Deck Notes

Define card decks for activities, strategies, or any content you want to rotate through. Embed cards in your notes or browse them in a modal. Filter by tag hierarchies to narrow your selection.

Features

• Random or Least-Recent Selection - View cards randomly or ensure you see all cards evenly
• Tag-Based Deck Organization - Organize cards using hierarchical #flashcards/* tags
• View Tracking - Optional tracking to prioritize cards you haven't seen recently
• Simple Markdown Format - Use H2 headings to define cards
• Switch Decks on the Fly - Cycle through discovered deck tags within the modal

Installation

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract the files into your vault's plugins folder: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/deck-notes/
3. Reload Obsidian
4. Enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

Development Installation

1. Clone this repository into your vault's plugins folder:

   cd <vault>/.obsidian/plugins
   git clone https://github.com/ebullient/obsidian-flashcards.git deck-notes
   cd deck-notes
   

2. Install dependencies and build:

   npm install
   npm run build
   

3. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin

Card Format

Cards are created from markdown files using H2 headings (##). Each heading becomes one card.

Example

---
tags:
- flashcards/activities
---

#flashcards/activities/morning
## CARD 1: Morning Stretching Routine

Start your day with gentle movement:

1. Neck rolls - 5 each direction
2. Shoulder shrugs - 10 reps
3. Side stretches - hold 15 seconds each side
4. Forward fold - hold 30 seconds

Take your time and breathe deeply.

---

#flashcards/activities/creative
## CARD 2: Creative Writing Prompt

**Setting:** A library that only opens at midnight

**Challenge:** Write for 10 minutes about what books are found there and who visits.

---

#flashcards/activities/mindfulness
## CARD 3: Breathing Exercise

**Box Breathing:**

- Inhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Exhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts

Repeat 4 times.

---

Format Rules

• H2 headings (##) mark the start of each card
• Horizontal rules (---) mark the end of card content (optional)
• Tag lines starting with #flashcards are automatically stripped from display
• Content after --- is ignored (use for notes, metadata, etc.)

Configuration

Open Settings → Deck Notes to configure:

Card Paths

List of folders or files to scan for cards (one per line, relative to vault root). This defines which files are scanned, not which cards are displayed.

Example:

Activities/Exercises
Daily/Prompts
Resources/Meditations.md

Default Deck Tag

The default tag used by "Show Random Activity Card" command (e.g., activities or activities/morning). Leave empty to select from all cards with any #flashcards/* tag.

Track Views

Enable tracking of when cards were last viewed. Required for "Least Recently Viewed" selection mode.

Selection Mode

• Random - Pure random selection
• Least Recently Viewed - Prioritizes cards you haven't seen recently

Commands

Show Card

Opens a modal displaying a card from your default deck (or all cards if no default is set).

Modal Controls:

• Switch Deck - Cycle through discovered deck tags (e.g., activities, activities/morning)
• Next Card - View another card (records the current card as viewed)
• Done - Close the modal

Embed Card

Inserts a card as a collapsible callout at the cursor position.

Refresh Cards

Rescans all configured paths to pick up new or modified cards.

Usage Tips

Organizing Cards with Tags

Cards are organized into decks using hierarchical #flashcards/* tags. Tags support hierarchy, so selecting activities will show cards tagged with activities, activities/morning, activities/creative, etc.

Tag inheritance:

• Tags in frontmatter apply to all cards in the file
• Tags before each H2 heading apply only to that card
• Cards can have multiple tags for multiple deck membership

Example structure:

Activities/stretches.md → All cards get #flashcards/activities from frontmatter
  Card 1: Also tagged #flashcards/activities/morning
  Card 2: Also tagged #flashcards/activities/evening

Journal/prompts.md → All cards get #flashcards/creative from frontmatter
  Card 1: Also tagged #flashcards/creative/writing
  Card 2: Also tagged #flashcards/creative/art

View Tracking

With "Track Views" enabled and "Least Recently Viewed" selection mode, the plugin ensures you see all cards before repeating. Perfect for:

• Daily meditation rotations
• Exercise variety
• Prompt cycling

Tags for Deck Organization

Use hierarchical #flashcards/* tags to organize cards:

• Add tags in frontmatter: tags: [flashcards/activities] (applies to all cards in file)
• Add inline tags before H2 headings: #flashcards/activities/morning (applies to single card)
• Lines starting with #flashcards are automatically stripped from card display
• Cards support any markdown formatting (bold, lists, links, etc.)

API Access

The plugin exposes a JavaScript API at window.deckNotes.api:

// Get a random card embed
window.deckNotes.api.embedCard('activities')

// Get all discovered deck tags
window.deckNotes.api.getTags()

// Select cards by hash
window.deckNotes.api.selectCardsByHash(['card-hash-1', 'card-hash-2'])

// Get random card from hash list
window.deckNotes.api.selectCardByHash(['card-hash-1', 'card-hash-2'])

Development

Building

npm run build      # Production build
npm run dev        # Watch mode
npm run lint       # Check for issues
npm run fix        # Auto-fix linting issues
npm run format     # Format code

Project Structure

src/
  ├── @types/
  │   └── settings.d.ts  # TypeScript interfaces
  ├── dn-Plugin.ts       # Main plugin class
  ├── dn-CardParser.ts   # Parse files into cards
  ├── dn-Modal.ts        # Card display modal
  ├── dn-SettingsTab.ts  # Settings UI
  ├── dn-Constants.ts    # Default settings
  └── main.ts                    # Entry point

License

MIT

Author

ebullient