Property support for non-markdown files

Feature requests
1

Use case or problem

The use case is binary file management. Obsidian already supports inline rendering of PDFs, audio and video files. This fact invites such files to become integral part of the vault. However, Obsidian does not support assigning metadata to binary files, like it does for markdown. You cannot tag a PDF, for example. The same goes for canvases, AFAIC.

It is possible to use a “twin” markdown file, and there are plugins that try to automate this, but that is cumbersome.

Now that we have properties and property panes it seems logical to extend property support to binary files. It is clear, though, that properties for binaries would have to be stored externally w.r.t. the file, like in a JSON file inside .obsidian.

Proposed solution

The property pane works for binary files exactly as it does for markdown files.

Current workaround (optional)

Creating markdown files that mirror/link to the binary files.

16 Likes
2

This would be very useful in canvas and can be implemented in the JSON without external dependencies.

3 Likes
3

Would be very helpful, using twin markdown files is very cumbersome and sucks overall

3 Likes
4

+1 for this. It would be a true game changer for me and my admittedly idiosyncratic uses of Obsidian :smile:

1 Like
5

+1 for this - I’m scanning pages from a paper notebook to bring them into Obsidian as PDF files. And PDF files don’t have Properties so they can’t be linked/tagged/categorized/etc. and can’t show up in the Graph display (aside from disconnected orphan PDFs, unless I create mirror .md files or link directly to the PDF from other notes)

4 Likes
6

+1. im surprised to being unable to find any solutions whatsoever.

3 Likes
7

+1 as well. I use my fair share of pdfs and it would make my life just a tad easier.

1 Like
8

+1 for a more standardized way to do this.

1 Like