fix: format VDATE values passed via API/URL params (#1074)

[chhoumann]

What

Fixes VDATE formatting when template variables are provided via the QuickAdd JS API or obsidian://quickadd URL params. Previously, passing a date like 2026-12-31 would be rendered as the raw string (e.g. 2026-12-31) even when the template used a formatted VDATE token like {{VDATE:date,DD MMMM YYYY}}.

Fixes #1074

Why

VDATE formatting only kicked in when a variable was stored in QuickAdd’s internal date encoding (@date:<ISO>), which is normally created when the user is prompted for a date. Values passed in via API/URL are plain strings, so they never got parsed/coerced into the date form and the formatter fell back to echoing the original value.

How

When a VDATE token is processed and the variable already exists:

• If it’s a plain string (and not @date:), normalize + parse it using the date parser and, if successful, coerce it into @date:<ISO> so the existing formatting path is used.
• If it’s a Date object, coerce it into @date:<ISO> as well.
• If parsing fails, keep the original value (backwards-compatible behavior).

Validation

• Added a regression unit test covering the API/URL scenario (pre-seeded string variable used by {{VDATE:...}} is parsed + formatted).
• bun run test
• bun run lint
• bun run build

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
quickadd	Ready	Preview	Feb 5, 2026 11:30pm

[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The changes enhance date variable formatting in the formatter by supporting multiple input types (strings, Date objects) through coercion pathways. Type handling is relaxed with strengthened guards, allowing safe fallback to string conversion while maintaining backward compatibility.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Date Handling Enhancement src/formatters/formatter.ts	Relaxed type constraints for stored date variable lookups and introduced coercion pathways for string-based VDATE values. Added support for Date objects via JS API, enhanced non-@Date value formatting logic with type guards, and strengthened conditional checks to prevent runtime errors with non-string inputs.
Test Coverage src/formatters/vdate-default.test.ts	Added test case validating pre-seeded string variables are parsed as dates through the replaceDateVariableInString pathway, ensuring the date parser coercion logic functions correctly for string inputs.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~25 minutes

Poem

🐰 Through types both old and types both new,
Our dates now dance where strings once grew,
With guards that catch and coerce with grace,
Each format finds its rightful place!
No errors thrown—just safe parsing fun,
Backward compatible for everyone! 🥕

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The PR title directly addresses the main change: fixing VDATE formatting for values passed via API/URL parameters, which is the core objective reflected in both the file changes and the issue context.

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✨ Finishing touches

• 📝 Generate docstrings

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment
• Commit unit tests in branch 1074-bug-the-date-passed-as-a-parameter-is-not-rendered-in-the-template-as-a-date

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Latest commit:	3da8cde
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Preview URL:	https://2dcb3fe0.quickadd.pages.dev
Branch Preview URL:	https://1074-bug-the-date-passed-as.quickadd.pages.dev

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[devin-ai-integration]

✅ Devin Review: No Issues Found

Devin Review analyzed this PR and found no potential bugs to report.

View in Devin Review to see 3 additional findings.

[github-actions]

🎉 This PR is included in version 2.11.0 🎉

The release is available on GitHub release

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