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Projects & Tasks

Projects and tasks help organize your time tracking. This guide explains how to browse, search, and select projects and tasks in CADENSA Mobile.

Understanding Projects & Tasks​

What is a Project?​

A project is a container for related time entries. Examples:

  • Client projects: "Website Redesign for Acme Corp"
  • Internal projects: "Employee Onboarding Portal"
  • Personal projects: "Learning React Native"

Each project has:

  • Name - Project title
  • Color - Visual identifier (e.g., blue, green)
  • Client - Optional client association
  • Tasks - Optional sub-categories
  • Billable Default - Whether time is billable by default

What is a Task?​

A task is a sub-category within a project. Examples:

Project: Website Redesign

  • Task: Design
  • Task: Development
  • Task: Testing
  • Task: Deployment

Tasks help:

  • Break down projects into phases
  • Track time by activity type
  • Generate detailed reports
Tasks are Optional

You can track time to a project without selecting a task. Tasks are useful for detailed tracking but not required.

Projects Tab​

Viewing Projects​

  1. Navigate to Projects Tab
  • Tap 📁 Projects icon in bottom navigation
  1. Browse Projects List
  • All projects you have access to
  • Sorted alphabetically by default

Project Card Display​

Each project card shows:

  • Project Color - Small colored dot (e.g., )
  • Project Name - Bold, prominent
  • Client Name - Below project name (if assigned)
  • Task Count - Number of tasks (e.g., "5 tasks")
  • Recent Usage - "Last used 2 hours ago" or "Used today"

Projects List

Project Status Indicators​

  • ⭐ Favorite — Gold star icon. Tap the star on any project card to toggle it as a favorite. Favorite projects are pinned to the top of the list.
  • 📌 Active / Archived filter — Use the filter bar at the top of the Projects tab to switch between Active, Archived, and All views.

Project & Task Selector​

When selecting a project from the Timer or the Create/Edit time entry screens, the combined Project/Task Selector opens:

  1. Project search screen — search or scroll to find a project; recently used projects appear first
  2. Tap a project → if the project has tasks, a task search screen opens automatically
  3. Tap a task (or skip if not needed) → selection is confirmed

This two-step flow ensures that project and task are always selected together in a consistent way.

Searching Projects​

  1. Tap Search Bar (top of Projects tab)
  2. Type Project Name or Client Name
  3. Results Filter Live as you type

Search Features​

Search by:

  • Project name
  • Client name
  • Task names (shows matching projects)

Example searches:

  • "website" - Finds "Website Redesign", "Company Website"
  • "acme" - Finds all projects for Acme Corp client
  • "design" - Finds projects with "design" task

Recent Searches​

The app remembers recent searches:

  • Tap search bar to see recent queries
  • Tap a recent query to re-search

Favorite Projects​

Why Use Favorites?​

Mark frequently used projects as favorites to:

  • Pin them to top of list
  • Quick access when starting timer
  • Reduce scrolling

How to Favorite​

  1. Find Project in list
  2. Tap Star Icon ⭐ on project card
  3. Star Turns Gold - Project is favorited
  4. Project Moves to Top of list

How to Unfavorite​

  1. Find Favorited Project (top of list)
  2. Tap Gold Star Icon ⭐
  3. Star Turns Gray - Project is unfavorited
  4. Project Returns to Alphabetical Position

Favorite Projects

Recent Projects​

Automatic Recent Tracking​

The app automatically tracks recently used projects:

  • Projects used in last 7 days
  • Shown in a separate "Recent" section (if enabled)
  • Updated every time you start/stop timer or create entry

Recent Projects Section​

If enabled in settings:

⭐ FAVORITES Website Redesign Mobile App Development

📌 RECENT Client Portal Marketing Campaign

📁 ALL PROJECTS Employee Training Infrastructure Upgrade ...

Project Details View​

Viewing Project Details​

  1. Tap Project Card in Projects list
  2. Project Details Screen Opens

What You'll See​

Project Information:

  • Name - Full project name
  • Color - Colored header
  • Client - Client name (if assigned)
  • Description - Project description
  • Billable Default - or

Tasks List:

  • All tasks for this project
  • Task name
  • Task color (if different from project)

Recent Entries:

  • Last 10 time entries for this project
  • Quick access to recent work

Statistics:

  • Total time tracked this week
  • Total time tracked this month
  • Billable vs non-billable breakdown

Project Details

Selecting Projects for Timer​

When Starting Timer​

  1. Go to Timer Tab
  2. Tap "Select Project"
  3. Project Selection Modal Opens

Selection Modal Features​

Search Bar (top)

  • Type to filter projects instantly

Favorites Section (if you have favorites)

  • Quick access to pinned projects

Recent Section (if enabled)

  • Projects used recently

All Projects (scrollable list)

  • All available projects

Selection:

  • Tap project card to select
  • Modal closes automatically
  • Selected project appears in Timer tab

Quick Selection Tips​

  1. Use Search for specific projects
  2. Favorite frequently used projects
  3. Recent list auto-updates

Tasks Within Projects​

Viewing Tasks​

Option 1: Project Details

  1. Go to Projects tab
  2. Tap project card
  3. Scroll to "Tasks" section

Option 2: Timer/Entry Selection

  1. Select project first
  2. "Select Task" field appears
  3. Tap to see tasks for selected project

Task Selection​

When creating/editing timer or entry:

  1. Select Project First (required)
  2. "Select Task" Field Appears (optional)
  3. Tap "Select Task"
  4. Choose from Project Tasks
  • Task name
  • Task description (if any)
  1. Tap Task to Select
  2. Selected Task Appears in Timer/Entry

No Tasks Available​

If project has no tasks:

  • "Select Task" field shows "No tasks available"
  • You can still track time to project (task is optional)

Project Colors​

Color Purpose​

Colors help you:

  • Quickly identify projects
  • Visually distinguish entries
  • Organize by client/type

Color Display​

Colors appear as:

  • Colored dots next to project names
  • Colored headers in project details
  • Colored bars in time entry cards

Common Color Schemes​

Example organization:

  • Blue - Client A projects
  • Green - Client B projects
  • Red - Internal projects
  • Yellow - Personal projects
Colors Set in Web App

Project colors are managed in the web app. Mobile app displays colors but cannot change them.

Archived Projects​

What are Archived Projects?​

Archived projects are:

  • Completed or inactive projects
  • Hidden from main list by default
  • Still accessible if needed

Viewing Archived Projects​

  1. Go to Projects Tab
  2. Tap Filter Icon (top-right)
  3. Toggle "Show Archived" ON
  4. Archived Projects Appear (grayed out)

Working with Archived Projects​

You can:

  • View archived project details
  • View past time entries
  • Cannot create new entries (usually)
  • Cannot start timer (usually)
Archiving Managed in Web App

Only admins can archive/unarchive projects in web app. Mobile app displays archived status.

Client Association​

What is a Client?​

A client is an organization or person you do work for. Projects are assigned to clients for organization.

Viewing Client Projects​

Filter by Client:

  1. Go to Projects tab
  2. Tap Filter icon
  3. Select "Filter by Client"
  4. Choose client from list
  5. View all projects for that client

Client Display:

  • Client name appears below project name
  • Example:

Website Redesign Acme Corporation

Tips & Best Practices​

1. Favorite Your Top 5 Projects​

Keep your most-used projects favorited:

  • Faster selection when starting timer
  • Less scrolling in Projects tab

2. Use Tasks for Detailed Tracking​

If project has phases, use tasks:

  • Design task for design work
  • Development task for coding
  • Testing task for QA
  • Better reports and insights

3. Clear Project Names​

Use descriptive project names:

Bad:

Project 1
Client Work
Website

Good:

Acme Corp - Website Redesign 2024
Internal - Employee Portal v2
Marketing - Q1 Campaign

4. Color Code by Client​

Assign same color to all projects for a client:

  • Quick visual identification
  • Easier to spot in time entries list

5. Search Instead of Scrolling​

With many projects, search is faster:

  • Type client name
  • Type project keyword
  • Select from filtered results

Troubleshooting​

No Projects Showing​

Symptoms:

  • Projects list is empty

Solutions:

  1. Check workspace selection (top bar) - switch workspace if needed
  2. Verify you have project access (ask admin)
  3. Check "Show Archived" filter (may be hiding all projects)
  4. Force sync in Settings > Sync Now

Cannot Find Project​

Symptoms:

  • Specific project missing from list

Solutions:

  1. Use search to find project
  2. Check if project is archived (enable "Show Archived")
  3. Verify project exists in web app
  4. Check workspace - project may be in different workspace

Tasks Not Showing​

Symptoms:

  • "Select Task" shows "No tasks available" but project should have tasks

Solutions:

  1. Verify tasks exist in web app
  2. Force sync in Settings > Sync Now
  3. Restart app
  4. Check project details view - tasks should appear there

Project Colors Wrong​

Symptoms:

  • Project shows wrong color or no color

Solutions:

  1. Check project color in web app
  2. Force sync to update colors
  3. Restart app

Frequently Asked Questions​

Can I create projects in mobile app?​

No, projects must be created in the web app by admins. Mobile app is view-only for projects.

Can I edit project names?​

No, project management (create/edit/delete/archive) is only in web app. Mobile app displays projects.

How many projects can I have?​

There's no limit. The app handles hundreds or thousands of projects efficiently with search and filtering.

Can I delete a project?​

Only admins can delete projects in web app. Deleted projects sync and disappear from mobile app.

What happens if project is deleted while I have a running timer?​

The timer continues. When stopped, the entry saves with the project ID. If project was deleted, entry may show "Unknown Project" until synced.

Can I assign colors to projects?​

Only in web app (admin feature). Mobile app displays assigned colors.

Do tasks sync automatically?​

Yes. Tasks created in web app sync to mobile automatically. New tasks appear next time you open Projects tab or force sync.

Next Steps​

Learn more about:

Organize Your Work with Projects! 📁