Tasks

Tasks is a full-featured task management system built into Coline. It supports multiple views, drag-and-drop organization, subtasks, time tracking, recurring tasks, external sync, calendar integration, and AI-powered suggestions.

Views

Tasks offers two view modes. Switch between them using the view toggle in the toolbar or by pressing V.

• List view (default): A vertical list of tasks grouped by time-based sections. Tasks are organized into Overdue, Today, Tomorrow, This Week, Next Week, Later, Someday, and No Due Date sections. Completed tasks collapse into their own section.
• Grid view: A card-based layout where each task appears as a card. Cards can display descriptions, due dates, priority indicators, tags, progress bars, and timestamps. Grid view also supports a magnetic "fridge mode" where cards snap to a grid and can be freely positioned.

Creating tasks

There are several ways to create tasks:

• New task button: Opens the task creation modal where you set the title, description, due date, priority, tags, subtasks, recurrence, and time estimate. Press N to open it from anywhere in the app.
• Quick input: Type directly into the quick task input at the top of the list to create tasks with a single line. Press Enter to add.
• Templates: Save a task configuration as a template and reuse it for recurring work patterns. Templates preserve title, description, priority, tags, and subtasks.

Task properties

Each task supports the following fields:

• Title (required)
• Description (supports rich text)
• Priority: Low, Medium, or High
• Status: To Do, In Progress, or Completed
• Due date, with natural language parsing (e.g., "tomorrow", "next Friday")
• Tags from a customizable color-coded tag system
• Subtasks with individual completion tracking
• Progress percentage (0-100%), either manual or auto-calculated from subtasks
• Time estimate in minutes or hours
• Recurrence (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom intervals with optional end date or occurrence limit)

Task details panel

Click any task to open a slide-out details panel. The panel shows all task properties, subtasks, comments, and time tracking controls. Available actions include edit, duplicate, move to trash, and schedule as calendar event.

Right-click a task for a context menu with the same actions plus bulk operations when multiple tasks are selected.

Subtasks

Break down complex work into smaller steps using subtasks. Each subtask has its own title and completion checkbox. The parent task can display an auto-calculated progress bar based on how many subtasks are done. Subtasks are reorderable and can be added or removed from the details panel.

Time tracking

Tasks includes a built-in timer for tracking how long you spend on work:

• Start/stop timer: Click the timer button on any task to begin tracking. The elapsed time updates in real time.
• Focus mode: Enter a full-screen distraction-free overlay that shows only the active task, its timer, and session notes.
• Picture-in-picture: Pop the timer out into a floating mini-player so you can track time while working in other apps.
• Time entries: Every start/stop session is recorded with timestamps and optional notes. View your time history in the details panel.
• Estimates vs. actuals: Set a time estimate on a task and compare it against tracked time to improve future estimates.

Comments

Add comments to any task from the details panel. Comments are timestamped and appear in chronological order. Use comments to log context, decisions, or progress notes.

Sidebar

The sidebar provides quick filters and tag management:

Quick filters:

• All Tasks: Shows every active task
• Today: Tasks due today
• Upcoming: Tasks with future due dates
• Important: High priority tasks only
• Completed: Finished tasks
• Trash: Soft-deleted tasks available for recovery

Tags: Custom color-coded tags appear below the filters. Click a tag to filter by it, or drag tasks onto a tag to apply it. Tags can be sorted by name, task count, or color.

Integrations: The sidebar shows sync status for connected external services with last-synced timestamps and connection indicators.

Search and filtering

The search bar supports natural language queries that filter across multiple dimensions at once:

• Text: Match against task titles and descriptions
• Priority: Phrases like "high priority" or "important"
• Status: "completed", "in progress", "todo"
• Tags: Filter by tag name
• Dates: "overdue", "due this week", "no due date"
• Sorting: "sort by priority", "sort by due date"

Press / to focus the search bar from anywhere in the task list.

Drag and drop

Tasks uses drag and drop throughout:

• Between sections: Drag tasks between time sections (Today, Tomorrow, This Week, etc.) to reschedule them. The due date updates automatically.
• Onto tags: Drag tasks onto sidebar tags to apply them.
• To calendar: Drag tasks onto the Calendar app to schedule them as events and assign a due date.
• Bulk drag: Select multiple tasks and drag them together.

Calendar integration

Tasks and Calendar work together:

• Schedule as event: From the task details panel, create a linked calendar event. The task gains a due date matching the event time.
• View linked events: Tasks linked to calendar events show a button to jump directly to the event on the calendar.
• Calendar sidebar: The Calendar app shows your active tasks in a sidebar, grouped by Overdue, Due Today, Upcoming, and Unscheduled. Drag unscheduled tasks onto dates to schedule them.

External sync

Tasks supports two-way sync with external task services:

• Google Tasks: Connect via OAuth and select which Google task lists to sync. Changes in either Coline or Google stay consistent.
• Microsoft To Do: Connect via Microsoft Graph API for Outlook and Office 365 task lists. Supports all standard task properties.

Toggle sync and view connection status from the sidebar integrations section. Last sync timestamps are shown for each connected service.

Batch operations

Select multiple tasks using Cmd/Ctrl + Click, then apply actions in bulk:

• Change priority
• Change status
• Update due dates
• Add or remove tags
• Move to trash
• Move between sections

AI features

Kairo integrates into task management with predictive suggestions:

• Smart priority: When creating or editing a task, Kairo suggests a priority level based on the title and description.
• Smart due date: Kairo predicts an appropriate due date based on context.
• Smart tags: Suggested tags appear as you type, based on existing tag patterns and task content.
• Tab to accept: AI suggestions appear as subtle overlays on form fields. Press Tab to accept a suggestion or keep typing to ignore it.

Keyboard shortcuts

Tips

• Use quick filters in the sidebar to focus on what matters right now. The Today and Important views are good daily starting points.
• Try the timer to get a sense of where your time goes. Comparing estimates to actuals helps you plan more accurately over time.
• Drag tasks onto tags in the sidebar for fast categorization without opening the task details.
• Use natural language search to find tasks quickly. Queries like "high priority overdue" or "tagged design due this week" narrow results across multiple dimensions.
• Save templates for tasks you create repeatedly, like weekly reports or recurring checklists with subtasks.
• Connect Google Tasks or Microsoft To Do to keep your Coline tasks in sync if you also use those services on other devices.