Primitives

Primitives

Every piece of data in Coline is built from eight primitives. These aren't just types — they're the conceptual building blocks that let you transform, connect, and move work between any context.

The Eight Primitives

message

Conversations and threaded discussions.

• Used in: Channels, DMs, calendar events, task comments
• Properties: Author, timestamp, content parts, thread relationships
• Can contain: Text, mentions, attachments, reactions

Example transformations:

• A message thread becomes a note (save important discussion)
• A message becomes a task (create work from conversation)
• Messages aggregate into a doc (compile meeting notes)

string

Text content, labels, names, and descriptions.

• Used in: File names, task titles, property values, search indexes
• Properties: Plain or formatted text, length limits, encoding
• Validated: Sanitized for security, indexed for search

Example transformations:

• A sheet cell becomes a task title
• A doc paragraph becomes a board card label
• A note title becomes a channel topic

number

Metrics, counts, calculations, and measurements.

• Used in: Spreadsheet calculations, task estimates, priorities
• Properties: Integers, decimals, currency, percentages
• Formatted: With units (hours, dollars, points)

Example transformations:

• Sum of sheet column becomes a doc metric
• Task count becomes a board column badge
• Story points aggregate into a sprint velocity

url

Links to files, external resources, and references.

• Used in: File references, web links, embeds, attachments
• Properties: Protocol, domain, path, query parameters
• Resolved: Preview unfurls, internal links validated

Example transformations:

• External URL becomes an embedded iframe in a doc
• File reference becomes a card attachment on a board
• Mention link becomes a bidirectional backlink in notes

file

Attachments, uploads, and binary content.

• Used in: Message attachments, file embeds, asset libraries
• Properties: MIME type, size, storage location, thumbnails
• Handled: Images, videos, PDFs, code files, archives

Example transformations:

• Uploaded image becomes a slide background
• PDF attachment becomes a searchable doc excerpt
• Video file becomes a board card preview

date

Timestamps, deadlines, scheduling, and duration.

• Used in: Due dates, event times, created/modified timestamps, reminders
• Properties: Absolute time, timezone, recurrence rules, duration
• Formatted: Relative ("2 days ago"), absolute ("Mar 15"), duration ("1h 30m")

Example transformations:

• Calendar event date populates a sheet deadline column
• Task due date becomes a board card color (overdue = red)
• Created date becomes a note's daily page grouping

user

People, assignees, authors, and mentions.

• Used in: Task assignments, message authors, file owners, permissions
• Properties: Identity, role, presence, workspace membership
• Referenced: @mentions, assignee fields, permission grants

Example transformations:

• Task assignees become event invitees for a review meeting
• Channel members populate a sheet stakeholder column
• Message mentions generate notification routing

boolean

Flags, status indicators, and binary state.

• Used in: Completion status, approval states, visibility toggles
• Properties: True/false, defaults, computed values
• Displayed: Checkboxes, toggles, status badges

Example transformations:

• Task completion becomes a doc checklist item status
• File starred state becomes a board favorite indicator
• Approval boolean becomes a slide progress tracker

Why Primitives Matter

Universal Composition

A board card is just a bundle of primitives:

• string — Title
• string — Description
• user — Assignee
• date — Due date
• boolean — Complete flag
• url — Attachments
• number — Priority score

A spreadsheet row is the same bundle, displayed differently.

Type Safety

Primitives enforce consistency across the platform. When you move data from a sheet to a board, the date stays a date, the user stays a user. No data loss, no format conversion errors.

Search and Discovery

Primitives power universal search. Search for a user and find every file they own, every message they sent, every task assigned to them. Search for a date range and find all work from that period across every file type.

API Consistency

The API uses primitives for all data exchange. When you read a task or write to a sheet, you're working with the same primitive types. No special cases, no type mapping hell.

Primitive Transformations

Conversion Rules

Primitives transform predictably:

Lossless vs. Lossy

Lossless transformations preserve all data:

• Board card to sheet row (all fields map)
• Note to doc (blocks convert to rich text)
• Task to calendar event (date, assignees transfer)

Lossy transformations extract subset:

• Doc to slide (headings become slides, body text summarized)
• Sheet to board (rows become cards, formulas computed to values)
• Channel thread to note (messages flattened to document)

Working with Primitives

In the UI

You don't think about primitives directly. When you create a task, you're filling in fields. When you write a formula, you're referencing values. Primitives are the underlying system making it all consistent.

In Formulas

Sheet formulas reference primitives:

=IF(DueDate < TODAY(), "Overdue", "On Track")
=SUM(StoryPoints)
=CONCAT(Assignee.FirstName, " ", Assignee.LastName)

In the API

SDK responses use primitives:

const task = await coline.tasks.get({ taskId: "..." });
// task.dueDate is a Date (primitive)
// task.assignee is a User (primitive)
// task.storyPoints is a Number (primitive)

In Automations

Triggers and actions use primitives:

• Trigger: "When date field changes"
• Condition: "If boolean is true"
• Action: "Set user to current user"

Primitive Storage

Primitives are stored efficiently based on their type:

• message — Message content parts, searchable index
• string — Full-text search index, exact match support
• number — Numeric indexes for sorting and ranges
• url — Normalized, validated, preview cached
• file — Binary storage with CDN delivery
• date — Timestamp with timezone handling
• user — Reference to user record with denormalized name
• boolean — Bit field, indexed for filtering

Next Steps

• Files — How primitives compose into file types
• Containers — Where primitives live and get shared
• Permissions — Access control at the primitive level