repository·main·Indexed 41 days ago
https://github.com/alangrainger/obsidian-frontmatter-modified-dateAn Obsidian plugin (v1.5.4) that automatically updates a specified YAML frontmatter property with the modified date based on editor activity rather than filesystem timestamps. It supports custom MomentJS date formatting, folder exclusions, and a history logging feature to maintain an array of modification dates instead of a single value.
The plugin automatically updates a specified YAML field in your note's frontmatter whenever you edit a note within Obsidian.
Key distinction: Unlike many other plugins, this does not rely on the filesystem's modified time. Instead, it triggers based on activity within the Obsidian editor. Updates are queued; if you stop typing, the plugin will update the frontmatter even if you close the file shortly after.
You can customize how the plugin behaves via the Settings page:
modified, updated).editor-change event. This includes updates from other plugins (like Linter) or external applications.The date format follows MomentJS syntax. You can include free text by wrapping it in square brackets [].
Example: Creating a Wikilink
To turn the date into an Obsidian wikilink, use double square brackets surrounding the MomentJS format, wrapped in an additional set of square brackets:
[[[]YYYY-MM-DD[]]]
[[[]YYYY-MM-DD[]]]To keep a log of every time a note is edited rather than just overwriting a single field, you can use the history feature.
Setup:
Add a checkbox property named append_modified_update to your note's frontmatter.
⚠️ Warning: Removing the append_modified_update property from the frontmatter will permanently remove all previously saved modification dates in that file.
Frequency Control:
By default, the plugin records a maximum of one entry per day. To change this frequency, edit your plugin's data.json file and modify the appendMaximumFrequency value using any MomentJS time unit (e.g., second, minute, hour, month).
When storeHistoryLog is enabled (or if the target field is already an array), the plugin manages a history of modification dates:
appendMaximumFrequency as the last entry, the plugin replaces the existing entry instead of adding a new one.historyNewestFirst, entries are either unshifted (newest at index 0) or pushed (newest at the end).historyMaxItems to prevent unbounded growth.The FrontmatterModified plugin automates the updating of a specific YAML frontmatter property to track when a file was last modified. It operates in two primary modes:
editor-change events in the Obsidian workspace. This is preferred over vault modification events because it avoids false positives triggered by sync clients that update file timestamps without changing content.userChangeListenerExtension) to listen for typing events. This mode is recommended for users who experience issues with external programs modifying their files.To prevent race conditions and Obsidian's "merging changes" error, the plugin uses a debounced timeout mechanism. It waits for the user to stop typing (based on the timeout setting) before attempting to update the frontmatter.
When storeHistoryLog is enabled, the plugin tracks a history of all updates to a note. You can configure the following settings to manage this log:
appendMaximumFrequency): Limits the number of entries by specifying a time unit. The plugin will store a maximum of 1 entry per specified unit (e.g., minute, hour, day, week, month, quarter, or year). If multiple edits occur within that period, the last edit entry will update the existing one for that unit.historyNewestFirst): Determines if the history list starts with the newest item (true) or the oldest item (false).historyMaxItems): Limits the total number of history entries. Set to 0 for unlimited history.// Possible values for appendMaximumFrequency:
// 'minute' | 'hour' | 'day' | 'week' | 'month' | 'quarter' | 'year'If you see an Obsidian message regarding "Merging changes," it means you were typing in a note at the exact moment the plugin attempted to update the frontmatter.
Context:
The plugin's behavior is controlled via FrontmatterModifiedSettings. Key configuration capabilities include:
frontmatterProperty: The name of the YAML field used to store the modified date.onlyUpdateExisting: If true, the plugin will only update the property if it already exists in the file's frontmatter.excludeField: A specific YAML field that, if present, prevents the plugin from updating that file.excludedFolders: A list of folder paths that are ignored by the plugin.storeHistoryLog: If enabled, the plugin can maintain an array of previous modification dates instead of a single value.appendField: Used in conjunction with history logging to identify the field containing the history array.momentFormat: A MomentJS string used to format the date. If the format results in only digits, the plugin stores it as an integer; otherwise, it is stored as a string.historyMaxItems: Limits the number of entries kept in the history log.historyNewestFirst: Determines if new history entries are unshifted to the front or pushed to the end of the array.appendMaximumFrequency: Defines the timeframe (using MomentJS comparison) within which multiple updates are merged into a single entry rather than creating new history items.The FrontmatterModifiedSettings interface defines the configuration available for the plugin. You can control which YAML properties are updated, how dates are formatted using momentjs, how history is logged, and which folders are excluded from tracking.
frontmatterProperty: The name of the YAML/frontmatter property to update (defaults to modified).createdDateProperty: (Optional) If provided, the plugin will also update the note's creation date.momentFormat: The date format using momentjs syntax. If left blank, it uses the default atom format.momentLocale: The momentjs locale to use (e.g., en).storeHistoryLog: When enabled, the frontmatterProperty becomes a list of all modification dates instead of a single value.excludedFolders: A list of folder paths to ignore. All subfolders of these paths are also excluded.onlyUpdateExisting: If enabled, the plugin will only update a frontmatter field if it already exists in the file.useKeyupEvents: If enabled, the plugin watches for typing events instead of Obsidian file events. This prevents updates when files are modified by external editors or via mouse interactions (like updating properties via the UI).timeout: The number of seconds to wait after the last edit before updating the frontmatter. Increasing this can reduce "merging changes" popups.excludeField: The field name used to exclude a note from updates (defaults to exclude_modified_update).appendField: The field name used for appending history (defaults to append_modified_update).export interface FrontmatterModifiedSettings {
frontmatterProperty: string;
createdDateProperty: string;
momentFormat: string;
momentLocale: string;
storeHistoryLog: boolean;
historyNewestFirst: boolean;
historyMaxItems: number;
excludedFolders: string[];
useKeyupEvents: boolean;
onlyUpdateExisting: boolean;
timeout: number;
excludeField: string;
appendField: string;
appendMaximumFrequency: StartOfUnit;
}To prevent a single file from being automatically updated, add a property to its frontmatter:
exclude_modified_updatetrue (or use a Checkbox property type)The updateFrontmatter(file: TFile) method is the core logic for applying changes. It performs the following steps:
timeout setting.onlyUpdateExisting, excludeField, or excludedFolders.momentFormat via formatFrontmatterDate().app.fileManager.processFrontMatter to safely update the YAML. If createdDateProperty is configured and the file lacks a creation date, it will also initialize that field using the file's creation time (ctime).async updateFrontmatter (file: TFile)