# Table overview The Table shows your tasks as rows and columns, like a spreadsheet of your work. It is the best surface for comparing many fields at once, sorting and grouping by any property, rolling up totals, and scanning or auditing a large set of tasks in one place. An [inline task](/docs/docs-011-inline-tasks/) and a [file task](/docs/docs-013-file-tasks/) sit in the same rows; both carry the same fields, so the Table is one grid over all your work regardless of how each task is written. Where the [Calendar](/docs/docs-028-calendar-overview/) plans by *when* and the [Kanban](/docs/docs-030-kanban-overview/) plans by *how far along*, the Table plans by *comparison*: line the fields up side by side and let sorting, grouping, and summaries surface what a card or a calendar cell would hide. Open it with **Operon Table** from the command palette. > **MEDIA-DOCS-105-1:** The Operon Table showing tasks as rows with columns for task, status, priority and dates. ![MEDIA-DOCS-105-1 - The Operon Table showing tasks as rows and columns](/assets/docs/media/MEDIA-DOCS-105-1.png?v=2594f04d5930) ## How the table is built A table is shaped by a **Table preset**, which controls the task scope and most of the table's layout: - The **filter** chooses which tasks appear, from a saved FilterSet or all tasks. See [Filter View](/docs/docs-025-filter-view/). - The **columns** choose which fields each row shows, and in what order. See [Table columns](/docs/docs-106-table-columns/). - **Grouping** and **sorting** arrange the rows. See [Table grouping and sorting](/docs/docs-107-table-grouping-and-sorting/). - **Summaries** roll each column up into a total at the foot of the table and of each group. See [Table summaries](/docs/docs-108-table-summaries/). - The **display density** sets how compact or comfortable the rows feel. So the table is a live picture of a preset: change a task and its row updates, add a task that matches the filter and a new row appears. Saving presets lets you keep several tables for different questions and switch between them. The line number, task icon helper, and task type helper columns are global Table settings, so they appear the same way across presets. See [Table presets](/docs/docs-109-table-presets/). > **MEDIA-DOCS-105-2:** The table toolbar, with the preset selector, search box, Group & Sort, filter, export, and related views controls. ![MEDIA-DOCS-105-2 - The Operon Table toolbar](/assets/docs/media/MEDIA-DOCS-105-2.png?v=052ffb24e0e7) ## Editing a cell changes the task The Table is not a read-only report. Editing a cell is a real change, written back to the task's Markdown and reflected everywhere else the task appears, because the Table is one surface over the same task records. See [Operon core concepts](/docs/docs-005-operon-core-concepts/). - **Click a cell** in an editable column to change that field on the spot. The matching picker opens: the date picker for a date column, the status or priority picker, the estimate picker, and so on. From the keyboard, most picker cells open with **Enter** or **Space**; text-edit cells can also use **F2**. See [Table cells: display and behavior](/docs/docs-112-table-cells-display-and-behavior/). - **Double-click a row** to open the full [Task Editor](/docs/docs-021-task-editor/) for that task. - The **Source column** opens the task's source in a new Obsidian tab: the note for a file task, or the exact line for an inline task. Read-only columns, such as the source and file columns, display their value without opening a picker. Which fields are editable and how each column behaves is covered in [Table columns](/docs/docs-106-table-columns/), and exactly what each cell shows and does on click and hover is in [Table cells: display and behavior](/docs/docs-112-table-cells-display-and-behavior/). ## Searching the table The Table has a search box that narrows it to the rows you care about. Type at least two letters and it searches the values in the table's **visible columns**, using both the raw field value and the text displayed in the cell. Hidden columns are left out. Every typed word has to match, and words match from the start, so `sch` can match `scheduled`. Click into the box and the [Task Finder-style](/docs/docs-027-task-finder/) scope buttons appear beneath it: project scopes, Overdue, Happens Today, recent modified work, and the toggles for including inline tasks, file tasks, and cancelled or finished work. These scopes are separate filters for the table, and they work with or without typed text. Scope choices are saved with the preset, while the typed search text belongs to the current table tab. Turn on Overdue and the table shows only overdue rows; pick a project scope and it narrows to that project, even with the box empty. Text and scopes combine. However you filter, the Table stays a table: matching rows keep their columns, grouping, and sort order, and the non-matching rows drop away. You narrow the grid, you do not flatten it. ## Open related views The same tasks can be planned in more than one view. From the toolbar you can jump to a [Calendar](/docs/docs-028-calendar-overview/) or [Kanban](/docs/docs-030-kanban-overview/) that shares this table's filter, or create a new one seeded with the same filter, so a set of tasks you assembled here can be seen by date or by stage without rebuilding the filter. See [Filter View](/docs/docs-025-filter-view/). ## Embed and export A table does not have to stay in its own tab: - **Embed a table in a note** with an `operon-table` code block, so a live, editable table renders inside a daily note, a project page, or a dashboard. See [Embed a table in a note](/docs/docs-110-embed-a-table-in-a-note/). - An embedded table can switch presets from its toolbar, and its visible row count can come from the global Table setting or a local `rows` value in the code block. - **Export the table** as a Markdown table or CSV, or copy the embed code, from the export control in the toolbar. See [Export a table](/docs/docs-111-export-a-table/). ## When the table fits Reach for the Table when the question is about comparison rather than time or stage: - Reviewing every open task in a project with its priority, due date, and estimate in one row. - Sorting a large backlog to find what has slipped or what is unestimated. - Grouping by assignee or context to see the load at a glance. - Rolling up total estimate or tracked time across a group. - Auditing or exporting a slice of tasks. If your work is mostly date-driven, the [Calendar](/docs/docs-028-calendar-overview/) may suit it better; if it moves through clear stages, reach for the [Kanban](/docs/docs-030-kanban-overview/). Many people use all three over the same tasks. > **MEDIA-DOCS-105-3:** A grouped table with a summary row at the foot of each group and of the whole table, colorless mode. ![MEDIA-DOCS-105-3 - A grouped Operon Table with summary rows](/assets/docs/media/MEDIA-DOCS-105-3.png?v=7d73c2073590) ## Tips > [!tip] Build a table per question, not one table for everything > A table answers best when it is pointed at a single question: what is overdue this week, what is unestimated, what is each person carrying. Rather than one wide table you scroll and re-sort, save a preset for each question and switch between them. The filter, columns, grouping, and summaries then arrive already set for the answer you came for. ## FAQ **Does editing a cell change my note?** Yes. A cell edit updates that field in the task's Markdown, so the change is permanent and visible in every view. **How do I open the full task?** Double-click its row to open the [Task Editor](/docs/docs-021-task-editor/). To jump to where the task is written, click its cell in the Source column. **Can I have more than one table?** Yes. Table presets let you save tables for different filters, columns, groupings, and summaries, and switch between them. See [Table presets](/docs/docs-109-table-presets/). **Can I filter the table without typing?** Yes. Click the search box and use the scope buttons; scopes like Overdue or a project scope narrow the table on their own, with the box empty. Those scope choices are part of the preset's saved table scope. **Is the Table a different set of tasks from the Calendar or Kanban?** No. All three read the same task records. A table shares its filter with related Calendar and Kanban views through the related views control. ## Settings Operon settings for the Table live in **Settings → Operon → Views → Tables**, where you set the default preset, the maximum visible rows for embedded tables, and whether rows show the global line number, task icon helper, and task type helper columns. Each preset's own filter, columns, grouping, sorting, and summaries are edited from the table itself. See [Table presets](/docs/docs-109-table-presets/). ## Related - [Operon Docs MOC](/docs/docs-001-operon-docs-moc/) - [Table columns](/docs/docs-106-table-columns/) - [Table cells: display and behavior](/docs/docs-112-table-cells-display-and-behavior/) - [Table grouping and sorting](/docs/docs-107-table-grouping-and-sorting/) - [Table summaries](/docs/docs-108-table-summaries/) - [Table presets](/docs/docs-109-table-presets/) - [Embed a table in a note](/docs/docs-110-embed-a-table-in-a-note/) - [Export a table](/docs/docs-111-export-a-table/) - [Filter View](/docs/docs-025-filter-view/)