Support dataview key-value signifiers in task lines - for fields already supported by Tasks

[therden]

Hello @schemar.

I've been wishing that Obsidian Tasks' Settings supported alternate, user-selected signifiers for "Due", "Done", "Recurring", "Priority", "Start", "Scheduled" -- and any other feature-specific data types that you add later.

For example, in place of the Unicode characters that are presently hard-coded in the plugin, I'd like to be able to use text-based signifiers -- specifically ones consisting of a word followed by two colons (like due::, done::, etc.) Those tasks' signifier::value pairs could then serve double-duty as inline key:value pairs that could be queried using the Dataview plugin.

Of course, Settings could still provide the Unicode characters that you are currently using as the default signifiers.

Is this a change that you would ever consider making?

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Updated by @claremacrae 2022-11-27:
Original title was Support for configurable signifiers.

[schemar]

Hey @therden, thank you for the idea. Now that more data is coming, like start, scheduled, priorities, etc. I sometimes think that all the emojis are a little bit too bright/colorful.

However, any change that alters the way tasks are handled I wouldn't add without an option to update all existing tasks. So, in practice, it's unlikely I have the time to work on this. At least in the near future. A few other things are higher priority in my opinion.

[shanest]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I just came in to echo my support for this idea: text-based signifiers (and, more generally, configurable ones) are the only desire I have for this great plugin right now

[schemar]

I completely agree. There was discussion on Obsidian‘s discourse in that regard:

https://forum.obsidian.md/t/task-management-devs-define-a-shared-date-and-action-format/26464

Tasks will support due::, @due, etc. eventually. It’s just that I don’t have time to implement it myself right now.

[claremacrae]

Another request: #1024

[claremacrae]

Another request: #1208

[chuckharmston]

I'd add my support to this as well, due to the visual weight that the signifies carry on the page. This example from the docs illustrates that well; it's difficult to quickly skim and parse the outstanding tasks.

[claremacrae]

Hi @chuckharmston,
If the reason is purely aesthetic, there is likely to be a PR fairly soon that will allow control over the styling of the signifiers, which should allow them to be toned down a lot.
Also, personally I recommend using short mode - as you can still see all the info by hovering over a task, but all the detail is hidden.

[chuckharmston]

Thanks @claremacrae! Styling signifiers sounds great, and would absolutely address my needs.

Short looks great for queries, but in practice, I find myself skimming tasks in places where they're defined—in project pages or areas when following PARA, for example.

[claremacrae]

Ah right. Good point.
The styling would help in Reading, and probably Live Preview, but not Source Mode, I imagine.

[OogieM]

I'm upvoting this as I really don't like emojis in my text documents at all. A way to do text based signifiers that allow for dataview queries is ideal.

[claremacrae]

The original title of this was 'Support for configurable signifiers'. Making them configurable is a lot of work.

However, the description of this then requests dataview key-value pairs.

Adding a specific new format is a lot less work than adding a user-customisable potentially unbounded variety of different formats.

I am therefore updating the title of this, so that it matches the description - and is specifically about supporting the dataview key-value pairs.

[pcause]

full calendar plugin now works with daily notes but uses dataview style for specifying start and end times ( startTime:: and endTime::). If you supported due:: start:: recur:: perhaps that author of that plugin could add support and we'd have a really nice calendar support for external calendars and tasks

[claremacrae]

Thanks for the comment. That's really interesting.

For clarity, I've edited the summary of this request to make clear that I'm intending it to be only for fields already supported by Tasks. Adding of support for storage of times is a separate body of work, and there are a number of existing requests for this.

So, when this one is implemented, if times are supported by Tasks, then this would naturally include parsing of dataview's times too.

However, if this was done first, it would only cover supporting reading of dates from dataview fields.

[pcause]

Yes, that would be perfect. Just the existing fields would be enough. A sort by description would have them ordered in a normal note and full-calendar would handle the pretty calendar presentation

[ArneNostitz]

hi everyone, Clare! merry Christmas :-)

as it is Christmas - I was wondering how complicated it would be to implement user defined fields to the mix?

in the options it would be:
add option = select emoji; define Dataview key; (favorite)

// by defining a corresponding Dataview key the query part could be handled by Dataview and you don't have to update that end?? //

these options then get populated like due (if set to favorite) or only on prompt (like recurring, when not favorite)

this way it would be possible to create all kinds of amazing stuff ... attach people to task, locations, assignees, projects, ... dependencies

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i guess a lot of this stuff is hard coded right now and not variable ... so i am aware that this is more complicated than i think. but for the future extension of tasks this could be something that goes beyond todoist and all the others. a true flexible task management

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that's it for my wishlist :-) thanks Clare!
(even if this all is not happening, the tasks plugin is amazing!! thanks for having done this and still staying so active)

[claremacrae]

Hi @ArneNostitz Thanks for your kind words! Happy New Year to you too!

I have a favour to ask. This issue is specifically about parsing dataview task fields. I don't think I fully understand your request, but it seems to be not entirely about Tasks code parsing dataview tasks fields.

So, please could you start a new Discussion Q&A topic, and ask your question again - including some specific examples of what it is you are trying to achieve.

Once I can understand what you're trying to do, we can consider ways to try and achieve it. Many thanks!!

[claremacrae]

Issue was added - see #1507

[monomolecular]

I'd love to see the functionality of this plugin combined with Obsidian Tasks Collector which can be used to interact with all the Check List Types in the Minimal Theme. It has "regular", "important", "fire" options which are nice because they occupy the same space as the checkbox itself and keep things, ahem, minimal. I'd love to work out how to have these play nicely with each other.

[claremacrae]

@monomolecular I don't understand how the Minimal theme relates to a topic on dataview signifiers, but the next Tasks release will provide support for custom statuses, and will make it easy to add support for the Minimal's custom checkboxes.

[monomolecular]

I was considering something like priority to be a dataview signifier, but the theming of an important task -[!] to be an overlapping concept. It would be cool if somehow these two things were combined somehow... For example, perhaps recognizing the '!' as an implicit dataview signifier perhaps? So anything that's put between the brackets [?] could be queried for in dataview?

[claremacrae]

Priority and custom status are different concepts in this plugin.

Also, any other theme - or user - could use [!] to mean something completely different, and Tasks has absolutely no idea what theme or CSS snippets are in use, or what the user is intending ! to mean.

It's possible that an upcoming enhancement to the styling in Tasks might enable you to put something together to achieve this - I don't know.

perhaps recognizing the '!' as an implicit dataview signifier perhaps

Dataview is a specific format for specifying values. There won't be such a thing as an 'implicit' dataview signifier.

For future reference, please try and keep issues to single topics. Thank you.

[zinsss]

Hi
First, thanks for great plugin!
I would also love to see this happening. Although many seems to want text based signifiers but I think in that case almost always the lines would wrap when in mobile. I prefer one liners. How about an option to use nerd font glyphs which will follow the font colors?

[claremacrae]

Hi, this topic is about the Dataview format.

For your info, unrelated requests to the main topic never get acted upon: It’s not practical nor a good use of time to keep reading every comment in every issue and discussion to track unrelated requests within.

If this is something you seriously feel is worth someone spending time on, and multiple people would be interested in, do check if someone else has already written a request for it, and if not, please kindly use the New Feature form in Issues to make a new request.

[claremacrae]

I'm delighted to report that dataview reading and writing has just been released in Tasks 3.0.0.

As a first version, it is important that you understand what does and does not work, before starting using it. See the links to documentation in the release page below.

https://github.com/obsidian-tasks-group/obsidian-tasks/releases/tag/3.3.0