Your instructions are confusing at best

[jmcd040]

I like the idea of your plugin, however, I can't make heads or tails of your instructions. Take, for example, capturing something to place in a journal. Your example has absolutely nothing to do with what I see when I open the configuration in the plugin. I gladly support you if you could provide specific step by step instructions to do something.

[chhoumann]

Hi Jim,

Thanks for the honest feedback—I appreciate you taking the time to share this, and I'm sorry the documentation isn't clear enough yet.

You're right that the instructions could use improvement. It's possible the UI has changed since I wrote that example and I haven't caught up with the docs yet. Finding time to keep everything in sync is one of the harder parts of maintaining a project like this, but that's not your problem to deal with—the docs should just work.

A couple of questions that would help me fix this:

1. Which specific example were you trying to follow? I want to understand exactly where things broke down.
2. Could you share a screenshot of what your configuration screen looks like? That way I can see if there's a version mismatch or if the docs are just poorly written.

I'll use your experience to rewrite that section with clearer step-by-step instructions.

Thanks again. This kind of input genuinely makes the project better for everyone.

I've written a guide here. I hope you find it useful. Feedback is appreciated - it might serve as a first draft!

Step 1: Open QuickAdd Settings

1. Open Obsidian Settings (Ctrl/Cmd + ,)
2. Scroll down the left sidebar to Community plugins
3. Find QuickAdd and click the gear icon (⚙️) next to it

Step 2: Create a New Capture

At the bottom of the QuickAdd settings panel, you'll see a row with:

• A text input (placeholder: "Name")
• A dropdown menu (defaults to "Template")
• An "Add Choice" button

Do this:

1. Type Journal Entry in the Name field
2. Change the dropdown from "Template" to Capture
3. Click Add Choice

Your new capture appears in the list above. It has a clipboard icon.

Step 3: Configure the Capture

Click the gear icon (⚙️) next to your "Journal Entry" capture.

A modal opens with these sections:

LOCATION Section

You'll see:

• "Capture to" — description says "Target file path. Supports format syntax."
• A toggle labeled "Capture to active file" — leave this OFF
• Below that: "File path / format" input field

In the file path field, enter:

journal/{{DATE:YYYY-MM-DD}}.md

You'll see a Preview line showing today's resolved path (e.g., journal/2025-12-11.md).

Adjust the folder name to match your vault structure (e.g., Daily Notes/{{DATE:YYYY-MM-DD}}.md)

Below that, toggle ON: "Create file if it doesn't exist"

This ensures the journal file gets created if it doesn't already exist.

POSITION Section

You'll see a "Write position" dropdown with these options:

• Top of file
• After line…
• Bottom of file

Choose: "After line…"

New fields appear:

1. "Insert after" — Enter the heading where you want entries added:

   ## Journal
   

   (A preview shows below it)
2. "Insert at end of section" toggle — Turn this ON
   (This puts new entries at the bottom of that section, not the top)
3. "Consider subsections" — Leave OFF unless you have nested headings
4. "Create line if not found" — Turn ON, keep dropdown on "Top"
   (This creates the ## Journal heading if it doesn't exist)

LINKING Section

You'll see "Link to captured file" dropdown with options:

• Disabled
• Enabled (requires active file)
• Enabled (skip if no active file)

Choose: Disabled (unless you want a link back to where you captured from)

CONTENT Section

You'll see:

1. "Task" toggle — Leave OFF (unless you want - [ ] format)

2. "Capture format" toggle — Turn this ON

A textarea appears. Enter your format:

- {{DATE:HH:mm}} {{VALUE}}

The Preview below shows what it will look like (e.g., - 14:32 your text here)

What this means:

• - creates a bullet point
• {{DATE:HH:mm}} inserts the current time (24-hour)
• {{VALUE}} is replaced with whatever you type

BEHAVIOR Section

• "Open the captured file" — Leave OFF for quick capture, or turn ON if you want to jump to your journal after capturing

Step 4: Close the Modal

Click outside the modal or press Escape. Settings auto-save.

Step 5: Set Up a Hotkey

1. In QuickAdd settings, click the lightning (⚡) icon next to "Journal Entry". This adds it as an Obsidian command.
2. Open Obsidian Settings → Hotkeys
3. Search for Journal Entry
4. Click the + icon next to "QuickAdd: Journal Entry"
5. Press your desired hotkey (e.g., Ctrl+Shift+J)

Step 6: Test It

1. Press your hotkey
2. Type: Testing my journal capture
3. Press Enter

Open your journal file. You should see:

## Journal
- 14:32 Testing my journal capture

Quick Reference: Format Syntax

Code	Result
{{VALUE}}	What you type
{{DATE}}	Today (YYYY-MM-DD)
{{DATE:HH:mm}}	Current time (24h)
{{DATE:h:mm A}}	Current time (12h, e.g., 2:32 PM)
{{DATE:dddd}}	Day name (Wednesday)
{{LINKCURRENT}}	Link to current file

Common Issues

"Nothing happens when I use the hotkey"

• Make sure you saved a file path in "Capture to"
• Check that "Create file if it doesn't exist" is ON

"Text goes to wrong place"

• Verify "Insert after" matches your heading exactly (including ##)
• Make sure "Insert at end of section" is ON if you want newest entries at bottom

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Let me know if any step doesn't match what you see, and I'll update the guide!