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fix(timestamps): capture into the cursor's table cell without breaking the row (#165) - #203

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chhoumann/165-timestamp-table
Jun 16, 2026
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chhoumann merged 1 commit into
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chhoumann/165-timestamp-table

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Summary

Fixes the "Capture Timestamp" command when the cursor is inside a markdown table cell (issue #165). Previously the captured timestamp landed in the wrong cell, scattered the cursor to seemingly random rows, or broke the table row. Now it is inserted at the cursor and stays on the row.

Root cause

The capture handler in src/main.ts did:

const cursorPos = editor.getCursor();
editor.replaceRange(capture, cursorPos);
editor.setCursor(cursorPos.line, cursorPos.ch + capture.length);

Two problems:

  1. Cursor placement. Deriving a position with getCursor(), writing it with replaceRange, then re-placing the caret with a hand-computed setCursor fights Obsidian's Live Preview table-editing widget, which remaps positions. The caret (and the inserted text) ended up in the wrong cell. The hand-computed setCursor is also wrong whenever the capture spans lines.
  2. Structural characters. A capture containing a raw | opens a phantom column and a raw newline ends the row, so a pipe/newline-bearing template breaks the table.

Fix

  • Insert with editor.replaceSelection(textToInsert) so CodeMirror owns caret placement (the standard insert-at-cursor idiom). This removes the brittle manual coordinate math.
  • New pure helper src/utility/prepareTimestampInsertion.ts: when the cursor is inside a markdown table (including a table nested in a callout/blockquote), escape unescaped | → \| and collapse newlines to spaces so the row stays intact. Outside a table the capture is inserted verbatim.
  • TimestampTemplateEngine is left untouched.

The default template - {{time}} and {{linktime}} produce no raw pipes/newlines, so their output is unchanged outside the cursor-placement fix.

Verification

Runtime verification in a real Obsidian instance (isolated worktree e2e vault, Live Preview), driving the actual registered podnotes:capture-timestamp command against a real editor:

Scenario Result
- {{time}} in a table cell inserted at cursor, table intact
{{linktime}} in a table cell (the #165 case) deep link lands in the correct cell, table intact
{{time}} | tag (literal pipe) in a table cell pipe escaped (|), no phantom column
{{time}} | tag in a callout/blockquote table pipe escaped, callout row intact
{{linktime}} in a normal paragraph inserted verbatim, no escaping

In every case the caret lands right after the inserted text on the correct line. The old code, by contrast, split the row and jumped the caret to a different line when the capture contained a newline.

Unit tests: src/utility/prepareTimestampInsertion.test.ts (14 tests) cover delimiter detection, table/non-table/callout detection, pipe escaping (including no-double-escape), newline collapsing (LF/CRLF/CR), and the default-template no-op.

Gates run locally (Node 22): lint, typecheck, build, test (500 passed).

Release / migration impact

None. No settings, storage, API, or URI changes. Behavior-only fix to the editor insertion of the capture command.

Closes #165

…g the row (#165)

Capture Timestamp derived a position with getCursor(), wrote it with
replaceRange, then re-placed the caret with a hand-computed setCursor.
Inside an Obsidian Live Preview table cell that pattern fights the
table-editing widget, so the timestamp landed in the wrong cell and the
cursor scattered. Raw pipes or newlines in the capture also broke the row.

Insert with editor.replaceSelection so CodeMirror owns caret placement,
and, when the cursor is inside a table (including one nested in a callout
or blockquote), escape pipes and collapse newlines via
prepareTimestampForInsertion so the row stays intact. Outside a table the
capture is inserted verbatim.

Closes #165
@chhoumann
chhoumann merged commit 964e342 into master Jun 16, 2026
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github-actions Bot pushed a commit that referenced this pull request Jun 22, 2026
# [2.17.0](2.16.0...2.17.0) (2026-06-22)

### Bug Fixes

* behavioral-audit logic and robustness fixes (back-end, 1/2) ([#213](#213)) ([4e2845d](4e2845d))
* **download:** default per-episode download path and migrate empty default ([#183](#183)) ([#186](#186)) ([46a6486](46a6486))
* **download:** prevent Android crash and create missing folders on download ([#178](#178)) ([ecd09d5](ecd09d5)), closes [#113](#113) [#86](#86) [#113](#113) [#86](#86)
* **lifecycle:** defer mobile podcast view startup ([#208](#208)) ([8bf9ce4](8bf9ce4))
* **notes:** cap note path length and harden folder creation ([#22](#22), [#87](#87)) ([#192](#192)) ([858e280](858e280)), closes [#87-class](#87)
* **playback:** persist listened time during playback ([#33](#33)) ([#190](#190)) ([e3433c2](e3433c2)), closes [#191](#191) [#108](#108) [#163](#163) [#183](#183)
* **playback:** play local files and downloads on iOS via resource path ([#100](#100)) ([#184](#184)) ([12c503a](12c503a))
* **player:** clear progress on episode switch to stop end-of-playback glitch ([#94](#94)) ([#194](#194)) ([59dccb3](59dccb3))
* **player:** reveal PodNotes view on Play with PodNotes so local files play ([#84](#84)) ([#198](#198)) ([5953625](5953625))
* **settings:** show labelled Add/Remove buttons in podcast search ([#109](#109)) ([#195](#195)) ([33399f5](33399f5))
* show downloaded episodes in the Local Files playlist ([#176](#176)) ([#177](#177)) ([184188c](184188c))
* **timestamps:** capture into the cursor's table cell without breaking the row ([#165](#165)) ([#203](#203)) ([964e342](964e342))
* **transcription:** always transcribe the currently playing episode ([#182](#182)) ([62b488a](62b488a)), closes [#107](#107)
* **uri:** preserve '+' in episode titles and paths for timestamp links ([#181](#181)) ([8ad7aa5](8ad7aa5)), closes [#164](#164)
* **view:** reliably reveal PodNotes view via command + ribbon icon ([#55](#55)) ([#199](#199)) ([fa1d708](fa1d708))

### Features

* add podcast segment links ([#205](#205)) ([d97e59e](d97e59e))
* **api:** expose generated episode transcripts ([e264465](e264465)), closes [#105](#105)
* behavioral-audit UI and interaction fixes (front-end, 2/2) ([#215](#215)) ([894d93d](894d93d))
* **commands:** add playback rate and media timestamp controls ([#206](#206)) ([a8bb44a](a8bb44a))
* **devx:** isolated per-worktree Obsidian E2E vault wrapper ([#188](#188)) ([a8b7a4a](a8b7a4a))
* **episodes:** add a setting to control the Latest Episodes list length ([#114](#114)) ([#200](#200)) ([7b3e3c6](7b3e3c6))
* **notes:** add {{episodelink}} template tag to resume an episode from its note ([#35](#35)) ([#193](#193)) ([8c1ddd6](8c1ddd6))
* **notes:** add podcast feed-level notes ([#163](#163)) ([#187](#187)) ([db0de47](db0de47)), closes [#161](#161) [#160](#160)
* **notes:** ship a Bases-friendly default episode note template ([#160](#160)) ([#201](#201)) ([209431d](209431d)), closes [#163](#163) [#183](#183)
* **player:** scale episode title font size to its length ([#81](#81)) ([#202](#202)) ([659b6b8](659b6b8))
* **player:** support video episode playback ([#209](#209)) ([f92a91f](f92a91f))
* **queue:** add setting to disable queue auto-population and auto-advance ([#108](#108)) ([#185](#185)) ([cf3d73c](cf3d73c))
* **queue:** allow reordering the playback queue ([#80](#80)) ([#179](#179)) ([d994d61](d994d61)), closes [#173](#173)
* **settings:** import/export settings & templates ([#180](#180)) ([a27d23d](a27d23d)), closes [#162](#162) [#162](#162)
* **templates:** add {{currentDate}}, {{episodeNumber}}, {{duration}} template variables ([#189](#189)) ([ec573eb](ec573eb)), closes [#75](#75) [#34](#34) [#88](#88) [163/#186](#186)
* **templates:** add episode chapters tag ([#207](#207)) ([9c98863](9c98863))
* **transcripts:** opt-in speaker diarization for transcripts ([#168](#168)) ([#204](#204)) ([a96e12f](a96e12f))
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🎉 This PR is included in version 2.17.0 🎉

The release is available on GitHub release

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@chhoumann
chhoumann deleted the chhoumann/165-timestamp-table branch June 29, 2026 05:59
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Buggy Behavior when Capturing Timestamp into Markdown Table

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