README file from
GithubCanvas Current Node Auto Size
Canvas Current Node Auto Size is an Obsidian plugin that automatically resizes only the Canvas text node you are currently editing.
The plugin is designed for compact Canvas mind maps. It keeps the current node wide enough for the text you type, adds extra width for CJK text, and avoids moving neighboring nodes.
Features
- Auto-size only the currently edited Canvas text node.
- Grow right, grow left, or grow from the center.
- Keep other Canvas nodes untouched.
- Add CJK-friendly width padding for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text.
- Add temporary anti-wrap width while editing.
- Optionally tighten width once after leaving edit mode.
- Configure single-line height and vertical padding.
- Show debug information from the Obsidian command palette.
Use Cases
This plugin is useful when you:
- Build mind maps in Obsidian Canvas.
- Create many short text nodes.
- Want nodes to grow while typing.
- Want Chinese text to be less likely to wrap at the last character.
- Do not want automatic layout logic to push other nodes away.
This plugin does not try to provide full automatic layout, collision avoidance, or graph rearrangement.
Installation
From Obsidian Community Plugins
After the plugin is accepted into the Obsidian community plugin directory, you will be able to install it from Obsidian:
- Open Settings.
- Go to Community plugins.
- Search for Canvas Current Node Auto Size.
- Install and enable the plugin.
Manual Installation
For manual installation, download the release assets and place them in your vault:
.obsidian/plugins/canvas-current-node-auto-size/
├── main.js
└── manifest.json
Then reload Obsidian and enable the plugin.
This plugin requires Obsidian 1.12.0 or newer.
Development
Install dependencies:
npm install
Build the plugin:
npm run build
The build command runs TypeScript type checking and then bundles src/main.ts into main.js.
Settings
Basics
Expansion direction
Controls how the node expands when its width changes.
- Grow right keeps the left edge stable.
- Grow from center expands both sides.
- Grow left keeps the right side more stable.
Only the current node is moved or resized.
Tighten width on exit
When enabled, the plugin shrinks the node width once after you leave edit mode.
This option is disabled by default because tightening can feel surprising in dense Canvas layouts.
Maximum width
The largest width the plugin can assign to a node.
Default: 520
Width
Base width padding
Extra width added around measured text in all cases.
Default: 20
CJK extra width
Extra width added only to lines that contain Chinese, Japanese, or Korean text.
Default: 18
Increase this value if CJK text still wraps too early.
Editing anti-wrap width
Temporary extra width while editing.
Default: 28
This helps avoid accidental wrapping at the right edge while typing.
Exit tighten padding
Extra visible space kept after tightening width on exit.
Default: 40
This setting is shown only when Tighten width on exit is enabled.
Height
Single-line height
Minimum height reserved for a one-line node.
Default: 44
Increase this value if one-line nodes look compressed.
Vertical padding
Extra total height around node text.
Default: 10
Increase this value if a Canvas node shows a vertical scrollbar after editing.
Advanced
Resize delay
Delay after typing before resizing, in milliseconds.
Default: 40
Restart Obsidian or reload the plugin after changing this setting.
Debug notices
Show temporary debug notices whenever the plugin evaluates a Canvas node.
This is mainly useful while troubleshooting.
Commands
The plugin adds this command to the Obsidian command palette:
- Show last Canvas auto-size debug
The debug output includes the current node id, line count, original width, live width, tighten width, maximum height, and target size.
Limitations
- The plugin is focused on Canvas text nodes.
- It does not move neighboring nodes.
- It does not perform automatic Canvas layout.
- It does not directly edit
.canvasJSON files. - Height measurement is intentionally conservative for stability.
- Existing saved settings are not overwritten when plugin defaults change.
Documentation
Additional Chinese documentation is available in the repository:
License
MIT