obsidian-sample-plugin/docs/manual.md

Document is partial, creation in progress Please refer to README.md for more usage examples Check also syntax-reference.md

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Some sections added ad-hoc, to be integrated later

Advanced features

Priorities of sorting groups

At run-time, when the custom sorting is triggered (explicitly or automatically) each folder item (a file or a sub-folder) is evaluated against the sorting groups. The evaluation (matching) is done in the order in which the sorting groups are defined in sorting-spec: | for the folder.

That means, for example, that the sorting group /:files ... will match all files - in turn, none of files has a chance to match further rule

Consider the below example:

---
sorting-spec: |
  target-folder: Some folder
       // The below sorting group captures (matches) all files
  /:files ...
       // The below sorting group should (theoretically) capture files with names starting with 'Archive' word
       //   yet none of files will have a chance to reach the rule, because the previous sorting group will match all files
       //   Hence, the below sorting group is void
  /:files Archive...  
---

The resulting order of notes would be:

However, a group can be assigned a higher priority in the sorting spec. In result, folder items will be matched against them before any other rules. To impose a priority on a group use the prefix /! or /!! or /!!!

The modified example would be:

---
sorting-spec: |
  target-folder: Some folder
       // The below sorting group captures (matches) all files
  /:files ...
       // The below sorting group captures files with names starting with 'Archive' word
       //   and thanks to the priority indicator prefix '/!' folder items are matched against it
       //   before matching the previous sorting group
  /! /:files Archive...  
---

and it would result in the expected order of items:

For clarity: the three available prefixes /! and /!! and /!!! allow for futher finetuning of sorting groups matching order, the /!!! representing the highest priority value

A SIDE NOTE

In the above simplistic example, correct grouping of items can also be achieved in a different way: instead of using priorities, the first sorting group could be expressed differently as /:files (no following ... wildcard):

---
sorting-spec: |
  target-folder: Some folder
  /:files
  /:files Archive...  
---

The sorting group expressed as /:files alone acts as a sorting group 'catch-all-files, which don't match any other sorting rule for the folder'

Simple wildcards

Currently, the below simple wildcard syntax is supported:

A single digit (exactly one)

An expression like \d or \[0-9] matches a single digit (exactly one)

Example 1:

A group specification of /:files Section \d\d
matches notes with names Section 23 or Section 01, yet not a note like Section 5

An opposite example:

A group specification of /:files Section \d
matches the note with name Section 5 and doesn't match notes Section 23 or Section 01

However, be careful if used in connection with a wildcard ... - the behavior could be surprising:

A group specification of /:files Section \d...
matches all notes like Section 5, Section 23 or Section 015

Example 2:

As described above, the \d is equivalent to \[0-9] and can be used interchangeably
A group specification of /folders Notes of \[0-9]\[0-9]\[0-9]\[0-9]
matches the notes with titles like Notes of 2022 or Notes of 1999

Combining sorting groups

A prefix of /+ used in sorting group specification tells the sorting engine to combine the group with adjanced groups also prefixed with /+

Example:

The below sorting spec:

---
sorting-spec: |
  Notes \d\d\d\d
   > advanced modified
  Notes \d\d\d\d-\d\d
   > advanced modified  
---

defines two sorting groups:

• first go the notes or folders with title like Notes 2022 or Notes 1999
• then go notes or folders like Notes 2022-12 or Notes 1999-11

Both groups sorted by recent modification date, the newest go first
Implicitly, all other files or folders go below these two groups

Using the /+ prefix you can combine the two groups into a logical one:

---
sorting-spec: |
  /+ Notes \d\d\d\d
  /+ Notes \d\d\d\d-\d\d
   > advanced modified  
---

the result is that:

• notes or folders with title like Notes 2022 or Notes 1999
• AND
• notes or folders like Notes 2022-12 or Notes 1999-11

will be pushed to the top in File Explorer, sorted by most recent modification date

NOTE: the sorting order is specified only once after the last of combined groups and it applies to the whole superset of items of all combined groups

An edge case: two adjacent combined sorting groups

If you want to define two combined groups one after another you should add a separator line with some artificial value not matching any of your folders or files. The text ---+--- was used in the below example:

---
sorting-spec: |
  /+ Zeta
  /+ % Gamma
  /+ /:files Beta
  /+ Alpha
    < a-z
  ---+--- 
  /+ Notes \d\d\d\d
  /+ Notes \d\d\d\d-\d\d
    > advanced modified  
---

The artificial separator ---+--- defines a sorting group, which will not match any folders or files and is used here to logically separate the series of combined groups into to logical sets

Matching starred items

The Obsidian core plugin Starred allows the user to 'star' files
The keyword starred: allows matching such items. A folder is considered starred if at least one immediate child file is starred

Example

Consider the below sorting spec:

---
sorting-spec: |
  //       Example sorting configuration showing
    //     how to push the starred items to the top
    //
    // the line below applies the sorting specification
    //  to all folders in the vault
  target-folder: /*
    // the sorting order specification for the target folder(s)
  > advanced created 
    // the first group of items captures the files and folders which
    // are 'starred' in Obsidian core 'Starred' plugin.
    // Items in this group inherit the sorting order of target folder
  starred:
    // No further groups specified, which means all other items follow the
    // starred items, also in the order specified  
---

The above sorting specification pushes the starred items to the top To achieve the opposite effect and push the starred items to the bottom, use the below sorting spec:

---
sorting-spec: |
  //       Example sorting configuration showing
    //     how to push the starred items to the bottom
    //
    // the line below applies the sorting specification
    //  to all folders in the vault
  target-folder: /*
    // the sorting order specification for the target folder(s)
  > a-z
    // the first group of items captures all of the files and folders which don't match any other sorting rule
    // Items in this group inherit the sorting order of target folder
  /folders:files
    // the second group of items captures the files and folders which
    // are 'starred' in Obsidian core 'Starred' plugin.
    // Items in this group also inherit the sorting order of target folder
  starred:  
---

For a broader view, the same effect (as in previous example) can be achieved using the priorities of sorting rules:

---
sorting-spec: |
  //       Example sorting configuration showing
    //     how to push the starred items to the bottom
    //
    // the line below applies the sorting specification
    //  to all folders in the vault
  target-folder: /*
    // the sorting order specification for the target folder(s)
  > a-z
    // the first group of items captures all of the files and folders
    // Items in this group inherit the sorting order of target folder
  ...
    // the second group of items captures the files and folders which
    // are 'starred' in Obsidian core 'Starred' plugin.
    // Items in this group also inherit the sorting order of target folder
    // The priority '/!' indicator tells to evaluate this sorting rule before other rules
    // If it were not used, the prevoius rule '...' would eat all of the folders and items
    // and the starred items wouldn't be pushed to the bottom
  /! starred:  
---