callumalpass_tasknotes/docs/views/task-list.md

Task List View

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The Task List View displays tasks in a scrollable list format with filtering, sorting, and grouping capabilities. In TaskNotes v4, this view operates as a Bases view configured through YAML.

Bases Architecture

Task List is implemented as a .base file located in TaskNotes/Views/tasks-default.base by default. It requires the Bases core plugin to be enabled.

What is Bases?

Bases is an official Obsidian core plugin built directly into Obsidian (not a community plugin). It provides a framework for creating database views of notes and tasks.

To enable Bases:

1. Open Settings → Core Plugins
2. Enable "Bases"
3. TaskNotes view commands will now open .base files from TaskNotes/Views/

View File Location

When you use the "Open Tasks View" command or ribbon icon, TaskNotes opens the .base file configured under Settings → TaskNotes → General → View Commands (initially TaskNotes/Views/tasks-default.base). The default file is created automatically the first time you use the command, and you can point the command to any other .base file if you maintain multiple task-list layouts.

Configuration

Task List views are configured through YAML frontmatter in the .base file. The YAML defines which tasks to show, how to sort them, and how to group them.

Basic Structure

# All Tasks

views:
  - type: tasknotesTaskList
    name: "All Tasks"
    order:
      - note.status
      - note.priority
      - note.due
      - note.scheduled
      - note.projects
      - note.contexts
      - file.tags
    sort:
      - column: due
        direction: ASC

Configuration Options

type: Must be tasknotesTaskList for Task List views

name: Display name shown in the view header

order: Array of property names that control which task properties are visible in the task cards. Properties are referenced using their Bases property paths (e.g., note.status, note.priority, note.due).

sort: Array of sort criteria. Tasks are sorted by the first criterion, with ties broken by subsequent criteria.

• column: Property to sort by (e.g., due, scheduled, priority, title)
• direction: ASC (ascending) or DESC (descending)

groupBy: Optional grouping configuration

• property: Property to group by (e.g., note.status, note.priority)
• direction: Sort direction for group headers

filters: Optional filter conditions using Bases query syntax

filters:
  and:
    - note.status == "Open"
    - note.priority == "High"

Property Mapping

TaskNotes properties are accessed in Bases YAML using these paths:

TaskNotes Property	Bases Property Path	Description
Status	note.status	Task status value
Priority	note.priority	Priority level
Due date	note.due	Due date/time
Scheduled date	note.scheduled	Scheduled date/time
Projects	note.projects	Associated projects
Contexts	note.contexts	Task contexts
Tags	file.tags	File tags
Time estimate	note.timeEstimate	Estimated duration
Recurrence	note.recurrence	Recurrence pattern
Blocked by	note.blockedBy	Blocking dependencies
Title	file.name	Task title (file name)
Created	file.ctime	File creation date
Modified	file.mtime	File modification date

The exact property names depend on your TaskNotes field mapping settings (Settings → Advanced → Field Mapping). The table above shows the default mappings.

Filtering and Sorting

Adding Filters

Edit the .base file to add filter conditions using Bases query syntax:

views:
  - type: tasknotesTaskList
    name: "High Priority Tasks"
    filters:
      and:
        - note.priority == "High"
        - note.status != "Completed"
    order:
      - note.status
      - note.priority
      - note.due

Filter Operators

Bases supports standard comparison operators:

• == (equals), != (not equals)
• >, <, >=, <= (comparison)
• contains() (substring/array membership)
• Boolean logic: and, or

For detailed filter syntax, see the Bases documentation.

Sorting Examples

Single sort criterion:

sort:
  - column: due
    direction: ASC

Multiple sort criteria:

sort:
  - column: priority
    direction: DESC
  - column: due
    direction: ASC
  - column: title
    direction: ASC

Grouping

Groups organize tasks under collapsible headers based on a property value.

Enable Grouping

Add groupBy configuration to your view:

views:
  - type: tasknotesTaskList
    name: "Tasks by Status"
    groupBy:
      property: note.status
      direction: ASC
    order:
      - note.status
      - note.priority
      - note.due

Available Grouping Properties

Common grouping properties:

• note.status - Group by task status
• note.priority - Group by priority level
• note.contexts - Group by first context
• note.projects - Group by project (tasks can appear in multiple groups)

Interactive Group Headers

Group headers support interaction:

• Click to expand/collapse the group
• Click on project links in headers to navigate to project notes
• Hover over project links with Ctrl to preview project notes

Collapsed State Persistence

Collapsed/expanded state for each group is preserved across sessions.

Creating Multiple Views

You can create multiple .base files for different task perspectives:

1. Duplicate an existing .base file in TaskNotes/Views/
2. Rename it (e.g., High Priority.base)
3. Edit the YAML configuration for that view
4. Open the file to see the customized view

Example: Context-Specific View

# Work Tasks

views:
  - type: tasknotesTaskList
    name: "Work Context"
    filters:
      and:
        - note.contexts.contains("work")
    groupBy:
      property: note.priority
      direction: DESC
    order:
      - note.status
      - note.priority
      - note.due

Migrating from v3 Saved Views

TaskNotes v3 stored filter configurations in plugin settings. These saved views are not automatically migrated to v4.

To recreate a v3 saved view:

1. Create a new .base file in TaskNotes/Views/
2. Translate your v3 filter conditions to Bases YAML syntax
3. Configure sorting and grouping through YAML
4. Save the file

The v3 FilterBar UI component no longer exists - all configuration is done through YAML editing.

Task Actions

The Task List View provides interaction with tasks through clicking and context menus:

• Click on a task: Opens the task for editing or navigates to the task note (behavior configured in Settings → General → Click Actions)
• Right-click on a task: Opens a context menu with actions:
  • Mark as complete
  • Change priority
  • Change status
  • Edit dates
  • Delete task
  • And more

Context menu availability depends on your TaskNotes settings and task properties.

Virtual Scrolling

The Task List View automatically enables virtual scrolling when displaying 100 or more items (tasks + group headers). Virtual scrolling provides:

• Approximately 90% memory reduction for large lists
• Elimination of UI lag when scrolling through hundreds of tasks
• Smooth performance with unlimited task counts

Virtual scrolling activates automatically and requires no configuration. When active, only visible tasks are rendered to the DOM, with off-screen tasks rendered on-demand as you scroll.

Further Reading

• Default Base Templates - Complete templates for all TaskNotes views
• Bases Plugin Documentation - Official Obsidian documentation for Bases syntax and features
• Kanban View - Alternative board-based task visualization
• Calendar Views - Time-based task visualization
• Views Overview - All available TaskNotes views