Skip to main content
Timeline View

Visualize work streams and schedules over a custom period of time with interactive timeline view

Jon Darbyshire avatar
Written by Jon Darbyshire
Updated over a week ago

SmartSuite recognizes ANY date fields (including First Created and Last Updated system fields) within records to display on a dynamic and interactive timeline.

The Report Toolbar Introduction outlines the primary controls for modifying views and provides links to dive deeper into each control's functionality. Timeline View has all of the Report Toolbar controls, except the Fields to Display option is replaced with a "By Date" control.

Why would I want to use Timeline View?

It helps visualize work that occurs over a Duration of Dates or with distinct start and end dates.

Team leads, project managers, executives utilize Timeline View for its "big picture view" across multiple streams of work.

Select "Timeline" from the view dropdown to generate Timeline View, then adjust the date field as needed.

Working with Timeline View

Timeline View recognizes date field types within records, including Date, Due Date, and Date Range fields. Records are added to the calendar and color coded by date.

Date Range fields are most powerful in Timeline view, making it easy to see the start and end dates of workflow items.

The Report Toolbar includes a "By: [Date]" dropdown listing all date fields. SmartSuite automatically selects a default date field and color - both of which can be changed in the same control.

Record Listing Panel

The Record Listing Panel in Timeline view provides a summary of records displayed in the calendar. Records are interactive. Hovering over a tile displays an option to Show in Timeline, and clicking a tile opens the record.

With the exception of the Fields to Display and Row / Card Size options, the full power of the Report Toolbar controls are available in Timeline View, including Sort, Filter, Group, Spotlight, and Find.

Visually group by any attribute to create a Gantt-like view. This is particularly useful in viewing data with shared attributes, such as project tasks in teams, marketing campaigns in social media channels, or product features in development sprints.

Note: The Sort, Filter and Group controls modify the display of data in the Timeline AND in the Record Listing Panel. Spotlight records to help the important dates stand out.

Drag & Drop

The Record Listing panel displays a full list of every item in a Table - not just what has a date field assigned to it. Drag items from the listing to the timeline and the dates in each record will be updated automatically

Timeline Navigation

Shift between Today, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months simply by clicking on the interactive heading to view any level of detail.

Set the view that makes sense for your work. For example, using Hours may make the most sense for multi-day events with a packed schedule of activities, while using Weeks is a likely fit for substantial home renovation projects.

These selections are saved automatically within saved views created by Solution Managers.

One click on a Timeline item quickly opens the record to review the details, make adjustments, and then close to jump back to the timeline. No backend updates needed; it all happens in the Timeline view.

Examples of Uses

Due Diligence

Software Release Schedule

Marketing Campaigns

Construction

Department Team Schedule

Did this answer your question?