# Folder overview
[The folder overview feature can be installed as a standalone plugin and works without the folder notes plugin by clicking on this.](https://obsidian.md/plugins?id=folder-overview)

This feature/plugin creates a [code block](https://help.obsidian.md/Editing+and+formatting/Basic+formatting+syntax#Code+blocks) that provides an overview of your entire vault or specific folders. Instructions for creating or editing a folder overview, along with additional guidance, can be found further down the page.
Currently there are two styles available: **file explorer** & **list style**, with more coming soon. The **overview updates** itself **automatically** when you create, delete or modify a file. You can also integrate it into **templates**, as explained further down below this page.

Additionally, you can **customize** the overview by selecting **specific file types**, adjusting **file depth**, and changing the **file order** (e.g., alphabetical: A-Z).
## Create overview 
There are two options to create a folder overview in a note

- Use the command "Insert folder overview" from the [command palette](https://help.obsidian.md/Plugins/Command+palette)
- On desktop right click and click on the option "Insert folder overview"
## Edit overview
If the overview shows no files or folders yet you can just click on the button that says "Edit overview". But if there are already files/folders you can use the command "Edit folder overview" from the [command palette](https://help.obsidian.md/Plugins/Command+palette) or click on the button as showed in the video below.

![type:video](../assets/n5AGi3VCxF5JcNx2Wm5O.mp4)

## Default settings
To edit the default values for new folder overviews you can either use the command "Edit folder overview" or open the plugins settings tab and then the folder overview tab to the edit the default settings.


![Screenshot](../assets/screenshots/b4QOtkzJs0.png)
(On the left is the plugin settings tab and the right the view you see when you use the "Edit folder overview" command)

## How can I use this in a template?

Just create the folder overview as normal in a template and then change the settings to be what you want to use as a default for the files you apply the templates to. It also doesn't matter that the id of the overview in the template will be the same as the id of the overview that gets created when the template has been used.

## What's the id in the code block for?
They're there to differentiate the overviews from each other so that you can use "Edit folder overview" command to edit the overviews from one file (there can be multiple overviews in one file). It's especially useful on mobile because the button to edit the code block on mobile is quite small.

