Obsidian - Patreon Vault - Make New Template Buttons

A Patreon “Vault” for Obsidian is built to make TTRPG note-taking start fast—then a practical walkthrough shows how to wire its DM board buttons to custom templates. The key move is connecting the DM board’s buttons (made with the metab bind plugin plus the templator plugin) to a specific templator template file and a matching “new note” name, so clicking a button reliably creates and runs the right template.

The process starts by locating the DM board note and inspecting its button code in Source mode. Each button is defined as a metab bind structure, with fields such as a label, visibility (hidden vs visible), and—most importantly—an action. In this setup, the action type is “templator create note,” pointing to a templator file (for example, a template that creates a “new Journal” note). Button appearance is controlled through metab bind “button groups” like primary, destructive, and plain, plus optional CSS class styling for deeper customization.

To add or change behavior without memorizing code, the workflow relies on metab bind’s “bind” wizard. Right-clicking a button binding opens a guided interface where users can set the button style, tooltip, ID, and the templator action. The wizard also lets users choose the templator file to run, the folder where the new note should be created, and the new note’s filename (e.g., “new Journal”). The transcript emphasizes that the button and the template must agree on the same “new Journal” identifier, because the templator logic checks for that filename to decide when to prompt and rename.

On the templator side, the template file (such as “Z templates template Journal.md”) contains the logic that runs when the button-created note appears. One example includes a step that prompts the user with a popup (“enter date”), then renames the file based on the user’s input. Another layer of logic moves the note into a target folder like “session journals.” The walkthrough notes that some of this folder-moving behavior can be handled either in the button setup or inside the template, and users can simplify by removing redundant lines—while keeping the rename prompt behavior intact.

After the wiring works, the tutorial shows how to create additional templates and connect them to new buttons. A new note template can be duplicated (e.g., “template Journal one”), then customized via properties such as “note icon” (managed through Supercharge Links). The template’s content is treated as a framework: it won’t look fully correct until templator runs it, which is why the template file may appear to contain “funny code” until triggered.

Finally, the transcript covers an alternative button method using metab bind “button templates” (including “button Quest”), where templates can be selected via an interface that supports Lucid icons and inline button layouts. It also flags a practical design constraint: some CSS-based callouts may look different in Live Preview mode versus Reading mode, so template styling may need to avoid features that Live Preview doesn’t support.

Overall, the central insight is that reliable template-button automation in Obsidian depends on three synchronized pieces: the metab bind button action, the templator template file, and a shared “new note” name/ID that triggers the templator prompt and post-processing (like moving folders and renaming).