Canvas

Canvas puts your tasks on an open spatial surface instead of in a list. Each task is a card you can drag anywhere, so the arrangement itself carries meaning: near the top left for what is urgent, clustered by theme, spread along an informal timeline, or grouped however the shape of the work suggests. You can pan across the surface and zoom in and out. A card with no saved position starts on a grid. The position is saved on the task, so the layout is still there when you come back and on any device you sign in from. Canvas draws every open task, not their subtasks, and they are the same tasks the list, the board and the calendar show. Moving a card changes where it sits, never what it is.

• Drag any card anywhere and the position is saved on the task, so the arrangement survives a reload and follows you to another device
• Create a card straight onto the canvas, and it becomes an ordinary task with a placeholder title
• The same tasks as every other view, so nothing here is a separate copy that can drift
• Loading, empty and failed-read states are distinct, so a canvas that could not be read never looks like a canvas with nothing on it
• Arrange lines every card up in lanes by status, saves the new places in one step, and offers an undo that puts each card back
• The board opens fitted to your cards, and Zoom to fit brings every card back into view after you pan or zoom

• The position is stored on the task itself. Deleting the task removes its card, and nothing else references the position.
• A new card needs a project to belong to. Atlas uses the project of the first task it loaded, or your first project when none of those tasks has one. If you have no projects yet, create one before adding a card here.
• Archived tasks, deleted tasks and subtasks are not drawn. Every other open task loads, however many there are.
• The position is one value stored on the task, so it is shared. Everyone who opens the canvas over that task sees the card where it was last placed, and moving a card moves it for them as well.

1. 1Open Canvas from the sidebar. Your open tasks are drawn as cards.
2. 2Drag a card to where it belongs. The position is saved when you release it.
3. 3Add a card for something new. It is created as an ordinary task with a placeholder title, and you rename it in the task itself from the list, board or calendar.
4. 4Double-click a card, or focus it and press Enter, to open its task in My Work. On a phone, tap the card. It is the same task everywhere.
5. 5To tidy the board, press Arrange. The cards line up in lanes for To do, In progress, Blocked and Done. Press Undo on the notice to put them back.
6. 6To move a card without a mouse, press Tab until the card is focused, then use the arrow keys. Hold Shift for a bigger step. The place is saved when you stop.

Does the arrangement stay after I close the page?

Yes. The position is written onto the task, so it is there when you return and on any device you sign in from. It is not held in the browser.

Is a card on the canvas a different thing from a task?

No. It is the same task the list, board, timeline and calendar show. A card created here is an ordinary task, and a change made to the task elsewhere appears here after a reload.

Can my team see how I arranged my canvas?

Yes. The position is stored on the task itself, so everyone who can see the task sees the card where it was last placed, and moving a card moves it for all of them. There is no separate arrangement for each person. For a free-form shared surface, use Whiteboards instead.

Why can I not add a card?

A task needs a project, and the canvas uses the project of the first task it loaded, or your first project. If you have not created a project yet, create one and the Add button appears.

What happens if a position cannot be saved?

The card stays where you put it and a message above the board says the position was not saved, so you know it will move back when the page reloads. Move the card again once the connection is back.