MD Journal - VS Code Extension

This is a VS Code extension that leverages the built-in markdown editing capabilities of VS Code to provide a streamlined journaling experience. The extension automates the creation and organization of daily journal entries in markdown format.

Features

• Automatic File Renaming: When a new daily note is saved, it is automatically renamed based on the first line of the entry.
• "Go to Today's Note" Command: A dedicated command to quickly open the current day's journal entry if it already exists.
• "Open Journal Folder" Command: A simple command to open your main journal directory in the VS Code File Explorer as a VS Code menu side panel.
• Customizable Folder Structure: Define your preferred folder hierarchy using YYYY, MM, and DD placeholders (e.g., YYYY/MM/DD or YYYY-MM-DD).
• Status Bar Indicator: A status bar icon that shows whether you've created an entry for today.
• Tagging/Bookmarking System: Supports #tags within markdown files and provides a dedicated view to browse tags and their associated entries.
• Template Management: Create and use templates directly from your journal folder. Templates are stored in a .templates subfolder within your journal path.
• Backlinks/Wikilinks: Supports [[wiki-link]] style linking between notes, with a dedicated sidebar view to show notes linking to the current file.

Features & Command Reference

Journal Entry Commands

• Create Today’s Entry:
  Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P), run MD Journal: Create Today's Entry.

  • Creates a new entry for today using your configured template.
  • If the entry exists, opens it.

• Open Journal Sidebar:
  Use MD Journal: Show Sidebar to view Entries, Tags, and Backlinks.

Tags

• Add tags anywhere in your entry using #tagname (e.g., #work, #idea).
• Tags are automatically indexed and shown in the Tags sidebar.
• Click a tag in the sidebar to see all entries containing it.

Backlinks (Wikilinks)

• Create links to other entries using [[Entry Title]].
• Backlinks are indexed and shown in the Backlinks sidebar.
• Click a backlink to navigate to the referenced entry.

Templates & Variables

• Templates are stored in the .templates folder in your journal path.
• When creating a new entry, the default template is used.
• Supported template variables:
  • {date}: Replaced with the entry’s date (e.g., 2025-08-09).

Settings

• Journal Path: Set the root folder for your journal.
• Folder Structure: Customize with placeholders (YYYY, MM, DD).
• File Header Format: Define the default header for new entries.

Usage

On first run, the extension will prompt you to select a root directory for your journal.

You can create new daily entries or go to today's note using the commands in the VS Code Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P or Cmd+Shift+P):

• Journal: New Daily Entry (If templates exist, you will be prompted to select one. Otherwise, a blank note with a timestamped header will be created.)
• Journal: Go to Today's Note
• Journal: Save as Template (Saves the content of the active editor as a template in your journal's .templates folder. The initial timestamp header will be automatically removed.)

Configuration

• md-journal.journalPath: The root path to your journal.
• md-journal.folderStructure: The folder structure for your journal entries (e.g., YYYY/MM/DD or YYYY-MM-DD). Use YYYY, MM, DD as placeholders (default: YYYY/MM/DD).
• md-journal.fileHeaderFormat: The format for the header of a new journal file. Uses YYYY, MM, DD, HH, mm, ss as placeholders (default: YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss).