Table cells: display and behavior
A table cell is not just a value in a box. It shows a field a particular way, and it acts when you click, hover, or focus it. Two things decide how a cell looks and behaves: the field it holds and the column's display mode. Knowing this pays off when you build a table, because it tells you which columns to leave in full detail and which supported columns to keep compact. This page is the counterpart to Task chips: display and behavior, for cells rather than chips.
For choosing a column's field, order, width, color, and display mode, see Table columns. This page is about the cell itself.
MEDIA-DOCS-112-1: A table row with mixed cells: a chip list, a colored due date, a status tinted by its color, and a source button.
Detailed and compact cells
Icon-bearing task-field columns can use one of two display modes, set from the header menu (Show detailed cell or Show compact cell). On desktop, you can also double-click the column header edge you would drag for resizing to switch a supported column between the two modes. Columns without compact mode stay in detailed mode:
- Detailed cell: the cell shows the full value, as text, a chip, a colored date, or a small control.
- Compact cell: most supported fields show a single icon. Countdown and the duration, estimate, and Trackers columns show one abbreviated time unit instead. Hover a populated control for its tooltip; the time-column details are below.
So compact cell mode is how you keep a status, priority, or type column narrow while still reading it on hover. Most picker fields keep their editor in compact mode. Supported single-target navigation icons open that target directly; a multi-value summary icon keeps its picker. Duration and Trackers have the session actions described below.
Do not confuse this with display density (compact or comfortable), a preset setting that only changes row height. Density is purely visual; detailed and compact cell modes change what a cell shows.
MEDIA-DOCS-112-2: The same column in detailed mode and in compact mode, with the compact cell's hover tooltip revealing the full value.
What a cell shows, by field
In detailed cell mode, each field type renders its own way:
| Field | The cell shows |
|---|---|
| Text, number | The value as plain text |
| Status, priority | The value, tinted by the column's color mode |
| Due, Scheduled | The date in your chosen Date format, turning red when overdue and blue when due today |
| Other task dates | The date in your chosen Date format, in neutral text |
| List, tags | One chip per item in the field |
| Task Type | The user-managed classification, editable as Text |
| Task Image | One media-reference value or chip |
| Task Gallery | One ordered chip per media reference |
| Task links (parent, blocking, blocked by) | A wikilink chip per linked task |
| Links (web links) | A chip per link: a named Markdown link shows its label, a bare URL a tidied address |
| Assignees, contexts | A chip per linked person, place, or context value |
| Location | A small map chip |
| Duration | One readable duration chip per session, or their sum, depending on the column's mode |
| Trackers | One readable duration chip per saved session; hover shows its start and end |
| Estimate, Total estimate, Total duration | A duration value such as 2h 15m 0s |
| Parent task progress | A progress indicator over the task's subtasks or checkboxes |
| Description, Note | Formatted text with supported HTTP/HTTPS and existing local links |
| Recurrence | A bordered repeat icon with a readable rule description in detailed mode |
| Repeat reference date | The saved reference date in your Date format, or an empty cell when none is saved |
| Task Occurrence Date | This saved task occurrence's date in your Date format, with a repeat icon; empty when the recorded date is missing or invalid |
| Source | A button that opens the task's source |
| Project Serial | A chip with the task's serial, where a scope covers it |
| Countdown | A bordered, read-only remaining-time value with an hourglass icon; details below |
| Task Tree | A hierarchy control and, in detailed mode, the occurrence number |
| Line number, task icon helper, Task Data Type helper | The row number, a status icon, or an inline-or-file icon |
In detailed cells, an empty field usually shows a plain --, with exceptions for calculated values that have no applicable result. Countdown is empty when no valid target exists; Repeat reference date is empty when no date is saved; Task Occurrence Date is empty when its recorded date is missing or invalid. Project Serial also has an empty state: a task outside any Project serial scope renders a fully empty cell instead of --. Empty compact cells can render blank when there is no value to turn into an icon. Once a task is finished or cancelled, its Due and Scheduled cells drop the red and blue, because the deadline no longer presses, the same rule as task chips.
Built-in and custom task fields typed as Date follow Settings → Operon → Core → General → Language & Formats → Date format. Date Time Start, Date Time End, and custom task fields typed as Date & time combine that date choice with the existing 12- or 24-hour Time format, while keeping the cell's existing time precision. In compact cell mode, a date-and-time cell still shows only the time (14:30); its tooltip and accessible label carry the complete formatted date and time. These presentation choices do not change the canonical value used by the picker, sorting, grouping, or export. Supported Vault Properties typed as Date or Date & time also use the configured date/time presentation; their stored values remain unchanged.
Task Occurrence Date shows the current task's recorded date, without predicting the next task. Its header and cell use the repeat icon. The cell icon follows Scheduled's date colors: red before today, blue today, and neutral for future dates or a finished/cancelled task. Detailed cells show the formatted date; compact cells use the icon with the date available on hover. These rules apply in standalone and embedded Tables.
For a valid date, Task Occurrence Date and Repeat reference date read the same saved field. Clicking either editable cell opens the Repeat picker, not an independent date editor. The existing Recurrence column continues to show the readable rule, so you can keep the rule and the task's date in separate columns.
Task Tree cells show an occurrence, not a writable property. A task with children gets a circled chevron that expands or collapses that exact visible occurrence. A projected descendant uses a branch marker; a top-level task with no children uses a dot. Detailed mode adds hierarchy numbers such as 1, 1.2, and 1.2.1, while compact mode keeps the structural icon only. The column can use Table color modes, but clicking its control never edits parentTask. See Table columns.
Assignees show an icon beside each name in detailed cells. When a linked person's image is available, it replaces that person's icon. A compact cell with one assignee can show that image; with several assignees, it keeps the shared assignees icon and lists the names in the hover tooltip. Missing or unreadable images keep the usual icon. This also applies to embedded Tables. See How to show assignee images for setup.
The Links column turns web links into readable chips. In detailed cell mode, each entry has a Links icon. A named Markdown link, [Design doc](https://example.com/design), shows its label (Design doc), and a bare URL shows a tidied address. Long labels end with an ellipsis; hover the chip to see the full URL.
On desktop, a link uses the shared opening rules: click for a lightbox, Cmd/Ctrl-click for an Obsidian tab, and middle-click an HTTP/HTTPS link for the system browser. Supported YouTube video links open the embedded player without Web Viewer, preserving a supported start time. Other web-page previews and Obsidian web tabs require Web Viewer; middle-click does not. Cmd/Ctrl and middle-click keep the original URL. Enter/Space applies when the link itself is focused.
Click the cell's empty space to open its picker when the cell is editable. Opening a link chip does not also open the picker. A compact single-target icon uses the same navigation when eligible. A single summary icon for several values keeps the picker; Gallery keeps its first-item target. Description/Note summary icons keep the text editor. Mobile behavior is unchanged. These rules also apply to embedded Tables.
Rendered descriptions support default and six-color highlights, with the leading color marker hidden in the display while the source text stays intact. The compact text editor retains the editing controls supported by Obsidian. See Text field editor popover for syntax and editing behavior.
Links and cell editing
The following desktop rules apply in standalone and embedded Tables. A navigation click does not also open the cell editor or Task Editor.
| Field | Link action |
|---|---|
| Links | Open the HTTP/HTTPS target, preserving a named link's label |
| Task Image / Task Gallery | Open the selected media; Gallery keeps separate ordered items |
| Assignees / Contexts | An item that is a complete, existing wikilink opens its target; other items keep the picker |
| Task Type / Custom Text / Vault Property Text | A complete, existing wikilink opens its target; plain text, raw HTTP text, mixed text, or a missing target keeps the Text/Type picker |
| Custom List / Vault Property List | Apply the wikilink test to each text item separately; other items keep their normal list control |
| Parent | Open the current parent's source, including the current Inline line; an empty or unresolved parent opens its picker |
| Source | Open the task's current source and Inline line; a missing source gives a short notice |
| Description / Note | Open the supported HTTP/HTTPS or existing local link itself; the surrounding text opens the editor |
The editable area outside the link still opens the cell's normal picker or editor, including Parent's relationship picker. A missing Description/Note wikilink returns to editing without creating a file. Source has no editing area. Blocking, Blocked by, Project Serial, source-path/file columns, and other dedicated controls retain their own actions.
Aliases, relative paths, headings, blocks, and supported PDF page targets are retained. The current task, source, parent, and selected value are checked when activated, so a shortened label or stale list item is not used as a new destination. Supported Markdown, Base, Table, and media targets use the shared viewer; other existing native file types can use the native-opening fallback.
Local modifier-hover follows Page Preview preferences; HTTP links retain their URL tooltip. See Lightbox for controls, hover behavior, nested previews, and save protection. Navigation does not write a task field or remove the cell's editing and read-only protections.
Vault Property cells
Vault Properties use the task's indexed property values in both workspace and embedded tables. Supported types open their normal editing controls. A declared Checkbox property shows a checked box for true, an empty box for false, and a dashed-square empty indicator when unset. Clicking a writable boolean cell changes its value; the property's type/header icon is distinct from these value indicators.
false and 0 are values, not empty cells. Missing, null, empty text, and empty lists can have similar empty presentations but remain distinct source states. List order and repeated members are preserved. Automatic types, unsupported values, conflicts, and unavailable sources can make even an empty cell read-only; a blank display is not permission to overwrite an unverified value.
Saving edits writes to the source task and refreshes the shared index. If the source changed while an edit was being prepared, review its current value rather than forcing the older value over it.
While a task update is being verified
Saving a canonical, mapped custom, or Vault Property value refreshes the task through the shared index. With the same preset and column layout, the table keeps its structure and reuses unaffected rows instead of rebuilding the whole surface. The full table is not dimmed during this update.
If a source is genuinely pending, a brief updating indicator can appear. Affected rows remain visible as a temporary display, but editing and selection on those rows are disabled until their data is verified. Other rows remain usable when Operon can verify them independently. If the affected scope is uncertain, more actions may be temporarily unavailable.
A pending value can also affect filtering, sorting, grouping, or summaries. Retained results are not treated as current, and actions that depend on the complete result, including export and bulk actions, wait for verified data. This applies to both the standalone Table and embedded tables. Initial loading or switching to a different preset can still require a loading state.
Duration, estimates, and Trackers
These displays work in both normal and embedded tables. Detailed values use hours, minutes, and seconds, such as 2h 15m 0s, 12m 8s, or 45s.
| Column | Detailed cell | Compact cell |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Individual session chips, earliest start first, or one total via Show total | The task's session total |
| Trackers | One chip per saved session | The task's session total |
| Estimate | The task's estimate | The same estimate |
| Total duration / Total estimate | The task's value plus its subtasks' values | The same total |
Compact values show the largest whole unit: 1h for 1h 30m 0s, for example. The units are years, days, hours, minutes, and seconds; zero shows as 0s. Hover reveals the full duration. Duration session chips keep their width instead of squeezing their text to fit; widen the column to reveal more sessions.
Session details on hover
- Detailed Trackers: hover a session chip for its full start/end range.
- Compact Trackers: the heading shows the full total. Each body line shows one session as
duration: start/end. - Compact Duration: the heading shows the full total. The body lists each session's duration, earliest start first, without dates. These lines are right-aligned so seconds line up.
Add or edit time
When editing is available, click a session chip in detailed Duration or Trackers to edit that session. Click empty space in either cell to add time, including in compact mode. Read-only tables do not offer these actions.
With Tracked time, recorded sessions, Duration, Total duration, and their hover details use the selected period. Estimates stay unchanged. See Time tracking for period and subtask totals.
Countdown cells
Countdown has a border in both modes. Compact shows only the largest nonzero unit, without an icon: 1y, 234d, 23h, or 55m. For a timed target below one minute it shows <1m; at or after the target it shows 0m.
Detailed places an hourglass icon on the left and the value on the right, such as 1y 234d 23h 55m. Leading zero units are omitted; smaller units remain, so 2h 0m keeps minute precision. Seconds never appear in the cell itself. Dates without a time use calendar years and days only, such as 1y 12d, 1d, or 0d. Years are full calendar years with remaining days; months are not used.
The border is centered by default. Changing column alignment moves the border; detailed text remains right-aligned inside it with fixed-width numerals. Compact borders share a width close to the cell edges. Detailed borders use the widest current value among the filtered rows, including rows outside the visible viewport, while staying within the available column width. If a narrow column clips the value, the tooltip provides the full text.
Hover or focus a populated Countdown chip to open one Operon tooltip. Its heading is Scheduled, Due, or Scheduled / Due, followed by the full target in your date/time format and the detailed countdown. For timed targets, seconds update while the tooltip is open, for example 2h 12m 8s; after expiry it shows 0s. All-day targets remain at day precision. Closing the tooltip stops its seconds display, so the table itself does not become a wall of ticking seconds.
Countdown uses the column’s normal color, border, and hover/focus styling. With no valid target, there is no border, icon, or placeholder. Clicking or double-clicking the cell does not edit the task or start a timer. See Table columns for target selection and color rules.
What a cell does on click
Cells fall into a few roles. Some edit a value in place, some take you somewhere, and some open a control:
| Role | Where | Clicking it |
|---|---|---|
| Edit in place | The non-link area of editable status, priority, date, estimate, repeat, list, tag, parent/dependency, and other picker cells | Opens that field's picker; Repeat reference date and Task Occurrence Date also use the Repeat picker |
| Edit a session | individual chips in detailed Duration or Trackers, when editable | Opens that session's time editor |
| Add time | empty space in an editable Duration or Trackers cell | Opens the add-time window |
| Edit text | Non-link text or a summary icon in Description/Note | Opens the existing text editor |
| Navigate from text | Supported HTTP/HTTPS or existing local links inside Description/Note | Opens the shared lightbox; missing local links return to editing without creating a file |
| Open a web link | An eligible Links chip or single-target icon on desktop | Click opens the lightbox; Cmd/Ctrl opens an Obsidian tab; middle-click opens the system browser |
| Open a place | location cell or chip | Opens the map popover, which pins open when you drag it. See Location picker |
| Act on structure | parent task progress | Opens the task's subtasks or checkboxes |
| Expand hierarchy context | Task Tree column | Expands or collapses the selected visible occurrence without changing the task or base Table result |
| Go to source | Source column | Opens the current file or Inline line in the lightbox; Cmd/Ctrl-click opens a new Obsidian tab |
| Cycle and menu | task icon column | Follows the global task icon click preference; its hover menu is the contextual menu |
| Open the editor | Task Data Type helper | Opens the Task Editor; Cmd/Ctrl-click opens the source instead |
General row and cell behavior:
- Double-click a row to open the full Task Editor, except controls that handle the gesture themselves, including read-only Countdown cells.
- Read-only cells, such as the source and file columns and automatic fields like operonId, display their value and do not open a picker. The source cell is the exception: it is read-only as a value but still opens the source.
From the keyboard, focus an editable picker cell and press Enter or Space to start editing. When a link inside the cell has focus instead, its activation opens the preview without also editing the cell. Description and note text cells also support F2 for their text-editing path.
MEDIA-DOCS-112-3: An editable date cell clicked open, showing the date picker anchored to the cell.
Editing text in compact cells
A text field behaves a little differently when it is collapsed to a compact icon. When a description or a note column is in compact cell mode, clicking its cell does not open a field picker; it opens a text editor popover, a small floating panel for editing that field's text in place. The panel carries the field's name and the task's description as a heading, and it saves what you type when you dismiss it, by clicking away, pressing Escape, or using its close button.
The two text fields have deliberately different policies. A description is the task's single-line title. A note can contain several visual lines: use Shift+Enter to add a line break, or paste multiline text including blank lines. For an inline task, Operon serializes those note breaks as \n inside the note field, so editing never splits the physical Markdown task line. The same popover behavior is available in an embedded table and on the Kanban. See Text field editor popover for the control itself.
MEDIA-DOCS-112-4: The text editor popover open over a compact description cell, with its multi-line editor.
Text property editing
Task Type, Custom Text, and Vault Property Text use a picker with the current value above an empty search field. Suggestions are available immediately; click the current value to edit it. A supported multiline current value opens the shared text editor rather than being forced into one input line.
Long and multiline Text values retain their content through the existing File/Inline save paths in both Table surfaces. Source, mapping, stale-value, cancellation, and conflict checks still apply; changing how the value is displayed does not authorize overwriting a newer source. See Custom field pickers.
Hover: tooltips and previews
Hovering a cell can reveal more without a click:
- Compact cells show a tooltip with the field’s details, so a collapsed column stays readable. Countdown uses its date source as the heading and adds live seconds for a timed target.
- Wikilinks inside text cells and wikilink-style task link chips support Page Preview: hold Cmd or Ctrl and hover to get Obsidian's hover preview of the linked note. This needs Obsidian's core Page Preview plugin enabled, and the modifier key; a plain hover does not trigger it.
- Web link chips in the Links column show their full URL on hover, with a hint for opening the lightbox or a new Web Viewer tab.
- Task Image and Task Gallery chips share the same compact preview for supported local or web images, videos, PDFs, and YouTube links. Named Markdown links show their assigned label. Click the full-width preview header or its image once to open the media lightbox; image zoom and pan remain available inside it. See Task images and galleries.
How this guides configuration
Because a cell both shows and acts, the display mode you pick per column has consequences:
- Collapse status, priority, and type to compact cell mode. They read at a glance, and the hover tooltip and click behavior stay intact.
- Keep description, dates, and any link or list fields in detailed cell mode, where the full text and chips are worth the width.
- Most picker fields keep their editing action in compact mode; eligible single-target icons navigate, while multi-value summary icons keep the picker. A compact date keeps its overdue or due-today color when it has a value.
Tips
Collapse what you recognize, expand what you read
If you know a field by its icon, such as status or priority, set it to compact cell mode and reclaim the width. Keep the columns you actually read as words, like the description and dates, in detailed cell mode. The row gets shorter while supported compact cells keep their tooltip and click behavior.
FAQ
Does a compact cell lose information? No, when the field has a value. Hover it for the full details. Most picker fields keep their editor in compact mode; eligible navigation icons follow the rules above, and Duration/Trackers use their session actions. Countdown remains read-only in both modes. If the value is empty, the compact cell can be blank.
Why is a due date red or blue? Red means overdue, blue means due today. A finished or cancelled task drops the color.
What is the difference between detailed cells, compact cells, and density? Detailed and compact cell modes decide what a cell shows. Density (compact or comfortable) only changes row height. See Table presets.
Why does clicking a cell not do the same thing everywhere? Cells have roles. An editable field opens a picker, description wikilinks open notes, the source column opens the source, location opens the map popover, and read-only cells only display.
Why does Task Tree show the same task in two places? One is the task's normal filtered row; the other is a contextual occurrence under an expanded parent. The contextual occurrence does not add to counts, summaries, grouping, or export; existing sort rules can still order siblings inside that branch.
How do I get a hover preview of a linked task? Hold Cmd or Ctrl and hover the wikilink chip, with Obsidian's core Page Preview plugin enabled.
Why won't a web link in my Links column open? Ordinary web-page previews and Obsidian web tabs need the core Web Viewer plugin on desktop. A supported YouTube video link opens its embedded player without it; a YouTube page that is not a supported video uses the ordinary web route. Cmd/Ctrl-click opens the original URL in a new Obsidian tab, and middle-click opens it in the system browser even without Web Viewer. The editable space outside links still opens the picker; compact single-target and summary icons follow the rules above.