Troubleshooting

This section covers common issues and their solutions when using TaskNotes.

Common Issues

Tasks Not Appearing in Views

Symptoms: Tasks you've created don't show up in TaskNotes views

Possible Causes:

• Task files are missing the configured task tag
• Files are in excluded folders
• Tasks don't have valid YAML frontmatter
• Cache needs refreshing

Solutions:

1. Check that task files include the task tag configured in settings (default: #task)
2. Verify task files are not in folders listed in "Excluded folders" setting
3. Ensure YAML frontmatter is properly formatted with opening and closing --- lines
4. Try closing and reopening TaskNotes views to refresh the cache
5. Restart Obsidian if cache issues persist

Task Link Widgets Not Working

Symptoms: Links to task files appear as normal wikilinks instead of interactive widgets

Possible Causes:

• Task link overlay is disabled in settings
• Task files don't have the required task tag
• Links are to non-task files

Solutions:

1. Enable "Task link overlay" in Inline Task Settings
2. Ensure linked files have the configured task tag in their frontmatter
3. Verify you're linking to actual task files created by TaskNotes

Instant Conversion Buttons Missing

Symptoms: Convert buttons don't appear next to checkbox tasks

Possible Causes:

• Instant task convert is disabled
• Not in edit mode
• Cursor not near checkbox tasks

Solutions:

1. Enable "Instant task convert" in Inline Task Settings
2. Switch to edit mode (not reading mode)
3. Position cursor near checkbox tasks to make buttons visible

Calendar View Performance Issues

Symptoms: Calendar views are slow or unresponsive

Possible Causes:

• Large number of tasks or external calendar events
• Multiple ICS subscriptions with frequent refresh
• Complex recurring task patterns

Solutions:

1. Disable unused event types in calendar view toggles
2. Increase ICS subscription refresh intervals
3. Consider disabling note indexing in Misc settings if you don't use the Notes view
4. Reduce the number of external calendar subscriptions

Natural Language Parsing Not Working

Symptoms: Natural language input doesn't extract expected task properties

Possible Causes:

• Natural language processing is disabled
• Input format doesn't match supported patterns
• Custom status/priority words not configured

Solutions:

1. Enable "Natural language input" in Task Defaults settings
2. Review supported syntax in the Natural Language Processing documentation
3. Configure custom priority and status words if using non-default values
4. Try simpler input patterns to test basic functionality

Time Tracking Issues

Symptoms: Time tracking doesn't start/stop properly or data is lost

Possible Causes:

• Multiple time tracking sessions active
• Browser/Obsidian closed during active session
• Task file permissions or save issues

Solutions:

1. Stop any active time tracking before starting new sessions
2. Manually edit task frontmatter to fix corrupted time entries
3. Check that task files can be saved (not read-only)
4. Restart active time tracking sessions after unexpected shutdowns

Data Issues

Corrupted Task Files

Symptoms: Tasks appear broken or cause errors in views

Solutions:

1. Open the task file directly and check YAML frontmatter syntax
2. Ensure YAML values are properly quoted when containing special characters
3. Validate YAML syntax using an online YAML validator
4. Restore from backup if file corruption is severe

Missing Task Properties

Symptoms: Tasks missing expected properties or using default values unexpectedly

Solutions:

1. Check field mapping settings to ensure property names match your expectations
2. Verify default values in Task Defaults settings
3. Manually add missing properties to task frontmatter
4. Re-save tasks through TaskNotes to apply current field mapping

Date Format Issues

Symptoms: Dates not displaying correctly or causing parse errors

Solutions:

1. Use supported date formats: YYYY-MM-DD or YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM:SS
2. Check that dates are quoted in YAML frontmatter when necessary
3. Verify time zone handling for dates with time components
4. Re-enter dates through TaskNotes date pickers to ensure correct format

Performance Troubleshooting

Slow View Loading

Solutions:

1. Disable note indexing in Misc settings if you don't use the Notes view
2. Reduce the number of external calendar subscriptions
3. Exclude large folders from note processing
4. Consider using simpler status and priority configurations

External Calendar Issues

ICS Subscriptions Not Loading

Symptoms: External calendar events don't appear in calendar views

Solutions:

1. Verify ICS URL is correct and accessible
2. Check network connection and firewall settings
3. Try manual refresh of the subscription
4. Validate ICS feed using online ICS validators
5. Check error messages in subscription status

Calendar Sync Problems

Symptoms: External calendar changes not reflected in TaskNotes

Solutions:

1. Check refresh interval settings for the subscription
2. Manually refresh the subscription
3. Verify the external calendar is actually updated at the source
4. Clear cached calendar data by removing and re-adding subscription

Getting Help

Diagnostic Information

When reporting issues, include:

1. TaskNotes version number
2. Obsidian version
3. Operating system
4. Specific error messages
5. Steps to reproduce the issue
6. Screenshots if relevant

Community Support

• Check the GitHub repository for existing issues
• Search community forums for similar problems
• Review documentation for configuration guidance

Configuration Reset

If all else fails, you can reset TaskNotes configuration:

1. Close Obsidian
2. Navigate to .obsidian/plugins/tasknotes/
3. Rename or delete data.json
4. Restart Obsidian (this will reset all settings to defaults)

Important

Resetting configuration will lose all custom settings, status configurations, and ICS subscriptions. Export or document your current settings before resetting.