Dataview Query Builder  ## Metadata - Author: [[Danny Hatcher]] - Full Title: Dataview Query Builder - Category: #articles - Document Note: --- tags: - #Obsidian - #Dataview - #NoteTaking Author: Obsidian Community Member Source: YouTube – [Dataview query builder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8) Reference: Transcript (00:00–09:51) date created: 2025-08-22 23:59 --- # Title: Building Structured Notes with Obsidian’s Dataview Query Builder ## Table of Contents: - [📝 Summary](#-summary) - [📖 Main Content](#-main-content) - [🗒️ Notes](#️-notes) - [📖 References](#-references) - [🗣️ Paraphrase](#-paraphrase) - [📰 Newsletter](#-newsletter) - [✅ Action Items](#-action-items) - [🧪 Hypotheses](#-hypotheses) - [📊 Methodology](#-methodology) - [❓ Questions](#-questions) - [🔮 Future Research](#-future-research) - [💡 Implications](#-implications) - [🧠 Learning Styles Assessment](#-learning-styles-assessment) - [📊 Accessibility Assessment](#-accessibility-assessment) - [🌍 DEIB Assessment](#-deib-assessment) - [✅ Logical Validity](#-logical-validity) - [🔍 DARVO Analysis](#-darvo-analysis) - [🔍 SEO Evaluation](#-seo-evaluation) - [🎯 Conclusion](#-conclusion) --- ## 📝 Summary The video introduces the **Dataview query builder** for Obsidian, demonstrating how to create structured views of notes using metadata and front matter. The tutorial walks through setting up the Dataview plugin, adding metadata fields, building queries for lists, tables, tasks, and calendars, filtering results by tags or properties, and organizing outputs through sorting, grouping, and limits. The presenter highlights how metadata transforms notes into a database-like structure, enhancing searchability and organization. --- ## 📖 Main Content Dataview empowers Obsidian users to **query their notes like a database.** By adding metadata in front matter or inline tags, notes can be organized and surfaced dynamically. The query builder simplifies writing complex queries by providing UI-driven options for result types, filters, and grouping. The system is flexible—users can build dashboards, track projects, or manage knowledge bases. ### 🗒️ Notes ⏱️ [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=0) Introduction - Query Builder helps beginners with Dataview queries. - Requires enabling community plugins and installing Dataview. ⏱️ [01:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=70) Metadata and front matter - Metadata created with `field: value` syntax. - Acts as database columns. - Enables richer queries. ⏱️ [02:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=159) Filtering and tasks - Queries can return tasks, lists, or calendars. - Filters by tags, priorities, or custom fields. ⏱️ [03:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=231) Tags and links - Tag filtering available in both front matter and inline. - Queries can target linked notes. ⏱️ [05:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=305) Conditional filters - “Where” clauses surface notes with specific fields. - Useful for project management (e.g., only show items marked `video=true`). ⏱️ [06:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=378) Sorting - Results sorted by filename or metadata field. - Sorting direction can be ascending or descending. ⏱️ [07:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=460) Grouping - Results grouped by folder or metadata. - Enables dashboard-like overviews. ⏱️ [08:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&t=532) Expanding knowledge - Obsidian examples and Discord community provide advanced query templates. - Query Builder is a starting point; manual refinement enhances power. --- ## 📖 References - YouTube tutorial: [Dataview query builder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8) - Obsidian community documentation - Obsidian Discord --- ## 🗣️ Paraphrase 1. Original: *“Front matter metadata is like properties of a database.”* **Paraphrase**: Metadata fields in notes act like database columns, providing structure for queries. 2. Original: *“Grouping results by folder organizes notes into project dashboards.”* **Paraphrase**: Sorting and grouping by folder can transform notes into categorized dashboards for project tracking. --- ## 📰 Newsletter 📚 **Obsidian Superpowers: Dataview Query Builder** If you’ve ever wished your notes could behave like a database, meet Obsidian’s **Dataview plugin.** The new **Query Builder** makes creating tables, lists, and task views a click-and-copy process. Add metadata fields (`status: working`) and suddenly your notes become sortable, filterable dashboards. Perfect for project management, knowledge bases, or even WordPress contributor tracking. 🧩 Want to learn more? Join the [Obsidian Discord](https://discord.gg/obsidianmd) or explore sample queries in the community vault. --- ## ✅ Action Items - Use Dataview principles to **model contributor engagement** in WordPress notes. - Apply filtering logic (e.g., `status: active`) to **track onboarding progress.** - Build **educational workshops** teaching OSS contributors how structured notes improve documentation. - Explore parallels between **Dataview queries and WordPress query loops.** --- ## 🧪 Hypotheses - Structured metadata in note-taking tools increases adoption and efficiency. - Query builders reduce barriers for beginners, boosting plugin engagement. - OSS contributors can use Dataview for project management without heavy PM tools. ### 📊 Methodology - Compare productivity metrics of contributors using Dataview vs. plain notes. - Conduct surveys on usability improvements from Query Builder. - Analyze onboarding speed in teams adopting structured metadata. ### ❓ Questions - How might Dataview queries integrate with GitHub issues? - Could WordPress documentation adopt a metadata-first structure? - Do query builders democratize complex tools for non-technical users? ### 🔮 Future Research - Cross-comparison of Obsidian Dataview and Notion properties. - Potential for Dataview export to structured formats (CSV, JSON). - Testing Dataview queries for sustainable OSS governance tracking. ### 💡 Implications - Could inform WordPress contributor dashboards. - Empowers community-led documentation initiatives. - Suggests a bridge between personal note-taking and enterprise OSS records. --- ## 🧠 Learning Styles Assessment - **Visual**: Present (UI, query blocks) but could use infographics. - **Aural**: Present (video narration). - **Verbal**: Moderate; explanatory tone, but lacks storytelling. - **Kinesthetic**: Present (hands-on demonstrations). - **Logical**: Strong (step-by-step query building). - **Social**: Suggested via Discord community. - **Solitary**: Supported via individual experimentation. - **Naturalistic**: Absent. --- ## 📊 Accessibility Assessment - Captions available (auto-generated). - Query blocks accessible if copyable text is preserved. - Needs alt-text for visuals. - Color/contrast acceptable but not evaluated. --- ## 🌍 DEIB Assessment - **Cultural Relevance**: Neutral, no bias. - **Inclusive Language**: Neutral and accessible. - **Neurodiversity Support**: Step-by-step breakdown supports ADHD learners. - **Representation**: No explicit diversity in example sets. - **Psychological Safety**: Encouraging and instructive tone. --- ## ✅ Logical Validity - **Strengths**: - Causal reasoning (metadata → queries → structured results). - Clear logical flow from setup to advanced use. - Balanced perspective (Query Builder as intro, manual refinement needed). - **Weaknesses**: - **Appeal to simplicity**: Suggests Query Builder alone solves complexity, but advanced cases require manual queries. **Fix**: Add nuance on limitations and when manual skills are needed. --- ## 🔍 DARVO Analysis - **Deny**: None. - **Attack**: None. - **Reverse Victim/Offender**: None. Content is neutral and technical, no DARVO tactics detected. --- ## 🔍 SEO Evaluation - **Keywords**: “Obsidian Dataview,” “query builder tutorial,” “metadata in Obsidian.” - **Meta Description**: *“Learn how to use Obsidian’s Dataview Query Builder to organize notes with metada - Summary: Query Builder: https://s-blu.github.io/basic-dataview-query-builder/ Example Template Vault: https://github.com/s-blu/obsidian_dataview_example_vault Related Article: https://dannyhatcher.com/dataview-query-builder/ Ways to Support: - My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/dannyhatcher My Courses: - Obsidian Onboarding: https://dannyhatcher.com/obsidian-onboarding/ - Obsidian Fundamentals: https://dannyhatcher.com/obsidian-fundamentals-the-complete-for-beginners/ - Request a video: https://obsidianresearcher.canny.io/help-requests Where to find me: - Obsidian tips Newsletter: https://dannyhatcher.com - Twitter: https://twitter.com/DannyHatcher - Contact me: https://dannyhatcher.com/contact/ Tools I use: - Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/ - Zotero: https://www.zotero.org/ - Morgen: https://morgen.so/?ref=dannyhatcher - Tubebuddy: https://www.tubebuddy.com/dannyhatcher - Epidemic sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/mzyymp/ - Thrive cart: https://dannyhatcher--checkout.thrivecart.com/thrivecart-standard-... - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMPp1wqAjF8&ab_channel=DannyHatcher a member of the obsidian Community hasbuilt this website which is amazing forthose getting started with dataview as aplugin inside of obsidian and it helpswith basic data view queries pushing thestart button Gets You Through theprocess of building out a query insideof obsidian here I have a completelybrand new Vault it's called queryBuilder if I add a new file in use threebackticks and then type a data view Idon't have the community plugin sonothing works what I first need to do isgo into the community plugins tab turnon community plugins browse find the dataview community plugin install itenable it go to options and then youhave all of the options that you canmess around with data view but we don'tactually need to play with any of thosebecause now you see we get a data viewerror because the plugin is trying toread what we wrote inside of this codeblock and this is where the queryBuilder comes in handy the firstquestion asks what type of result wewant from the query whether it's a listtable task or calendar once I've clickedon the list view you can see it'screating the code block down the bottomwhich you can then copy to click board and then when you're inside of obsidianif you paste it pastes the code blockplus everything you've edited inside ofthe query Builder so if I click on taskit changes it to task if I click oncalendar it changes it and asks for adue date and if I click on table whichis probably the most popular type ofdata view query it then gives me anoption to list out the table columns andwhen looking at a blank obsidian filethere are no columns or fields ormessage or anything to use so by addingin three dashed lines enter three dashed lines and then going in between those Ican now add what's called metadata orfront matter to this file if I then typeout a word with a colon after it it'snow added a field to the metadata frontmatter inside of this file for thosefamiliar with notion this is like theproperties of a database they're TheColumns of the database so going back tomy query Builder we have a status fieldthen comma and a priority field and now you can see we've got table statuspriority copy that to clipboard paste itinto obsidian and then when I click outit shows me a table view with a statuscolumn and a priority column of the newfile you can see this is the new fileit's showing and when I add something tothis status property or status field youcan see I've added done to the new fileand the status is now done next to newfile if I then create a second filethere's no fields or metadata in there yet you then either manually add thisinformation in or use something liketemplates the default templates Plugintemplater or use something like metadatamenu or loads of other options to addthis sort of information in but if I addworking to the status and high topriority and have a look back at the newfile and look at the data view query youcan see we've got the second file andit's working and high priority so nowI've selected the type of query I wantI'm going to go next now I want to bemore specific about sources if I want to include every single note or file insideof obsidian I can click this and you cansee inside the query it hasn't doneanything and that's because by defaultdata view will look at every single filewhich is why when we're looking at thisresult you can see new file and secondfile they're both showing becausethey're the only files we have in thevault but if we were to add more theywould always appear I could look for asource for a particular tag so when Itick this you can see it says name ofthe tag and I name the tag so let's lookfor all of the projects and what it'sdone is added a line from so from what source and then project and so copy toclipboard and now when I paste it intoobsidian it's now going to only showprojects and you can see I've alreadyadded a tag this is a front Mata tag soI've added tag colon and then projectbut it could also be done by typing hashand then with no spaces project so I'venow added the project tag inside of thefile rather than inside of the frontmatter and if you open up the tags panefor me as default it's going to be in the right side panel you can see there'sthe project and there is one tag in itthere is one file with project with itwhich is the second file at the momentand you can see the data view query isonly surfacing the second file not thenew file all of these other options arepretty much exactly the same you justneed to pick what name of the folderwhat name of the file what name of theroot folder or anything you need toselect that and type it in and what itwill do is create the query for you solet's use this one as an example I onlywant to show notes that are linked to from a specific note so second file youcan see we've got outgoing bracketbracket and then we've got the secondfile linkso copy ticket board and once I'vepasted in you can see outgoing bracketand then you've got the actual file inthere and when I go into the second fileyou can see in the outgoing Links panelthere is nothing there because there'sno outgoing links in this file howeverif I come into here go bracket bracketso these are square brackets and thenadd new file the new file is an outgoing Link in the second file which means it'sgoing to show in the date view query ifyou have any questions about what any ofthese mean you can click on the questionmark and it will take you todocumentation which explains more aboutwhat dataview does and what the query isthat you're looking to do can actuallydo so now that I'm happy with the sourceI can click next and it's going to takeme to filters again the option at thetop is by default it's just going tosurface everything using the from Sourcestatement so anything from the source isgoing to show now I have just changed the source from the outgoing link to theproject tag so it's a little bit simplerto see but we can then add what's calleda wear filter in this case case I onlywant to see notes where a particularfield exists so going back to obsidianif I go to the second file on addanother field say video true or false sois this going to be a video yes or nothis file the second file has a videofield the new file doesn't and I onlywant to see projects because that's the source we're looking for that is eithergoing to be a video or not so I'mlooking for the video field because it'sgoing to be something I'm doing it's aproject I'm doing that might be a videobut might just be a written blog postcopy to clipboard now when I paste it inand come out you can see it's lookingfor only the second file because thesecond file has a video field if I getrid of that video field this second filewill disappear because it doesn't havethat field in the file but what if Iwant a field to show a specific number say an array or a string or anythinglike that well I can click this optionand I'll say name of field so I'mlooking for this status field and I wantit to check for anything that's workingso I'm looking for any project thatcontains a status of working copy toclipboard paste it in obsidian and youcan see it's showing the second filebecause the status is working if Ichange that status to done you can seethe file will disappear from the querybecause it's no longer working change it back to working and now it's going toappear again now that I've figured outthe filter I now want to sort theresults in this case I want to have itsorted based on the Note name so thefile name and you can see sort file dotname let's copy that and paste it intothe query and now we have the secondfile but if we add a third file so I'mjust going to make a copy and then saythird file you can see because it'sstatus and working it's showing so thethird file is there and it's sorting on the file name if I rename it a file thisname will change to a file and because ais before there so alphabetical it's nowgoing to go to the top of the listbecause that's the change of the sort ifyou're then happy with the sort and goto the next option you can then choosethe sort Direction whether it'sascending or descending so A to Z Z to anine to etc etc so let's go descendingand it adds a desc on the end copy andpaste and now we have a look we've got the a down the bottom because obviouslya is after s grouping so if you want togroup results again the first option isno I want to keep everything on one lineso it doesn't actually add anything butmaybe you want to group it through anyof these options so let's just use thefirst one as an example I'm going togroup based on the folder they belong toso you can see down the bottom it'sadded a group by file dot folder soagain copy and paste and now when I comeout it's grouping by the file.folder nowboth of these are in the same folder but if we put them into folders so we've gotblog projects a file is in blog projectsand then we've got the second file invideo projects you can now see we'vegroup them by blog projects and videoprojects then if there are loads ofresults you can set a limit so you canshow everything by default or you canset a limit to the amount of resultsshown and let's say we only want to see10 it then adds limit 10 at the bottomof the query copy paste now I've removedthe descending sort order and remove the grouping because it adds a bit ofcomplexity making it hard to see withall of these these particular examplesbut now when I click out you can see itshowing a file because alphabeticallythat's the first one then second fileand then goes all the way down yes ituses the numbers all the way downshowing 10 results rather than everysingle file you can see in the vaultthen once you've done with that it willthen take you to this end page where youcan copy to the clipboard and put itinto your obsidian but there are loadsof other things you can do with dataviewand that's where you may want to go tothe Discord to get some help and get some ideas about what you may want to doand change the way this query looks andsomething else I urge you to look intois this obsidian example for data viewqueries and there are loads of queriessome really Advanced some quite basicand it helps you understand what'sreally going on behind the scenes whenyou start making these things foryourself and again this is a freedownload and I'll link everything in alink in the description below, Dataview Query Builder, Danny Hatcher, 01gz423mhbqty9880at2dfkn9n.