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obsidian-bases

Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.

Documentation

Obsidian Bases Skill

When to Use

  • Use when creating or editing .base files in Obsidian.
  • Use for database-like note views with filters, formulas, summaries, or cards/tables.
  • Use when the user asks about Obsidian Bases specifically.

Workflow

  1. Create the file: Create a .base file in the vault with valid YAML content
  2. Define scope: Add filters to select which notes appear (by tag, folder, property, or date)
  3. Add formulas (optional): Define computed properties in the formulas section
  4. Configure views: Add one or more views (table, cards, list, or map) with order specifying which properties to display
  5. Validate: Verify the file is valid YAML with no syntax errors. Check that all referenced properties and formulas exist. Common issues: unquoted strings containing special YAML characters, mismatched quotes in formula expressions, referencing formula.X without defining X in formulas
  6. Test in Obsidian: Open the .base file in Obsidian to confirm the view renders correctly. If it shows a YAML error, check quoting rules below

Schema

Base files use the .base extension and contain valid YAML.

# Global filters apply to ALL views in the base
filters:
  # Can be a single filter string
  # OR a recursive filter object with and/or/not
  and: []
  or: []
  not: []

# Define formula properties that can be used across all views
formulas:
  formula_name: 'expression'

# Configure display names and settings for properties
properties:
  property_name:
    displayName: "Display Name"
  formula.formula_name:
    displayName: "Formula Display Name"
  file.ext:
    displayName: "Extension"

# Define custom summary formulas
summaries:
  custom_summary_name: 'values.mean().round(3)'

# Define one or more views
views:
  - type: table | cards | list | map
    name: "View Name"
    limit: 10                    # Optional: limit results
    groupBy:                     # Optional: group results
      property: property_name
      direction: ASC | DESC
    filters:                     # View-specific filters
      and: []
    order:                       # Properties to display in order
      - file.name
      - property_name
      - formula.formula_name
    summaries:                   # Map properties to summary formulas
      property_name: Average

Filter Syntax

Filters narrow down results. They can be applied globally or per-view.

Filter Structure

# Single filter
filters: 'status == "done"'

# AND - all conditions must be true
filters:
  and:
    - 'status == "done"'
    - 'priority > 3'

# OR - any condition can be true
filters:
  or:
    - 'file.hasTag("book")'
    - 'file.hasTag("article")'

# NOT - exclude matching items
filters:
  not:
    - 'file.hasTag("archived")'

# Nested filters
filters:
  or:
    - file.hasTag("tag")
    - and:
        - file.hasTag("book")
        - file.hasLink("Textbook")
    - not:
        - file.hasTag("book")
        - file.inFolder("Required Reading")

Filter Operators

OperatorDescription
==equals
!=not equal
>greater than
<less than
>=greater than or equal
<=less than or equal
&&logical and
||logical or
<code>!</code>logical not

Properties

Three Types of Properties

  1. Note properties - From frontmatter: note.author or just author
  2. File properties - File metadata: file.name, file.mtime, etc.
  3. Formula properties - Computed values: formula.my_formula

File Properties Reference

PropertyTypeDescription
file.nameStringFile name
file.basenameStringFile name without extension
file.pathStringFull path to file
file.folderStringParent folder path
file.extStringFile extension
file.sizeNumberFile size in bytes
file.ctimeDateCreated time
file.mtimeDateModified time
file.tagsListAll tags in file
file.linksListInternal links in file
file.backlinksListFiles linking to this file
file.embedsListEmbeds in the note
file.propertiesObjectAll frontmatter properties

The this Keyword

  • In main content area: refers to the base file itself
  • When embedded: refers to the embedding file
  • In sidebar: refers to the active file in main content

Formula Syntax

Formulas compute values from properties. Defined in the formulas section.

formulas:
  # Simple arithmetic
  total: "price * quantity"

  # Conditional logic
  status_icon: 'if(done, "✅", "⏳")'

  # String formatting
  formatted_price: 'if(price, price.toFixed(2) + " dollars")'

  # Date formatting
  created: 'file.ctime.format("YYYY-MM-DD")'

  # Calculate days since created (use .days for Duration)
  days_old: '(now() - file.ctime).days'

  # Calculate days until due date
  days_unt

Use Cases

  • Use when creating or editing `.base` files in Obsidian.
  • Use for database-like note views with filters, formulas, summaries, or cards/tables.
  • Use when the user asks about Obsidian Bases specifically.