**Created**:: [[2021-07-10 Saturday]] **Link**:: https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE **Duration**:: 7:11  # Summary In this video, the presenter discusses the markdown features within Obsidian, focusing on how to utilize front matter, tags, backlinks, and file history effectively. The walkthrough demonstrates how to edit markdown files and manage connections between documents while maintaining project organization. Additionally, viewers learn about the benefits of enabling Obsidian sync for accessing file version histories. # Key Takeaways - The markdown view in Obsidian allows users to add and edit front matter, including tags and project descriptions. - Links and backlinks are integral to navigating between documents, enhancing the interconnectedness of notes. - Enabling Obsidian sync provides file version history, allowing users to revert to earlier versions of their drawings and documents. # Content Hey, welcome back to part seven, and we're going to be talking about markdown features, in particular about front matter, about tags and backlinks, and about file history. So, what you will notice is if you click on more options, you can actually change the xcode raw file to a markdown view. And so here you can see this file as a markdown file, and I can actually switch to edit mode to look at this file. What you see here is you see the front matter where you can actually add whatever other front matter key you want to add, like aliases or tags or whatever. You see that the text elements each have a block reference, which means that you can reference any text on your drawing using these block references, and you can reference it in documents. Then, at the bottom, I have this section with the drawing, and you can see this long, long, ugly file, which is the description of your drawing. Now, what you can do is add tags to your document. I'm going to add, for example, the project tag as well as any description I may want. The part above the text elements section of the document is going to be preserved, so this project and any description I want and anything I write above this text element is going to be preserved as well. If I write aliases, I'm just going to include whatever, this is going to be my alias that in the front matter is going to be preserved as well. So now, if I switch back to the drawing mode, nothing has changed on my drawing. However, in the background, of course, these additions that I made are still there now. What I want to show you is I'm going to open this drawing once more right next to this current drawing, especially if I manage to find it, so I'm going to open this in this pane right next to it. Let's just zoom into this a bit, and for example, we'll come down here to markdown features, and I'm going to change this to edit mode. Look at this part of the document here—if I edit this document here, I am adding some text, and you can see that actually the text that I'm adding is appearing in the drawing. So these two are indeed linked now. The other bit I want to show you is this is a mandatory key, so the xcallit drop plugin—you must have that key in the front matter of an Excalidraw drawing. However, these other two keys, x-callidraw link prefix and link brackets, are optional. I can, for example, change this to true, and if I change the front matter key to true, then indeed when I re-render the picture, then you can see that here. So that was not. If I would unlock this and lock it again, then you can see that the square brackets are rendered as well. But if I come back to this document, I can open this up as a markdown, then I can also change this prefix, and I can put whatever prefix I want. Maybe I'll just put this hand, and when I change back to the drawing mode, then you can see that all of these links now look different, and this can be customized to this specific page. Now, I think the next interesting bit is looking at the links and the backlinks. I have here these documents referenced, so let's just open up one of these—oops, not like that. Open up one of these documents on this side, and let's look at the backlinks for this document. And as you would expect, you can see that in the backlinks, I have the link to my drawing, and so that in this case works as expected. Also, if I open up graph view and I look at x Excalidraw here, you can see here is the drawing, and you can see all the different pages that are referenced from my Excalidraw drawing. In addition, I can also click on any of these drawings within graph view, and the relevant drawing will open up, so these links now work completely as any normal link would in Obsidian. Finally, I cannot actually show you in this case, but I can show you where you would need to look for it. If I right-click on a file and I choose file history, version history, this is going to be empty, and that's because I don't have Obsidian sync enabled on my test or demo database. So you can see that sync is not available—not enabled. But if you have Obsidian sync, then you actually get full file version history back for a year, which means that if something happens to your drawing or you want to go back to an earlier version of your drawing, you can do that. So that was all about the markdown features, and next we're going to be talking about templates. [* ](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=0) # YouTube Details ## YouTube Description If you find this helpful please say thanks by buying me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/zsolt You can reach me (@zsviczian) in the Obsidian Members Group (OMG) on Discord or on Twitter. Link to the GitHub page: https://github.com/zsviczian/obsidian-excalidraw-plugin Link to the Excalidraw Automate documentation: https://zsviczian.github.io/obsidian-excalidraw-plugin/ ## YouTube Transcript [hey welcome back to part seven and we're](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=0) [going to be talking about markdown](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=3) [features in particular about front](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=5) [matter about](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=7) [tags and backlinks and about file](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=8) [history](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=11) [so what you will notice is if you click](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=11) [on more options](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=15) [you can actually change the xcode raw](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=16) [file](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=19) [to a markdown view and so here you can](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=20) [see](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=24) [this file as a markdown file i can](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=24) [actually switch](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=27) [to edit mode to look at this file](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=28) [what you see here is you see the front](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=32) [matter where](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=34) [you can actually add whatever other](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=35) [front matter key you want to add like](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=39) [elias's or tags or whatever](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=42) [you see that the text elements each have](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=45) [a](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=48) [block reference which means that](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=48) [you can reference any text on your](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=52) [drawing](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=55) [using these block references and you can](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=55) [reference it in documents](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=58) [and then at the bottom i have this](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=60) [section with the drawing and you can](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=62) [see this long long long](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=64) [ugly file which is the description of](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=68) [your](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=72) [drawing now what you can do](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=72) [is let's you can add](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=75) [tags to your](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=79) [document so i'm going to add for example](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=83) [the project tag](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=86) [as well as i can add any description](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=87) [i may want](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=93) [and uh the part between](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=98) [or the part above the text elements](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=101) [section of the document is going to be](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=104) [preserved so this](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=107) [project and any description i want and](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=108) [anything](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=111) [actually i write above this text element](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=112) [is going to be](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=115) [preserved as well as if i write](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=116) [elias's and](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=119) [i'm just going to include whatever](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=123) [x this is going to be my](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=126) [elias that in the](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=130) [front matter is going to be preserved as](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=134) [well so now if i switch back to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=136) [the drawing mode nothing has changed on](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=140) [my drawing](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=142) [however uh in the background of course](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=143) [these uh additions that i made](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=147) [are still there now what i want to show](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=151) [you](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=154) [is i'm going to open this drawing](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=155) [once more right next to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=158) [this current drawing especially if i](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=161) [manage to find it so i'm going to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=164) [open this in this pane](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=169) [right next to it and let's just zoom](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=172) [into this a bit](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=175) [and for example we'll come down here to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=177) [um seven uh](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=180) [markdown features and i'm going to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=184) [change this](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=186) [to edit mode so look at this part of the](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=187) [document here](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=190) [if i edit this document here so](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=192) [i am adding](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=195) [some text then you can see that actually](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=199) [the tanks that i'm adding is appearing](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=203) [in the drawing so this two are](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=206) [in fact linked now the other bit i want](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=209) [to show you is](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=212) [the this is a mandatory key](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=215) [so x call it drop plugin](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=218) [you must have that key in the front](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=221) [matter of an exclusive](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=224) [drawing however these other two keys](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=226) [x-coli draw link prefix and link](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=229) [brackets](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=232) [are optional and i can for example](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=233) [change this to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=237) [true and if i change the front matter](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=238) [key to true](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=241) [then indeed when i re-render](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=243) [the picture then you can see that here](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=247) [so that was not](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=250) [if i would unlock this and lock it again](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=251) [then](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=255) [you can see that the the](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=256) [square brackets are rendered](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=259) [as well but if i come back to this](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=262) [document](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=265) [and i open this up as a markdown](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=266) [then also i can change](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=270) [this prefix and i can put whatever](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=273) [prefix i want maybe i'll just put in](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=278) [this hand](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=280) [and when i change back to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=281) [the drawing mode then you can see that](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=284) [all of these links](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=287) [now look different and this can be](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=288) [customized](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=290) [to this specific page now](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=292) [i think the next interesting bit is](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=297) [looking at the links and the](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=300) [backlinks so i have here these documents](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=304) [referenced so let's just](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=308) [open up one of these oops not like that](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=310) [open up one of these documents](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=314) [on this side and let's look at](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=317) [the backlinks for this document and as](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=320) [you would expect](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=322) [you can see that in the backlinks i have](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=324) [the link to my drawing and so that](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=327) [in this case works as expected also if i](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=332) [open up graph view](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=335) [and i look at x coli draw here you can](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=337) [see here is the drawing](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=340) [and you can see all the different pages](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=342) [that are](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=345) [referenced from my excludra](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=346) [drawing and in addition](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=351) [i can also click on any of these](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=355) [drawings within graph view and the](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=358) [relevant](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=360) [drawing will open up so these links](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=362) [now work completely as any normal](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=366) [link would in obsidian](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=371) [and then finally i cannot actually show](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=374) [you in this case but i can show you](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=377) [where you would need](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=379) [to look for it is if i right click](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=380) [on a file and i choose a file history](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=383) [version history this is going to be](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=388) [empty and that's because i don't have](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=390) [sync enabled obsidian sync](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=393) [enabled on my](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=396) [test or demo database so you can see](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=400) [that](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=402) [sync is not available not enabled but if](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=403) [you have obsidian](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=406) [sync then you actually get full file](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=408) [version history back](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=411) [for a year which means that if something](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=414) [happens to your drawing or you want to](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=417) [go back to an earlier version of your](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=419) [drawing you can do that so that was all](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=421) [about the markdown features](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=425) [and next we're going to be talking about](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=427) [templates](https://youtu.be/R0IAg0s-wQE?t=429)