# Obsidian - Aprils Automatic Timelines ![[images/Obsidian-Aprils-Automatic-Timelines.webp]] [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=992o1j8zRSk) · 24:46 · Josh Plunkett · 2023-05-15 > Written from the video's full English automatic captions (en track via youtube-transcript-api after yt-dlp subtitle downloads hit HTTP 429 on default/android/timedtext). ## Outline ### 00:00 Intro — seeking a better timeline - Welcome back to Obsidian for tabletop RPGs. Follow-up on earlier timeline experiments: Josh was unhappy with prior fantasy-timeline options (theme/plugin hybrids that kept everything inside one note). - Goal: something closer to the classic **Timelines** idea — **pull events from notes** and build a timeline, with detail living in **front matter**. - Introduces **April's Automatic Timelines**, a new community plugin from developer **April**, who has been active with other TTRPG Obsidian plugin authors. Short thank-you, then dive in. ### 01:14 Demo — vertical timeline from notes - Example vault note: vertical timeline down the page. Each card shows an **image** (from the note), **title**, short **summary** text, and a **date / date range**. - Clean layout for campaign chronology; cards are clickable into the source notes. ![[images/Obsidian-Aprils-Automatic-Timelines-t0115.webp]] *April's Automatic Timelines example: vertical event cards with images, titles, date ranges, and Fantasy Calendar (Hammer / Deepwinter 1491) in the right sidebar.* ### 01:46 Install and configure - **Settings → Community plugins → Browse** → search **April** → install/enable **April's Automatic Timelines**; skim the README for required front-matter syntax. - Plugin options (cog): configure front-matter keys — event start, end, title, body, picture. Defaults look like `aat-event-start-date`, `aat-event-date`, `aat-event-title`, `aat-event-body`, `aat-event-picture` (exact names per README/version). - Josh is **not** on stock defaults: he remaps keys to integrate with **Fantasy Calendar**. Heads-up that **Javalin** is rebuilding Fantasy Calendar; behavior may change after this video. - Turns on **Fantasy Calendar presets**; notes a small config quirk (`fc-date` vs a wrong `fd-start`-style key) and sets **fc-date** / **fc-end** so timeline + calendar share the same metadata. ![[images/Obsidian-Aprils-Automatic-Timelines-t0240.webp]] *April's Automatic Timelines Generic Settings: Event start/end keys remapped to fc-date / fc-end, title override fc-display-name, date-parser regex visible.* ### 04:06 Why notes beat data.json for events - Sample **Event 1** note for Patreon vault viewers. Loves that events are **notes**, not only plugin storage. - Fantasy Calendar users have seen **data.json** lose events; that fragility is part of why FC is being rewritten. Notes are easier to back up and understand for beginners than digging up plugin JSON. - Edit mode: YAML between `---` fences. Demo fields include `aat-render-enabled`, `timelines`, `fc-display-name`, `fc-calendar`, `fc-date`, `fc-end`, `fc-category` — more than the five core AAT keys because he merged FC metadata into the same template. ![[images/Obsidian-Aprils-Automatic-Timelines-t0540.webp]] *Event 1 note front matter: aat-render-enabled, timelines name, FC display name / Calendar of Harptos / date range / category, plus commented tips for first image and summary lines.* ### 06:07 Required AAT flags and multi-timeline names - **`aat-render-enabled: true|false`** — toggle whether the note appears on the timeline (easy to forget; Josh catches himself later). - **`timelines:`** list — timeline name(s). README example allows comma-separated / multiple names (e.g. master + year timeline) so one event can feed several renders. - **`fc-display-name`** overrides the card title; without it the file name is used. Kept because Fantasy Calendar expects a display name. - **`fc-calendar`**, **`fc-date`**, **`fc-end`**, **`fc-category`** are FC-oriented; with presets enabled, start/end keys align with AAT. Date format he uses: **YYYY-MM-DD**. Calendar dots line up with those dates. - Absolute minimum for AAT: start + end keys, `aat-render-enabled: true`, and a timeline name; title/body/picture overrides optional. Body text: plugin shows roughly the **first two lines** as the card summary; first image embeds into the card. Hover/click into notes if page-preview is set up. ### 10:21 Overlapping ranges and date-format regex - Tweaking Event 4's range shows **extra vertical lines** when date ranges overlap — useful navigation visualization. - Advanced options: **date parser regex** for nonstandard formats. Powerful but opaque; GitHub issue may replace it with friendlier UI later — check the README if the UI changed. - Default display order is year-month-day; Josh (Australian) prefers day-month-year and jokes about US date order / miles vs kilometers while flipping the format string, then restores a sane default. Regex could support wild custom calendars if you invest the time. ![[images/Obsidian-Aprils-Automatic-Timelines-t1035.webp]] *Timeline example after date edits: overlapping ranges draw multiple sidelines; events still sorted by date, not file name.* ### 13:49 Templates workflow — add Event 5 - New note **Event 5** under the April's folder; inserts a **Templates** snippet ("timeline add event" / Alt-T or Ctrl-T hotkey) with default front matter. - Sets 14th–15th range; Fantasy Calendar updates live. Enables render, pastes an image (first PNG path missing — swaps to an existing file; picture then appears). - Templates folder holds April's Timelines snippets: full front-matter block, a **without `---`** variant for injecting into existing YAML, and a small **render-enabled** fragment so he never mistypes the flag. Timeline name in the note must match the name used in the render codeblock/query. ### 18:08 Fantasy Calendar in unison + caveats - Full Fantasy Calendar view: **Calendar of Harptos** / Forgotten Realms defaults; same event notes appear as calendar bars because FC already reads note front matter (`fc-day` / `fc-end` style keys in its README). - Recommends storing FC events as **notes**, not creating them only in the FC UI (reported data-loss issues). Credits original FC developer **Javalin**; project continued under **fantasy-calendar.com** and is under rewrite — store as notes for now. - Shared front matter (`fc-date`, `fc-end`, `fc-category`, `fc-display-name`) keeps AAT + FC in sync. Live demo: new note Event 6 (fake "birthday"), forgets `aat-render-enabled` once, then enables it — card appears **sorted by date**, not filename. ![[images/Obsidian-Aprils-Automatic-Timelines-t1840.webp]] *Fantasy Calendar main view for Hammer (Deepwinter) 1491 with moon phases; Event 1/4/5-style bars spanning days — same notes as the timeline.* ### 21:45 Use ideas, Publish limit, outro - Idea: stamp chapter parent notes (e.g. **Tyranny of Dragons** imported into the vault) with timeline metadata + art for an automatic visual chapter index. - Downside: **Obsidian Publish does not run community plugins**, so players on Publish won't see the pretty timeline — a broader Publish limitation. - Praise for April as a helpful new community developer. Like/subscribe; thanks Patrons; Discord nearing ~800 members (rapid growth) with support threads for TTRPG Obsidian / worldbuilding. Mother's Day goodnight (filmed ~2023-05-15). ## Things mentioned ### Obsidian plugins and features - **April's Automatic Timelines** (free, community plugin by April): vertical timelines from note front matter; images + short summaries; multi-timeline names; optional Fantasy Calendar preset key mapping; advanced date-parser regex - **Fantasy Calendar** (free; originally Javalin / fantasy-calendar.com): Calendar of Harptos demo; reads `fc-*` front matter; sidebar + full calendar views; rewrite in progress at time of recording — prefer note-stored events over data.json - Earlier **Timelines** / fantasy-timeline approaches Josh found lacking (one-note / theme-tied) - Core **Community plugins** browse/install/enable; plugin settings cog - **Templates** core plugin + hotkey insert ("timeline add event" snippets with/without YAML fences) - Page preview / click-through from timeline cards to notes - **Obsidian Publish** (paid host): does **not** run community plugins — timeline won't render there ### Themes and vault UI - Parchment / TTRPG-styled vault theme in the demo (ITS-style look); folder layout under ObsidianTTRPGVault (YouTube Series → April's Automatic Timelines) ### TTRPG systems and products - **Forgotten Realms** / **Calendar of Harptos** (Hammer / Deepwinter 1491 demo dates) - Mentions prior **Tyranny of Dragons** campaign content already in Obsidian as a chapter-index use case ### Websites and community - [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/) community plugin directory / READMEs (April's Automatic Timelines, Fantasy Calendar) - fantasy-calendar.com (FC continuity / rewrite) - [Josh's Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/JPlunkett) — example vault notes for patrons - Obsidian TTRPG Community **Discord** (free; support threads) ### Free vs paid (quick) - Free: Obsidian, April's Automatic Timelines, Fantasy Calendar, Templates, Discord - Paid/optional: Obsidian Publish (won't show the plugin UI); Josh's Patreon for sample vault content ## Bios - **Josh Plunkett**: Australian GM and educator behind Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials (YouTube, Patreon, Discord). Here he demos note-driven campaign timelines and pairs them with Fantasy Calendar metadata. - **April**: New Obsidian TTRPG community developer; author of **April's Automatic Timelines**. Josh highlights their README quality and collaboration with other plugin authors. - **Javalin**: Original **Fantasy Calendar** developer; Josh notes the plugin's continuity under fantasy-calendar.com and an ongoing rewrite due to data.json reliability concerns.