suspect our general requirements are similar...
Hey Zach! I actually spent some time updating my currently installed plugins here: pulse.ly/5wym46zy7a for this question. :) I must warn you that some of them are plugins I'm just trying out, so I can't necessarily recommend them all. :) But there's my list-- for today anyway!
Yeah, I tried Metaedit for a while, but I didn't really see the point of using a plugin to do something I already have a note for. But it's all about what makes sense to each of us. :)
So far I've simply used comments to list the options inside the template itself, but I'll give the data model note a try. Thanks for the inspiring videos and comments!
Great to hear! I also like real use cases for that reason... I think sometimes we spend so much time learning about different plugins that we forget they're supposed to help us do other stuff!
Thank you! This video was super helpful and exactly what I needed. I am currently moving from Notion to Obsidian, and setting up a database is crucial for me. How does your dataview table have a horizontal scrollbar? Mine doesn't have this and I looked through the settings and couldn't figure this out...
Using FromTemplate you can create choice list to maintain a set of options for an attribute. I have a similar system to yours that I use to track kickstarters and using FromTemplate (plugin) I can inusre that I am consistent on those attributes that have a fixed selection of values.
I've heard from others that they struggle to stay consistent with the parameters they've used, but this hasn't really been an issue for me. Having a template and a Data Model page is enough for my use cases. It's pretty easy to fix mistakes on the odd occasion that I find one, anyway.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 📔 Nicole extensively uses Obsidian for a range of tasks and demonstrates how to manage her Kickstarter backlist. 00:29 🤑 Kickstarter allows pre-ordering of projects, but delivery can sometimes be delayed. Multiple platforms like Kickstarter, Backerkit, and Indiegogo exist, necessitating a unified tracking system. 00:58 💡 Nicole introduces her solution: a single Kickstarter Database in Obsidian using multiple plugins for a comprehensive view. 01:28 📋 She outlines her requirements, which include an overview page detailing the status of each project and links to in-depth information. 02:25 🗂️ Nicole demonstrates creating a Kickstarter folder to avoid mixing Kickstarter notes with other notes. 03:24 🛠️ The discussion moves to defining parameters for the Kickstarter template, like name, status, expected date, tier, comments, and links. 04:20 ⚙️ Nicole uses the Templater plugin to automate the application of the Kickstarter template, and Quick Add to streamline the creation of new Kickstarter project files. 05:49 🏷️ She highlights the importance of metadata for distinguishing Kickstarter projects and demonstrates adding it. 07:20 📊 Nicole showcases a Dataview query on a page, helping her see a summary of all her Kickstarter projects. 08:15 🔄 After populating her database with more projects, she returns to display the organized structure of her Kickstarters. 09:48 🔄 She explains the changes she made to the Kickstarter template, emphasizing the need to track both the original and updated expected dates of projects. 10:45 📄 Nicole introduces a "data model" page to maintain consistency in metadata across all Kickstarter notes. 12:36 🖲️ Nicole demonstrates using the Buttons plugin to create a clickable button for adding new Kickstarter projects. 14:05 🔄 She recaps the steps for creating a database in Obsidian and hints at simpler alternatives. 15:01 🎁 Nicole offers a sample database to her Patreon supporters as a starting point. 15:56 📌 She introduces the Database Folder plugin as a potential easier alternative, albeit with some limitations. 17:25 🕵️ Nicole demonstrates filtering projects based on their status in the database. 18:50 ⚠️ She addresses the performance issues and other drawbacks of the Database Folder plugin, explaining why she prefers manual Dataview queries. 21:42 📚 Nicole emphasizes the benefits of structured templates in Obsidian, advocating for a standardized approach. 22:09 📹 She wraps up and directs viewers to another video for beginners wanting to explore the Dataview plugin in-depth. Made with HARPA AI
Thanks for the useful information Nicole! I'm still pretty new to Obsidian and I've learned a lot from watching your channel. I was wondering how you get those notes in open in tabs?
Hi Jason, that's an Obsidian feature that will be released to the public soon! I have a video on it that I'll publish when the latest version is available as well.
I'm not sure why she did it for the date in this case, but the %% section is used to overcome an inherent limitation of Obsidian's frontmatter (the --- section) : Basically, all the [[links]] you put in the frontmatter won't have their path updated if you decide to rename them or move them somewhere else in your vault. This is where the %% are useful, they allow you to set link metadata directly in the text of your note and they get hidden when you switch to read mode (note that they use double colon notation :: because they are dataview property rather than frontmatter property since the latter is only available in the frontmatter section).
Nice and detailed tutorial. But it took me several minutes to figure out that I need to enable "Trigger Templater on new file creation" in Templater to use "Folder Template".
Dear Nicole van der Hoeven . I'm using Obsidian over a month, and I have been learnt a lot by your YT videos and really enjoy the App. MY QS is left side of your Obsodian have a lot of Quick Icons. I have 21 plugins maybe more but intresting why I have just 7 quick button on my left side panel ... Could u make a video for this topic or answer me ? I recognise some of them tq, templater, graph view , advanced table ... Thx for the reading and have a good Day.
Fantastic video!! I love it! I'm using a similar implementation of your database using quickadd and dataview... dou you know if there is a way to automate the quick Action command, so you use the "add DB Item" and specify the template that you wish to usefor this db all in the same command?
Hi! I wouldn't compare them. Projects is a framework for using display plugins, and Database Folder is one of those plugins. Database Folder actually integrates well with Projects and is ONE view in the Projects framework.
Hoi Nicole. Ik ben op je kanaal uitgekomen toen ik geïnteresseerd werd in Obsidian. Bedankt voor je werk daar in. Ik ben bezig mijn papieren boeken daar in op te slaan, maar zucht onder het repetitief werk. Voortaan onder ik have weg van opzet verander. Ik ben gewend om dit soort dingen in Filemaker te doen omdat je daar het schema van de database kan scheiden van de presentatie. Ik gebruik nu book search maar ben nog niet overtuigd. Heb je nog goeie tips? Helpt Template bij mijn worsteling? Groet Joerka.
Hoi! Ik weet niks van Filemaker, maar Dataview + Templater kan wel helpen. Je kan en soort boektemplate maken voor alle papieren boeken, en dan de template herbruiken. Papieren boeken zijn altijd moeilijk om over te zetten, dus ik heb zelf liever aan ebooks!
Hi Nicole, I absolutely appreciate your videos. As you showed your Data model, I saw that you track your date in an array with dates for creation and modification. Is there an automated / plugin way to update these or do you update these by yourself? I also want to keep track of the modification date on my notes, but of course, when using templater last_modified_date will also be replaced when creating a new note. Thank you very much!
@@nicolevdh Thanks for the reply. I was afraid of something like this, but then I will use my good old and trusty Alfred for this purpose :) Can only recommend the application, if not known (which would hardly surpise me tbo)
Do you have more videos on dataview js? I love the way you did the grouping but would have never thought to be able to do that. Thanks for your videos!
Hey Sal, you can do a search and replace on frontmatter (using a separate IDE like VSCode or using one of the FInd and Replace plugins. Database Folder also lets you edit parameter values in a graphical way.
Glad you liked it! :) I don't believe there is a way in Database Folder to change all values of a parameter across all the notes, but it does provide an easier interface for doing it manually. Personally, I prefer to open up my Obsidian vault in an IDE or text editor (I like VSCode) and do a "Search and replace" to change, for example, the name of a parameter.
I set up database folder plugin for my private todo management (using normal notes as todo's). Adding new notes is no problem for me, i just enter the "filename" of the new note and then hit "+". I also did not notice any performance issues yet. What I really like about database folder plugin for my use case is the ability to enter data into the database like in MS Excel (might also be like in Notion, I do not know Notion though). You did not mention that in the video. For example: I do not have to click on each note to enter a due date in the due-date-yaml property there, but can enter this directly into the database in the database spreadsheet view, one entry after the other (without individually clicking on each entry). This is not possible in the dataview plugin as far as I know.
I'm extremely performance-sensitive (I'm a performance tester by profession) and I have more notes than most people, which isn't a great combination. If it works for you, great! I do know about adding parameters, but it isn't a great option for me since it adds them in the YAML frontmatter instead of as inline parameters. But again, use whatever works for you!
@@nicolevdh I just discovered that it is possible to define settings for each parameter in database folder plugin. In the first setting you can define the parameter to be inline: "convert field to inline".
From a Dataview perspective, there is no difference between properties in YAML frontmatter and in-line parameters. They're treated the same way. Tags are not like properties, and are treated by Dataview a bit more like folders. Tags don't have values - they more like keywords in themselves.
Regarding embedding Database Folder data: I was not aware of doing this with ![[]] operators. But I simply embed it with a normal dataview query (```dataview LIST FROM ```). In this view the filter is not applied.
Yes, I am aware of that. In the video, I said that the way I prefer to do it is to just embed the Dataview queries, which is exactly what you're suggesting now.
Nice and very helpful video! I do have the problem that when I create a new file with the QuickAdd Plugin, the title and date don't automatically fill in. But it works when first creating the file and then inserting the template. Does anyone have an how to fix it? Tried bot "" and "{{date}}"
It sound like you may have the Templates plugin enabled as well as Templater. Try disabling Templates and using the Templater syntax only to avoid confusion.
