Base Template

Configure template notes for Obsidian Base views and automatically populate newly created items with rendered template bodies, variable substitutions, and merged frontmatter.

Features

• 📑 Per-View Template Configuration: Assign a specific template note to any Base view layout (Table, Kanban, Cards, List, or custom view types).
• 🔘 Seamless Creation Workflow: Overrides the toolbar New button, the + button at the bottom of Kanban columns, and the Bases: Add item command to create notes using your selected template.
• 🪄 Dynamic Variable Replacement: Supports {{title}}, {{date}}, {{time}}, and custom date/time formats (e.g., {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}}, {{time:HH:mm}}).
• 🧩 Smart Frontmatter Merging:
  • Preserves template frontmatter defaults when table columns are empty.
  • Automatically applies non-null view filter values (e.g. status: In Progress).
  • Merges and deduplicates tags arrays across the template and view filters.
  • Applies Kanban group/column properties on top when clicking + in a specific column.
• 🎯 Target Folder Resolution: Places new notes in the Base filter folder or the vault default new note location (not in the template's folder).
• ⚡ Zero Global Configuration: Configuration lives directly inside your .base files per view. No extra global settings needed.

Installation

From Community Plugins (Recommended)

1. In Obsidian, open Settings → Community plugins.
2. Turn on Community plugins if disabled.
3. Click Browse and search for Base Template.
4. Click Install, then Enable.

Manual Installation

1. Download main.js and manifest.json from the latest release.
2. Create a folder in your vault: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/base-template/.
3. Copy main.js and manifest.json into that folder.
4. Reload Obsidian and enable Base Template in Settings → Community plugins.

Usage

1. Assigning a Template to a Base View

1. Open any .base file or a note containing an embedded base (![[MyBase.base]]).
2. Click the view switcher icon in the toolbar, then select Configure view (or right-click the active view tab).
3. Scroll down in the view configuration menu to the Template setting.
4. Select any Markdown note in your vault to act as the template for this view.

2. Creating New Items

• Click the New button in the Base toolbar.
• Or click the + button at the bottom of any column in a Kanban Base view.
• Or trigger the Bases: Add item command from the Command Palette (Ctrl/Cmd + P).

The new note will be created with the template's content, formatted variables, and merged frontmatter properties.

Template Syntax Reference

The plugin supports standard template placeholders in both frontmatter and note body:

Example Template Note (Templates/Project-Task.md)

---
status: Backlog
priority: Normal
tags:
  - task
  - project
---
# {{title}}

Created on {{date:YYYY-MM-DD}} at {{time}}.

## Objectives
- [ ] Initial planning
- [ ] Implementation
- [ ] Review

When created from a Base view filtered to status: In Progress, the new note's status will automatically be set to In Progress while keeping priority: Normal, merging tags, and replacing {{title}} and {{date}}.

Compatibility

• Requires Obsidian v1.10.0 or later with the core Bases plugin enabled.
• Fully compatible with desktop and mobile (iOS and Android).

License

MIT / 0-BSD License — see LICENSE for details.