Why Manage Creation and Modification Times Yourself?
This article is divided into three sections:
- Why? — Reasons to manage time metadata manually
- What For? — Practical uses of time metadata
- How? — Easy implementation methods
Why?
Why manage creation/modification times yourself?
— Because file system timestamps are unreliable.
As we know, file systems track Created and Modified timestamps:
However, these timestamps are easily altered and often inaccurate.
For example:
- Syncing notes across devices may overwrite timestamps.
- Batch editing notes (e.g., renaming properties or tags) resets all affected files’
Modifiedtime to the batch operation’s timestamp:
This makes features like “recently modified notes” meaningless if relying on system timestamps.
What For?
Accurate time metadata enables:
-
Tracking “recently created/modified notes”
-
Generating statistics (e.g., via Dataview):
-
Visualizing productivity with timelines or charts:
All these require correct time metadata. Inaccurate timestamps lead to misleading results.
Screenshots achieved using Dataview and Components.
How?
Basic Implementation
For creation time:
-
Add a note property via Add file property:
-
Name it
create_datewith Date & Time type:
-
Set to current time:
For modification time:
Repeat the steps to create a modified_date property and update it manually when editing. 
By storing timestamps in note metadata (Frontmatter), you gain reliable control.
Automation
If manual updates feel tedious - no worry, Obsidian plugins can automate everything.
Auto Creation Time
Use Templater with this template:
<%*
const createDate = tp.file.creation_date("YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm");
-%>
---
title: <% tp.file.title %>
create_date: <% createDate %>
modified_date: <% createDate %>
aliases:
tags:
---
# <% tp.file.title %>
This auto-populates create_date on note creation:
Auto Modification Time
Install plugins like Update Time Updater or Linter:
For better control, bind the update command to Ctrl+S using Commander:
This updates modified_date only when manually saving (avoids accidental changes).
Linter Plugin also offers YAML Timestamp rules for automated updates.
Conclusion
This guide explains why and how to manage note timestamps manually. Key takeaways:
- Essential for time-based note tracking/statistics.
- Automation via plugins eliminates manual effort.
- Only necessary if you care about temporal analytics — otherwise, ignore it!
Thanks for reading! 