Summary

The article discusses four Obsidian community plugins—Dataview, Projects, Commander, and Quickswitcher++—that enhance productivity and knowledge management within the Obsidian app.

Abstract

In the third episode of the "Obsidian Unleashed" series, the author shares insights on four community plugins for Obsidian that have significantly improved their personal knowledge management (PKM) system and productivity. Dataview is praised for its ability to organize and analyze data within Obsidian, transforming notes into a dynamic knowledge base with powerful querying capabilities. The Projects plugin is highlighted for its versatile views, including Table, Board, Calendar, and Gallery, which help structure and manage projects effectively. Commander is noted for its custom commands that streamline navigation and automation within the app. Lastly, Quickswitcher++ is commended for its enhanced navigation features, allowing users to quickly access information and symbols within their vault. The author emphasizes the benefits of these plugins in making data-driven decisions, managing tasks, and navigating knowledge effortlessly.

Opinions

The author believes Dataview is a "game-changer" for organizing and analyzing data, making it easier to extract insights and make informed decisions.
Projects is favored for its ability to provide different perspectives on notes, aiding in the organization and tracking of project progress.
Commander is appreciated for its contribution to enhancing Obsidian's user interface by allowing custom commands for creating notes and other tasks.
Quickswitcher++ is highly regarded for its symbol navigation and heading search features, significantly speeding up the process of finding specific information within Obsidian.
The author encourages readers to join their Discord server and follow them on various social media platforms for more updates and insights on Obsidian plugins.

Obsidian Unleashed — Community Plugins Series — Ep. 3

Obsidian Unleashed (Ep.3) — Image by Marco Serafini

Welcome back to another episode of this series of articles where I share with you the plugins I test and use in my Obsidian Vault.

Today I want to share with you four Obsidian community plugins that enhanced my productivity and PKM system: Dataview, Projects, Commander and Quickswitcher++.

Dataview: The Power of Data Organization

Dataview is a game-changer for those seeking to organize and analyze data within Obsidian. This plugin allows you to generate data from your vault by pulling information from Markdown frontmatter and inline fields, create dynamic tables, filter and sort data, and perform complex queries using four different Dataview’s query modes.

By leveraging the power of Dataview, I have transformed my notes into a dynamic knowledge base, enabling me to extract valuable insights and make data-driven decisions effortlessly. Whether it’s tracking progress on personal goals, managing project tasks, or analyzing research data, Dataview empowers users to harness the full potential of their notes.

Dataview Table Example — Image by Marco Serafini

The syntax:

 ```dataview
 TABLE without ID rows.title AS Book, rows.author AS Author, rows.publish AS PublishDate
 FROM "Resources/Books"
 SORT file.name ASC
 GROUP BY author
 ```

Projects: Streamlining Workflows

The Projects plugin brings structure and organization to Obsidian, allowing you to manage projects seamlessly.

With Projects, you can see your notes in four different views:

Table: useful for a complete view of specific notes

Projects Table View — Image by Marco Serafini

Board: it’s a Kanban Board view that can help you to keep track of the steps that will lead you to accomplish your project

Projects Board View — Image by Marco Serafini

Calendar: useful for scheduling tasks

Projects Calendar View — Image by Marco Serafini

Gallery: a nice cards view.

Projects Gallery View — Image by Marco Serafini

Commander: Effortless Navigation and Automation

Commander is a plugin that enhances Obsidian’s functionality by providing quick access to custom commands in different parts of the UI.

Commands Positions — Image by Obsidian Commander GitHub Page

For example I can create a note for a new Medium Article by clicking on this custom command:

Commander Custom Command — Image by Marco Serafini

Quick Switcher++: Instant Access to Knowledge

Quick Switcher++ is a plugin that takes Obsidian’s Quick Switcher feature to the next level. This plugin enables lightning-fast navigation inside your vault making it a breeze to locate and access information.

For example I love the Symbol Navigation that allows me to navigate to any canvas nodes, headings, callouts, etc in a file directly from the Quick Switcher.

Quick Switcher++ (Search Highlight) — Image by Marco Serafini

Quick Switcher++ (Symbol Search Trigger) — Image by Marco Serafini

Another example is to search notes by using Headings instead of the file name:

Quick Switcher ++ (Search by Headings) — Image by Marco Serafini

Conclusion

I’ll see you in the next episode for more Obsidian Community Plugins. In the meantime, stay productive!

You can join my Discord server HERE, and follow me on:

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Marco_Mindstone - X: https://twitter.com/Marco_Mindstone - Mastodon: https://mstdn.business/@Marco_Mindstone - Website: https://mindstoneconsulting.net/