FAQ for TaskNotes users
The questions TaskNotes users ask most when they try Operon, with short answers and links to the full pages. For the step-by-step move, follow How to migrate from TaskNotes.
My notes and properties
Will converting change my notes? It is additive. The scan adds an operonId and the mapped modified-time property and preserves your existing frontmatter and body. See Bulk convert a folder into file tasks.
Will my own property names work? Yes. Map each TaskNotes property name into the matching Operon canonical key's Property area, and Operon reads and writes your names in file tasks. The value types must match. See Key mappings.
What about a property with no Operon field? Add a Custom Key with the same name and type, so the data is kept rather than ignored. See Custom keys.
Do I have to give up one-note-per-task? No. That is exactly what an Operon file task is. You also gain inline tasks for quick capture, but your notes stay notes. See File tasks.
Time and focus
Is there a Pomodoro timer? Operon does not include a Pomodoro timer. For focused work it offers FlowTime, a session with a target, breaks, and overtime, and TrackTime, a count-up timer. See FlowTime focus sessions.
Does my tracked-time history come across? Time you record going forward lands on the Operon task. The conversion adopts the note and its frontmatter; it does not import a separate time-tracking history. See Time tracking.
Why does a shared time value look wrong? Operon stores estimate and duration in seconds, not minutes. A tool that uses a different unit would misread the same raw value, so do not map a single duration or estimate property between the two systems. See Time tracking.
Identity and views
Why must every task have an operonId? It is the durable identity that keeps a task recognizable across the Filter View, Calendar, and Kanban. There is no option to turn it off. See Task identity and operonId.
What replaces my TaskNotes views? Operon has its own Filter View, Calendar, and Kanban, and your file tasks and inline tasks appear in all of them together.
Running both, and going back
Can I keep TaskNotes installed while I move? Yes, but treat it as a temporary bridge. The two overlap in a few places, so run both with care rather than as a permanent setup. The full list is under "Running both at once" in How to migrate from TaskNotes.
Can both plugins manage the same note? It works best if they do not. Operon manages the note as its own file task, with its own status pipeline that differs from another plugin's statuses. Let one system own a given note and its status, so their writes do not overwrite each other. See Pipelines and statuses.
A nested property did not map. Operon's fields use Obsidian's flat property types (text, number, date, date and time, list, checkbox). A nested or structured property has no Operon field type, so move that data into separate flat keys. See Custom keys.
If I uninstall Operon, do I lose anything? No. Your tasks remain Markdown notes with their frontmatter; they keep the operonId as a property. You lose the views and automation, not the notes. See Markdown task storage.
If I uninstall Operon, do I lose anything? No. Your tasks remain Markdown notes with their frontmatter; they keep the operonId as a property. You lose the views and automation, not the notes. See Markdown task storage.