Timeline View (Gantt Chart)

The Timeline View renders your tasks as horizontal bars on a time axis, giving you a visual Gantt-chart perspective of your project schedule. Drag, resize, and rearrange tasks to plan dates interactively.

Overview

• Hierarchical Display — parent tasks and subtasks are shown in a collapsible tree.
• Horizontal Bars — each task spans from its start date to its due date on the timeline.
• Resizable Split-Pane — a draggable divider separates the task list from the timeline canvas.
• Collapsible Parents — expand or collapse parent tasks to focus on specific areas.
• Today Indicator — a vertical line marks the current date on the timeline.

Zoom Levels

Switch between three zoom levels to control how much of the timeline is visible at once:

• Day — each column represents a single day. Best for short sprints.
• Week — each column represents a week. Good for iteration planning.
• Month — each column represents a month. Ideal for roadmap overviews.

Tip: Use the zoom buttons in the toolbar or scroll while holding Ctrl / Cmd to zoom in and out.

Interactive Bars

Task bars on the timeline support three interaction modes:

• Move — drag the body of a bar to shift both the start and due dates.
• Resize Left — drag the left handle to change the start date.
• Resize Right — drag the right handle to change the due date.
• Click — single-click a bar to open the Task Details Panel.

Task List Panel

The left side of the split-pane contains the task list. It mirrors the hierarchical structure of the Grid View with these additional features:

• Drag Handle — reposition the divider to give more space to the list or the timeline.
• Collapse / Expand — toggle subtask visibility with the arrow icon.
• Inline Title Edit — double-click a task title to rename it in place.
• Context Menu — right-click for actions such as add subtask, promote, delete, or open details.
• Color Coding — row backgrounds reflect priority or status for quick scanning.

Smart Filtering

Narrow the timeline to exactly the tasks you need:

• Status Filter — show only active, completed, or specific statuses.
• Priority Filter — focus on critical and high-priority items.
• Search — type keywords to filter tasks by title.

Usage

Opening the Timeline

1. Click the Timeline icon in the view ribbon, or
2. Open the Command Palette and run "Project Planner: Open Timeline View", or
3. Use the keyboard shortcut configured in your settings.

Adjusting Dates

1. Move a bar — click and drag the bar body horizontally.
2. Resize — grab the left or right handle and drag to change start or due date.
3. Release to save. Dates are persisted immediately to the Markdown file.

Managing Hierarchy

• Make Subtask — right-click a task → "Make subtask" to nest it under the task above.
• Promote — right-click a subtask → "Promote" to move it up one level.

Reordering Tasks

Drag rows in the task list panel to reorder. The following rules apply:

• Tasks can be reordered within the same parent.
• Dropping a task onto another task nests it as a subtask.
• Dropping between tasks repositions it at that level.

Resizing Panels

Drag the vertical divider between the task list and the timeline chart to allocate more space to either side.

Filtering

1. Click the filter icon in the toolbar.
2. Select desired status, priority, or enter keywords.
3. The timeline updates instantly to show matching tasks only.

Zoom Control

Use the Day / Week / Month buttons in the toolbar or the scroll-to-zoom gesture.

Task Display Rules

Date Handling

• Tasks with both a start date and a due date render as a bar spanning the range.
• Tasks with only a due date display as a single-day marker on that date.
• Tasks with no dates do not appear on the timeline canvas (they are still listed in the task list).

Bar Colors

• Default — uses the project's accent colour.
• Overdue — bar turns red when the due date has passed.
• Completed — bar is dimmed with a strikethrough label.

Visual Indicators

• Priority Badges — small icons on the left end of each bar.
• Today Line — a vertical dashed line marking the current date.

Integration with Other Views

• Task Details Panel — click any bar to open full task editing in the details panel.
• Grid View — changes made in the Grid View are reflected on the timeline instantly.
• Board View — status changes on the Board update bar colours in real time.
• Markdown Sync — all timeline edits are written back to Markdown files immediately.

Tips & Best Practices

1. Always set both a start date and a due date for tasks you want to visualize on the timeline.
2. Use the Week zoom as your default — it balances detail and context.
3. Collapse parent tasks to get a high-level roadmap view.
4. Combine timeline planning with the Dependency Graph to catch scheduling conflicts.
5. Leverage the today indicator to quickly assess whether the project is on track.
6. Resize bars carefully; the grid snaps to the nearest day boundary.
7. Use filters to create focused views — e.g., show only "In Progress" tasks.
8. Keep the task list panel visible for quick context while scrolling the timeline.

Timeline vs. Grid vs. Board

Troubleshooting

Tasks not showing on the timeline

Ensure the task has at least a due date set. Tasks without any dates are listed in the task list panel but do not render a bar on the canvas.

Bar positions look incorrect after editing Markdown manually

The timeline reads dates from the Markdown frontmatter. Verify that the date format follows YYYY-MM-DD. If the file was edited outside of VS Code, reopen the project to trigger a refresh.

Drag-and-drop not working

Check that you are dragging from the body of the bar (not the handles). Also ensure the file is not read-only.

Support & Related Pages

• Dashboard View
• Grid View Guide
• Board View (Kanban)
• Dependency Graph View
• Task Details Panel
• FAQ