Template system

Templates are small pieces of text with placeholders. When you insert a timestamp, clip, or screenshot, Media Extended fills the placeholders with actual values and writes the result into your note.

All template settings live in Settings > Media Extended > Note taking.

Plain vs timestamped inserts

Most insert commands come in two variants: plain and timestamped.

A plain insert writes the bare link or embed inline with your writing. It respects the Insert location setting and keeps any selected text intact. No template is involved.

A timestamped insert runs the link or embed through a snippet template first, so each insert lands as a formatted block — typically on its own line, prefixed with -. Timestamped commands always insert on the next line and ignore the Insert location setting.

Screenshots also have a display alias (the text after the | in the embed). Plain and snippet screenshots use separate aliases — see Screenshot templates.

Timestamp template

Controls what Insert timestamp snippet to note produces.

• Setting: Timestamp template
• Default: \n- {{TIMESTAMP}} (a newline, a bullet, the link, and a trailing space)
• Placeholder: {{TIMESTAMP}} — the generated timestamp link, like [[lecture.mp4#t=95]]

A typical insert from the default template:

- [[lecture.mp4#t=95]]

You can reshape the snippet by changing the template. For example, replacing the bullet with a checkbox turns each timestamp into a checklist item:

\n- [ ] {{TIMESTAMP}} 

The leading \n is a real newline. Press Enter inside the template text area to add line breaks; they are preserved in the output.

Media clip template

A media clip is an embed that plays a specific time range. The clip insert uses two templates: a snippet template for the surrounding block, and an alias for the embed's display text.

Media clip snippet

Controls Insert media clip embed starting from current timestamp to note.

• Setting: Media clip snippet
• Default: \n- !{{CLIP}}
• Placeholder: {{CLIP}} — the clip embed (without the leading !)

The default template prefixes {{CLIP}} with ! to turn the link into an embed. Keep ! for a playable inline clip, or drop it to insert a plain link to the same range.

Media clip embed alias

The alias is the text inside the embed (the part after | in [[file|alias|width]]). The inline player uses it as a label, and any trailing |<width> controls how wide the embed renders.

• Setting: Media clip embed alias
• Default: {{TIMESTAMP}}|400
• Placeholders:
  • {{TIMESTAMP}} — the formatted clip start time, like 00:56
  • {{TITLE}} — the media title

The trailing |400 sets the embed width to 400 pixels. Replace it to change the size, or remove it for full width.

A clip insert at 56 seconds in lecture.mp4 produces:

- ![[lecture.mp4#t=56,e|00:56|400]]

The e after the comma means "to the end." Clip inserts always start with an open-ended range you can refine later in the hash property editor.

Screenshot templates

A screenshot insert places an image embed of the current frame into your note. Like clips, there is a snippet template for the block and an alias for the display text. Plain and timestamped variants each get their own alias, so you can size them differently.

Screenshot embed alias (plain)

Controls Add screenshot to note.

• Setting: Screenshot embed alias
• Default: {{TITLE}}{{DURATION}}
• Placeholders:
  • {{TITLE}} — the media title
  • {{DURATION}} — a formatted timestamp like - 00:01:42, or empty if the playback time is 0

No |width in the default, so plain screenshots embed at full size. Append |<width> to scale them down.

Screenshot snippet embed alias

Controls the embed produced inside the screenshot snippet.

• Setting: Screenshot snippet embed alias
• Default: {{TITLE}}{{DURATION}}|50
• Placeholders: same as the plain alias

The |50 sizes screenshot snippets to 50 pixels wide, so they read as inline thumbnails next to the timestamp link.

Screenshot snippet template

Controls Insert screenshot snippet to note.

• Setting: Screenshot snippet template
• Default: \n- !{{SCREENSHOT}} {{TIMESTAMP}}
• Placeholders:
  • {{SCREENSHOT}} — the screenshot embed, rendered through the snippet alias (without the leading !)
  • {{TIMESTAMP}} — the timestamp link at the moment the screenshot was taken
  • {{SCREENSHOT_LINK}} — the embed wrapped in a clickable link (see below)

The default produces a thumbnail next to a timestamp link:

- ![[mx-img-….webp|Lecture - 00:01:42|50]] [[lecture.mp4#t=102]]

The leading ! on {{SCREENSHOT}} turns it into an image. Drop it to insert a link to the screenshot file instead.

Clickable screenshots

{{SCREENSHOT_LINK}} wraps the embed in a markdown link pointing back to the original media at the screenshot's timestamp. Clicking the thumbnail seeks the player to that moment.

To use it, replace !{{SCREENSHOT}} in the screenshot snippet template:

\n- {{SCREENSHOT_LINK}} {{TIMESTAMP}} 

Clicking the image jumps to that point in the media, so the screenshot doubles as a navigation link.

{{SCREENSHOT_LINK}} is only available in the screenshot snippet template.

Timestamp offset

The timestamp offset shifts every recorded timestamp by a fixed number of seconds. It applies to all insert commands that record the current time.

• Setting: Timestamp offset
• Default: 0 (no shift)
• Range: -10 to 10 seconds, in 0.01 increments

A negative offset is the more common case: it nudges every link a few seconds earlier than when you pressed the button. If you always click a beat too late, set the offset to -2 and your links land where you meant to mark.

The offset never produces a negative timestamp. If the result would go below zero, it clamps to 0.