Simple Flashcards

A simple activity card plugin for Obsidian. Display random cards from your markdown files for meditations, prompts, exercises, or any repeatable activities.

Features

• Random or Least-Recent Selection - View cards randomly or ensure you see all cards evenly
• Deck Organization - Organize cards into different folders/paths
• View Tracking - Optional tracking to prioritize cards you haven't seen recently
• Simple Markdown Format - Use H2 headings to define cards
• Switch Decks on the Fly - Change between different card collections within the modal

Installation

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest release from the Releases page
2. Extract the files into your vault's plugins folder: <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/simple-flashcards/
3. Reload Obsidian
4. Enable the plugin in Settings → Community Plugins

Development Installation

1. Clone this repository into your vault's plugins folder:

   cd <vault>/.obsidian/plugins
   git clone https://github.com/ebullient/obsidian-flashcards.git simple-flashcards
   cd simple-flashcards
   

2. Install dependencies and build:

   npm install
   npm run build
   

3. Reload Obsidian and enable the plugin

Card Format

Cards are created from markdown files using H2 headings (##). Each heading becomes one card.

Example

---
tags:
- flashcards/activities
---

#flashcards/activities/morning
## CARD 1: Morning Stretching Routine

Start your day with gentle movement:

1. Neck rolls - 5 each direction
2. Shoulder shrugs - 10 reps
3. Side stretches - hold 15 seconds each side
4. Forward fold - hold 30 seconds

Take your time and breathe deeply.

---

#flashcards/activities/creative
## CARD 2: Creative Writing Prompt

**Setting:** A library that only opens at midnight

**Challenge:** Write for 10 minutes about what books are found there and who visits.

---

#flashcards/activities/mindfulness
## CARD 3: Breathing Exercise

**Box Breathing:**

- Inhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts
- Exhale for 4 counts
- Hold for 4 counts

Repeat 4 times.

---

Format Rules

• H2 headings (##) mark the start of each card
• Horizontal rules (---) mark the end of card content (optional)
• Tag lines starting with #flashcards are automatically stripped from display
• Content after --- is ignored (use for notes, metadata, etc.)

Configuration

Open Settings → Simple Flashcards to configure:

Card Paths

List of folders or files to scan for cards (one per line, relative to vault root).

Example:

Activities/Exercises
Daily/Prompts
Resources/Meditations.md

Default Deck Path

The default path used by "Show Random Activity Card" command. Leave empty to select from all configured paths.

Track Views

Enable tracking of when cards were last viewed. Required for "Least Recently Viewed" selection mode.

Selection Mode

• Random - Pure random selection
• Least Recently Viewed - Prioritizes cards you haven't seen recently

Commands

Show Random Activity Card

Opens a modal displaying a card from your default deck (or all cards if no default is set).

Modal Controls:

• Switch Deck - Cycle through configured card paths
• Next Card - View another card (records the current card as viewed)
• Done - Close the modal

Refresh Activity Cards

Rescans all configured paths to pick up new or modified cards.

Usage Tips

Organizing Cards

Multiple files in folders:

Activities/
  ├── stretches.md
  ├── writing-prompts.md
  └── meditations.md

Single file per deck:

Daily/
  └── morning-routine.md

Mixed approach: Configure both folders and individual files in Card Paths.

View Tracking

With "Track Views" enabled and "Least Recently Viewed" selection mode, the plugin ensures you see all cards before repeating. Perfect for:

• Daily meditation rotations
• Exercise variety
• Prompt cycling

Tags and Metadata

While #flashcards tag lines are stripped for display, you can still:

• Use frontmatter tags for vault organization
• Add inline tags for sub-categorization
• Include any markdown formatting (bold, lists, links, etc.)

Development

Building

npm run build      # Production build
npm run dev        # Watch mode
npm run lint       # Check for issues
npm run fix        # Auto-fix linting issues
npm run format     # Format code

Project Structure

src/
  ├── @types/
  │   └── settings.d.ts          # TypeScript interfaces
  ├── flashcards-Plugin.ts       # Main plugin class
  ├── flashcards-CardParser.ts   # Parse files into cards
  ├── flashcards-Modal.ts        # Card display modal
  ├── flashcards-SettingsTab.ts  # Settings UI
  ├── flashcards-Constants.ts    # Default settings
  └── main.ts                    # Entry point

License

MIT

Author

ebullient