Reading View
Last modified: 16/02/2026
Overview
Reading View controls how Sprout card blocks look in Obsidian reading mode.
It does not change card data. It only changes how cards are displayed while reading notes.
What's shown in reading view
In reading mode, Sprout can show:
- Card type badge (Basic, Cloze, MCQ, IO, Ordered).
- Formatted card fields.
- Edit button for quick edits.
- Group tags.
Appearance settings
Change these in Settings → Reading:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enable card styling | When off, cards use native Obsidian reading view with no Sprout styling |
| Macro styles | Currently available: Disabled, Flashcards, and Clean markdown. More styles are planned for a future update |
| Reading view fields | Configure visible fields per macro style |
| Reading view colours | Customise card colours for styles that support colour settings |
| Custom style CSS | Reserved for the future Custom style (not active yet) |
Macro styles
- Disabled: Uses native Obsidian reading rendering with Sprout card styling turned off.
- Flashcards: Front/back flip cards (question on front, answer on back).
- Clean markdown: Minimal, tidied markdown-style card rendering.
Planned for a future release: Classic, Guidebook, and Custom.
For details, see Reading View Styles and Custom Reading Styles.
Interaction
- Edit button opens the card editor for that card.
- Cloze cards can show hints or blanks, based on your settings.
- Embedded images render inline.
- Math uses Obsidian LaTeX rendering.
Tips
- Use Reading View to spot formatting problems before studying.
- If a card looks wrong, use Edit directly from the card block.
- If a card block does not render as expected, check card syntax and run a sync.