DashReader

DashReader (Fork)


This repository is a major fork of the upstream DashReader project (original: inattendu/dashreader).
It diverges heavily in UI, navigation behavior, and internal structure.

If you’re looking for the upstream plugin, use the original repo. If you want the “focus-first RSVP modal reader” with strong navigation, use this fork.

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What DashReader does

DashReader is an RSVP (Rapid Serial Visual Presentation) speed-reader for Obsidian.

Instead of scanning lines, DashReader shows a focus band (center row) and presents text in word chunks at a controlled speed (WPM). This fork emphasizes:

• A distraction-free modal “reading page”
• Reliable navigation (seek, headings, time-based rewind/forward)
• Context windows that match what you actually see on screen (line-wrapped context)
• Timing consistency: time estimates and playback share the same model

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UI overview (this fork)

DashReader opens as a modal overlay with a blurred backdrop (theme-dependent).

Top

• Breadcrumb navigation showing your current heading path
• Outline / dropdown menus for heading jumps

Middle

• The RSVP focus band with ORP anchoring + focus overlay lines
• Headings/callouts display with separators (when encountered)

Context

• Optional context panels:
  • “Before” context above the focus band
  • “After” context below the focus band
• Context is line-based and uses your window’s real wrapping

Bottom

• Progress bar (seekable)
• Progress info (index + time)
• On-screen navigation buttons (mobile-friendly)

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Navigation & interaction (important)

1) Tap/click the reading area = play/pause

• Tap/click on the reading area toggles playback.
• Designed for mobile first: you don’t need precise button taps.

2) Scroll wheel / trackpad while paused = step words

When playback is paused, scrolling steps through text word-by-word.

• Scroll down: step forward
• Scroll up: step backward This is for precise “scrubbing” without starting playback.

3) Progress bar click-to-seek

Click anywhere on the progress bar to jump to that point in the text.

• If you were playing, playback continues from the new position.
• If you were paused, it stays paused (seeking won’t force playback).

4) Progress bar hover tooltip (“where am I / where will I land?”)

Hovering the progress bar shows:

• Current heading path
• Word position (e.g., 1200/5600)
• Virtual-time position (elapsed/total), using the same timing model as playback

5) Heading navigation (previous/next heading)

DashReader supports heading jumps:

• Previous heading / Next heading actions jump across headings
• Repeating the action quickly cycles headings (useful for scanning structure)
• Callouts can be treated as “pseudo-headings” (depending on parsing rules)

6) Breadcrumb + outline menu navigation

• Breadcrumb shows hierarchical path (H1 › H2 › H3…)
• Outline menu shows the document structure for quick jumps
• Dropdown menu supports sibling navigation
• Jumping via these menus respects your play/pause state (no unexpected autoplay)

7) Time-based rewind/forward (virtual timeline)

Rewind/forward actions move by seconds, not word counts. This fork uses a virtual timeline so rewind/forward remains consistent even when:

• micropauses are enabled
• slow start / acceleration are enabled
• you seek using the progress bar

8) Jump to start/end

On-screen controls include jump-to-start and jump-to-end actions.

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Timing model (why time feels consistent here)

DashReader’s playback and time estimates use a virtual timeline:

• The same rules used to delay words during playback are also used to compute elapsed/total times
• This keeps progress/time/rewind/forward consistent with:
  • micropauses
  • slow-start
  • acceleration

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Settings (high level)

This fork includes separate desktop/mobile profiles where relevant.

Reading

• Words per minute (WPM)
• Words at a time (chunk size)
• Auto-start + delay (optional)

Display

• Font size (desktop + mobile)
• Minimum token font size (for shrink-to-fit on long tokens)
• Font family

Context

• Show/hide context per profile
• Context lines (desktop + mobile)
• Context font size (desktop + mobile)

Navigation UI

• Show breadcrumb
• Show progress bar

Appearance

• Highlight color
• Font color
• Background color
  You can leave these blank to defer to theme/CSS variables.

Micropause

Micropause can be toggled and tuned by category, for example:

• sentence-ending punctuation
• other punctuation
• long words
• paragraph breaks
• numbers
• section markers
• list bullets
• callouts

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Keyboard shortcuts (inside the DashReader modal)

These apply when the DashReader modal is open and no input field is focused.

Playback / navigation

• Space: Play/Pause
• ←: Rewind 10 seconds
• →: Forward 10 seconds
• Ctrl/Cmd + ←: Jump to start
• Ctrl/Cmd + →: Jump to end
• ↑: Previous heading
• ↓: Next heading
• Esc: Stop/quit reading

Panels

• s: Toggle the inline controls/settings panel (opens/closes the bottom inline panel)

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How to open DashReader

Common entry points:

• Ribbon icon
• Command palette
• Editor context menu (“Read with speed reader”) when text is selected

DashReader will load from the active markdown note and can start from your selection/cursor depending on how you invoke it.

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Install

This fork is not published as an Obsidian Community Plugin release.

Install options:

• Manual install (copy the built plugin into .obsidian/plugins/)
• BRAT (if you use it)

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Fork relationship

• Upstream: inattendu/dashreader
• This fork: MiserMagus/dashreader

This fork prioritizes a different reading workflow and is not intended to remain API-compatible with upstream.

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License

MIT (inherit upstream license; see LICENSE)