Decks

Decks is a powerful spaced repetition flashcard plugin for Obsidian that helps you learn and memorize information efficiently using the FSRS algorithm, built with TypeScript and Svelte for a reactive and type-safe UI.

If you like this plugin, consider buying me a coffee and I will add more features.

Demo

Quick Start

1. Install the Plugin: Download and enable Decks in your Obsidian plugins
2. Open the Panel: Click the brain icon in the ribbon or use the command palette
3. Create Your First Deck: Follow the guide below to create flashcards
4. Start Learning: Click on any deck to begin reviewing flashcards

Creating Flashcards

📝 Method 1: Header + Paragraph Format

Create a markdown file and tag it with #flashcards:

---
tags: [flashcards/spanish-basics]
---

# What does "Hola" mean in English?
Hello

# How do you say "Thank you" in Spanish?
Gracias

# What is the Spanish word for "water"?
Agua

How it works:

• Each header becomes the front of a flashcard
• All content until the next header becomes the back
• The filename becomes your deck name
• Cards are automatically extracted and synced

📊 Method 2: Table Format

Create flashcards using a two-column table:

---
tags: [flashcards/vocabulary]
---

| Question | Answer |
|----------|---------|
| What is photosynthesis? | The process by which plants convert sunlight into energy |
| Define gravity | The force that attracts objects toward each other |
| What is DNA? | Deoxyribonucleic acid - carries genetic information |

How it works:

• First column = front of flashcard
• Second column = back of flashcard
• Header row is ignored
• Perfect for structured Q&A format

🎯 Best Practices

• Use descriptive tags: #flashcards/spanish-verbs instead of #flashcards/deck1
• Keep cards atomic: One concept per card
• Use images and formatting: Markdown formatting is fully supported
• Organize by topic: Group related concepts in the same deck

Key Concepts

🧠 Learning States

New Cards 🆕

• Cards you've never seen before
• Shown first in each review session
• Default limit: 20 new cards per day

Learning Cards 📚

• Cards in short-term review cycle
• Use fixed intervals: 1min → 10min → 1 day
• Help reinforce new information while fresh

Due Cards ⏰

• Part of long-term spaced repetition
• Scheduled based on your performance
• Intervals grow with successful reviews

⚡ FSRS Algorithm

Decks uses the Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler (FSRS), a modern algorithm that:

• Adapts to your performance: Cards you struggle with appear more frequently
• Optimizes retention: Maximizes what you remember with minimal reviews
• Predicts forgetting: Schedules reviews just before you'd forget
• Learns your patterns: Improves scheduling based on your review history

🎮 Review Process

When reviewing flashcards, you have four difficulty options:

Again 🔄 (Red)

• "I don't remember this at all"
• Resets the card to learning state
• Shows the card again soon

Hard 😅 (Orange)

• "I struggled but got it eventually"
• Increases interval slightly
• Shorter than normal spacing

Good ✅ (Green)

• "I remembered it correctly"
• Normal interval increase
• Default choice for successful recall

Easy 🚀 (Blue)

• "Too easy, I know this well"
• Longer interval increase
• Use sparingly for very familiar content

📊 Understanding Your Stats

Daily Progress

• Track new cards learned
• Monitor review accuracy
• See time spent studying

Forecast

• Predict future review workload
• Plan your study schedule
• Understand long-term commitments

Retention Rate

• Measure how well you're remembering
• Identify problematic topics
• Adjust study strategies

How to Use

🚀 Getting Started

1. Create a deck: Make a markdown file with #flashcards tag
2. Add flashcards: Use headers+paragraphs or table format
3. Open Decks panel: Click the brain icon in the sidebar
4. Start reviewing: Click on any deck to begin

📈 Daily Workflow

1. Check your dashboard: See what's due today
2. Review due cards: Handle spaced repetition reviews first
3. Learn new cards: Add new knowledge within daily limits
4. Check progress: Monitor your learning statistics

⚙️ Configuration

Access deck settings to customize:

• Daily new card limits
• Review order preferences
• Deck-specific configurations
• FSRS algorithm parameters

Features

• Smart Parsing: Automatically extracts flashcards from markdown headers and paragraphs
• FSRS Algorithm: Uses the latest Free Spaced Repetition Scheduler for optimal learning
• Rich Statistics: Track your learning progress with detailed analytics
• Deck Management: Organize flashcards by tags and configure review limits
• Review Heatmap: Visualize your review activity over time
• Time Tracking: Monitor your review pace and efficiency

🛠️ Development

Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/dscherdi/decks.git
cd decks

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build for development
npm run build:dev

# Run tests
npm test

# Build for production
npm run build

# Build for release (includes README/LICENSE)
npm run build:release

Release Process

This plugin uses automated GitHub Actions for releases:

1. Create a version tag: git tag v1.2.3 && git push origin v1.2.3
2. GitHub Actions automatically:
   • Runs all tests
   • Builds the plugin with all assets in dist/
   • Generates release notes from PROGRESS.md
   • Creates GitHub release with all dist/ files
   • Validates all files before release

Release Contents (dist/)

Each release includes:

• main.js (238 KB) - Core plugin code
• styles.css (63 KB) - Plugin styling
• manifest.json - Plugin manifest
• database-worker.js (4 KB) - Database worker thread
• assets/sql-wasm.js (48 KB) - SQL.js JavaScript
• assets/sql-wasm.wasm (644 KB) - WebAssembly binary
• README.md & LICENSE - Documentation

Total release size: ~1MB

Architecture

• Frontend: Svelte components with TypeScript
• Database: SQLite via sql.js with optional worker thread
• Algorithm: FSRS-4.5 spaced repetition
• Build: esbuild with production optimizations