Interface Page Layout - Kanban

The Kanban layout organizes records as cards arranged in vertical columns (stacks) defined by a single-select, user, or created-by field. It is the go-to Interface layout for any workflow that moves through distinct stages — making it ideal for project pipelines, approval workflows, sales funnels, content production, and sprint tracking.

When a user drags a card from one column to another in a published Interface, the underlying Stack record is updated automatically.

Common Use Cases

• Sales pipeline — Move deals through Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Closed stages

• Content workflow — Track articles from Draft → Review → Approved → Published

• Hiring pipeline — Move candidates through Application → Interview → Offer → Hired stages

• Sprint board — Manage tasks across Backlog → In Progress → Review → Done

• Project status — Visualize projects by team or status at a glance

Creating a Kanban Layout Page

1. In the Interface editor, click + Add Page in the left panel.

2. Select Kanban from the Layout Picker. Click Next.

3. Choose the source Stack and click Finish.

4. Configure the Stacking Field (the field that defines columns) in the properties panel.

Kanban Visualization Properties

Data

Stacking Field

The field whose values define the columns of the board. Each unique value in the field becomes a column. For a Single Select field, each select option is a column. For a User field, each unique assignee is a column.

• Only Single Select, User, and Created By fields are supported.

• The column order mirrors the option order in the source Stack's field settings. Reorder options in the field editor to reorder columns.

• Adding or removing options in the source field automatically adds or removes columns on the board.

Sort by

Set the order of cards within each column:

• Field-based sort — Sort cards alphabetically, numerically, or by date based on a chosen field.

• Manual sort — Enable drag-and-drop reordering of cards within columns. Users with Editor permissions can drag cards vertically within a column to change their order. This setting is independent of drag-and-drop between columns (which always works when Edit inline is on).

Fields

Choose which fields are visible on each card. Fields appear in the order you set here. Common fields to show on cards:

• Primary field (auto-included as card title)

• Assignee (user field)

• Due date

• Priority (select field)

• Tags or labels

• Attachment thumbnail (image)

Image Field

Select an attachment field to display as a cover image on each card. The first image in the attachment cell is used as the card thumbnail.

Filter by

Apply filters to limit which records appear on the board. Examples:

• Show only records where Priority = "High" or "Critical"

• Show only records assigned to the current user

• Exclude archived or cancelled records

Appearance

Color by

Color-code card backgrounds or left-side accent bars:

• By Select field — Each option in the chosen field gets a distinct color automatically (inherited from the field's option colors in the Stack).

• By Conditions — Set custom coloring rules. Example: turn cards red when Due Date is past and Status ≠ "Done."

Wrap long cell values

Allow multi-line text in field values on cards. Without wrapping, long text values are truncated. Enable wrapping to show more content on each card at the cost of card height.

Hide empty stacks

Hide columns that currently have no cards. Useful when you have many select options but only a few are actively in use. Users will still see a column appear if a card is moved into it.

User Filters

Same as List layout — configure Tabs or Dropdown filters to let end users dynamically filter which cards are shown across all columns simultaneously.

User Actions

• Edit records inline — Allow users with Editor permissions to click on a field value directly on a card and edit it without opening the record detail panel. Note: Inline editing on card faces is limited to simple text and select fields.

• Add / delete records inline — Show a + button at the bottom of each column to add new records (new cards). The new record is pre-filled with the column's stacking field value (e.g., Status = "In Progress" if added in that column). Users can also delete cards from the board.

• Click into record details — Click a card to open the full record detail panel. Required for editing complex field types (attachments, linked records, long text) from the board.

Advanced Settings

• Allow users to export data as CSV — Export all visible cards as a flat CSV file.

• Allow users to print — Print/PDF export of the current board state.

Kanban Tips & Best Practices

Designing Good Columns

The quality of a Kanban board depends on the quality of the stacking field's option design:

• Limit columns to 3–8 for readability — too many columns creates horizontal scrolling.

• Use a clear, linear progression for workflow stages (Backlog → In Progress → Done).

• Add a "Cancelled" or "On Hold" column rather than deleting records to preserve history.

• Use the source Stack's field editor to reorder and color-code options — changes reflect immediately on the board.

Combining with Record Detail

Configure a Record Detail page so users can click a card to see and edit all fields in depth. This is especially useful when cards display only a summary (3–5 fields) but users need to view or edit the full record occasionally.

Column WIP Limits

Stackby does not enforce WIP (Work In Progress) limits at the column level natively. For teams that use WIP limits, consider using a Number widget in a Dashboard page that counts records per status, with conditional coloring to highlight when a column exceeds the limit.

Frequently Asked Questions