Roadmap - Integration with Bases

[callumalpass]

As TaskNotes has matured and Bases has been released, I have been considering TaskNotes future architecture and sustainability. This post outlines a potential path forward, and I'd be curious to hear what users think.

The proposal is to integrate TaskNotes more closely with the Obsidian Bases core plugin. The objective would be to delegate functionality like filtering, grouping, and view rendering from TaskNotes to the Bases engine. The Obsidian team has indicated that features such as grouping and Kanban-style views are on their roadmap for Bases. By leveraging this core functionality, it may be possible to reduce the complexity of the TaskNotes codebase and improve its stability.

This architectural change would mean that a TaskNotes view could be defined within a .base file. A possible implementation could look like the following:

views:
  - type: tasknotes # A new view type registered by the TaskNotes plugin
    name: Task List
    filters:
      and:
        - status.isNot("done")
    order:
      - priority
      - file.mtime
      - etc...

Adopting this direction could result in several positive outcomes. It would allow TaskNotes to use Obsidian's own filtering engine, potentially improving performance and consistency. Task views could become embeddable in any note, similar to other Base queries. Aligning with a core Obsidian feature would also mean that improvements made to Bases by the Obsidian team could directly benefit TaskNotes. Finally, reducing the amount of custom view and filter logic within the plugin should simplify the codebase, making it more straightforward to maintain.

This approach is not without foreseeable challenges. A significant technical hurdle would be representing recurrence rules in a way that is compatible with the Bases property system. Another area of concern would be the implementation of task-specific actions, such as context menus, within the Bases UI. A reliable migration path for users' existing "Saved Views" into the Bases syntax would also be an important requirement.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this direction. In particular, it would be useful to understand if there are essential TaskNotes features that you believe might be at risk in such a transition. I am also seeking input on any potential benefits or drawbacks of this approach that I may have overlooked. Please share any thoughts/concerns you might have.

[michelebugio]

This may be the best way to proceed for the medium term, but I think it may be months until it is feasible?

[renatomen]

HI @callumalpass ,

As I mentioned in another discussion, it is a good direction for the plugin's maintainability and reliability.
I assume Bases will have good support for the separation of concerns between data manipulation and UI.
The real power of plugins like Tasknotes lies in their ability to address very specific interactions for task management use cases.
Things like the ability multiple levels of grouping (tasks, subasks, subsubtasks) make a world of difference to me. The context menu is another one.

Before using Tasknotes I was already using bases and it was a huge friction remover. However, if the UI interactions become more basic by adhering to Bases, I don't thing it would be worth it to invest on setting up another plugin.

The experience with Bases-Powered Tasknotes must be a significant improvement over using Bases alone.

These are just initial thougths. I'll think of more specific items to discuss in a near future..

[kmaustral]

That sounds like a positive convergence. I would be happy to re-write my TaskNotes filters in the familiar Bases syntax. A migration wouldn't be necessary. Being able to embed a task view in a note would be ideal.

I do sometimes find the current TaskNotes filter system awkward. I end up with multiple versions of filters with the same name.

The key challenge is to retain the Kanban, Agenda and Calendar views.

Thanks for seeking our opinions on this.

[imed-ghomari]

I agree with this plan, merging with base by adding custom views to it once the API is released would be ideal.

[renatomen]

---

ℹ️⚠️ EDITED on 09/09/2025 - For the record, since Bases Integration was already released experimentally as part of the main plugin branch. I deleted the POC Branch from my repo (feat/bases-poc-TaskListView) as the code is very outdated and useless now.
Anyone interested in the integration code can refer to the main plugin branch now.

Hi @callumalpass , @michelebugio , @kmaustral and @imed-ghomari

I created a proof of concept (POC) of TaskNotes integration with Obsidian Bases. As the name implies, it is not supposed to be production ready or reliable. It's branched from TaskNotes release 3.21.0. Therefore outdated. But it was never my intention to submit a PR to merge it with the official plugin. It was really just supposed to be a standalone proof of concept. But it already enabled a lot of learning for me and I believe it will be immensely helpful to anyone wanting to contribute.

I exercised, base files, embedded based files and code blocks: All implementing TaskNotes views !!!
I also tested customising the card layout via bases (Thanks @callumalpass for rejecting my original PR.... that' sparked the motivation to try this POC)

In this POC, I included a new settings in which users can enable that.
When enabled, the POC makes three new view types available in Obsidian Bases: Task List, Kanban and Agenda
100% of the data access layer and layout configuration is done by Bases. 100% of the data and layout manipulation uses strict Obsidian Bases syntax.

The only elements that are specific to TaskNotes is an element in the YAML that's a TaskNotes namespace under which TaskNotes view-specific properties are persisted. Even being specific to the TaskNotes plugin, these plutin-specific elements are part of the official Obsidian Bases extensibility. In the official documentation they provide an example of a view that may need to store GPS data on view-specific properties.

What enabled this seamless integration was the Obsidian Typings

• https://github.com/Fevol/obsidian-typings
• https://fevol.github.io/obsidian-typings/

Here are the videos demonstrating what the POC achieves:
Integrating Tasks with Unofficial API in Obsidian - Watch Video

Exploring Standard Bases and Customization Options - Watch Video

Implementing Extended Properties in YAML for Task Management - Watch Video

Customizing Rows and Tags in Obsidian - Watch Video

Kanban and Agenda Code Blocks

The code is available in the branch below in my repo
https://github.com/renatomen/tasknotes/tree/feat/bases-poc-TaskListView

I tried to make many of the commits very verbose for anyone interested in following the steps.

I also avoided bloating main.ts because our files are getting too big. So this was also an "architectural" POC in the direction of have cleaner code and more separation of responsibility.

As I mentioned to @callumalpass before, I'm a hobbyist coder that only get my hands dirty when I'm highly motivated to scratch my itch.
This POC was heavily reliant on AI assistance, as it has been the case on all my contributions. My hope is to offer some support and jump start to what the "real developers" can do.

I asked AI to summarise all discussions, learnings, architectural decisions, opportunities and risks in a POC Learnings Reports that you can read in the link below:
https://github.com/renatomen/tasknotes/blob/feat/bases-poc-TaskListView/docs/development/POC%20Learnings%20Report.md

This POC proved that everything that I wished was possible in a future integration with Bases was actually possible and can be straightforward and elegantly implemented. 😊

[callumalpass]

I'm going to push a new release shortly which builds on your contribution with the properties earlier this week. I'd be super excited if you could get your POC working with the changes I've made to main! I'd love to hear how you think we might be able to move forward with what you've achieved here!

[renatomen]

Thanks @callumalpass !

Happy to rebase the POC onto your next release.

The results of this POC were so encouraging and they co-exist so well with the standard TaskNotes features that I believe we could consider releasing the experimental feature in a very near future. No need to rush though. There are important roadmap decisions to be made. And opportunities too.

Part of me thinks that even though relying on an unofficial Bases API is exposes the plugin to an Unstable Black box out of our control, it also simplifies so many features and maintenance that it might be worthwhile if we prepare for that that and have appropriate abstractions and tests in place.

See what happened in the POC. We added a view type and got a full querying capability, layout configuration, embedding, code blocks FOR FREE 🤯

The functionality would co-exist with Task note standard features anyway, so if bases-powered functionality breaks we don't need to offer the same level of support.

But it would be interesting if users naturally start gravitating toward the experimental features.

[callumalpass]

Yes, I agree! I'd be keen to get this out as soon as safely possible.

[jasonshanks]

This is truly extraordinary @renatomen !

p.s. I'm in Australia Btw 🥝

[g-paperoga]

As a user I would proof the POC, if there's a way to do that. Amazing job Renato

[1danchen]

Hello. Thanks for your work. It will be useful to change the name of the properties/sections in YAML marking to its taste so that the Tasknotes plugin in the settings can choose your own option. Then the tasks in the BASs will be more individual and convenient. And also, add your categories/sections to YAML tasks.

[callumalpass]

Hi @1danchen . Please take a look at the "Field mapping" tab in the settings. I think it achieves what you're looking for.

[renatomen]

Hi @1danchen ,

I assume you're talking about the ability to choose which obsidian properties (from front matter) you want to see in Bases. If that's the case, then the "Field Mapping" mentioned earlier will resolve that.

If you're referring to actually changing the YAML schema (syntax), that's very unlikely to happen because the plugin needs a well defined schema to rely on. Just like you can't change Bases schema, you wouldn't be able to customise the TaskNotes-specific parts of that schema.

But that doesn't matter for what you see or interact with. It only affect configuration while the interaction with tasks and layout can be customised with any property.

[craziedde]

Moving core of TaskNotes into bases is wise decision... it is maybe painful for dev team but long term this is correct direction...

[mahood73]

I'm a new user of both Bases and TaskNotes (and loving both!), but I like the look of this.

Already I'm trying to create views that let me examine open tasks from a variety of angles and I'm finding the built-in TaskNotes filtering isn't working for what I'm trying to do.
Bases do work, but mean that I lose the 'Inline' features which makes TaskNotes so great.

As an interim step, can anyone suggest a way to get TaskNotes to recognise a link from a Bases table as a Wikilink to a task? That would give me 90% of what I'm looking for while this proposed roadmap is implemented. I can work with what you see in this image, but it's not ideal.

[callumalpass]

Hi @mahood73 . I'm not sure if this is exactly what you want, but the best field to put links to other notes is in the "property" field. You'll get a clickable link on the task card if you add a project to task.

[mahood73]

I don't think I explained it very well.

I was hoping to get your clever 'inline tasks' display in a Bases table.
For example, the bases display is just a straight link to the note, while if I add a Wikilink TaskNotes 'intercepts' it and presents it as a task:

In an ideal world, the first column in the table would be recognised as a WikiLink and so I'd see the status, priority & a click would open the task modal.

I hope this makes sense.

[callumalpass]

Oh! That makes sense--sorry! Yes, that is currently not possible, unfortunately. You can achieve that with the Dataview plugin, but not through Bases. But I think we'll have some support for Bases released in the next week or two!

[mahood73]

No worries, I'm still loving the TaskNotes plugin! I just wanted to check if there was a workaround I was missing.

I look forward to seeing the progress as Bases are supported further.

[kmaustral]

Oh! That makes sense--sorry! Yes, that is currently not possible, unfortunately. You can achieve that with the Dataview plugin, but not through Bases. But I think we'll have some support for Bases released in the next week or two!

I was encouraged to try Task Notes with Dataview. It renders the tasks well but some functions are missing. Clicking a recurring task as done does not seem to re-schedule it.

A proper Bases style tranclusion using the Tasks view would still be best.

[AndreMonthy]

As long as advanced calendar view, and other TaskNotes views are not effected it seems like it makes sense.

But I don't know how feasible this is as I can't even get basic sorting for the priority property in bases. (see my reddit post about the issue). I don't know If you could help with this?

I have not done extensive testing but it seems like bases is somewhat limited compared to say the Dataview plugin.

For this reason it may make sense to keep TaskNotes separate from bases to ensure the specific views and custom features won't be limited by Bases.

But you will know more than me, so IDK.

[gavingwebb]

I'm not a developer, but it does seem to me to be a sensible move to integrate with the Obsidian ecosystem as much as possible so that maintenance of the plugin is manageable. I can see real promise with Bases, and from a user perspective, if I can concentrate my efforts learning the ins and out of Bases well because of increased integration, it's a win.

[g-paperoga]

Great job, I was waiting for this plugin, as Tasks is a mature and well documented work, but I've long been thinking the right approach is 'task per note' , either for calendar integration, md extension of tasks, Obsidian (bases) best integration.
In my opinion transclusion of code and files is a superpower in Obsidian. I wouldn't renounce to customize menus, dashboards, graphs with Excalidraw for example, by embedding.
So I understand that embedding of widgets or 'card' will be possible via a new 'task' Layout of bases, am I wrong ?
Would be possible to proof the amazing job of @renatomen (are you from Italy too Renato ?) and if yes, how ? I've not github skill yet.. Is there an experimental plugin version to install instead of Tasknotes ?
Sorry for my poor english, thnx

[renatomen]

Hi @g-paperoga ,

The experimental integration with Bases has been released. Just update your plugin in Obsidian.
You can embed the Custom TaskNotes Views anywhere a Bases normally would. E.g. Canvas, Excalidraw.
You can also embedd the Bases-TaskNotes views either as embedded files or as codeblocks.
I was born in Brazil and live in New Zealand.

[jpmoo]

Bases integration is brilliant! On Kanban view ... is there a way to group by something other than status at this point? I'd like to group by tag (where I keep contexts like "Work", "Home", etc.).

[renatomen]

Hi @jpmoo
The Kanban columns are determined by the "groupBy" key. Although Obsidian Bases doesn't offer a User Interface for configuring groups, its syntax does support grouping.
However, since there's no UI for that, you need to edit the Bases file in a text editor or, if you using a bases code block, edit the code block and add/update the "groupBy" key value with the name of the property you want to use as a column.

Below is a video showing how to do it in a bases code block. For a bases file, you just need to right-click and "Open in default app"
See the demo video here 👇

[jpmoo]

Thank you so much!!

[jpmoo]

This is no longer working with latest version of Obsidian Catalyst, which offers a GroupBy menu in Bases. Editing the md directly in the way suggested produces an error. However, that menu doesn't do anything either.

[renatomen]

Hi @jpmoo ,

Thanks for reporting.
We're aware of that. The symptom is being tracked on issue #802.
Please remember that the bases integration is an experimental feature implemented based on an "unofficial" API before the Bases API was published. So, unfortunately, it is expected that things are going to break until the Bases API stabilises.

The recent Obsidian Catalyst finally published the official API. We now have significant work to do to migrate from the unofficial to the official API.

I know this is disruptive, and I appreciate your patience as contributors maintain this plugin in their free time.
Hopefully, it's a matter of days until we fix this one.
Cheers 👋

[desimpkins]

@renatomen have just read a couple of your comments and you seem to know about the kanban features... has the ability to add a new task via the kanban view (ie, there used to be an "add new" at the bottom of every column) been removed in recent versions? Im not sure if it's just me, i can't seem to find any way of creating new tasks through the tasknotes views like i used to.

[jebeaudoin]

Love this work! Out of the box in my vault, the Kanban view seems to order the status columns alphabetically, but the screenshot above is clearly not ordered A-Z. Since we can manually set the order of statuses in Tasknotes, shouldn't that order be replicated in the Bases view? If not, how is it done? Thanks!

[renatomen]

Yoohoo! @callumalpass
Initial Bases API finally released! 🙌
obsidianmd/obsidian-api@359ffc3
https://github.com/obsidianmd/obsidian-api

And a change to the groupBy syntax making it an object.

[ptsouchlos]

If you use the Tasks Lists view and group by project, is there a way to get the project names to render as links if they are existing notes?

[casualQuads122]

speaking purely as a user: yes please!