I did do a search (perhaps not for very long) and I did not find anything that could help me.
What I’m trying to do
Soooooooo, I have a full book library database on Notion and I am attempting to convert everything I have in there to obsidian so I can finally say goodbye to Notion. I exported the database in HTML format (as requested by Obsidian) and imported it via Importer plugin. However, what I am left with is a page for every author (or up to 19 pages depending on how many books that author has written that I own) and all of the other data fields placed within the frontmatter (YAML).
My problem is I am quite unsure how to create a workable book database from the frontmatter, or if there even is a way to do that I am unsure. Is there a plugin, or another genius way that I can create a database without copying and pasting all of the field information manually? I have seen quite a number of awesome things done using various plugins so I am hoping there is a way. I have provided a screenshot as a visual reference. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.
Things I have tried
I have just imported the database from the Notion export. I am unsure what else to do.
I also brought my Notion databases to Obsidian. My book list came from spreadsheets, but my set up is similar to your imported files. Here are two of the ways you could bring your files together.
The Projects community plugin lets me set up (and interact with) my “bookcase” like this:
To try this one, you would install and enable the plugin, follow the instructions to tell it which folder (or other source) your book files are in, start selecting what you want to display and how, and you’re off and running.
Data Cards is an external plugin that you can get on GitHub. . I’ve only started working with it this week but really like it so far:
This one requires a litte bit of coding and the Dataview community plugin. The documentation can walk you through it, but it’s more involved than the first option, which like Notion mostly involves clicking the things you want.
With both of these methods, you can customize your display fields, filters, and sorting in a lot of ways that are like Notion, with options for galleries (like in my screenshots), calendars, Kanban-like boards, tables, and whatnot.
This is fantastic. Both seem to be viable options but I went right for the datacards option and loving it so far. Thank you so much for this. I need to find out how I can find these types of plugins that are not listed in community plugins. This is now the 4th non-listed plugin that has saved my life, so to speak. You are my hero!
Plugin creators often post on r/ObsidianMD and Obsidian’s Discord for feedback and to get the word out, whether community-accepted, external, or awaiting acceptance. I think reddit is where I came across the DataCard’s creator’s post really recently. They could be worth a search when you’re hunting for plugins.
