Templates
Templates allow you to customize the structure and content of new notes. They're used in two places:
- Content templates - The default content when creating a new note
- Filename templates - How note files are named
Templates use variables that are automatically replaced when a note is created.
Template Syntax
Variables use the format ${namespace.variable}:
# ${note.title}
Date: ${date.day_name}, ${date.month_name} ${date.day}
If a variable isn't defined, it's left unchanged for debugging.
Note Variables
Available for all note types:
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
${note.title} | Note title | Meeting Notes |
${note.type} | Type ID | journal |
Date Variables
Available only for daily notes (type = daily):
| Variable | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
${date.iso} | ISO date format | 2025-10-22 |
${date.day} | Day of month | 22 |
${date.month} | Month number (zero-padded) | 10 |
${date.year} | Four-digit year | 2025 |
${date.day_name} | Day of week | Wednesday |
${date.month_name} | Month name | October |
Cursor Positioning
Use {{CURSOR}} to set where the cursor appears when a new note opens:
# ${date.day_name}, ${date.day} ${date.month_name} ${date.year}
- {{CURSOR}}
The cursor marker is removed and the cursor is positioned at that location.
Examples
Daily Note Template
A journal entry with automatic date formatting:
+++
name = 'Journal'
type = 'daily'
filename = '${date.iso}'
+++
# ${date.day_name}, ${date.day} ${date.month_name} ${date.year}
## What happened today?
- {{CURSOR}}
## Thoughts & reflections
-
Result: Creates 2025-10-22.md with title "Wednesday, 22 October 2025"
Reference Note Template
A simple page template:
+++
name = 'Pages'
singular = 'Page'
type = 'reference'
filename = '${note.title}'
+++
# ${note.title}
- {{CURSOR}}
Result: Creates meeting-notes.md (sanitized) with title "Meeting Notes"
Configuration Fields
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
name | Yes | Display name for the directory | 'Journal' |
singular | No | Singular form for "New X Note" dialogs | 'Journal Entry' |
type | No | 'daily' or 'reference' (default: 'reference') | 'daily' |
filename | No | Filename pattern template | '${date.iso}' |
icon | No | Icon name from Carbon icons | 'calendar' |
emoji | No | Emoji fallback for icon | '📔' |
Note: For backward compatibility,
type = 'note'is still accepted and treated as'reference'.