Kanban board — a simple To do, Doing, Done board in your browser

How to use the kanban board

1. Type a task in the Card title box, choose a column from the list next to it (To do, Doing or Done) and press Add.
2. Move a card to the next stage with →, or back with ←. Use ↑ and ↓ to change its order inside a column, and ✕ to delete it.
3. Each column heading shows how many cards it holds.
4. Press Export Markdown for a readable copy or Export JSON for a full backup. Import… loads either kind of file back.
5. To empty the board, press Clear twice.

What it does and when to use it

A kanban board shows work as cards that travel from left to right. The point is to see at a glance what is waiting, what is in progress and what is finished, and to notice when too many things sit in Doing at once. This board is deliberately small: three fixed columns, one board per browser, no accounts.

It suits a personal project, a week of study, a house move or a small side job. For a simple list where each item is just done or not done, the to-do list maker is quicker. Jot rough ideas in the quick notepad first, and turn a finished plan into a page with the printable checklist maker.

How it works

Every change is saved straight away to your browser’s localStorage. Nothing goes to a server. If saving fails because storage is blocked or full, the status line says so and asks you to export a copy.

Import checks JSON files before using them. The file must be a ToolsRift kanban export and every card must name a known column; otherwise you see a message such as “A card has an unknown column.” and the board is not changed. Markdown and text files are read heading by heading.

Worked examples

Exporting a board. Start with “Draft spring newsletter” in To do, “Fix checkout bug” in Doing and “Order business cards” in Done, then press → on the newsletter card. Export Markdown gives:

# Kanban board

## To do

_(empty)_

## Doing

- Draft spring newsletter
- Fix checkout bug

## Done

- Order business cards

Importing your own notes. This Markdown:

# Sprint 12

## In progress
- [x] Write tests
## Backlog
- Logo refresh
## Done
- Ship v2

becomes three cards: “Write tests” in Doing, “Logo refresh” in To do (because “Backlog” is not a known name) and “Ship v2” in Done. The [x] tick is ignored.

Limits and tips

• Card text is limited to 500 characters and has no due dates, labels or assignees.
• Importing replaces the whole board. Export the current board first if you want to keep it.
• Use one tab at a time. Two open tabs can overwrite each other’s saves.