Obsidian Database Plugin

Notion-like database views for Obsidian. Interactive tables, kanban boards, calendars, and timelines over your markdown files with inline editing.

What it does

Turn any folder of markdown files into a database. Your YAML frontmatter becomes the data, and the plugin gives you four views to work with it:

• Table view -- spreadsheet-like grid with inline editing, sorting, filtering, and search
• Kanban view -- drag-and-drop cards grouped by any select/multi-select property
• Calendar view -- monthly calendar with events placed by date, drag to reschedule
• Timeline view -- horizontal Gantt-style chart showing records as bars across date ranges, with zoom (week/month/quarter/year), today marker, optional grouping, and color-coded bars

All edits write directly to your markdown files' frontmatter. No proprietary database -- your notes stay portable.

Features

• Inline editing -- click any cell to edit. Supports text, number, date, select, multi-select, checkbox, and relation columns.
• Inline file rename -- click the cell area around a file name to rename it. Click the name link to open the note.
• Relations with picker -- searchable dropdown for linking to notes in other database folders. Respects the target database's dbViewType filter. Create new entries directly from the picker.
• Bidirectional relations -- per-column toggle that auto-creates the reverse column in the target database. Adding or removing a link automatically syncs the back-link. Deleting a relation column or record cleans up all back-links.
• Cross-view refresh -- changes to relations, schema, or records automatically refresh any other open database view affected by the change.
• Recursive subfolder scanning -- opt-in "Include subfolders" toggle in settings that scans the entire folder tree for records. Works with dbViewType filter. New records still create in the root folder. Relation pickers respect the target database's recursive setting.
• Row selection and bulk delete -- checkbox on each row with select-all in the header. Soft red delete button appears in the toolbar when records are selected. Deleting cleans up all bidirectional back-links.
• Sort -- click column headers to sort, Shift+click for multi-level sort. Sort dropdown for manual rule management.
• Filter -- filter by any column with operators (is, is not, contains, is empty, etc.). Filter values come from your actual data.
• Search -- full-text search across all fields via the magnifying glass icon.
• Column visibility -- hide/show columns per view via the eye icon dropdown. db-view-type column is auto-hidden when the filter is active.
• Column configuration -- add, edit, reorder, and delete columns via the gear icon on column headers. Gear icon opens an inline dropdown (not a modal) with auto-save -- changes apply immediately, no Save button needed. Per-column "Wrap text" toggle. "+" button discovers existing frontmatter properties. File column label is editable but type is locked.
• Column reorder -- drag column headers to rearrange columns. Drop indicator shows where the column will land. Order persists in the schema.
• Column resize -- drag the right edge of any column header to resize. Widths persist per view in the schema.
• Text overflow -- by default, long text truncates with ellipsis. Enable "Wrap text" per column to show full content. Applies to text, file names, relations, and multi-select tags.
• Relation tags -- linked notes display as styled pill tags with a subtle gray background. Clickable to navigate to the note.
• Database settings -- gear dropdown for database name, template folder (with folder autocomplete), and view type filter. All settings auto-save on change.
• Property type sync -- column types sync to Obsidian's types.json so the Properties editor shows the correct input widgets.
• Schema-level filter -- set dbViewType in settings to show only files whose db-view-type frontmatter matches. Enables multiple databases in one folder.
• Template picker -- configure a templateFolder in settings, then use the split "+ New" button's dropdown arrow to create records from any .md template in that folder. Plain "+ New" click always creates a blank record. No templates configured? The button stays simple with no dropdown.
• New records -- "+ New" button creates a note with default frontmatter from the schema (including db-view-type if configured) and opens it for editing.
• Auto-discovery -- when a database loads, frontmatter properties not yet in the schema are automatically discovered and added as columns with guessed types.
• Editable database title -- H2 heading above the view showing the database name. Click to rename -- also renames the .dbview file.
• File explorer entry -- a .dbview file is created in each database folder. Click it to open the database view. Clicking again reveals the existing tab instead of opening a duplicate.
• Live updates -- file changes, renames, and deletions are reflected immediately in the view.
• View management -- Notion-style tabs for views. Create new table/kanban/calendar/timeline views with the "+" button, rename by double-clicking, right-click for context menu (rename, set as default, delete). Sort and filter state persists per view.
• View persistence -- database views survive Obsidian restarts. Tab title shows the database name. View-specific settings (e.g. timeline zoom level) persist across sessions.
• Codeblock embedding -- embed interactive database views inside any markdown note using a ```database codeblock. Full editing, live updates, and view selection. Great for dashboards and project pages.
• Theme-aware -- inherits all styles from your Obsidian theme via CSS variables. Select tag colors use a Notion-inspired palette.

How it compares to Obsidian's built-in tools

Obsidian has Properties (a per-file frontmatter editor) and the experimental Bases (early beta). This plugin takes a fundamentally different approach — it treats a folder of markdown files as a full database with multiple interactive views.

Capability	Obsidian Properties / Bases	This Plugin
Views	Single-file property editor; Bases has a basic table	Table, Kanban, Calendar, Timeline/Gantt
Inline editing	One file at a time	Edit any cell across all records in any view
Relations	None	Bidirectional wikilink relations with auto-sync
Rollups	None	Computed rollup columns across relations
Drag-and-drop	None	Kanban cards, calendar events, timeline bars
Schema	No schema — raw frontmatter	Typed columns with options, colors, and validation
Multi-view	One view per file	Notion-style tabs per database
Codeblock embedding	No	Interactive views inside any note
Templates	Requires separate plugin	Built-in multi-folder template picker
Data format	Frontmatter	Frontmatter (fully compatible — your data stays portable)
Dependencies	Core Obsidian	Zero external dependencies

In short: If Obsidian Properties is a spreadsheet cell, this plugin is the full spreadsheet — plus kanban, calendar, and Gantt views on top.

Getting started

1. Install the plugin (copy main.js, manifest.json, styles.css to .obsidian/plugins/obsidian-database-plugin/)
2. Create a .database.json file in any folder to define the schema (see below)
3. Right-click the folder in the file explorer and select "Open as database"
4. A .dbview file is created automatically -- click it anytime to reopen the database

Schema format (.database.json)

{
  "name": "Projects",
  "source": ".",
  "dbViewType": "projects",
  "columns": [
    { "id": "name", "type": "file", "label": "Name" },
    { "id": "status", "type": "select", "label": "Status", "options": [
      { "value": "Not Started", "color": "gray" },
      { "value": "In Progress", "color": "blue" },
      { "value": "Done", "color": "green" }
    ]},
    { "id": "due", "type": "date", "label": "Due Date" },
    { "id": "effort", "type": "number", "label": "Effort (hrs)" },
    { "id": "done", "type": "checkbox", "label": "Complete" }
  ],
  "views": [
    { "id": "table-1", "type": "table", "sort": [{"column": "due", "dir": "asc"}] },
    { "id": "kanban-1", "type": "kanban", "groupBy": "status" },
    { "id": "calendar-1", "type": "calendar", "dateField": "due", "colorBy": "status" }
  ]
}

Column types

Type	Description	YAML format
file	Note name (auto, first column)	--
text	Free text	key: value
number	Numeric value	key: 42
date	Date picker	key: 2026-03-18
select	Single-select with colors	key: [Value]
multi-select	Multi-select with colors	key: [A, B]
checkbox	Boolean toggle	key: true
relation	Link to notes in another folder (with picker and bidirectional sync)	key: "[[Note]]"
rollup	Computed from relations	(read-only)

Relation columns

To link between databases, add a relation column with target pointing to another database folder. Enable bidirectional sync to auto-create a reverse column in the target:

{
  "id": "tasks",
  "type": "relation",
  "label": "Tasks",
  "target": "Tasks",
  "multiple": true,
  "bidirectional": true,
  "reverseColumnId": "project"
}

The reverse column (project) is auto-created in the target database's schema with matching bidirectional config. Back-links are synced automatically when relations are added or removed.

Codeblock embedding

Embed a database view inside any note using a fenced codeblock:

```database
source: Projects
view: Main
maxHeight: 400
```

Property	Required	Description
source	Yes	Folder path containing the .database.json schema
view	No	View name (e.g., Main) or type (e.g., kanban). Falls back to default view.
maxHeight	No	Max height in pixels. If set, the view scrolls vertically beyond this height. By default, the view expands to show all rows.

The embedded view is fully interactive -- you can edit cells, add records, sort, and filter just like in a tab. Multiple codeblocks (same or different databases) work independently. Edits in one view are reflected in all others showing the same data.

Available colors

gray, red, orange, yellow, green, teal, blue, purple, pink, brown

Known issues

• External file renames break relation backlinks -- when a file linked via a bidirectional relation is renamed outside Obsidian (e.g., in Windows Explorer or via cloud sync), the backlink in the target database becomes stale. Renaming inside Obsidian works correctly. Workaround: after an external rename, manually update the backlink in the target file's frontmatter.

Development

npm install
npm run dev       # watch mode
npm run build     # production build
npm test          # run tests (300 tests)

Architecture

Three-layer design:

1. Data Layer (src/data/) -- frontmatter parsing, file indexing, caching, change watching
2. Database Engine (src/engine/) -- schema management, query/filter/sort, relation resolution, rollups
3. View Layer (src/views/) -- Preact components for table, kanban, calendar, cell editors, toolbar

The DatabaseController (src/views/database-controller.ts) is a shared data layer used by both the tab-based DatabaseView and the codeblock renderer. It manages schema, records, file events, and all mutation handlers. The view wrappers are thin: DatabaseView (~140 lines) delegates to the controller for all data operations.

Tech stack

• TypeScript (strict mode)
• Preact (3KB React-compatible UI)
• esbuild (bundler)
• Vitest (testing)
• Obsidian Plugin API

Roadmap

• Community plugin registry submission (v1.0.0)
• Customizable color schemes
• Formula column support
• Gallery view
• CSV import/export

License

MIT