Query Types

The Query Type determines how the output of your dataview query looks like. It is the first and only mandatory specification you give to a dataview query. There are four available: LIST, TABLE, TASK and CALENDAR.

The Query Type also determines which information level a query is executed on. LIST, TABLE and CALENDAR operate at page level whereas TASK queries operate at the file.tasks level. More on that in the TASK Query Type.

You can combine every Query Type with all available Data Commands to refine your result set. Read more about the interconnection between Query Types and Data Commands on How to Use Dataview and the structure page.

Query Type

The Query Type determines the output format of a query. It's the only mandatory information for a query.

LIST

LIST queries output a bullet point list consisting of your file links or the group name, if you decided to group. You can specify up to one additional information to output alongside your file or group information.

Query Type LIST

LIST outputs a bullet point list of page links or Group keys. You can specify one additional information to show for each result.

The simplest LIST query outputs a bullet point list of all files in your vault:

```dataview 
LIST
```

Output

but you can, of course, use data commands to restrict which pages you want to have listed:

```dataview
LIST 
FROM #games/mobas OR #games/crpg
```

Output

Output an additional information

To add a additional information to your query, specify it right after the LIST command and before possibly available data commands:

```dataview 
LIST file.folder
```

Output

Classic Cheesecake: Baking/Recipes
Git Basics: Coding
How to fix Git Cheatsheet: Coding/Cheatsheets
League of Legends: Games
Pillars of Eternity 2: Games
Stardew Valley: Games/finished
Dashboard:

You can only add one additional information, not multiple. But you can specify a computed value instead of a plain meta data field, which can contain information of multiple fields:

```dataview 
LIST "File Path: " + file.folder + " _(created: " + file.cday + ")_"
FROM "Games"
```

Output

League of Legends: File Path: Games (created: May 13, 2021)
Pillars of Eternity 2: File Path: Games (created: Februrary 02, 2022)
Stardew Valley: File Path: Games/finished (created: April 04, 2021)

Grouping

A grouped list shows their group keys, and only the group keys, by default:

```dataview 
LIST
GROUP BY type
```

Output

game
knowledge
moc
recipe
summary

A common use-case on grouped LIST queries is to add the file links to the output by specifying them as the additional information:

```dataview 
LIST rows.file.link
GROUP BY type
```

LIST WITHOUT ID

If you don't want the file name or group key included in the list view, you can use LIST WITHOUT ID. LIST WITHOUT ID works the same as LIST, but it does not output the file link or group name if you add an additional information.

```dataview
LIST WITHOUT ID
```

Output

It's the same as LIST, because it does not contain an additional information!

```dataview
LIST WITHOUT ID type
```

Output

moc
recipe
summary
knowledge
game
game
game

LIST WITHOUT ID can be handy if you want to output computed values, for example.

```dataview
LIST WITHOUT ID length(rows) + " pages of type " + key
GROUP BY type
```

Output

3 pages of type game
1 pages of type knowledge
1 pages of type moc
1 pages of type recipe
1 pages of type summary

TABLE

The TABLE query types outputs page data as a tabular view. You can add zero to multiple meta data fields to your TABLE query by adding them as a comma separated list. You can not only use plain meta data fields as columns, but specify calculations as well. Optionally, you can specify a table header via the AS <header> syntax. Like all other query types, you can refine your result set for your query with data commands.

TABLE Query Type

TABLE queries render a tabular view of any number of meta data values or calculations. It is possible to specify column headers via AS <header>.

```dataview
TABLE
```

Output

File (7)
Classic Cheesecake
Git Basics
How to fix Git Cheatsheet
League of Legends
Pillars of Eternity 2
Stardew Valley
Dashboard

Changing the first column header name

You can change the name of the first column header (by default "File" or "Group") via the Dataview Settings under Table Settings -> Primary Column Name / Group Column Name. If you want to change the name only for one specific TABLE query, have a look at TABLE WITHOUT ID.

Disabling Result count

The first column always shows the result count. If you do not want to get it displayed, you can disable it in Dataview's settings ("Display result count", available since 0.5.52).

Of course, a TABLE is made for specifying one to multiple additional information:

```dataview
TABLE started, file.folder, file.etags
FROM #games
```

Output

File (3)	started	file.folder	file.etags
League of Legends	May 16, 2021	Games	- #games/moba
Pillars of Eternity 2	April 21, 2022	Games	- #games/crpg
Stardew Valley	April 04, 2021	Games/finished	- #games/simulation

Implicit fields

Curious about file.folder and file.etags? Learn more about implicit fields on pages.

Custom Column Headers

You can specify custom headings for your columns by using the AS syntax:

```dataview
TABLE started, file.folder AS Path, file.etags AS "File Tags"
FROM #games
```

Output

File (3)	started	Path	File Tags
League of Legends	May 16, 2021	Games	- #games/moba
Pillars of Eternity 2	April 21, 2022	Games	- #games/crpg
Stardew Valley	April 04, 2021	Games/finished	- #games/simulation

Custom headers with spaces

If you want to use a custom header with spaces, like File Tags, you need to wrap it into double quotes: "File Tags".

This is especially useful when you want to use calculations or expressions as column values:

```dataview
TABLE 
default(finished, date(today)) - started AS "Played for", 
file.folder AS Path, 
file.etags AS "File Tags"
FROM #games
```

Output

File (3)	Played for	Path	File Tags
League of Legends	1 years, 6 months, 1 weeks	Games	- #games/moba
Pillars of Eternity 2	7 months, 2 days	Games	- #games/crpg
Stardew Valley	4 months, 3 weeks, 3 days	Games/finished	- #games/simulation

Calculations and expressions

Learn more about the capability of computing expressions and calculations under expressions and functions.

TABLE WITHOUT ID

If you don't want the first column ("File" or "Group" by default), you can use TABLE WITHOUT ID. TABLE WITHOUT ID works the same as TABLE, but it does not output the file link or group name as a first column if you add additional information.

You can use this if you, for example, output another identifying value:

```dataview
TABLE WITHOUT ID
steamid,
file.etags AS "File Tags"
FROM #games
```

Output

steamid (3)	File Tags
560130	- #games/crog
-	- #games/moba
413150	- #games/simulation

Also, you can use TABLE WITHOUT ID if you want to rename the first column for one specific query.

```dataview
TABLE WITHOUT ID
file.link AS "Game",
file.etags AS "File Tags"
FROM #games
```

Output

Game (3)	File Tags
League of Legends	- #games/moba
Pillars of Eternity 2	- #games/crpg
Stardew Valley	- #games/simulation

Renaming the first column in general

If you want to rename the first column in all cases, change the name in Dataviews settings under Table Settings.

TASK

The TASK Query outputs an interactive list of all tasks in your vault that match the given data commands (if any). TASK queries are special compared to the other Query Types because they do give back Tasks as results and not pages. This implies that all data commands operate on Task level and makes it possible to granularly filter your tasks i.e. for their status or meta data specified on the task itself.

Also, TASK Queries are the only possibility to manipulate your files through DQL. Normally, Dataview does not touch the content of your files; however, if you check a task through a dataview query, it'll get checked in its original file, too. In the Dataview Settings under "Task Settings", you can opt-in to automatically set a completion meta data field when checking a task in dataview. Mind though that this only works if you check the task inside a dataview block.

TASK Query Type

TASK queries render an interactive list of all tasks in your vault. TASK Queries are executed on task level, not page level, allowing for task-specific filtering. This is the only command in dataview that modifies your original files if interacted with.

```dataview
TASK
```

Output

You can use data commands like for all other Query Types. Data Commands are executed on task level, making implicit fields on tasks directly available.

```dataview
TASK
WHERE !completed AND contains(tags, "#shopping")
```

Output

Buy new shoes #shopping
Get new pillows for mom #shopping

A common use case for tasks is to group tasks by their originating file:

```dataview
TASK
WHERE !completed
GROUP BY file.link
```

Output

2022-07-30 (1)

Finish the math assignment
- Read again through chapter 3 [due:: 2022-09-01]
- Write a summary of chapter 1-4 [due:: 2022-09-12]

2022-09-21 (2)

Buy new shoes #shopping
Mail Paul about training schedule

2022-09-27 (1)

Get new pillows for mom #shopping

Counting tasks with subtask

Noticing the (1) on the header of 2022-07-30? Child tasks belong to their parent task and are not counted separately. Also, they behave differently on filtering.

Child Tasks

A task is considered a child task if it is indented by a tab and is below an unindented task.

clean up the house
- kitchen
- living room
- Bedroom [urgent:: true]

Childs of a bullet point item

While indented tasks under a bulleted list item are, strictly speaking, also child tasks, Dataview will handle them like normal tasks in most cases.

Child Tasks belong to their parent. This means if you're querying for tasks, you'll get child tasks as part of their parent back.

```dataview
TASK
```

Output

This specifically means that child task will be part of your result set as long as the parent matches the query - even if the child task itself doesn't.

```dataview
TASK
WHERE !completed
```

Output

Here, living room does not match the query, but is included anyway, because its parent clean up the house does match.

Mind that you'll get individual children tasks back, if the child matches your predicate but the parent doesn't:

```dataview
TASK
WHERE urgent
```

Output

Bedroom [urgent:: true]

CALENDAR

The CALENDAR Query outputs a monthly based calendar where every result is depicted as a dot on it referring date. The CALENDAR is the only Query Type that requires an additional information. This additional information needs to be a date (or unset) on all queried pages.

CALENDAR Query Type

The CALENDAR Query Types renders a calendar view where every result is represented by a dot on the given meta data field date.

```dataview
CALENDAR file.ctime
```

Output

While it is possible to use SORT and GROUP BY in combination with CALENDAR, it has no effect. Additionally, the calendar query does not render if the given meta data field contains something else than a valid date (but the field can be empty). To make sure you're only taking valid pages into account, you can filter for valid meta data values:

```dataview
CALENDAR due
WHERE typeof(due) = "date"
```