YAML frontmatter and metadata properties

Structured frontmatter metadata transforms plain text Markdown files into queryable database-like records. In Oyma, frontmatter adheres strictly to the YAML 1.2 standard and integrates seamlessly with Obsidian Properties.

Basic frontmatter structure

Frontmatter must be placed at line 1 of your Markdown file, enclosed by triple hyphens:

---
title: System Architecture Review
date: 2026-10-09
tags:
  - architecture
  - engineering
  - infrastructure
status: approved
author: "[[Alex Chen]]"
attendees:
  - "[[Sarah Connor]]"
  - "[[Marcus Wright]]"
---

Standard property types

Oyma recognizes and formats common property data types visually:

Property Type	YAML syntax	UI presentation
Text	summary: "Core review notes"	Single-line editable field
List / Array	tags: [meeting, sprint]	Interactive removable pill chips
Date	due: 2026-10-15	Native macOS date picker
Number	priority: 1	Numeric input stepper
Boolean	reviewed: true	Toggle switch
Wikilink	project: "[[Project Apollo]]"	Clickable link chip

Using aliases for flexible linking

The aliases frontmatter property enables linking to a single note via multiple names or abbreviations:

---
aliases:
  - PRD
  - Product Requirements Document
  - Product Spec
---

Whenever you type [[PRD]] or [[Product Spec]] elsewhere in your vault, autocomplete recognizes the note and links directly to this document.

Indexing and search integration

Oyma‘s local SQLite FTS5 engine indexes all frontmatter keys and values. Search your vault with granular property filters:

• tag:#architecture
• status:approved
• author:Alex

Related guides

• Learn linking in Linking and backlinks.
• Explore search filters in Search and command palette.
• Structure daily notes in Daily note workflows and journaling.