Obsidian University Workflow — Templater-powered notes for students

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TL;DR: A small toolkit of Templater scripts + templates that auto-detect your course and parcial, rename/move notes into the right folders, and scaffold study-friendly pages. Drop it in your vault and start capturing lectures/concepts without fiddling with filenames or paths.

GitHub - ABO896/obsidian-university-workflow: A powerful, context-aware Templater system for university students using Obsidian.
Requires: Obsidian 1.5+, Templater, Dataview (optional but recommended)

:sparkles: What it does

  • Detects context automatically
    Finds your course (subject) and parcial from where the file lives (e.g., Universidad/Math/Parcial 1/…) and injects them into frontmatter.
  • Moves and names files for you
    Creates missing folders on demand and prevents duplicate filenames (Lecture 2025-10-16 (1).md, etc.).
  • Fast, guided capture
    Prompt flow to pick/create subject + parcial and optionally set a lecture topic. Cursor lands where you start typing.
  • Study-first structure
    Sections for summaries, definitions, own-words explanations, questions, and Dataview backlinks to related notes.
  • Modular scripts
    Helpers live in _templater_scripts/ and are reused by all templates.

:package: What’s inside

abo896-obsidian-university-workflow/
├── _templater_scripts/
│   ├── getUniversityContext.js       # infer subject/parcial from path
│   └── universityNoteUtils.js        # folder discovery, creation, safe renames
└── _templates/
    ├── Lecture Note.md               # smart lecture workflow
    ├── Concept Note Template.md      # feynman-style concept capture
    └── Subject Hub.md                # starting point for dashboards

Assumed vault structure (customizable):

Universidad/<Subject>/<Parcial>/<Your notes>.md

:white_check_mark: Requirements

  • Obsidian v1.5+
  • Templater (required)
  • Dataview (used by Concept notes and future dashboards)

:gear: Install (2 minutes)

  1. Download the repo ZIP → extract.
  2. Copy _templater_scripts/ and _templates/ into your vault root.
  3. Obsidian → Settings → Templater
  • Template folder: _templates
  • Script files folder: _templater_scripts
  1. (Optional) Assign a hotkey to Lecture Note.
  2. Templater → Reload templates and Reload user scripts.

:rocket: How to use

Lecture Note (daily driver)

  1. Create a new blank note (leave it named Untitled).
  2. Run Lecture Note (command palette or your hotkey).
  3. Pick or create Subject and Parcial.
  4. Optionally enter a Topic → filename becomes Lecture YYYY-MM-DD - Topic.md.
  5. The template writes frontmatter, tags (#<subject> #lecture), sections, moves the file into the right folder, and puts the cursor in Summary.

Concept Note (Feynman-style)

  1. Run Concept Note Template from any draft.
  2. Pick/create Subject/Parcial.
  3. It relocates the file if needed, adds concept sections, and a Dataview query listing related lectures.

Subject Hub

  • A minimal starting page you can duplicate per subject to build dashboards (Dataview tables, progress, Kanban, links).

:puzzle_piece: Customization cheatsheet

  • Change base folder
    In universityNoteUtils.js, update DEFAULT_BASE_PATH (default "Universidad").
  • Parciales container
    The helper will use a Parciales subfolder if present; otherwise it saves parciales directly under the subject. You can rename this behavior inside findParcialesContainer().
  • Parcial options
    Edit the arrays in the templates (e.g., add "Parcial 4", change labels to your semester system).
  • Tags/aliases
    In Lecture Note, tweak how #<subject> and #lecture are generated, or change the aliases frontmatter.

:brain: Why this workflow?

  • Zero-setup capture during class.
  • Consistent naming and paths help Dataview shine.
  • Templates nudge active recall: definitions → own words → questions.
  • Works great alongside spaced repetition or code snippets for CS courses.

:thinking: Troubleshooting

  • Template aborts immediately
    Make sure you’re running Lecture Note in a fresh note still named Untitled (or Sin título). It refuses to rename existing notes to avoid collisions.
  • Folders not created
    Confirm _templater_scripts is set in Templater and you’re on the desktop app (mobile file-system permissions may differ).
  • Dataview list is empty
    Enable Dataview and ensure lecture notes keep the #lecture tag and correct course/parcial frontmatter.
  • Wrong subject/parcial detected
    Move the file under Universidad/<Subject>/<Parcial>/… first, or pick from the suggester. You can always rename folders later.

:round_pushpin: Roadmap

  • Subject Hub: ready-made Dataview tables (progress by parcial, recent lectures, open questions).
  • Optional daily lecture note command (auto topic from calendar title).
  • Language presets (ES/EN prompts and headings).
  • Mobile-friendly flows where renaming/moving happens last.

:test_tube: Compatibility notes

  • Tested on Obsidian desktop 1.5.x with Templater + Dataview.
  • Mobile works but folder creation/renames can be slower; consider running templates after syncing.

:page_facing_up: License

MIT © 2025 Alvaro Balduz

:raising_hands: Contribute / Feedback

Issues and PRs welcome—new templates, alternative semester systems, or dashboard ideas. If you’re a student using a different folder convention, I’d love to support it out-of-the-box.

GitHub - ABO896/obsidian-university-workflow: A powerful, context-aware Templater system for university students using Obsidian.*
Demo vault snippets / screenshots also welcome!

Appendix: sample frontmatter

---
course: "Fundamentos de la Programación"
parcial: "Parcial 1"
type: "lecture"
date: "2025-10-16"
status: "draft"
aliases: ["Intro to Pointers"]
---
#fundamentos-de-la-programacion #lecture