View Modes

View Modes provide different ways to visualize and interact with your tasks. While the left sidebar lets you choose what tasks to see (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Flagged), the View Mode selector at the top lets you choose how to see them.

Overview

Task Genius offers four distinct View Modes, each optimized for different workflows:

• List View: Traditional flat list display
• Kanban View: Visual board with status-based columns
• Tree View: Hierarchical task display
• Calendar View: Time-based calendar layout

Key Benefits:

• View the same tasks in different ways without changing filters
• Each view (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Flagged) remembers its preferred View Mode
• Switch perspectives instantly to match your current workflow
• All View Modes are workspace-specific (see Workspace)

Switching View Modes

Quick Switch

1. Open any task view (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, or Flagged).
2. Look for the View Mode selector at the top of the main panel.
3. Click one of the four horizontal icon buttons:
   • for List View
   • for Kanban View
   • for Tree View
   • for Calendar View
4. The view updates immediately to reflect your selection.

Persistence

• Each view (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Flagged) independently saves its View Mode.
• For example, you can have Inbox in List View and Today in Calendar View simultaneously.
• Your View Mode preference is saved per Workspace.
• When you return to a view, it automatically displays in your last selected View Mode.

View Modes Reference

List View (Default)

The traditional flat list display showing tasks in a linear format.

Features:

• Displays all tasks in a single scrollable list
• Shows full task details (content, dates, priority, tags, project)
• Supports text filtering via search bar
• Automatic sorting by completion status, priority, due date, and content
• Lazy loading for performance with large task lists
• Direct task interaction (completion, selection, context menu)

Best For:

• Quick scanning of all tasks
• Text-based searching and filtering
• General task management
• When you need to see all task details at once

Inherited From: Inbox View List Mode

See Also: List Item for details on task rendering.

---

Kanban View

A visual board organizing tasks into columns based on their status, perfect for workflow management.

Features:

• Columns: Tasks are grouped by status (e.g., "Todo", "In Progress", "Done")
• Drag & Drop: Move tasks between columns to update their status
• Visual Workflow: See task progression at a glance
• Filtering: Add multiple filters (Tag, Priority, Project, etc.) to narrow displayed tasks
• Grouping: Default grouping by task status; can group by other metadata
• Sorting: Customizable sorting within columns (by priority, due date, etc.)
• Empty Columns: Option to hide empty columns for a cleaner view

Interactions:

• Drag tasks between columns to change their status
• Click a task to select and view details
• Right-click for context menu actions
• Filter controls at the top to refine displayed tasks

Column Organization:

• Columns follow your task status configuration
• Standard statuses appear first, then custom statuses, then completed statuses
• Tasks within columns are sorted by priority (highest first) and due date (earliest first)

Best For:

• Visual workflow management
• Quick status updates via drag-and-drop
• Team collaboration and progress tracking
• Sprint planning and execution

Inherited From: Status View

Note: Available filters include Status, Tag, Project, Context, Priority, Completed, and File Path.

---

Tree View

Displays tasks hierarchically, showing parent-child relationships in an expandable tree structure.

Features:

• Hierarchical Display: Parent tasks with nested subtasks
• Expand/Collapse: Control which task branches are visible
• Relationship Visualization: Clearly see task dependencies and structure
• Inherited List Features: Maintains all List View capabilities (sorting, filtering, etc.)

Interactions:

• Expand/Collapse nodes to manage visual complexity
• View task hierarchies at a glance
• All standard task actions (completion, selection, context menu)

Availability:

• Only available when List View is applicable
• Not available in Kanban or Calendar modes
• Think of Tree View as an enhanced variant of List View

Best For:

• Project management with subtasks
• Complex task hierarchies
• Understanding task dependencies
• Breaking down large tasks into smaller components

Inherited From: Inbox View Tree Mode

Note: Tree View is particularly useful for projects with multi-level task structures.

---

Calendar View

Time-based visualization displaying tasks on a calendar based on their dates.

Features:

• Multiple Calendar Views:
  • Year View: High-level annual overview
  • Month View: Tasks across a specific month
  • Week View: Current or selected week focus
  • Day View: Single-day task examination
  • Agenda View: List of upcoming tasks
• Date Navigation: Previous/Next buttons and "Today" quick jump
• Date Mapping: Tasks placed by Due Date, falling back to Scheduled Date, then Start Date
• Multi-day Events: Tasks spanning multiple days (if Start Date ≠ Due Date)
• Visual Distinction: Completed tasks displayed differently (e.g., in grey)

Interactions:

• Click an event to select the task and open details
• Click a day (Month/Week view) to optionally open Quick Capture for that date
• Click a month (Year view) to switch to Month view
• Right-click an event for context menu actions
• Mark complete directly from calendar events

Important Limitation:

• Tasks without dates (Due, Scheduled, or Start) are not displayed
• Use List or Kanban View for undated tasks

Best For:

• Time-based planning and scheduling
• Visualizing deadlines and due dates
• Weekly/monthly reviews
• Event-driven task management

Inherited From: Event View

Settings: Calendar View includes a "First day of week" setting for customization.

View Mode Comparison

Use Cases by View Mode

Daily Planning Workflow

1. Morning: Use Calendar View on the Today view to see time-based tasks
2. Midday: Switch to List View to check off completed tasks and see all details
3. Evening: Use Kanban View on Upcoming to organize tomorrow's priorities

Project Management

1. Planning: Use Tree View on Inbox to structure project tasks with subtasks
2. Execution: Switch to Kanban View to track progress through status columns
3. Review: Use Calendar View on Upcoming to check deadlines

Weekly Review

1. Review Completed: List View on Flagged to see all important tasks
2. Plan Ahead: Calendar View on Upcoming to visualize the week
3. Organize: Kanban View on Inbox to triage new tasks

Best Practices

1. Match View Mode to Task Type

• Dated tasks: Calendar View for time awareness
• Status-driven work: Kanban View for workflow clarity
• Complex projects: Tree View for structure
• General processing: List View for simplicity

2. Consistent View Mode per Data Source

Establish consistent View Mode defaults for each data source:

• Inbox: List View (for quick triage)
• Today: Calendar View (for time-based planning)
• Upcoming: Kanban View (for status tracking)
• Flagged: Tree View (for project focus)

3. Leverage Workspace-Specific Settings

Create different Workspaces with optimized View Mode configurations:

• Work Workspace: Kanban-heavy for sprint tracking
• Personal Workspace: Calendar-focused for scheduling
• Project Workspace: Tree View for hierarchical planning

4. Use View Mode Switching for Context

Quickly switch View Modes to answer different questions:

• "What's due soon?" → Calendar View
• "What's in progress?" → Kanban View
• "What are the project components?" → Tree View
• "What needs attention?" → List View

Troubleshooting

Tasks Not Showing in Calendar View

Issue: Some tasks are missing from Calendar View.

Solution:

• Verify tasks have at least one date field (Due, Scheduled, or Start Date)
• Tasks without any dates will not appear in Calendar View
• Switch to List View or Kanban View to see all tasks

Tree View Not Available

Issue: Tree View button is disabled or not showing expected hierarchy.

Solution:

• Tree View is only available when List View is applicable
• Ensure your tasks have parent-child relationships defined
• Check if you're currently in Kanban or Calendar mode (Tree View replaces List View)

Kanban Columns Not Matching Expectations

Issue: Tasks appear in unexpected columns.

Solution:

• Verify task status values match your status configuration
• Check Task Status settings
• Review active filters that might be hiding certain columns

View Mode Not Persisting

Issue: View Mode resets when switching between views.

Solution:

• Each view (Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Flagged) saves its own View Mode independently
• Ensure you're in the correct Workspace
• Check if settings are saving properly (Obsidian write permissions)

Related Features

• Workspace: Manage separate View Mode configurations per workspace
• Task View: Understand the overall task viewing system
• Status View: Deep dive into Kanban functionality
• Event View: Detailed Calendar View features
• Inbox View: List and Tree View details
• Custom Views: Create specialized views with preferred View Modes