MarkBase

MarkBase combines Markdown and Obsidian Bases into one Freeform view. Rendering the visible properties and formulas for every query result as one continuous Markdown document.

Features

• Render selected note properties, file properties, and formulas as Markdown.
• Control rendered content and its sequence with the Base properties menu.
• Follow internal links and select rendered text for copying.
• Add a multiline Markdown separator between results, or leave it empty.
• Place each note's Markdown body anywhere in the property order.
• Show body excerpts through formulas: line ranges, tagged lines or blocks, and regex matches.
• Edit note bodies with cursor-sensitive Markdown formatting and wikilink suggestions.
• Optionally override the property layout with a reusable Markdown template.
• Run entirely inside the vault without network requests.

Examples

Requirements

• Obsidian 1.13.0 or later.
• The Bases core plugin must be enabled.

Use the Freeform view

1. Open a Base and change its layout to Freeform.
2. Use the Base properties menu to choose and reorder the properties and formulas to render.
3. Open Configure view → Line separator to set the Markdown placed between properties inside each result. The default is \n. Enter \n\n for a blank line between blocks.
4. Open Configure view → File separator to set the Markdown placed between results. Enter \n for a new line, such as ---\n\n---, or clear the option to join results without a separator.
5. Enable Configure view → Add file contents (one-shot button) to add file.contents to the property order. The option turns itself off after it runs. Then drag file.contents in the Base properties menu to where the note's Markdown body should render. YAML frontmatter is omitted.

• Please note that due to technical limitations it is not currently possible to add from the "properties" menu.

6. To edit note bodies in place, enable Configure view → Enable file contents editing, then select a rendered note body. Markdown markers appear for the formatting at the caret. Type [[ to search for notes and insert a wikilink. Changes save when focus leaves the editor.
7. Under Configure view → Export, configure the default vault folder and file name for future exports. Default folder provides suggestions from the folders that already exist in the vault.
8. Under Configure view → Folding, enable or disable controls for folding Markdown heading sections and complete notes. Select the gutter chevron beside a heading to fold its section. Select the outer gutter chevron beside a note to fold the complete note.

Fold chevrons appear on hover or keyboard focus. Folded chevrons stay visible. On touch devices, all fold chevrons stay visible. A folded note shows its filename so you can find it and expand it. Heading folding also works in editable note previews.

Each selected value is rendered as Markdown, in property-menu order. Single newlines in multiline formula values remain visible. file.name is rendered as a link to its note. Changes to matching notes, formulas, property order, and view options update the view automatically.

Grouped Bases show group headers when Show export button is off. When Show export button is on, group headers appear only if Group by creates separate output files is on. This setting still controls whether exports create one file or separate files.

Use a template override

For a fixed custom layout, create a Markdown file and add placeholders using full Bases property IDs:

# [[{{file.path}}|{{note.title}}]]

{{formula.summary}}

{{file.contents}}

Then select it under Configure view → Template override. The template is repeated for every result. Because the template explicitly controls placement, its placeholder order takes precedence over the Base properties menu. Clear Template override to return to property-order rendering. In template mode, the line separator setting is ignored because the template provides the layout.

The view replaces these placeholder forms before rendering:

Whitespace inside braces is optional. Missing values render as empty text. Unsupported placeholders remain unchanged. Formula expressions must be defined in the Base first; the template references their formula.name.

In template mode, place {{file.contents}} where the note body should appear.

file.contents is provided by the Freeform view, not the Bases formula engine. Obsidian currently does not expose an API for plugins to add file properties to formula evaluation, so it cannot be referenced from a Base formula.

Show partial file contents with formulas

Create a Base formula that returns a MarkBase instruction list. Then select that formula in the Base properties menu.

MarkBase resolves the instruction into Markdown in Freeform previews and exports. Templates also support these formulas through placeholders such as {{formula.Excerpt}}.

Line ranges: Line 1 starts immediately after YAML frontmatter. Blank lines count, and both endpoints are included. A final newline does not add an extra empty line. A range beyond the body returns the available lines or empty text. Invalid, non-positive, fractional, or reversed ranges produce an error.

Tags: The leading # is optional. Matches ignore case and include nested tags. For example, #todo matches #todo/work, but not #todoish. Only inline tags that Obsidian recognizes select content. Frontmatter tags and tag-like text inside code fences do not select content.

Output modes: Tag and regex selectors require lines or blocks. The blocks mode uses Obsidian's root-level Markdown blocks, including whole paragraphs, lists, callouts, tables, and code fences. A heading selects only its heading block, not the entire heading section.

Regex: Each line or block is a separate match target. Block patterns can match across lines. The optional flags are i, m, s, and u. Patterns are strings without surrounding / delimiters. Escape backslashes for the Bases string, as the task example shows. Regex selectors can match literal text inside code fences.

Source order and indentation remain unchanged within each excerpt. Separated lines use one newline. Separated blocks use a blank line. No matches produce empty text. Obsidian metadata must be available for tag and block selection. If metadata is not current, the view shows an error and updates after indexing.

Regex selection uses a local worker with a 1,000 ms timeout per instruction. Invalid patterns, timeouts, and unavailable workers produce explicit errors. An export stops before it writes files if an instruction fails.

Limits: Excerpts are read-only, even if full-body editing is enabled. These formulas return instructions, not native text values. Other Bases layouts show the instruction list. Bases cannot filter, sort, group, or calculate on the resolved excerpt. Native expressions can supply selector arguments, but operations such as .join() do not operate on excerpt text. Each formula must return one complete instruction list. Cross-note selection and selector chaining are not supported.

Each result is rendered relative to its source note, so relative links and embeds resolve in that note's context. Template edits are reflected automatically. MarkBase does not add labels, italics, callouts, or other formatting; those come only from property values or an explicitly selected template.

Demo vault

The ready-made mark-base-demo-vault includes a Base, two sample notes, and a Freeform template.

Install for development

1. Install dependencies:

   npm install
   

2. Build the plugin:

   npm run build
   

3. Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to:

   <Vault>/.obsidian/plugins/mark-base/
   

4. In Obsidian, enable Settings → Community plugins → MarkBase.

For watch mode during development:

npm run dev

Fastest way to try it

This repository includes a ready-made demo vault in /mark-base-demo-vault.

• Windows/PowerShell:

  .\scripts\build-to-demo-vault.ps1
  

• Any platform:
  1. Run npm run build
  2. Copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to mark-base-demo-vault/.obsidian/plugins/mark-base/
  3. Open mark-base-demo-vault in Obsidian

See mark-base-demo-vault/README.md for a guided walkthrough.