Obsidian Knowledge Management
Complete guide for Obsidian - knowledge base on local markdown files.
Quick Reference
Key Concepts
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Vault | Folder containing notes |
| Note | Markdown file |
| Link | Connection between notes |
| Tag | Categorization marker |
| Graph | Visual note connections |
File Structure
code
vault/ +-- .obsidian/ # Settings | +-- plugins/ | +-- themes/ | +-- workspace.json +-- Daily Notes/ +-- Templates/ +-- Notes/
Markdown Syntax
Internal Links
markdown
[[Note Name]] # Basic link [[Note Name|Display Text]] # Link with alias [[Note Name#Heading]] # Link to heading [[Note Name#^block-id]] # Link to block ![[Note Name]] # Embed note ![[Note Name#Heading]] # Embed specific section
Tags
markdown
#tag #nested/tag # Inline tags --- tags: [tag1, tag2] # YAML frontmatter tags ---
Callouts
markdown
> [!note] > This is a note callout > [!warning] > This is a warning > [!tip] > This is a tip > [!info]- Collapsed > This is collapsed by default
Task Lists
markdown
- [ ] Incomplete task - [x] Completed task - [/] In progress - [-] Cancelled
Frontmatter (YAML)
yaml
--- title: Note Title date: 2024-01-15 tags: [tag1, tag2] aliases: [alias1, alias2] status: draft author: Name ---
Templates
Daily Note Template
markdown
---
date: {{date}}
tags: [daily]
---
# {{date:dddd, MMMM D, YYYY}}
## Tasks
- [ ]
## Notes
## Journal
---
[[{{date:YYYY-MM-DD|yesterday}}|<- Yesterday]] | [[{{date:YYYY-MM-DD|tomorrow}}|Tomorrow ->]]
Meeting Template
markdown
---
date: {{date}}
tags: [meeting]
attendees:
type: meeting
---
# Meeting: {{title}}
## Attendees
-
## Agenda
1.
## Notes
## Action Items
- [ ]
Dataview Plugin
Basic Queries
dataview
# List all notes with tag LIST FROM #tag # Table of notes TABLE file.ctime as Created, status FROM "Projects" WHERE status = "active" SORT file.ctime DESC # Task list TASK FROM "Daily Notes" WHERE !completed GROUP BY file.link
Advanced Queries
dataview
# Books read this year TABLE rating, author, year FROM #book WHERE completed AND year = 2024 SORT rating DESC # Upcoming deadlines TABLE due, status FROM "Tasks" WHERE due >= date(today) AND due <= date(today) + dur(7 days) SORT due ASC # Recent notes LIST FROM "" WHERE file.mday >= date(today) - dur(7 days) SORT file.mday DESC LIMIT 10
Templater Plugin
Basic Syntax
markdown
<%* /* JavaScript code */ %>
<% /* Output */ %>
# Get current date
<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD") %>
# Get title
<% tp.file.title %>
# Create date with offset
<% tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD", 7) %>
# Cursor position
<% tp.file.cursor() %>
User Prompts
markdown
<%*
const title = await tp.system.prompt("Enter title");
const type = await tp.system.suggester(
["Task", "Note", "Project"],
["task", "note", "project"]
);
_%>
# <% title %>
Type: <% type %>
File Operations
markdown
<%*
// Move file
await tp.file.move("/Archive/" + tp.file.title);
// Rename file
await tp.file.rename("New Name");
// Create file
await tp.file.create_new("Content", "New Note");
%>
Vault Organization
PARA Method
code
vault/ +-- 1 - Projects/ +-- 2 - Areas/ +-- 3 - Resources/ +-- 4 - Archive/ +-- Templates/
Zettelkasten
code
vault/ +-- Fleeting/ +-- Literature/ +-- Permanent/ +-- Index/
Essential Hotkeys
code
Cmd/Ctrl + N New note Cmd/Ctrl + O Quick switcher Cmd/Ctrl + P Command palette Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F Search all files Cmd/Ctrl + E Toggle edit/preview Cmd/Ctrl + G Open graph view
Essential Plugins
Core
- •Dataview: Database queries
- •Templater: Advanced templates
- •QuickAdd: Quick captures
- •Periodic Notes: Daily/weekly notes
- •Calendar: Calendar view
Productivity
- •Tasks: Task management
- •Kanban: Kanban boards
- •Projects: Project management
- •Excalidraw: Drawings
Organization
- •Tag Wrangler: Tag management
- •Folder Notes: Folder index
- •Auto Link Title: Auto fetch titles
- •Note Refactor: Split/merge notes
Git Backup
bash
# .gitignore .obsidian/workspace.json .obsidian/workspace-mobile.json .obsidian/plugins/*/data.json .trash/
Best Practices
- •Regular backups - Git or sync service
- •Consistent naming - Use conventions
- •Use templates - Speed up note creation
- •Link liberally - Build knowledge graph
- •Daily notes - Capture everything
- •Review regularly - Process inbox
- •Minimal plugins - Only what you need
- •Frontmatter - Structured metadata
- •Atomic notes - One idea per note
- •Document workflows - Create guides for yourself
When to Use This Skill
- •Setting up Obsidian vaults
- •Creating templates and workflows
- •Writing Dataview queries
- •Developing Templater scripts
- •Organizing knowledge bases
- •Building PKM systems