Run Templater command

[reply2za]

Please fill out these Check-boxes

• I checked for existing similar feature requests
• I have read the docs and checked that the feature I am requesting is not already implemented
• My feature request consists of only one feature

Is your Feature Request related to a Problem or Annoyance?

I would like to run buttons as templater commands without creating new notes. As a workaround, I use templaterCreateNote and then I put a return; at the end of the templater file, but there are two issues with the method. One is that it often throws a silent error in the console, and the second issue is that it still creates a file in my file navigation and then only removes it when the command is done executing.

Another alternative is to give the templater file a templater hotkey, and then running that via the meta bind button's command button action (seen here) but this is much more setup than having a dedicated feature.

Describe the Feature you'd like

We should have a runTemplaterFile for this purpose to run the templater file without creating a note.

Alternatives

No response

Additional Context

No response

[mProjectsCode]

I am not familiar with templater commands. Can you point me to the relevant documentation or extensive examples?

[reply2za]

For example, in a templater file, I would have

<%* 
const closeUnpinnedLeaves = () => {
	const leaves = [];
	app.workspace.iterateRootLeaves(leaf => { 
		leaves.push(leaf);
	});
	leaves.forEach(leaf => {
	    if (!leaf.pinned) {
	        leaf.detach();
	    }
	});
}

closeUnpinnedLeaves();

// the return below prevents the note from being created
return;
-%>

And when I run this via templater's Templater: Open insert template modal, it won't create a new note but it runs the command. This makes templater really useful/powerful in quickly running some js commands with the addition of Templater's API. It's even better when you pair this with meta-bind. Instead of the command palette, I use meta bind's templaterCreateNote to run such commands (like the one I provided above, which closes all unpinned tabs) without actually creating a new note.

[reply2za]

Additional info, this is what the button would look like:

style: default
icon: app-window-mac
label: "Close tabs"
actions:
  - type: templaterCreateNote
    templateFile: "templates/commands/Close unpinned tabs.md"
    templater: true

[mProjectsCode]

If templater offers some easily accessible function for this, I will consider adding your proposal.

[mProjectsCode]

If you only want to run JavaScript, take a look at these two actions. 1 2

[reply2za]

This should be achievable within meta-bind. As when running a templater script in command format, through hotkeys or other non-meta-bind means, it doesn't create a new file.

As to your second point, unfortunately there's more setup to create a js file in and outside of Obsidian, so it's a bit harder to manage, and it doesn't include some of the useful note related functions provided by the tp namespace.

I hope you do consider it for these reasons.

[Graywaren]

edit: I did in fact miss a couple lines reading this thread like 5 different times (thanks adhd) and did misunderstand the request for my original comment. Now that I understand it, I would definitely love to see a built in "Templater" option with "insert template" & "create new note from template" options. Even though it's possible to do this already with command (and you don't need the "return;" as long as you use the "insert" option) this would save the work and clutter of having templates made for buttons in both the Templater Settings: Template Hotkeys and Settings: Hotkeys lists. I'm not sure how it would interact with cursor placement for inserting templates that do affect the current note, but it would be really handy to have if it's possible.

[reply2za]

Simply put, meta-bind's buttons are very useful in running templater commands without having to create a new note. So adding a runTemplaterFile button allows buttons to become powerful actions in a user's vault (shown in example I provided earlier).

It's as if templaterCreateNote and Run Javascript File had a child resulting in benefits from both, and a plethora of use cases.

@mProjectsCode
There is already support to run/evaluate a templater file without creating a new note. This is likely used in the "replaceSelf" action as it does take a templater file as an optional argument. I believe that this templater api function may be of use.

We can copy the TemplaterCreateNoteButtonActionConfig class to create a new action. The only change being that we replace createNoteWithTemplater with evaluateTemplaterTemplate.

[mProjectsCode]

now that the PR has been merged this issue can be closed