Auto View Mode

An Obsidian plugin that automatically switches between Reading View, Source Mode, and Live Preview when you open a note -- based on a frontmatter key.

Features

• Set a per-note view mode using frontmatter
• Configurable frontmatter key name (default: auto-view-mode)
• Supports all three Obsidian view modes: Reading View, Source Mode, and Live Preview
• Lightweight with no external dependencies

Installation

Obsidian Community Plugin (pending)

This plugin has been submitted for review to the Obsidian community plugin directory. Once approved, you will be able to install it directly from Settings > Community plugins > Browse by searching for "Auto View Mode".

Using BRAT

You can install this plugin right now using the BRAT plugin:

1. Install BRAT from Settings > Community plugins > Browse (search for "BRAT" by TfTHacker)

2. Open the BRAT settings

3. Under the Beta plugins section, click Add beta plugin

   

4. In the overlay, enter this plugin's repository: https://github.com/saltyfireball/obsidian-auto-view-mode (or just saltyfireball/obsidian-auto-view-mode)

   

5. Leave the version set to latest

   

6. Click Add plugin

Manual

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Copy main.js and manifest.json into your vault's .obsidian/plugins/auto-view-mode/ directory
3. Enable the plugin in Settings > Community plugins

Usage

Add the frontmatter key to any note to control which view mode it opens in:

---
auto-view-mode: preview
---

Accepted Values

Value	View Mode
preview or reading	Reading View
source	Source Mode
edit or live	Live Preview

Custom Frontmatter Key

By default the plugin reads from the auto-view-mode frontmatter key. You can change this to any name you like in the plugin settings:

1. Go to Settings > Auto View Mode
2. Change the Frontmatter key field to your preferred key name

For example, if you set it to view, your frontmatter would look like:

---
view: source
---

License

MIT