Obsidian Dendron Importer

A simple VS Code extension for Dendron that imports notes from Obsidian vaults with automatic conversion from folder structure to dot-notation hierarchy.

🔄 Looking for the reverse? Check out our Dendron Obsidian Importer Plugin that imports Dendron vaults into Obsidian with automatic dot-notation-to-folder conversion!

Features

• 🗂️ Automatic Hierarchy Conversion - Converts Obsidian's folder-based organization to Dendron's dot-notation
• 📝 Smart Link Conversion - Transforms Obsidian [[wikilinks]] to Dendron format
• 📋 Asset Handling - Imports images and attachments with proper references
• 🎯 Simple Two-Step Process - Just select source and target folders
• 📊 Progress Tracking - Real-time progress reporting with detailed statistics
• ⚙️ Sensible Defaults - Optimized settings for most use cases

Installation

From VS Code Marketplace

1. Launch VS Code Quick Open (Ctrl+P / Cmd+P)
2. Paste this command:

   ext install LuisAbellan.obsidian-dendron-importer
   

3. Press Enter

Installation From Open VSX Marketplace

For VS Code alternatives like VSCodium, Gitpod, and others:

1. Visit Open VSX Registry: https://open-vsx.org/extension/LuisAbellan/obsidian-dendron-importer
2. Click Install or use the command line:

   ovsx get LuisAbellan.obsidian-dendron-importer
   

Alternative method:

1. Open Extensions in your editor (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
2. Search for "Obsidian Dendron Importer"
3. Install from Open VSX registry

Manual Installation

1. Download the latest .vsix file from the releases page
2. Install via VS Code:
   • Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
   • Run Extensions: Install from VSIX...
   • Select the downloaded .vsix file

Usage

Prerequisites

• VS Code with Dendron extension installed
• An open Dendron workspace
• An Obsidian vault to import from

Quick Start

1. Open Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)
2. Run Command: Dendron: Import Obsidian Vault
3. Select Obsidian Folder: Choose the folder containing your Obsidian notes
4. Select Dendron Folder: Choose the destination Dendron notes folder
5. Import: Watch the progress and review results

That's it! The extension automatically converts your files with optimized settings.

Automatic Conversion Features

The extension applies these optimized settings automatically:

Folder Structure Conversion

The extension automatically converts Obsidian's folder-based organization to Dendron's hierarchical dot-notation:

Before (Obsidian)

Obsidian Vault/
├── Projects/
│   ├── Web/
│   │   ├── React Project.md
│   │   └── Vue Project.md
│   └── Mobile/
│       └── Flutter App.md
├── Daily Notes/
│   ├── 2025-01-15.md
│   └── 2025-01-16.md
└── Resources/
    ├── CSS/
    │   └── Flexbox Guide.md
    └── JavaScript/
        └── ES6 Features.md

After (Dendron)

Dendron Vault/
├── projects.web.react-project.md
├── projects.web.vue-project.md
├── projects.mobile.flutter-app.md
├── daily-notes.2025-01-15.md
├── daily-notes.2025-01-16.md
├── resources.css.flexbox-guide.md
├── resources.javascript.es6-features.md
└── assets/
    └── [copied images and attachments]

Link Conversion

The extension intelligently converts Obsidian wiki links to work with Dendron's hierarchy:

Before (Obsidian):

See [[React Project]] for more details.
Check out [[Daily Notes/2025-01-15]].

After (Dendron):

See [[projects.web.react-project]] for more details.
Check out [[daily-notes.2025-01-15]].

Commands

Configuration

The extension remembers your folder selections for convenience:

Note: Conversion settings are automatically optimized and don't require configuration.

Examples

Basic Import

1. Open VS Code in your Dendron workspace
2. Run Dendron: Import Obsidian Vault
3. Select your Obsidian notes folder
4. Select your Dendron notes folder
5. Import completes with progress feedback

Path Configuration

The extension remembers your folder choices:

{
  "obsidianDendronImporter.defaultImportPath": "/Users/john/Documents/Obsidian Vault",
  "obsidianDendronImporter.defaultTargetPath": "/Users/john/Documents/Dendron Workspace"
}

Development

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/luisabellan/obsidian-dendron-importer.git
cd obsidian-dendron-importer

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Start development
pnpm run watch

Building

# Compile TypeScript
pnpm run compile

# Package extension
pnpm run package

Testing

# Run tests
pnpm run test

# Run with debugger
# Press F5 in VS Code

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit changes (git commit -am 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

Roadmap

• [ ] Backup Integration - Create backups before import
• [ ] Link Validation - Check and fix broken links after import
• [ ] Incremental Import - Update only changed files
• [ ] Tag Conversion - Convert Obsidian tags to Dendron format
• [ ] Advanced Options - Optional configuration for power users

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Q: Import command doesn't appear A: Ensure you have a workspace open in VS Code and the extension is enabled

Q: Files aren't converted properly A: Verify the source folder contains .md files and has proper read permissions

Q: Links are broken after import A: Check for special characters in filenames - the extension automatically converts links

Q: Assets aren't imported A: Ensure assets are in supported formats (PNG, JPG, PDF, etc.) and in an 'assets' folder

Getting Help

• 📝 Create an issue
• 💬 Discussions
• 📧 Contact maintainer

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Thanks to the Dendron team for creating an amazing knowledge management system
• Thanks to the Obsidian community for inspiration
• Built with the VS Code Extension API

Made with ❤️ for the knowledge management community

Quick Reference

Two-Step Import Process:

1. 📁 Select Obsidian notes folder
2. 📁 Select Dendron notes folder
3. ✅ Done! Files automatically converted with optimized settings