**Created**:: [[2021-07-10 Saturday]] **Link**:: https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4 **Duration**:: 3:55  # Summary In this video, the presenter introduces the use of templates in Excalidraw, a drawing tool integrated with Obsidian. He demonstrates how to create a template file, configure settings like stroke color, grid visibility, and mode settings, and how these can be utilized in new drawings. Additionally, he mentions the possibility of using Obsidian's template plugin for creating markdown-based templates that can even automatically include dynamic content. # Key Takeaways - Create a template file in Excalidraw to save preferred settings for drawing, which includes stroke color, grid visibility, and mode settings. - You can use Obsidian's template plugin to create multiple markdown-based templates, enhancing your visual note-taking capabilities. - Advanced templating can allow automatic text generation, such as including the current date or version numbers, streamlining your workflow. # Content Hey, welcome back! This is part eight, and we're going to be looking at templates. To get us started, let’s introduce the Excalidraw templates. What you need to do is create a file; you can name the file whatever you like, and you can place it wherever you prefer. Just remember the name so you can set it up in settings. My file is called 'template,' and it's right here. You open up 'template' and adjust your settings based on your preferences. In this case, my stroke color is blue. I can also go ahead and set up my default view, for example, to show the grid. Maybe I want to set that; by default, I want to use the coding type text. And I can change this to dark mode. Let’s say this is my template. If I've set up my template and saved it, then I need to go into settings. Under Excalidraw, I can choose where my template file is. My template file is in 'excalidraw/template,' so this is the name of my template file. Now, if I create a new drawing, for example, let’s just close this and create a new drawing, you can see that my new drawing is indeed going to have this color. It will have this font type, it's going to have the grid, and it will actually be in dark mode because that is my setting. That's the simplest way to set up a template, and it's very powerful because you don't need to redo all the settings every time you start a new drawing. [* ](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=0) Another way of creating templates is by using the Obsidian template core plugin. Since these are markdown files, you can create a template and simply create documents from it, allowing for an infinite number of templates outside the single template offered by Excalidraw. If you use an engine like Templater, you can even create a template that automatically fills in some text on the page. For instance, I can imagine that your template includes today’s date at the bottom of your drawing, like I have the version number right here. Templater can automatically fill this in simply by modifying the right text element in the markdown file. You would come here and insert your Templater code; for example, instead of this, you could add well here’s the version text, and you could write today’s date or some other preset text so that your drawings are set up the way you like them as you start drawing. [* ](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=114) Finally, there's one more type of more advanced template in Excalidraw that I will be showing you in the next part. [* ](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=216) # 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 and this is part eight](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=0) [and we're going to](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=2) [be looking at templates and to get us](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=3) [started](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=7) [um first let's introduce the exculidra](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=8) [templates and what you need to do](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=11) [is you need to create a file you can](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=14) [name the file](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=18) [whatever and you can place it whatever](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=19) [just you need to remember](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=21) [the name so you can set it up in](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=23) [settings i](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=25) [my file is called template and it's](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=26) [right here you open up template and](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=30) [you do your settings so you might have](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=33) [some preferences](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=36) [in this case my stroke color is blue](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=38) [i can also go ahead and set up that](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=42) [by default i want to see the grid](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=45) [maybe i want to set that by default i](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=49) [want to use](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=52) [the coding type text and](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=53) [i can if i want to change this by](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=56) [default to](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=59) [dark mode let's say this is my template](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=60) [if i've set up my template](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=63) [and saved it then i need to go into](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=65) [settings and in under x coli draw](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=68) [i can choose where my template file is](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=72) [and my template file is in exco literal](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=75) [slash template so this is the name of my](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=78) [template file](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=81) [and now if i create a new drawing for](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=82) [example](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=85) [let's just close this and let's create](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=86) [a new drawing then you can see that my](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=90) [new drawing](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=93) [is indeed going to have this color it](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=94) [will have](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=97) [this font type it's going to have the](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=98) [grid](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=101) [and it actually](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=101) [is going to be in dark mode because that](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=105) [is](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=108) [my setting so that's the simplest way to](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=109) [set up a template](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=112) [and it's very powerful because you don't](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=114) [need to do all the](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=116) [settings that you like right from the](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=118) [beginning](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=121) [and then the other ways of doing](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=122) [a template is you can actually use the](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=126) [obsidian template score plugin because](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=129) [these are markdown files](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=132) [you can create a template and you can](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=133) [simply create](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=136) [documents from that template and so](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=137) [therefore you have](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=140) [infinite number of templates uh possible](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=141) [outside the the single template offered](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=145) [by](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=148) [xcolidraw and if you use](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=149) [an engine like templator or something](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=152) [else](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=155) [then you can even](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=156) [create a template where you](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=159) [automatically](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=161) [author some of the text on the page so i](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=163) [can imagine that](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=166) [maybe your template includes](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=167) [a includes today's date](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=170) [in the bottom of your drawing like i](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=173) [have the version number right here](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=176) [and templater can automatically fill](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=178) [this in](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=181) [simply by modifying the right](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=182) [text element under text elements in the](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=186) [markdown file](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=189) [so you would come here and you would put](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=190) [in your](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=193) [templater code for example instead of](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=194) [this and](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=197) [and you could simply add well here's the](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=198) [version text](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=201) [and you could write today's date or you](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=202) [could](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=205) [do some other preset text](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=206) [so that your drawings are](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=209) [set up the way you like them as you](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=213) [start](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=215) [drawing and then finally there's](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=216) [one more type of more fancy or more](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=220) [a um template xcaligro automate and](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=225) [i'm going to be showing to you that in](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=229) [the next part](https://youtu.be/ibdS7ykwpW4?t=232)