A base is a saved query: it collects notes by criteria and shows them in one or several views. The
file is YAML and ends in .base.
Three examples in this vault, all of them over the notes of this site itself:
- All views — all five forms of presentation of the same data: table, cards, list, board and gallery
- Formatting pages — table and cards
- Design pages — list, grouped by area
How the format is built: How it works.
The five forms of presentation
A base can show the same data in five ways; the switches sit at the top of the page.
| View | What it is good for |
|---|---|
| Table | comparing many columns, sorting by one of them |
| Cards | few details per entry, skimmed side by side |
| List | compact, one below the other, with grouping |
| Board | split into columns by a field, like a kanban |
| Gallery | large-format, for entries with an image |
All five are designed in this template — to be seen under All views.
In this template
Bases pages use the index frame, the same one folder and tag pages use. No table of
contents arises there, because a table has no headings; the right column still stands, so the table
begins where the text otherwise begins — beside the content on the desktop, in a row of its own
below that.
Bases speak English
Above every view stands a line such as “Showing 45 of 45 entries”, and the column headings carry the English field names (
Description). Both come from the compiled pluginbases-pageand cannot be changed through the language file or an option. On a German page that is a line in the wrong language; the template therefore sets it quietly instead of removing it — a line that steps back disturbs less than one that shouts.
Bases are new
They arrived with Obsidian 1.9 as a core feature. Older vaults do not have them; in the example vault the feature is switched on.
The switcher does not find these pages
A
.basefile has no frontmatter, so it can carry notranslationKey. The language switcher on such a page therefore offers the other language’s home page instead of the corresponding base. See Where the two languages stop.
The pages
- All Views — a base
- Design Pages — a base
- Formatting Pages — a base
- How a base is built — Filters, formulas and views — the YAML format explained.
Which variables apply here
These 30 variables are read by the section page-bases in pages.scss. They can be changed in QuartzControl under Styles → Variables — without a line of CSS.
| Variable | Value | also applies to |
|---|---|---|
--codeFont | "Noto Sans Mono", ui-monospace, SFMono-Re… | 4 other components |
--dark | #17171A · dark #FCFCFA | 13 other components |
--font-interface | var(--bodyFont) = "Noto Sans", system-ui, "Segoe UI", Robot… | 3 other components |
--gray | #5F5F5F · dark #A1A1A1 | 22 other components |
--headerFont | "Noto Sans", system-ui, "Segoe UI", Robot… | 15 other components |
--ink | — | only here |
--light | #FCFCFA · dark #16171A | 14 other components |
--secondary | #1463A3 · dark #699DC3 | 19 other components |
--tpl-leading-snug | 1.4rem | 4 other components |
--tpl-motion | 150ms ease | 13 other components |
--tpl-radius-md | 8px | 17 other components |
--tpl-radius-sm | 4px | 10 other components |
--tpl-rule | var(--lightgray) = #DDDDDD | 19 other components |
--tpl-rule-control | color-mix(in srgb, var(--gray) 70%, var(-… | 11 other components |
--tpl-rule-strong | var(--gray) = #5F5F5F | 8 other components |
--tpl-rule-width | 1px | 25 other components |
--tpl-space-2xs | 0.25rem | 16 other components |
--tpl-space-3xs | 0.125rem | 6 other components |
--tpl-space-lg | 1.5rem | 12 other components |
--tpl-space-md | 1rem | 18 other components |
--tpl-space-sm | 0.75rem | 10 other components |
--tpl-space-xs | 0.5rem | 20 other components |
--tpl-surface | var(--lightgray) = #DDDDDD | 6 other components |
--tpl-surface-tint | var(--highlight) = rgba(42, 78, 108, 0.10) | 14 other components |
--tpl-target | 44px | 12 other components |
--tpl-text-sm | 0.875rem | 20 other components |
--tpl-text-xs | 0.78rem | 10 other components |
--tpl-tracking-caps | 0.06em | 6.4 – Variables, Code styling |
--tpl-tracking-label | 0.08em | 9 other components |
--tpl-underline-offset | 0.18em | 6 other components |
This table is generated: it is read out of the stylesheets rather than kept by hand.