FYI holds information related to a task in the Drawer which displays on the right-hand side.
This displays whenever you:
- Create a new task.
- Select an existing task in a list in FYI.
- Open a task from the Tasks section in the drawer of an email, document or job.
Task Drawer
The fields and options that are included in the Drawer, and how they are used, may vary depending on whether you are creating a task, looking at an existing stand-alone task or a task created for an email, document or job. There are also different options available depending on the selections you have made (such as once a Client or Cabinet has been selected).
The following is an example of the Drawer that displays for a new task being created. This example shows a Task Template being selected and the Advanced section expanded.
At the top of the Task Details, you can click Full Screen to display the Task Details pane as full width.
The following is an example of the Drawer that displays for an existing task. To update the Task Details, click the Editor tab to open it and make changes.
The Drawer is where you can:
- Add or change the brief description of the task in the Task Name
- Update Filing information
- Add Details of the task
- If the selected Category that has been set as Available in Tasks you can select the Category that is relevant for the Task (refer to Managing Categories)
- Send a task back to another user (the Assignee)
For an existing task you can:
- Access the Client or Job associated with a task
- Use Preview to see the context of a task that was created for an email or document.
- Using the Document link access the associated email or document where a task is attached to an email or document.
- Review Details of the task
- Add Comments for your team
- Add Time for the Task (refer to Adding Time).
Apart from Task Name, Delegator and Due Date, all other fields are optional.
Selecting Tasks in the List
When the drawer is displayed for a Task, you can select another Task by clicking on it in the list. The drawer stays open and displays the details of the newly selected Task.
- If you have displayed the Editor, Preview or Comments pane, this stays open for the newly selected Task.
- You can use the Back button in the drawer to re-display the previously displayed Task. Refer below to Using the Back Button in the Drawer.
Re-displaying the Email, Document or Job from the Task
When opening a task from the Tasks section in the drawer of an email, document or job, the Back button displays at the top of the Task drawer. Click this to re-display the drawer for the relevant email, document or job.
Task Details
Preview
Where a task has been created for an email or document, the Task Drawer includes the Preview tab. Clicking this displays the Preview pane with a preview of the email or document that the task was created for. You can use this to see the context of the task. Refer to Previewing an Email.
Comments
Comments can be added to a task by any team member. These can be used to add any notes and also allow team members to collaborate on a task. Refer to Adding Comments and Notifying Team Members.
Client
When adding a Task
- When adding a task to an email, document or job, the Client is automatically taken as the Client for the selected email/document/job.
- If you have the Client or Job workspace open when creating a new Task, a default for the Client is displayed. You can delete this if the Task is not specific to that Client, or select a different Client or a different Job.
- When adding a stand-alone task (that is, not attached to an email or document) you can optionally associate it to a Client. Type at least three characters of the client name to display all clients containing those characters anywhere in the Client Name. Then click to select the required client.
Client when Updating a Task:
- When updating a Task that is associated with a Client, you can remove or change the Client that has been selected.
Refer also to Selecting a Client in the Filing Details and Refreshing the Clients.
Job
When adding a Task:
- If a Client is selected, you can also optionally select a Job for the client. Click Show Inactive Jobs to select an inactive job. Refer to the section Jobs and Time.
- If the Task is being created as attached to a Job, the Job is automatically selected.
- If you have the Job workspace open when creating the Task, a default for the Job (and the Client) is displayed. You can delete this if the Task is not specific to that Job, or select a different Job.
Job when Updating a Task:
- When updating a Task that is associated to a Client and Job, you can change the Job.
- If the selected Client is changed, if relevant you can select a Job.
- Document
Template Name
When creating a Task, a Task Template can be selected to pre-populate the default values for the Task, such as Assignee, Date date, Task Categories and Task Details. Task Templates allow tasks to be created quickly and ensures tasks are always presented with the name, format and instructions required by your practice.
Name
The Task Name is a brief description of the task. This displays in the lists in FYI. It also displays as the Subject when notifications about the task are sent.
To change the Name, click the Name field, make the change and click the Tick icon to save the change (or click the X icon to not save the change).
Assignee
Select the name of the user assigned to the task.
If the task is not being assigned to a specific person, this can be left as "Unassigned". When displaying a list of tasks, you can select "Unassigned Only" in the column header filter to display any tasks that are not assigned to a user.
Delegator
When you create a task, your name will automatically be selected as the delegator. You can select a different user from the drop-down if relevant.
Start Date
You can add a Start Date to the task. If the Default Task Start Date option is enabled in your Practice Settings, this will default to today's date (refer to Managing Tasks). You can change the date by clicking on the Start Date field and selecting a date from the calendar, or type the date in the format dd/mm/yyyy.
Note: If you need to change the Start Date to a date that is later than the default Due Date displayed, first change the Due Date. You can then change the Start Date to a later date.
Due Date
A Due Date is given as a default for a new task. The default is one day from today's date. This can be changed by clicking on the field and selecting from the calendar, or type the date in the format dd/mm/yyyy. The default number of days from today's date that is set for the Due Date is set in the Practice Settings (refer to Managing Tasks).
Status
The Status for a new task defaults to Not Started. As the task progresses, its Status can be updated to “In Progress”, “Complete” or “Rejected”.
Document Link
If the Task is being created or updated for an existing document, the Document field is included and displays the name of the document the Task is attached to.
From the open a Task, you can use the Preview pane of the Task to display a preview of the email or document that the Task was created for.
You can also click the link to open the drawer for the relevant email or document.
Advanced Section
You can click on the Advanced section in the drawer to expand it and display the additional selections.
Task Categories
If any Categories have been set up as Available in Tasks (refer to Managing Categories) these are included in the Task drawer. You can select an option for any of these.
These can be Categories that are generally used for filing documents (such as Work Type or Year) or specific Categories can be set up that are used only for Tasks. An example of a Category used specifically for Tasks would be a Category Priority with the Options of "High", "Medium" and "Low", and set up with Available in Tasks enabled. This allows users to identify high-priority tasks which may require a separate view and Automation Process(es) to give greater oversight to key team members.
Note: If a Category has the Filter Cabinet option applied, the Category will only display in the Task Drawer if the selected Cabinet is included in the Filters for that Category. Refer to Conditional Categories/Filtered Categories in Managing Categories.
Cabinet
If Task Security has been enabled in the Practice Settings for your practice, you can select a Cabinet for the task. You can only select one of the Cabinets that you have access to. The Cabinet selected for a task sets the security and ensures that only users with access to that Cabinet can see the task. This is useful, for example, for sensitive areas such as HR or performance management. Refer to Managing Tasks and Managing User Groups.
Job Category
If Task Job Category has been enabled in the Practice Settings for your practice (refer to Managing Tasks) and a Client has been selected, you can also optionally select a Job Category for the task. Job Categories are from Xero Practice Manager.
Task Details
The Details section in the drawer is read-only. To update task details, click the Editor pane.
Remember that if you are creating a task by attaching it to an email or document, you can easily display the original source document to provide context for the task, so this may not need to be covered in the Details.
Editor
You can enter text into the Editor pane to provide further details for the recipient of the task.
You can apply formatting such as bold, italics, etc using the tools at the top of the Task Details.
Hover over the tools to see the tooltip description of how each is used.
The tools that show with a vertical ellipsis display additional tools. For example, you can use the More Text tool to display additional tools for text.
The More Paragraph tool displays functions such as bullet points, numbered lists, and indents. The More Rich tool displays additional functions such as images, tables, and special characters.
The Full screen tool is used to display the Task details as a full screen or to return to the drawer.
The More Misc tool displays functions such as Undo, Print, and Code view.
When the cursor is at the left-hand side of the template text area, a Quick Insert icon displays.
Click this to add tools to insert tables, numbered and bullet lists and horizontal lines.
Opening the Client related to the Task
Where a Task has been attached to a Client, in the Update Task drawer, you can re-display the Client, by clicking the Open Client icon.
Opening a Job related to the Task
Where a Task has been attached to a Job, in the Update Task drawer, you can re-display the Job, by clicking the Open Job icon.
Using the Tools at the Top of the Drawer
At the top of the Drawer is the tool Add Time.
- Click the Add Time icon to add Time information. Refer to Adding Time.
- Click the Support Request icon to send a Support Request that automatically adds a link to the relevant Task so that FYI Support have access to the area on which you are requesting support. Refer to Sending a Support Request.
Using the Back Button in the Drawer
When the drawer is displayed for a Task, you can select another Task by clicking on it in the list and this leaves the drawer open with the details of the newly selected Task.
At the top of the Task drawer, the Back button can be used to re-display in turn the previously selected Task in that list.
The history of which Tasks are displayed with the Back button is held until the drawer is closed.
