To Do View
The Copera To Do view turns any board into a notebook-style daily task planner — a board-based to-do list where tasks appear as plain lines of text across day-by-day lanes, with an undated backlog for everything you have not scheduled yet. Type a task on a day to plan it, press Enter to save it instantly, tick the checkbox to complete it (with a quick celebration), and drag tasks between days to replan. It is the fastest way to answer the question "what am I doing today, and what's next?"
The To Do view is the modern replacement for the retired Smart To Do's feature --- everything you could do there now lives inside a regular board view, as a full task management view alongside all your other data.
When to Use the To Do View
The To Do view is the right board to-do list for anyone who wants to plan their day in plain text rather than manage a grid. Reach for it when you need:
- Daily and weekly planning --- See today, tomorrow, and the rest of the week side by side, with a span selector for 1, 3, 5, or 7 days at a time.
- Personal task lists --- Keep a focused, low-clutter to-do list of what you need to get done, free of heavy cards and columns.
- Lightweight scheduling --- Drag tasks onto a day instead of opening a date picker.
- Working through a backlog --- Park undated ideas in the backlog and pull them onto a day when you are ready to act.
Because all eight board views read from the same underlying table, a task you complete or reschedule in this task management view is instantly reflected in your List, Kanban, Calendar, and every other view --- no duplicate to-do list to keep in sync.
Setting Up a To Do View
When you create a To Do view, you configure a few simple settings:
- Date Column --- The date field that controls scheduling. A task with a value in this column lands on that day; a task with no value goes to the backlog.
- Completion Method --- How Copera decides whether a task is finished:
- Status --- A task is done when its Status column is set to a specific option (you choose which option counts as "done").
- Checkbox --- A task is done when a checkbox column is ticked.
- Backlog Lists --- The column used to group your undated tasks into lists under the day columns (for example, group the backlog by Status, by a dropdown category, or by assignee).
- Days Visible --- How many day columns appear at once by default: 1, 3, 5, or 7 days.
- Hide completed tasks by default --- Start with finished tasks hidden so you only see what is left to do.
- Access --- Set the view to Everyone or Private.
If your table does not yet have a date column, a status column, or a checkbox column, Copera can create the missing ones for you automatically when you save the view --- so you can start planning right away.
Understanding the Layout
The To Do view has two areas:
Day Columns (Top)
Each column is a single calendar day. The column header shows the date on top and the day name in large bold text below, with today highlighted in your accent color. Tasks sit on ruled lines like a paper notebook --- plain, scannable text with no heavy cards. The first line in every column is an input where you can add a new task for that day.
Backlog (Bottom)
The backlog is a docked panel that holds every task without a date. It is organized into tabbed lists based on your Backlog Lists column. You can add, reorder, rename, and remove these tabs, collapse the whole panel to reclaim space, or drag its top edge to resize it. Each tab label shows a count of undated tasks so you always know how much is waiting.
Adding Tasks
To add a task, click the empty line at the top of any day column, type the task name, and press Enter. The task appears instantly on that day and is saved automatically. New tasks are added to the top of the list, so your most recent thought is always front and center.
You do not need to open a form or pick a date --- typing on a day column is how you schedule a task. To add an undated task, create it on a day and then drag it down into the backlog.
Completing Tasks
Hover over a task and a checkbox appears to its left. Click it to mark the task complete. Completing a task plays a brief celebration --- a burst of confetti, an encouraging message, and an animated strikethrough --- before the task settles into its finished, greyed-out state. Unchecking a task instantly returns it to your active list.
How completion is stored depends on your Completion Method:
- With Checkbox completion, ticking the box checks the underlying checkbox column.
- With Status completion, ticking the box sets the task's Status to your chosen "done" option.
Use the Completed toggle in the toolbar to show or hide finished tasks at any time.
Rescheduling with Drag and Drop
The To Do view is built around dragging:
- Move between days --- Drag a task from one day column to another to change its date.
- Send to the backlog --- Drag a task down into the backlog to remove its date and park it for later.
- Pull from the backlog --- Drag a task from the backlog up onto a day column to schedule it.
- Reorder within a list --- Drag tasks up or down within the same column or list to change their order.
Every change saves immediately and updates across all of your other views.
Navigating Dates
The toolbar at the top controls which days you see:
- Today --- Jump back to the current day.
- Previous / Next arrows --- Shift the visible window backward or forward by the number of days you have showing.
- Date range label --- Always shows the span of days currently in view.
- Day buttons (1 / 3 / 5 / 7) --- Choose how many day columns appear at once. Your choice is remembered for this view.
Roll-up of Overdue Tasks
Turn on the Roll-up toggle in the toolbar to keep unfinished work from slipping into the past. When roll-up is enabled, any task that was due on an earlier day but never completed automatically moves to today, so it stays visible until it is done. When roll-up is off, overdue tasks stay on their original day.
Enable Roll-up if you use the To Do view as a true daily driver --- it guarantees that nothing you left undone quietly disappears off the left edge of the planner.
Repeating Tasks
Need a task to come back on a schedule? Hover over a task and click the Repeat icon to set up a recurrence --- daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom pattern. Copera will keep creating the task on the dates you choose, so routine work shows up automatically without you re-typing it each time.
Display Options
Open the three-dots menu in the toolbar to fine-tune how tasks look:
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Card coloring: None | Tasks appear as plain text with no color | --- |
| Card coloring: Card | The whole task line is filled with its status color | --- |
| Card coloring: Accent | A colored accent bar and subtle tint mark each task's status | --- |
| Card coloring: Text | Only the task text takes on its status color | --- |
| Show row ID | Display each task's row ID (for example, #123) before its name | Off |
These preferences are remembered for you between sessions.
Filtering, Sorting, and Searching
All the standard board toolbar controls work in the To Do view:
- Filter --- Show only tasks that match specific criteria.
- Sort --- Control the order of tasks.
- Search --- Find tasks by keyword.
For example, filter by assignee to turn the To Do view into a focused planner of only your own tasks.
Settings and Configuration
| Setting | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Date Column | The date field that schedules tasks onto days | First date column |
| Completion Method | Whether tasks are completed via a Status option or a Checkbox | Status |
| Done Value | Which Status option counts as "done" (Status method only) | --- |
| Backlog Lists | The column that groups undated tasks into backlog tabs | First groupable column |
| Days Visible | Number of day columns shown at once (1, 3, 5, or 7) | 3 |
| Hide completed tasks by default | Start with finished tasks hidden | Off |
| Roll-up overdue tasks | Move unfinished past-due tasks to today automatically | Off |
Tips and Best Practices
Use the 7-day span for weekly planning and the 1-day span when you want to focus on a single day with zero distractions.
Keep a running backlog of ideas and "someday" tasks, then drag them onto a day only when you commit to doing them. This keeps your daily columns honest about what you can actually finish.
Pair the To Do view with a Kanban or List view of the same table: use Kanban to manage status across the team and the To Do view to plan your personal day.
Turn on Roll-up so nothing you miss falls off the planner --- overdue tasks follow you to today until they are done.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I add a To Do view to a board?
Open the table you want to plan, click the + button next to the existing view tabs, and choose To Do. Pick the date column that schedules tasks, choose how tasks are marked complete (a Status option or a Checkbox), set how many days are visible, and save. If your table is missing a date, status, or checkbox column, Copera can create the missing ones for you automatically.
How is the To Do view different from other board views?
The To Do view is a daily task planner: it lays your tasks out as plain lines of text across day-by-day lanes with an undated backlog, and you schedule a task simply by typing it on a day. Other views show the same data differently --- the List view is a spreadsheet grid, the Kanban view is drag-and-drop cards by status, and the Calendar view places dated items on a month or week grid. Because they all share one table, your tasks stay in sync no matter which view you use.
Can tasks repeat in the To Do view?
Yes. Hover over a task, click the Repeat icon, and choose a recurrence --- daily, weekly, monthly, or a custom pattern. Copera recreates the task on the dates you choose, so routine work appears automatically without you re-typing it.
How do I schedule a task in the To Do view?
Type it on the line at the top of the day you want, then press Enter. Typing on a day column is how a task gets its date --- there is no separate date picker to open.
Where do tasks without a date go?
They appear in the backlog, the docked panel below the day columns, organized into tabbed lists. Drag a backlog task up onto any day to give it a date.
What does the Completed toggle do?
It shows or hides tasks you have already finished. Hiding them gives you a clean list of only what is left; showing them lets you review what you accomplished.
Will completing or moving a task here change my other views?
Yes. Every view reads from the same table, so checking off a task or dragging it to a new day is reflected instantly in your List, Kanban, Calendar, and all other views.
What happens to overdue tasks I did not finish?
Turn on the Roll-up toggle and any task that was due on an earlier day but never completed automatically moves to today, so unfinished work stays visible until it is done instead of slipping off the left edge of the planner. With Roll-up off, overdue tasks stay on their original day.
What happened to Smart To Do's?
Smart To Do's has been retired and replaced by the To Do view. The To Do view does everything Smart To Do's did --- and more --- inside a standard board view, so your tasks live right alongside the rest of your board data.
Why does my To Do view ask me to choose a date column?
If the date column the view was using is deleted, the view pauses and asks you to pick another date column so it knows how to schedule tasks again. Choose a replacement and your tasks reappear.
Related Features
- Views Overview --- Compare all eight board view types and learn how to create them.
- List View --- Edit the same tasks in a spreadsheet-style grid with sorting, filtering, and grouping.
- Kanban View --- Manage workflow stages with drag-and-drop cards.
- Calendar View --- See the same dated tasks on a traditional calendar layout.
- Boards Overview --- Learn how tables, columns, and views fit together.
- Filters & Sorting --- Narrow your planner down to exactly the tasks you care about.