Table Fields — clickable controls for plain Markdown tables

rosettaguo · July 21, 2026, 3:04am

Disclaimer

Is this project open source? MIT.
Is this project completely free? Yes!
Is this project vibe-coded beyond the author’s ability to comprehend how it works? No
Community Directory: Table Fields

A task table wants checkboxes.

A budget table wants currency.

A status column wants a fixed dropdown.

A date column should read like a date…

I wanted those lightweight controls without turning the note into a database, a separate spreadsheet, or a block of unreadable plugin data.

Table Fields keeps the source as a normal Markdown pipe table, then adds typed, clickable fields on top of it in Obsidian.

Columns can be text, checkbox, dropdown, date, currency, or percentage

Each column gets a simple type:

checkbox columns render as clickable checkboxes and save back as [x] or [ ]
select columns render as dropdowns with fixed choices
date columns stay as ISO dates in the file and display in your local date style
currency columns store plain numbers and display with a currency symbol
percentage columns stay readable and align neatly
text columns remain ordinary text

You can right-click a table header and pick the field type directly from the table.

Dropdown choices live in the note, not in a settings database

The table is configured by a short HTML comment immediately above the Markdown table. For a dropdown column, the choices are just the options list:

<!-- table-fields id="budget" v="1"
cols:
  - {name: "Category", type: "select", options: ["Housing","Food","Utility","Fun"]}
-->

To edit dropdown choices, switch the note to Source mode, change the options list, then switch back to Reading view or Live Preview. If Obsidian keeps showing the old dropdown list, leaving the note and opening it again refreshes the rendered controls.

Turning the plugin off still leaves a readable Markdown table

This is the main promise of the plugin. The note does not become a database, and there is no hidden file or external store. If Table Fields is disabled, you still have a normal Markdown table with normal values.

The display-only formatting disappears, as expected. For example, a currency cell that displayed as US$1,850.00 becomes the stored plain number 1850.00.

An AI helper prompt provided

Table Fields includes a copyable “AI skill” in settings. It is just text you can paste into Claude, ChatGPT, Copilot, or another assistant so it understands the Table Fields table syntax and can help edit tables safely.

The plugin itself does not call any AI API. It does not need an account or API key.

Privacy and data flow

Table Fields is local-only:

no network requests
no telemetry
no accounts
no API keys
no hidden database
no vault data collected by the developer

The plugin reads and writes only the note you are editing. The AI skill button writes text to your clipboard when clicked; it does not read clipboard contents.

Privacy details are here:

github.com/fyaic/Table-Fields-Plugin

PRIVACY.md

main

# Privacy

**Payment status: Free.** Table Fields is free to install and use. It has no paid features, no
license gate, no accounts, and does not use any third-party or cloud API for its functionality.

**Table Fields is fully local.** It only reads and writes the Markdown tables inside your own notes,
on your own device. It makes **no network requests**, stores **no API keys**, and the developer
**collects nothing** — no vault data, note contents, telemetry, or logs are sent anywhere.

## Data-flow matrix

| Feature | Default | Local files written | Data sent off device | Your control |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Render typed cells (checkbox, select, date, currency, percentage) | On for tables with a `table-fields` comment | None | None | Remove the comment, or disable the plugin |
| Write-back (toggling a checkbox, picking a dropdown value) | On | Edits the current note only | None | Don't interact; edits only happen on your action |
| Right-click column type / "Mark table" command | Manual | Edits the current note only | None | Only runs when you invoke it |
| Copy AI skill (Settings → AI skill) | Manual | None | None | Writes text **to** your clipboard on click; the plugin never reads clipboard contents |

## Details

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What it is not

Table Fields is intentionally not Excel, not Bases, and not a formula engine. It is for lightweight structure inside a single Markdown note.

There are no formulas. Percentages and currency values are literal values you maintain.

Links

Community Directory: Table Fields - Obsidian Plugin
GitHub: GitHub - fyaic/Table-Fields-Plugin: Tick checkboxes, pick from dropdowns, and see dates and money formatted nicely · GitHub

I would love feedback from people who keep small trackers, budgets, habit tables, project lists, or checklists directly in Markdown notes. I am especially interested in where the boundary should be between “simple typed table” and "this should become a real database/spreadsheet."

istefox · July 22, 2026, 5:52am

nice! the dropdown choice is good and get more useful the table on obsidian! good job!