devon22_obsidian-gridexplorer/docs/custom-mode-fields.md

Grid Explorer Custom Mode Fields Guide

Overview

Grid Explorer supports setting field aliases and performing real-time computations in custom modes. This allows for more flexible display and calculation of note metadata.

Basic Syntax

Field Aliases

Use the | symbol to set a display name for a field:

original_field|Display Name

Examples:

• birthday|Birthday - Displays the birthday field as "Birthday"
• status|Status - Displays the status field as "Status"

Computation Expressions

Use {{ ... }} to wrap JavaScript expressions for computation:

field_name {{ expression }}

Available Variables:

Variable	Description	Example
value	Current field's raw value	value or this
metadata	The complete frontmatter metadata object	metadata.tags
app	Obsidian app instance	app.vault.getMarkdownFiles()
dv	Dataview API instance (requires Dataview plugin)	dv.pages('#tag')

Advanced Usage

Combining Aliases and Computations

field_name|Display Name {{ expression }}

Basic Example:

age|Age {{ Math.floor((Date.now() - new Date(value).getTime()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365.25)) }}

With Dataview Example:

tags|Related Notes {{ dv.pages(value).length }}

Multi-field Combinations

full_name|Full Name {{ (metadata.first_name || '') + ' ' + (metadata.last_name || '') }}

Practical Examples

1. Basic Computations

Calculate Age

birthday|Age {{ Math.floor((Date.now() - new Date(value).getTime()) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24 * 365.25)) }}

Format Date

date|Date {{ new Date(value).toLocaleDateString('en-US', { year: 'numeric', month: 'long', day: 'numeric' }) }}

2. Advanced Dataview Usage

Count Related Notes

tags|Related Notes {{ dv.pages(value).length }}

Show Incomplete Tasks

file.folder|To-dos {{ dv.pages(`"${value}"`).file.tasks.where(t => !t.completed).length }}

Calculate Tag Frequency

tags|Tag Stats {{ value.map(tag => `${tag}(${dv.pages(tag).length})`).join(', ') }}

Show Last Modified Time

file.mtime|Last Modified {{ dv.date(value).toFormat('yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm') }}

3. Conditional Display

status|Status {{ value === 'active' ? 'Active' : 'Inactive' }}

4. Progress Calculation

progress|Progress {{ Math.round((metadata.completed / metadata.total) * 100) + '%' }}

Notes

1. JavaScript code in computation expressions is executed dynamically when displayed
2. If a computation fails, it falls back to the original value
3. For security, avoid using potentially harmful code in expressions
4. Keep expressions simple; use Dataview plugin for complex calculations

Troubleshooting

If computations don't work as expected:

1. Check expression syntax
2. Use console.log(value, metadata) for debugging
3. Verify field names and case sensitivity
4. Check for extra spaces or special characters

Advanced Tips

• Use ternary operators for conditional rendering
• Combine multiple fields in computations
• Use JavaScript built-in functions (like toLocaleString(), toFixed()) for formatting
• Access Obsidian API using the app variable

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This feature allows for flexible display and computation of note data without writing complex plugin code.