Advanced Canvas for Obsidian.md

⚡ Supercharge your canvas experience! Create presentations, flowcharts and more!

Installation

Open the Community Plugins tab in the settings and search for "Advanced Canvas" (or click here).

Other installation methods

• Install it using BRAT
• Manual folder creation
  1. Create a folder named advanced-canvas in your vault's plugins folder (<vault>/.obsidian/plugins/).
  2. Download main.js, styles.css and manifest.json from the latest release and put them in the advanced-canvas folder.
  3. Enable the plugin in Settings -> Community plugins -> Installed plugins

Features

All features can be enabled/disabled in the settings.

• Expose node data to style them using CSS
• Full Metadata Cache support
  • See embedded files and links of the canvas in the graph view, outgoing-links and backlinks
• Better default settings
• More canvas commands
• Node Styles
  • (Flowchart) Node Shapes
    • Terminal shape
    • Process shape
    • Decision shape
    • Input/Output shape
    • On-page Reference shape
    • Predefined Process shape
    • Document shape
    • Database shape
  • Border Styles
    • Dotted
    • Dashed
    • Invisible
  • Text Alignment
    • Left
    • Center
    • Right
• Edge Styles
  • Path Styles
    • Dotted
    • Short-dashed
    • Long-dashed
  • Arrow Styles
    • Triangle Outline
    • Halved Triangle
    • Thin Triangle
    • Diamond
    • Diamond Outline
    • Circle
    • Circle Outline
  • Pathfinding Methods
    • Default
    • Straight
    • Square
    • A*
• Add custom styles to nodes and edges for unlimited possibilities
• Add per-node breakpoints to change at which zoom factor the node's content gets unrendered
• Z-Ordering control for nodes to control their stacking order
• Custom colors in the color picker
• Presentation mode
  • Create presentations by connecting nodes with arrows
• Portals
  • Embed other canvases inside your canvas
  • Create edges (arrows) to the embedded canvas
• Collapsible groups
  • Collapse and expand groups to organize your canvas
• Better Image Export
  • Export the whole canvas or just a selection as an image
  • Export the canvas as an png/svg image with transparency
• Auto node resizing
  • Resize nodes automatically when the text content changes
• Focus mode
  • Focus on a single node and blur all other nodes
• Better readonly
  • Disable node popup menus
  • Lock the canvas' position
  • Lock the canvas' zoom
• Floating edges (Automatic Edge Side)
  • Change the side of the edge automatically to the most suitable side
• Flip edge
  • Flip the direction of an edge with one click
• Encapsulate selection
  • Create a new canvas from the selected nodes
  • Create a link to the new canvas in the current canvas
• Create groups independently of the nodes
• Expose canvas events to use them in other plugins

Support

Please consider supporting the plugin. There are many hours of work and effort behind it. The two easiest ways to support the plugin are either by starring ⭐ the repository or by donating any amount on Ko-fi ❤️. Thank you!

Full Metadata Cache Support

Advanced Canvas enables .canvas files to be indexed by the metadata cache. This means that there is now full compatibility with the graph view, outgoing links and backlinks. You can even enable (optional) the creation of an outgoing link if two embeds in a canvas are connected by an edge. This feature brings the full power of Obsidian's linking system to the canvas file format.

Metadata Cache Support Example

Outgoing Link Using An Edge Example

Technical Details

• The file cache of a .canvas file now contains a value for the hash key (Generated from the filepath) instead of an empty string
  • Check the app.metadataCache.fileCache[<filepath>] object to see the changes
• The metadata cache is located in the app.metadataCache object - the same object that is used by Obsidian for markdown files
  • e.g. app.metadataCache.getCache/app.metadataCache.getFileCache now works with .canvas files
  • The position object which is found inside metadata cache entries now contains a new key nodeId for .canvas files
  • The metadata cache entry for a .canvas file now contains a new key nodes which is an object of type { [nodeId: string]: MetadataCacheEntry } - this allows for other plugins to access the full metadata cache for single nodes. The MetadataCacheEntry object is the same as for markdown files (even created with the same function - 1:1 compatibility)
• The resolved links object now has entries for .canvas files
  • The app.metadataCache.resolvedLinks object values for .canvas files are implemented in the exact same way as for markdown files

Better Default Settings

• Enforce all new nodes to be aligned to the grid
• Customize default text node size
• Customize default file node size
• Modify the minimum node size
• Disable the font scaling relative to the zoom level

Canvas Commands

• Advanced Canvas: Open Quicksettings
  • Open the quicksettings menu
• Advanced Canvas: Toggle readonly
  • Toggle the readonly state of the canvas
• Advanced Canvas: Create text node
  • Create a new text node
• Advanced Canvas: Create file node
  • Create a new file node
• Advanced Canvas: Select all edges
  • Select all edges
• Advanced Canvas: Zoom to selection
  • Zoom to the bounding box of the selected nodes
• Advanced Canvas: Zoom to fit
  • Zoom to fit all nodes
• Advanced Canvas: Navigate up/down/left/right
  • Navigate through the canvas using the aforementioned commands
• Advanced Canvas: Clone node up/down/left/right
  • Clone the selected node in the direction of the arrow keys
  • The cloned node will have the same dimensions and color as the original node
• Advanced Canvas: Expand node up/down/left/right
  • Expand the selected node in the direction of the arrow keys
• Advanced Canvas: Flip selection horizontally/vertically
  • Flip the selected nodes and the respective edges horizontally or vertically

Node Styles

You can customize the default node styles using the settings.

Node Shapes

Flowchart Example

Usage

• Use the updated popup menu set a node's shape

Shapes

Terminal Shape

Process/Center Shape

Decision Shape

Input/Output Shape

On-page Reference Shape

Predefined Process Shape

Document Shape

Database Shape

Border Styles

Set the style of the border to dotted, dashed or invisible.

Border Styles Example

Edge Styles

You can customize the default edge styles using the settings.

Path Styles

Set the style of the edge paths to dotted, short-dashed or long-dashed.

Edge Styles Example

Arrow Styles

Set the style of the arrows to triangle outline, halved triangle, thin triangle, diamond, diamond outline, circle or circle outline.

Arrow Styles Example

Pathfinding Methods

Set the pathfinding method of the edges (arrows) to default, straight, squared or A*.

Path Styles Example

Custom Styles

Custom style attributes for nodes and edges can easily be added.

1. Create a new CSS snippet in your vault
   • To do this, navigate to Settings > Appearance > *scroll down* > CSS snippets and click on the folder icon to open the snippets folder
   • Create a new CSS file (e.g. my-fancy-node-style.css)
2. Add the custom style attribute
   • Open the CSS file and add the following code and replace the values how you like. The format needs to be YAML and needs to contain the same keys as in this example. The amount of options can be adjusted as needed (minimum of one option is required). The icon key should contain the id of the icon you want to use. You can find the icons on lucide.dev
   • Change the @advanced-canvas-node-style to @advanced-canvas-edge-style if you want to add a custom style attribute for edges

   /* @advanced-canvas-node-style
   key: validation-state
   label: Validation State
   options: 
     - 
       label: Stateless
       value: null
       icon: circle-help
   
     - 
       label: Approved
       value: approved
       icon: circle-check
   
     - 
       label: Pending
       value: pending
       icon: circle-dot
   
     - 
       label: Rejected
       value: rejected
       icon: circle-x
   */
   

Important

There needs to be one option with the value null

3. Add the CSS styling
   • In the same (or another) CSS file, add the styling for the custom style attribute

   .canvas-node[data-<YOUR-CUSTOM-STYLE-KEY>="<VALUE>"] {
     /* Your custom styling */
   }
   

   in my case:

   .canvas-node[data-validation-state] .canvas-node-content::after {
     content: "";
   
     position: absolute;
     top: 10px;
     right: 10px;
   
     font-size: 1em;
   }
   
   .canvas-node[data-validation-state="approved"] .canvas-node-content::after {
     content: "✔️";
   }
   
   .canvas-node[data-validation-state="pending"] .canvas-node-content::after {
     content: "⏳";
   }
   
   .canvas-node[data-validation-state="rejected"] .canvas-node-content::after {
     content: "❌";
   }
   

4. Enable the CSS snippet in the settings and enjoy your new custom style attribute!
   

Take a look at the whole file here

Variable Breakpoints

Add breakpoints to nodes to change at which zoom factor the node's content gets unrendered.

Important

Due to performance reasons, custom breakpoints get cached and are only re-fetched when the canvas gets reloaded. This means that changes in the CSS snippet won't be applied immediately (Only after a reopening of the canvas).

Create a new CSS snippet in your vault (And enable it in the settings)

/* Any CSS selector can be used (As long as the .canvas-node element has the CSS variable defined) */
.canvas-node[data-shape="pill"] {
    /* The zoom factor at which the node's content gets unrendered (Zoom level can reach from 1 to -4) */
    --variable-breakpoint: 0.5;
}

Z-Ordering Control

Change z-ordering of nodes using the context menu.

Z-Ordering Control Example

Custom Colors

Add custom colors to the color picker. You can add them using the following css snippet:

body {
    /* Where X is the index of the color in the palette */
    /* The colors 1-6 are already used by Obsidian */
    --canvas-color-X: 0, 255, 0; /* RGB */
}

Custom Colors In Palette

Presentation Mode

In presentation mode, you can navigate through the nodes using the arrow keys or the PageUp/PageDown keys (Compatible with most presentation remotes). The different slides/nodes are connected using arrows. If you want to have multiple arrows pointing from the same node, you can number them in the order you want to navigate through them. While in presentation mode, the canvas is in readonly mode (So better readonly effects the presentation mode as well!). You can exit the presentation mode using the ESC key or the corresponding command. If you want to continue the presentation from the last slide you were on, you can use the Advanced Canvas: Continue presentation command.

Canvas File

More Complex Example

Canvas File

Usage

• Create the first slide
  • Create the first slide of the presentation using the updated popup menu
  • OR create a node and mark it as the first slide using the updated card menu
• Add more slides
  • Link the slides using arrows
    • If you want to loop back to a previous slide, you can number the arrows in the order you want to navigate through them
  • TIP: Create slides with consistent dimensions by using the updated card menu
• Control the presentation
  • Start the presentation using the command palette (Advanced Canvas: Start presentation)
  • Change slides using the arrow keys
  • Exit the presentation using the ESC key

Portals

Embed other canvases inside your canvas and create edges (arrows) to the embedded canvas.

Usage

• Embed a canvas file and click on the door icon of the popup menu to open a portal

Collapsible Groups

Collapse and expand groups to organize your canvas.

Collapsible Groups Example

Image Export

Export the whole canvas/your selection as an png/svg image with transparency. Export options from the core plugin are also available - this includes "Privacy Mode" and "Show Logo" (Logo got extended to include Advanced Canvas).

Image Export Example

Auto Node Resizing

Resize nodes automatically when the text content changes. Toggle this feature on a per-node basis using the updated popup menu.

Auto Node Resizing Example

Focus Mode

Focus on a single node and blur all other nodes.

Focus Mode Example

Better Readonly

• Disable node popup menus
• Lock the canvas' position
• Lock the canvas' zoom
• BUT to retain some interactivity, it allows zooming to a bounding box (e.g. zoom to selection, zoom to fit all)

Usage

• Use the updated control menu to toggle the new features (Only shown if the canvas is in readonly mode)

Encapsulate Selection

Move the current selection to a new canvas and create a link in the current canvas.

Usage

• Select the nodes you want to encapsulate
• Use the context menu (right click) to encapsulate the selection
• OR use the command palette (Advanced Canvas: Encapsulate selection)

Floating Edges (Automatic Edge Side)

Change the side of the edge automatically to the most suitable side.
Drag the edge to the indicated drop zone inside the node to make the edge float.

Floating Edges Example

Flip Edge

Flip the direction of an edge with one click.

Flip Edge Example

Canvas Events

All custom events are prefixed with advanced-canvas: and can be listened to using app.workspace.on (Just like the default events).
Check out the list of events here.

Settings

Every feature can be enabled/disabled in the settings. All features were made to be as customizable as possible.

Contributing

All code contributions are welcome! (PRs that only update the documentation won't get merged. Please open an issue instead.) You may want to check out issues with the PRs appreciated label to find issues you can start with. But feel free to work on any issue or non-issue you want to work on!

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