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).
