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Overview

Kanban view displays your records as cards organized into columns based on a grouping field, typically representing different stages of a workflow. This view is inspired by agile project management boards and makes it easy to visualize progress and move items between stages with drag-and-drop.
Kanban view requires at least one Single Select or Checkbox field to serve as the grouping column for board lanes.

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When to Use Kanban View

Kanban view is ideal for:
  • Project management - Track tasks through stages like To Do, In Progress, Done
  • Sales pipelines - Manage deals through Lead, Qualified, Proposal, Closed stages
  • Recruitment - Track candidates from Applied to Interview to Hired
  • Bug tracking - Organize issues by status (New, Assigned, In Progress, Resolved)
  • Content planning - Manage articles through Draft, Review, Published stages
  • Order fulfillment - Track orders from Placed to Shipped to Delivered
  • Sprint planning - Organize user stories and tasks in agile workflows

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Configuration Options

Kanban view provides the following configuration options:

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Grouping Column

The most important configuration is selecting which field determines the board columns:
PropertyTypeDescription
fk_grp_col_idstringID of the Single Select field used for grouping
Use a status field to create a classic task board:Single Select Options:
  • To Do
  • In Progress
  • Review
  • Done
{
  "fk_grp_col_id": "status_column_id"
}
Each option becomes a column on the Kanban board.

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Cover Image

PropertyTypeDescription
fk_cover_image_col_idstringID of attachment column to display as card cover
meta.fk_cover_image_object_fitstringImage fit mode: “fit” or “cover”
{
  "fk_cover_image_col_id": "attachment_column_id",
  "meta": {
    "fk_cover_image_object_fit": "cover"
  }
}
Adding cover images to Kanban cards helps with visual recognition, especially useful for product development, design workflows, or any visual content.

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Working with Kanban View

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Drag and Drop

Move cards between columns to update their status:
  1. Click and hold a card
  2. Drag to the target column
  3. Release to drop and update the status
  4. The grouping field value updates automatically
Dragging a card between columns automatically updates the underlying record’s grouping field value.

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Reorder Within Columns

Organize cards within a column:
  • Drag cards up or down within the same column
  • Order is preserved and saved per view
  • Different users can have different card orders

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Add New Cards

Create records directly from the board:
  1. Click ”+” at the top of any column
  2. The new card is created with that column’s status
  3. Fill in required fields in the expanded form
  4. Card appears immediately in the column

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Advanced Features

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Filtering Kanban Boards

Apply filters to show specific cards:
  • Filter by any field, not just the grouping column
  • Combine multiple filter conditions
  • Empty columns remain visible even if filtered out
  • Filters affect all columns simultaneously
Example filters:
  • Assignee is “John” (show only John’s tasks)
  • Priority is “High” or “Critical” (show urgent items)
  • Due Date is within next 7 days (show upcoming deadlines)

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Sorting Cards

Control card order within columns:
  • Sort by due date (earliest first)
  • Sort by priority (highest first)
  • Sort by created time (newest first)
  • Manual drag-and-drop order (when no sort applied)
Combine sorting and filtering to create focused boards like “My high-priority tasks due this week”.

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WIP Limits

While not enforced by default, you can:
  • Use card counts in column headers to monitor work in progress
  • Create filters to highlight columns with too many items
  • Set up automations to notify when limits are exceeded

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Search on Board

Quickly find specific cards:
  • Use the search bar to filter cards by text
  • Search works across all visible fields
  • Matching cards are highlighted
  • Non-matching cards are dimmed but remain visible

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Use Cases and Examples

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Software Development Board

{
  "fk_grp_col_id": "status_column_id",
  "meta": {
    "fk_cover_image_object_fit": "fit"
  }
}
Columns (Status field options):
  • Backlog
  • To Do
  • In Development
  • Code Review
  • Testing
  • Done
Card fields:
  • Task title
  • Assignee
  • Priority
  • Story points
  • Due date

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Sales Pipeline

{
  "fk_grp_col_id": "stage_column_id",
  "fk_cover_image_col_id": "company_logo_column_id"
}
Columns (Stage field options):
  • New Lead
  • Contacted
  • Qualified
  • Proposal Sent
  • Negotiation
  • Closed Won
  • Closed Lost
Card fields:
  • Company name
  • Contact person
  • Deal value
  • Expected close date
  • Last contact

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Content Calendar

{
  "fk_grp_col_id": "content_status_column_id",
  "fk_cover_image_col_id": "featured_image_column_id",
  "meta": {
    "fk_cover_image_object_fit": "cover"
  }
}
Columns (Content Status field options):
  • Idea
  • Outline
  • Draft
  • Review
  • Approved
  • Scheduled
  • Published
Card fields:
  • Article title
  • Author
  • Topic/Category
  • Publish date
  • Word count

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Recruitment Pipeline

{
  "fk_grp_col_id": "candidate_stage_column_id",
  "fk_cover_image_col_id": "resume_column_id"
}
Columns (Candidate Stage field options):
  • Applied
  • Phone Screen
  • Technical Interview
  • Final Interview
  • Offer Extended
  • Hired
  • Rejected
Card fields:
  • Candidate name
  • Position applied
  • Experience level
  • Interview date
  • Recruiter notes

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Best Practices

Limit Column Count - Keep columns between 4-7 for optimal visibility. Too many columns require excessive scrolling.
Clear Column Names - Use concise, action-oriented column names that clearly indicate the status (“In Review” not “Review Column”).
Consistent Card Content - Show the same fields on all cards for visual consistency and easy scanning.
Regular Board Review - Conduct regular reviews to move stale cards, archive completed items, and maintain board hygiene.
One Grouping Field - Unlike Grid view which supports multiple group-by columns, Kanban uses a single grouping field that defines the board structure.

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Performance Considerations

Kanban view is optimized for handling many cards:
  • Virtual scrolling within columns for hundreds of cards
  • Lazy loading of card images
  • Efficient drag-and-drop rendering
  • Cached board state
For optimal performance:
  • Keep grouping field options reasonable (under 10 columns)
  • Use filters to reduce the total number of visible cards
  • Limit visible fields to 3-4 per card
  • Consider archiving completed items to separate views
When dealing with thousands of records, consider using filters to create multiple focused Kanban views rather than one massive board.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Arrow keysNavigate between cards
EnterOpen selected card
EscClose card detail
Ctrl/Cmd + FFocus search

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API Reference

Create a kanban view programmatically: 
const kanbanView = {
  fk_view_id: 'view_id',
  fk_grp_col_id: 'single_select_column_id',
  fk_cover_image_col_id: 'attachment_column_id',
  meta: {
    fk_cover_image_object_fit: 'cover'
  }
}
Update kanban view settings: 
const updates = {
  fk_grp_col_id: 'new_grouping_column_id',
  fk_cover_image_col_id: 'new_cover_image_column_id',
  meta: {
    fk_cover_image_object_fit: 'fit'
  }
}
Changing the grouping column (fk_grp_col_id) completely restructures the board, so choose carefully when setting up your Kanban view.

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