Experimental Features

This page documents experimental features in TODOseq. These features are provided for advanced users who want to try cutting-edge functionality, but they come with important caveats.

⚠️ Important Disclaimer

Experimental features may:

• Not be fully functional or polished
• Have bugs or unexpected behavior
• Be changed significantly or removed entirely in future versions
• Receive limited or no support

Experimental features are provided as-is for users who want to test new capabilities. If you encounter issues with an experimental feature, you can disable it in settings to restore normal operation.

Org-Mode Support

Org-mode support allows TODOseq to parse tasks from Org-mode files (.org extension), enabling you to use your existing Org-mode workflow within Obsidian.

What It Does

When enabled, TODOseq will:

• Scan all .org files in your vault for tasks
• Extract tasks from Org-mode headlines with state keywords
• Display Org-mode tasks alongside Markdown tasks in the Task List
• Support Org-mode priorities, scheduled dates, and deadline dates

How to Enable

1. Open Obsidian Settings
2. Navigate to "Community plugins" → "TODOseq"
3. Scroll to the "Experimental features" section
4. Enable "Detect tasks in org mode files"

Once enabled, .org files will be automatically included in vault scans.

Supported Syntax

TODOseq recognizes standard Org-mode task syntax:

Headlines with Keywords:

* TODO Write documentation
** DONE Review pull requests
*** IN-PROGRESS Fix bugs

Priority Cookies:

* TODO [#A] Critical security patch
** DOING [#B] Medium priority task
*** TODO [#C] Low priority task

Scheduled and Deadline Dates:

* TODO [#A] Submit quarterly report
  DEADLINE: <2026-02-15 Sun>

** DOING Review documentation
   SCHEDULED: <2026-02-12 Thu>

Inactive Dates:

* DONE Completed task
  CLOSED: [2026-02-10 Mon]

Supported Keywords

All default TODOseq keywords are recognized in Org-mode files:

Incomplete States	Completed States
TODO	DONE
DOING	CANCELED
NOW	CANCELLED
LATER
WAIT
WAITING
IN-PROGRESS

Custom keywords defined in TODOseq settings also work with Org-mode files.

Limitations

The following limitations apply to Org-mode support:

• Editor styling not supported: Tasks in .org files will not have keyword formatting, priority badges, or date decorations in the editor view
• Reader view styling not supported: Org-mode tasks are not visually enhanced in the reader/preview view
• Vault scanning only: Tasks are detected during vault scans and appear in the Task List, but in-editor interactions are limited
• Checkbox synchronization not available: Org-mode uses headlines, not checkboxes, so checkbox state synchronization does not apply
• File must have .org extension: Files must use the .org extension to be parsed as Org-mode

Example Org-Mode File

* TODO [#A] Project Planning
  DEADLINE: <2026-03-01 Sun>

** DOING Create project timeline
   SCHEDULED: <2026-02-15 Sat>

** TODO Define milestones

** WAIT Budget approval
   Waiting for finance team response

* DONE Initial research
  CLOSED: [2026-02-10 Mon]

Reporting Issues

If you encounter issues with Org-mode support, please report them on the GitHub issue tracker with:

• The Org-mode file content (or a sample that reproduces the issue)
• Expected behavior
• Actual behavior
• Whether the issue persists after disabling and re-enabling the feature

Checkbox Theming

Checkbox theming allows TODOseq to display special checkbox markers in the markdown editor and task lists based on the active Obsidian theme styling to indicate task state visually.

What It Does

When enabled, TODOseq will:

• Use the - [/] markdown checkbox format for active tasks in the markdown editor
• Use the - [-] markdown checkbox for cancelled tasks in the markdown editor
• Style the checkbox marker based on the task's state
• Apply this formatting to markdown task lines in both editor and preview views

How to Enable

1. Open Obsidian Settings
2. Navigate to "Community plugins" → "TODOseq"
3. Scroll to the "Experimental features" section
4. Enable "Use extended markdown checkbox styles"

Requirements

This feature requires a theme with styled checkboxes. Most themes will display the checkbox marker with appropriate colors or styles based on task state:

• Incomplete tasks: Typically shown with a standard checkbox icon
• Cancelled tasks: Often shown with a dimmed or cross-marked checkbox

Without a theme that supports checkbox styling, the checkbox markers may appear unstyled or plain text.

Marker Behavior

The - and / markers are only added to updated tasks. Existing checkbox states in your markdown files remain unchanged until the task's state changes:

• If you have an existing task line: * [ ] My task, it will appear as-is until you toggle its state
• When you toggle a task to complete or cancel, the marker updates: * [-] My task or * [/] My task
• The markers are synchronized with the task's current state in the Task List

Limitations

The following limitations apply to checkbox theming:

• Theme dependency: Checkbox styling relies on your active theme's checkbox CSS
• Default theme: Only standard markdown checkbox syntax ([ ], [x]) is supported
• Synced markers: Markers only appear in the editor when task state changes; existing checkboxes remain unmodified
• Limited format: Only - (cancelled) and / (in-progress) markers are supported; completed tasks use standard [x] format

Example

- [/] Review pull requests (in progress)
- [ ] Update documentation (not started)
- [-] Fix bugs (cancelled)
- [x] Deploy to production (completed)

Reporting Issues

If you encounter issues with checkbox theming, please report them on the GitHub issue tracker with:

• The theme you're using (or screenshots if applicable)
• The markdown task content
• Expected checkbox marker appearance
• Actual checkbox marker appearance
• Whether the issue persists after disabling and re-enabling the feature