callumalpass_tasknotes/docs/settings/task-properties.md

# Task Properties Settings

This tab configures all task properties. Each property is displayed as a card containing its configuration options.


![Task Properties Settings](../assets/settings-task-properties.png)

!!! tip "Looking for property type documentation?"
    See the [Property Types Reference](property-types-reference.md) for detailed documentation on the expected data types (text, list, date, etc.) for each frontmatter property.

## Property Card Structure

Each property card contains:

- **Property key**: The frontmatter field name used to store this property
- **Default**: The default value applied to new tasks (where applicable)
- **NLP trigger**: Toggle and character configuration for natural language parsing (where applicable)
- **Property-specific settings**: Additional configuration options specific to that property
This tab defines the task schema used by creation flows, NLP parsing, views, and API payloads.

## Core Properties

### Title

The task title property. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `title`)
- **Store title in filename**: When enabled, the task title is stored in the filename instead of frontmatter. The filename updates when the title changes.
- **Filename format**: When "Store title in filename" is disabled, choose how filenames are generated:
    - Title-based
    - Zettelkasten-style
    - Timestamp-based
    - Custom template
- **Custom template**: Define a custom filename pattern using variables (shown when "custom" format is selected)

### Status

Task completion state. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `status`)
- **Default**: Default status for new tasks
- **NLP trigger**: Character that triggers status parsing (default: `*`)
- **Status Values**: Expandable section containing individual status cards

Each status value has:

- **Value**: Internal identifier stored in frontmatter (e.g., "in-progress")
- **Label**: Display name shown in the interface (e.g., "In Progress")
- **Color**: Visual indicator color
- **Icon**: Optional icon identifier
- **Completed**: Whether this status represents a finished task
- **Auto-archive**: Automatically archive tasks after a delay (1-1440 minutes)

Status cards support drag-and-drop reordering.

#### Boolean Status Values

TaskNotes supports using boolean values (`true` and `false`) as status values, which integrates with Obsidian's native checkbox property format:

- When you set a task's status to `"true"` or `"false"` (case-insensitive), TaskNotes automatically converts it to a boolean in frontmatter
- When reading tasks with boolean status values from frontmatter, they are converted back to the strings `"true"` or `"false"`
- This allows you to use Obsidian's native checkbox property toggles in the Properties panel while maintaining compatibility with TaskNotes

**Example:**
```yaml
---
status: true    # Boolean checkbox in Obsidian
---
```

### Priority

Task priority level. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `priority`)
- **Default**: Default priority for new tasks (can be set to "No default")
- **NLP trigger**: Character that triggers priority parsing (default: `!`, disabled by default)
- **Priority Values**: Expandable section containing individual priority cards

Each priority value has:

- **Value**: Internal identifier stored in frontmatter (e.g., "high")
- **Label**: Display name shown in the interface (e.g., "High Priority")
- **Color**: Visual indicator color

Priority cards support drag-and-drop reordering.
Status and priority values are stored in frontmatter; renaming them later may require migration of existing task files.

> **Note for Bases plugin users:** Obsidian's Bases plugin sorts priorities alphabetically by their **Value**. To control sort order, name values to sort alphabetically in the desired order:
> - Example: `1-urgent`, `2-high`, `3-medium`, `4-normal`, `5-low`
> - Or: `a-urgent`, `b-high`, `c-medium`, `d-normal`, `e-low`

## Date Properties

### Due Date

When the task must be completed. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `due`)
- **Default**: Default due date for new tasks (None, Today, Tomorrow, Next Week)

### Scheduled Date

When to work on the task. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `scheduled`)
- **Default**: Default scheduled date for new tasks (None, Today, Tomorrow, Next Week)
`due` tracks commitment deadlines, while `scheduled` tracks intended execution time.

## Organization Properties

### Contexts

Where or how the task can be done. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `contexts`)
- **Default**: Comma-separated list of default contexts (e.g., @home, @work)
- **NLP trigger**: Character that triggers context parsing (default: `@`)

### Projects

Projects the task belongs to. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `projects`)
- **Default projects**: Select project notes to automatically link to new tasks
- **Use parent note as project**: Automatically link the parent note as a project during instant task conversion
- **NLP trigger**: Character that triggers project parsing (default: `+`)
- **Autosuggest Filters**: Expandable section to filter which notes appear in project suggestions
- **Customize Display**: Expandable section to configure how project suggestions appear

#### Autosuggest Filters

Control which notes appear when selecting projects:

- **Required tags**: Comma-separated list of tags (shows notes with ANY of these tags)
- **Include folders**: Comma-separated list of folder paths (shows notes in ANY of these folders)
- **Required property key**: Frontmatter property that must exist
- **Required property value**: Expected value for the property (optional)
These filters reduce suggestion noise in large vaults.

A "Filters On" badge appears when any filters are configured.

#### Customize Display

Configure project suggestion appearance:

- **Enable fuzzy matching**: Allow typos and partial matches in project search
- **Row 1, 2, 3**: Configure up to 3 lines of information for each project suggestion

### Tags

Obsidian tags for categorization. Configuration options:

- **Default**: Comma-separated list of default tags (without #)
- **NLP trigger**: Character that triggers tag parsing (default: `#`)

Note: Tags use native Obsidian tags and do not have a separate property key setting.

## Task Details

### Time Estimate

Estimated time to complete the task. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `timeEstimate`)
- **Default**: Default time estimate in minutes (0 = no default)

### Recurrence

Pattern for repeating tasks. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `recurrence`)
- **Default**: Default recurrence pattern (None, Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly)

### Reminders

Notifications before task deadlines. Configuration options:

- **Property key**: Frontmatter field name (default: `reminders`)
- **Default Reminders**: Expandable section containing default reminder cards

Each default reminder can be:

**Relative reminders** (triggered relative to due or scheduled date):

- Anchor date (due date or scheduled date)
- Offset amount and unit (minutes, hours, days)
- Direction (before or after)
- Description

**Absolute reminders** (triggered at specific times):

- Date
- Time
- Description

## Metadata Properties

These properties are system-managed and typically only require property key configuration:

- **Date Created**: When the task was created
- **Date Modified**: When the task was last modified
- **Completed Date**: When the task was completed
- **Archive Tag**: Tag used to mark archived tasks
- **Time Entries**: Time tracking entries for the task
- **Complete Instances**: Completion history for recurring tasks
- **Blocked By**: Tasks that must be completed first

## Feature Properties

These properties are used by specific TaskNotes features and are not stored in task frontmatter:

- **Pomodoros**: Property key for Pomodoro session counts. When Pomodoro data storage is set to "Daily notes", this property is written to daily notes rather than task files.
- **ICS Event ID**: Property key for calendar event identifiers. Added to notes created from ICS calendar events to link them back to the source event.
- **ICS Event Tag**: Property key for calendar event tags. Added to notes created from ICS calendar events for identification.

## Custom User Fields

Define custom frontmatter properties to appear as filter options across views. Configuration options for each field:

- **Display Name**: How the field appears in the UI
- **Property Key**: The frontmatter property name
- **Type**: Data type (text, number, boolean, date, or list)
- **Default Value**: Pre-fill value for new tasks (format varies by type)
- **NLP trigger**: Toggle and character for natural language parsing
- **Autosuggest Filters**: Filter which files appear when using `[[` wikilink autocomplete
Custom fields are most maintainable when they map to repeated workflow decisions (for example `effort`, `owner`, or `client`).

### Default Values

Each field type has a different input format for default values:

- **Text**: Enter the default text value
- **Number**: Enter the default number
- **Boolean**: Toggle switch to set default checked/unchecked state
- **Date**: Select from presets (None, Today, Tomorrow, Next Week)
- **List**: Enter comma-separated default values

Default values are applied when creating tasks via:

- Task creation modal
- Instant task conversion
- "Create or open task" command
- HTTP API (when using task creation defaults)

### Autosuggestion Filters

Each custom field can configure filters to control which files appear in wikilink suggestions:

- **Required tags**: Comma-separated list of tags (shows files with ANY of these tags)
- **Include folders**: Comma-separated list of folder paths (shows files in ANY of these folders)
- **Required property key**: Frontmatter property that must exist
- **Required property value**: Expected value for the property (optional)

A "Filters On" badge appears when filters are configured.

See [User Fields Feature Documentation](../features/user-fields.md#file-suggestion-filtering-advanced) for detailed examples.