Work with your data in timeline view

Edit item details

There are two ways for you to open the item Details panel:

1. Select the item options menu  , then select Open item details.

2. Double-click the item.

Scroll through all visible columns on the sheet and edit the fields as needed. You can also manage attachments or comments. 

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Timescale controls

Timeline doesn't render when there are more than 5000 items in a given time window. To reduce the number of items in your timeline, zoom in using the Days timescale.

Customizing the timescale helps you focus on the most relevant period for your project. You can change the timeline to show:

• Days
• Weeks
• Months
• Quarters
• Years

Use the timescale dropdown in the toolbar. You can also zoom in or out using the toolbar controls, or jump to today by selecting the Today icon  .

The timeline reflects your settings if you configure a start of fiscal year or start day of week in your Gantt view project settings.

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Group items on the timeline

Grouping items in timeline view helps organize tasks into horizontal lanes by categories like assignees, teams, status, region, department, and more. Timeline view supports up to two levels of grouping, based on:

• Dropdown list (single-select)
• Contact list (single-select)
• Symbol column
• Checkbox
• Date
• Text/Number

When you apply grouping to one or two levels, only the first 5000 lanes appear. 

In order for a drop-down value or contact to appear as a lane when grouping, you must add the value or contact to the column’s properties. 

When you first open a sheet in timeline view, grouping appears by default. To adjust or remove it:

1. Select Group by from the toolbar.
2. Select the column you want to group by from the dropdown menus.
3. Select Remove if necessary.

Grouping is user-specific. Smartsheet remembers your applied grouping for each user and timeline.

When applying grouping, you can toggle the option in the Group by menu to show or hide the uncategorized lane. This setting is saved per user and timeline.

Summary lane

You can use the summary lane to summarize child row fields in each swimlane. You can use the summary lanes to show a scenario or project plan, as it shows the total project time. 

 Only Admins can turn summary lanes on or off in the Group by menu. Once an Admin sets a summary, it remains unchanged for other users.

To add a summary lane, go to Group by in the toolbar and toggle on Show lane summaries. Once activated, a lane appears in the timeline, displaying the earliest and latest dates for all children in a phase.

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You can expand or collapse individual lanes in your sheet to create a customized view. 

Item hierarchy

A drop-down arrow next to the item title indicates if the item has subitems within the same grouping lane. In timeline view, parent items appear above child items. 

To view child items under a parent, select the drop-down arrow on the parent item. You can also use Expand all or Collapse all in the item options menu   to reveal or hide all hierarchical relationships.

To add a child row directly on the timeline:

1. Hover your mouse over the item and open the item options menu  .
2. Select Add child item.

Timeline view retains the expand/collapse states per user, timeline, and sheet.

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Filter your data

Use filters to show or hide information in your sheet as needed. In timeline view, you can use saved filters, add temporary additional filters, create new filters, and edit existing filters. Learn more about utilizing filters in timeline view. 

Create a new filter

To create a new filter,

1. Select Filter in the toolbar.
2. Select + Add a filter.
3. Choose your filter criteria.
   1. You can filter based on columns or rows.
   2. You can use various options for columns, such as is one of, is not one of, is blank, and more.
4. Select Save.
5. Name your filter.
6. Decide whether to keep your filter private or share it with other sheet collaborators in the drop-down menu.
7. Edit or add any filter criteria if needed.
8. Optionally, you can choose to show parent rows if needed.
9. Select Save.

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Attachments in timeline view

Attach files to an item

To attach files to a specific item, 

1. Hover over the item, then select the Attachments icon, or access the panel from the Options menu .
2. Select + Add in the attachments panel.
3. Upload a file or attach a URL as needed.

In the Attachments panel, you can also view or edit other attachments to the item.

View all attachments on the sheet

To view all attachments on the sheet,

1. Select the Attachments icon in the toolbar  .
2. Use the drop-down menu to select All items.

Edit attachments

You can make various edits to attachments in a specific item or in the list of all sheet attachments.

1. Select the attachments option menu  .
2. Edit the attachment as needed.
   1. Open the attachment.
   2. Download the file.
   3. Edit the description.
   4. Rename the attachment.
   5. Upload a new version.
   6. View the version history for the attachment.
   7. Delete the attachment.

View activity log

Select the Activity Log icon   on the toolbar to open the activity log. 

Share your timeline

Sharing your timeline keeps collaborators informed and aligned. To share your timeline view:

1. In the sheet, select Share in the upper right.
2. Insert any people or groups as needed.
3. Select Edit next to Default view.
   1. In the Filter drop-down, add a filter if necessary.
   2. In the View drop-down, select Timeline view.
   3. Select Save.
4. Select Share or Copy link.

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You can also send users a link to a specific item. Hover over the item, then in the item options menu , select Copy item link to share a direct link.

Use comments to collaborate

To view or add attachments within comments, switch to grid view.

In the conversations panel, use the filter icon  to view only unread comments. 

The Conversations icon turns blue when you have unread comments.

View and reply to comments for a specific item

Users with Owner, Admin, Editor, or Commenter permissions can comment and reply to comments.

To open the conversations panel for an item,

1. Hover over the item, then select the Conversations icon  ,  or  access the panel from the options menu  .
2. Type your comment. You can @mention other collaborators to notify them.
3. Select   to send your comment.

You can reply to comments for the item, or you can reply to a specific comment thread by selecting Reply under an existing comment.

View to comments for the entire sheet

To view all comments on the sheet:

1. Select the Comments icon from the toolbar .
2. From the dropdown menu, select All items.

Edit comments

Open the comments options menu  . Here you can edit a comment, delete a comment, or set up notifications for the thread.

Collaborate with others

Changes made by others update in real-time.

In the top right corner, avatars of the other collaborators viewing or editing the sheet are present. Hover over their account photo to see their contact information.

Collaborators viewing the sheet in table, board, or timeline view can see everyone else, regardless of the view they're using. Those viewing the sheet in grid, card, calendar, or Gantt view can't see collaborators viewing the sheet in table, board, or timeline view. 

Timeline widgets in dashboards

You can add a timeline widget to your dashboard to show tasks, milestones, and project phases from any sheet or report.

The sheet or report must have at least one date column. The date column cannot be populated by a column formula. 

Using the widget, you can:

• Filter and group data: Apply existing shared filters and group settings from your sheets to customize how timeline data is presented.
• Adjust timescales: Switch between different timescales (days, weeks, months, quarters, years) for a broad overview or a detailed view of projects.
• Hover for details: Gain insights into individual tasks and milestones by hovering over them to see a detailed pop-up with relevant information.
• Navigate hierarchies: Expand and collapse hierarchies in the timeline to view sub-tasks and components of projects.

Learn more about creating a timeline widget in dashboards. 

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