> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.collabase.ch/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> A step-by-step guide to configuring a project from scratch — workflows, task types, field collections, and templates.

# Project setup

# Setting Up a Project

A project in Collabase is made up of four building blocks that work together: **workflows**, **task types**, **field collections**, and optionally a **project template** that bundles all three into a reusable starting point. This guide walks you through setting up each piece and explains how they connect.

## The building blocks

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Workflows" icon="arrow-right-arrow-left">
    Define the statuses a task moves through (e.g. Open → In Review → Done) and the transition rules between them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task Types" icon="tag">
    Categorize work by kind — Bug, Feature, Change Request, Incident. Each type controls which fields appear or are required.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Field Collections" icon="database">
    Named groups of custom fields that can be attached to a project or bundled into a template. One collection can be reused across many projects.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project Templates" icon="layout-template">
    A saved configuration that bundles a workflow, task types, field collections, and enabled views. Apply a template when creating a project to skip manual setup.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

***

## Step 1 — Configure a workflow

A workflow defines the statuses that tasks in your project can have and how they move between them.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Workflow settings">
    Navigate to **Admin → Workflows** (for a global workflow reused across projects) or **Project → Settings → Statuses** (for a project-specific workflow).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add statuses">
    Click **+ New Status** for each stage in your process. Give each status a name (e.g. "Open", "In Progress", "In Review", "Done"), a color, and a category.

    | Category         | Used for                                            |
    | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
    | **TODO**         | Work not yet started. Appears in the backlog.       |
    | **IN\_PROGRESS** | Work actively underway. Counted in sprint velocity. |
    | **DONE**         | Completed work. Excluded from SLA tracking.         |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set transition rules (optional)">
    By default tasks can move to any status freely. To enforce a fixed path, open **Settings → Transitions** and define which statuses each status is allowed to move to. Any unlisted transition is blocked.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Reorder statuses">
    Drag statuses into the order you want. The order here matches the left-to-right column order on the Kanban board.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Workflows created under **Admin → Workflows** are global and can be assigned to multiple project templates. A workflow created inside a specific project's settings only applies to that project.
</Note>

***

## Step 2 — Create task types

Task types let you distinguish between different kinds of work and control which fields appear for each.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Task Types">
    Go to **Admin → Task Types** to create a type that is available in every project, or go to **Project → Settings → Task Types** to create one local to a specific project.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a new type">
    Click **+ New Task Type**. Set a name (e.g. "Bug", "Feature", "Epic"), an icon, and a color.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Configure field rules">
    For each type, add field rules to control how standard and custom fields behave:

    | Rule         | Effect                                                          |
    | ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | **Required** | The field must be filled before the task can be saved.          |
    | **Hidden**   | The field is not shown in the task form for this type.          |
    | **Ordered**  | Sets the display position of the field in the task detail view. |

    Example: a "Bug" type might require "Steps to Reproduce" (a custom text field) and hide "Story Points".
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    Click **Save**. The type is immediately available when creating tasks at the configured level.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Inheritance

Task types follow a three-level hierarchy. Each level can add types but cannot remove types defined at a higher level.

| Level       | Where to configure              | Visible in                    |
| ----------- | ------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| **Global**  | Admin → Task Types              | Every project in the instance |
| **Space**   | Space Settings → Task Types     | Every project in that Space   |
| **Project** | Project → Settings → Task Types | That project only             |

***

## Step 3 — Create a field collection

A field collection is a named group of custom fields. Instead of assigning individual custom fields to each project, you group them once and attach the collection.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Custom Fields">
    Go to **Admin → Custom Fields**, then open the **Collections** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a collection">
    Click **+ New Collection**. Give it a name that describes the use case (e.g. "IT Service Desk Fields", "Bug Report Fields").
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add fields to the collection">
    Click **+ Add Field** within the collection. For each field, choose a type:

    | Field type                     | Use when you need                  |
    | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------- |
    | **Text**                       | A short single-line value          |
    | **Textarea**                   | A longer multi-line value          |
    | **Select**                     | One option from a fixed list       |
    | **Multi-select**               | Multiple options from a fixed list |
    | **User / Multi-user**          | A person or team member picker     |
    | **Date**                       | A date value                       |
    | **Checkbox**                   | A true/false toggle                |
    | **Number**                     | A numeric value                    |
    | **Rating**                     | A star or numeric rating           |
    | **Progress**                   | A percentage or progress bar value |
    | **URL / Email / Phone**        | Formatted contact or link fields   |
    | **Currency**                   | A monetary amount                  |
    | **Location**                   | A geographic address               |
    | **Registry Object**            | Links to a record in the Registry  |
    | **Relation / Object Relation** | Links to another task or object    |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Assign the collection to a project">
    Open **Project → Settings → Fields**, click **+ Attach Collection**, and select the collection. All fields in the collection immediately become available on tasks in that project.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  A collection can be attached to multiple projects. Changes to the collection (adding or removing fields) automatically apply to all projects it is assigned to.
</Note>

***

## Step 4 — Apply a project template (optional)

If your admin has created project templates, you can skip steps 1–3 entirely by applying a template when you create the project.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Create a new project">
    Inside a Space, click **+ New Project**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a template">
    In the project creation dialog, select a template from the gallery. Each template shows the included workflow, task types, and field collections.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Confirm and create">
    Click **Create Project**. The workflow, task types, and field collections from the template are applied automatically.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### Linked vs. detached projects

When a project is created from a template it stays **linked** to that template by default. This means:

* If an admin updates the template (e.g. adds a new task type or changes a field collection), those changes can be propagated to all linked projects.
* You can see the template link status in **Project → Settings → General**.

If you need to customize the project independently, click **Detach from template** in General settings. After detaching, the project manages its own configuration and no longer receives template updates.

<Warning>
  Detaching from a template is permanent. The project keeps its current configuration but will no longer receive updates when the template changes.
</Warning>