Trade Notes
Trade notes are where Journalit turns a transaction into something you can review. Each note combines structured trade data, media, metadata, review state, and open markdown so your analytics stay clean without forcing every trade into the same rigid template.
What trade notes are for
A trade note should answer two questions: what happened, and what should you learn from it. Journalit keeps the structured data consistent while leaving room for your own analysis style.
Current Trade Note Structure
Trade notes render as a Journalit view inside the markdown note. The rendered view is controlled by the trade note layout selected in Layout Builder.
Fixed header
The top of the note keeps the trade identity, status, edit actions, and reviewed state easy to reach.
Navigation bar
Trade navigation stays fixed in the header area when enabled, so moving between related trades and reviews remains predictable.
Movable sections
Media, metrics, thesis, missed-trade reason, metadata, and the review footer can be shown, hidden, and reordered.
Markdown below
The rest of the note remains normal Obsidian markdown for deeper write-ups, screenshots, links, tables, and embedded context.
Trade Note Types
Journalit uses the same trade note system across the main trade types, while keeping type-specific context visible.
Regular trades
Executed trades with entry, exit, P&L, costs, accounts, setup, mistakes, tags, thesis, media, and review state.
Open trades
Positions still in progress. A saved market-price snapshot can show Floating P&L, or Unrealized P&L when none of the position has been realised yet.
Missed trades
Setups you identified but did not take. The missed-trade reason can appear as its own movable section.
Backtest trades
Historical or simulated trades that use the same reviewable note structure without being mixed up with live execution.
One lifecycle, one note
When a synced or manually logged position changes state, Journalit updates the existing trade note where possible instead of splitting the trade into disconnected files.
Customising Trade Notes In Layout Builder
Trade note customisation lives in Layout Builder. Use it when the default note order does not match how you review.
Open Layout Builder
Run Open Layout Builder from the command palette or open it from
Home View.
Select a Trade Note layout
Choose the trade note layout you want to edit. Trade notes use their saved layout link, so the selected layout controls how matching notes render.
Choose section order and visibility
Show, hide, and reorder the movable sections. The navigation bar can be shown or hidden, but it stays fixed in the header area rather than joining the movable section order.
Configure metrics and metadata
Choose which metric cards and metadata rows matter for the layout. Metadata can include accounts, setups, mistakes, tags, and custom fields.
Save the layout
Save your changes. Future renders of notes using that layout reflect the saved structure.
Asset-Specific Layouts
Some trades need different evidence. A futures scalp, options trade, missed setup, and crypto swing trade may not deserve the same note layout.
Others layout
The default layout covers trades without a dedicated asset layout.
Configured asset tabs
Add explicit layouts for stocks, options, futures, forex, crypto, or CFDs when those instruments need different sections.
No hidden fallback guessing
Asset-specific layouts are explicit, so you can see exactly which asset types have their own structure.
Practical use
Use asset-specific layouts when the evidence changes by instrument. For example, futures notes may need execution metrics first, while options notes may need contract context and thesis closer to the top.
Sections You Can Control
Media
Show screenshots, chart images, local video, GIFs, vault media, Obsidian wikilinks, embeds, Excalidraw drawings, or TradingView references.
Metrics
Choose cards such as entry, exit, duration, stop loss, take profit, execution breakdown, P&L, R multiple, costs, and position size.
Thesis
Keep your trade idea or reasoning visible as a dedicated review section.
Missed Trade Reason
For missed trades, show the reason as a first-class section rather than burying it in metadata.
Metadata
Display accounts, setups, mistakes, tags, broker comments, and supported custom fields in a structured block. Configured setup and tag colours carry through to their labels.
Reviewed footer
Keep review status visible when your process depends on marking trades reviewed after analysis.
Media and visual evidence
Visual context is part of the trade. Trade notes can preserve the charts, confirmations, drawings, video, and GIFs that explain why the trade made sense at the time.
Vault images
Use saved chart screenshots or other image files from the vault.
Video and GIFs
Attach local video files and GIFs anywhere Journalit shows trade media. GIFs behave like images; local video plays in fullscreen.
Obsidian links and embeds
Image paths, wikilinks, embeds, and Excalidraw drawings can resolve inside trade and review views.
TradingView links
TradingView share links can be converted into more useful image references where supported.
YouTube
Paste supported YouTube links to show a thumbnail preview and play the video in a fullscreen YouTube embed.
Fullscreen copy
Open an image fullscreen, then right-click it to copy the image to the system clipboard.
Reviewed State
Trade notes track whether a trade has been reviewed and when. The structured Trade Review workflow itself belongs in the Daily Report Card as a configurable review widget.
Reviewed state
See whether a trade has been reviewed and toggle the state from the trade note workflow when appropriate.
Canonical status
The reviewed flag remains structured for filtering, navigation, and review widgets.
Trade Review widget
Use the Trade Review widget in a DRC layout to answer structured review prompts. Its answers are stored as readable markdown.
Review habit support
Unreviewed trades are easier to find and work through instead of disappearing into the archive.
Editing Trade Data
You can edit trade details from the note without reconstructing the trade from a broker statement or spreadsheet.
Execution details
Update entry and exit prices, timing, size, direction, and related execution fields.
Costs and cashflows
Adjust commission, fees, swap, dividends, and other realised cashflow details when needed.
Review metadata
Change setups, mistakes, tags, accounts, custom fields, thesis, and attachments from the trade workflow.
Automatic recalculation
Journalit recalculates dependent values and updates analytics after trade data changes.
Navigation And Review Context
Trade notes are connected to the rest of the journal so one trade can be viewed inside the larger trading day and review cycle.
Nearby trades
Move through related trades without manually browsing folders.
Daily Report Card
Jump back to the DRC that planned or contextualised the trading day.
Higher-timeframe reviews
Place the trade inside weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly review context.
Trade Log and Dashboard
The same structured data feeds filtering, analytics, and broader performance review.
Obsidian Graph Connections
Journalit maintains native Obsidian links between related notes so Graph view can show the journal as a connected review system rather than a collection of isolated files.
Trades to DRCs
Regular trades link to the Daily Report Card for their trading day.
Trades to setups
Regular trades link to the setup notes they use.
Review hierarchy
DRCs link to weekly reviews, then monthly, quarterly, and yearly reviews.
Native backlinks
Obsidian provides the reverse relationship through backlinks and Graph view.
Journalit writes these relationships as generated frontmatter properties while
preserving your note body and unrelated properties. If links need to be rebuilt,
run Rebuild Journalit graph links from the command palette.
Best Practices
Related pages
Use Layout Builder to customise trade note layouts, Manual Entry to control trade data capture, and Review System to connect trades to DRCs and higher-timeframe reviews.