📖 Help Manual · v1.0

MemorixApps Project Free

A complete guide to managing tasks, projects, teams, and timelines — including how to import projects from XML files.

In the free version, the number of projects is limited to two active projects at a time, and the number of concurrent users is capped at five. Projects can be exported as .json backup files for transfer to Memorix Project Pro.

🧭 Overview

MemorixApps Project Free is a self-contained project management application that runs entirely in your browser. All data is saved locally — no account, no server, no internet connection required.

📋 Multiple Views

Switch between Kanban, List, Gantt timeline, and Analytics dashboards for any project.

👥 Team Management

Add team members with custom colours. Assign tasks and subtasks to individuals.

📅 Gantt Timeline

Visual timeline with Week / Month / Quarter zoom, date range pickers, subtask rows, milestones, and dependency arrows.

📥 XML Import

Import entire project structures from XML files using standard WBS numbering.

⬇ Export Backup

Export any project as a .json backup file to safeguard your data or transfer it to another device.

🖥 Interface Layout

The app is divided into three main areas:

AreaPurpose
Left SidebarNavigate between projects, access Analytics, manage team members, create new projects, and export project backups.
Top BarSwitch between Board / List / Gantt views. The page title shows the active project. The New Task button creates a task in the current project.
Main AreaDisplays the selected view — Kanban columns, a flat list, the Gantt chart, or the Analytics dashboard.

Sidebar Sections

Tasks — Clicking this resets to "All Projects" view and shows the Kanban board with every task.

Analytics — Opens the cross-project Analytics dashboard.

Projects — Lists all active projects. Click a project to scope the current view to that project only. Archived projects appear in a collapsible section below.

Team — Shows team member avatars. Click ⊕ to open the Team Members manager.

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Ctrl + KFocus the search bar
EscapeClose any open modal or cancel an inline edit
EnterConfirm a rename or add a subtask when the input is focused

📁 Projects

Projects are the top-level containers for tasks. Every task belongs to exactly one project.

Creating a Project

  1. Click + New Project at the bottom of the sidebar.

  2. Choose the Create tab, enter a name, and pick a colour.

  3. Click Create Project.

Project Actions (hover a project in the sidebar)

IconAction
⬇Export a .json backup of the project. Downloads immediately — see Export Project Backup for details.
✎Rename the project inline. Press Enter to save or Esc to cancel.
⊘Archive the project. It disappears from active views but all tasks are preserved. A collapsible Archived section appears at the bottom of the project list.
✕Delete the project permanently. You will be warned if the project contains tasks.

Archiving vs Deleting

Archived projects are hidden from Kanban, List, Gantt, and Analytics views but can be reopened at any time from the sidebar. Deleted projects and their tasks are gone permanently.

✅ Tasks

Tasks are the core unit of work. Each task has the following fields:

FieldDescription
TitleShort name for the task.
DescriptionFree-text notes or details.
StatusBacklog / To Do / In Progress / Review / Done.
PriorityLow / Medium / High / Critical.
AssigneeOne team member (or Unassigned).
Start DateWhen work begins — used to position bars in the Gantt chart.
Due DateDeadline — used for Overdue filtering and Gantt bar end point.
ProgressA 0–100% completion percentage.
ProjectWhich project this task belongs to.
TagsComma-separated labels for quick reference.
Depends onOne or more tasks that must be completed before this task can start. Selected from a dropdown — multiple dependencies can be added. Shown as clickable badges in the task detail panel and as arrows in the Gantt chart.
CommentsThreaded comment history. Each comment records the author, timestamp, and message. Persisted with the task.

Creating & Editing Tasks

Click + New Task in the top bar to open the task creation modal. To edit an existing task, click anywhere on its card. All fields can be changed from the detail modal, including inline reassignment of the assignee.

Description on Kanban Cards

If a task has a description, the first two lines appear directly on the Kanban card below the title. Text is truncated with an ellipsis after two lines — open the task detail to read the full description.

Comments

The task detail modal includes a Comments section below Subtasks. Type a message and press Post (or Enter) to add a comment. Each comment shows the author's avatar, name, and timestamp. Press Shift+Enter to add a line break without posting. Comment history is saved with the task and persists across sessions.

Comments are posted as the Project Owner (see Project Owner below). If no owner is set, the first team member is used as the fallback author.

Editing & Deleting Comments

Hover over any comment to reveal two action buttons on the right side of the comment bubble:

ButtonAction
✏️ EditSwitches the comment into inline edit mode. The text appears in an editable textarea pre-filled with the original message. Click Save to confirm or Cancel to discard changes. Edited comments display a subtle (edited) label next to the timestamp.
🗑️ DeleteRemoves the comment immediately. This action cannot be undone.
ℹ️ The edit and delete buttons are hidden until you hover over a comment, keeping the comment list clean and readable. On touch devices, tapping the comment will reveal them.

Drag & Drop (Kanban)

In Kanban view, drag a task card horizontally to move it between status columns. The task's status updates automatically.

Subtasks

Each task can have unlimited subtasks. Open the task detail modal and use the Add subtask input at the bottom. Subtasks can have their own assignee and due date, and appear as child rows under their parent in the Gantt chart.

Task Dependencies

A dependency means "this task cannot start until that task is done." You can link any number of predecessor tasks to make the sequencing explicit.

Adding dependencies

  1. Open the task creation or edit modal (click + New Task or click any existing card then ✏ Edit).

  2. Scroll to the Depends on field near the bottom of the form.

  3. Use the — Add dependency… dropdown to pick a predecessor task. It appears as a pill badge showing its ID and title.

  4. Repeat to add more dependencies. Click × on any pill to remove it.

  5. Click Save Changes (or Create Task). Dependencies are saved with the task.

Viewing dependencies

Open any task's detail panel. If the task has dependencies or is blocking others, a Dependencies section appears below the tags row with two groups:

GroupWhat it shows
Depends onTasks that must finish before this one can start. Each badge shows a coloured status dot, the task ID, the title, and a ✓ when that predecessor is done.
BlockingTasks that are waiting on this task. Clicking any badge opens that task's detail panel.
💡 Click any dependency badge to jump directly to that task — useful for quickly checking whether a blocker is complete.

👥 Team Members

Team members are referenced throughout the app for task assignment, Gantt bar colours, and Analytics workload charts.

  1. Click the ⊕ button next to Team in the sidebar.

  2. Click + Add Member, enter their name, initials, role, and pick a colour.

  3. To edit, click ✎ next to any member. To remove, click ✕ (you'll be warned if they have assigned tasks).

ℹ️ Member colours appear on Kanban assignee chips, Gantt bars, and the Analytics workload table. Choose distinct colours for easy visual identification.

👑 Project Owner

One team member can be designated as the Project Owner. The Project Owner is the identity used as the author whenever a comment is posted on any task.

Setting the Project Owner

  1. Open the Team Members panel (click ⊕ next to Team in the sidebar).

  2. Click the ✎ edit button next to any team member to expand their edit panel.

  3. At the bottom of the edit panel, check the 👑 Set as Project Owner checkbox.

  4. The change takes effect immediately — no Save button needed for this setting. A toast notification confirms the change.

BehaviourDetail
Only one ownerSelecting a new owner automatically removes the designation from the previous owner. There can only be one Project Owner at a time.
Owner badgeThe member card displays a gold 👑 Project Owner badge next to their name so the current owner is always visible at a glance.
Comment authorshipAll new comments on all tasks are posted as the Project Owner. Existing comments are not changed.
FallbackIf no Project Owner is set, the first team member in the list is used as the comment author.
UncheckingUnchecking the box removes the owner designation. The member list will show no owner until another member is assigned.
💡 Set the Project Owner to whichever team member is managing or reviewing the project. All progress notes, decisions, and comments will appear under their name, keeping a clear record of who is driving the work.

🔍 Filters & Search

A filter bar appears below the top bar when a view is active. Available chips:

ChipShows
AllAll tasks in the current project scope.
↑ HighTasks with High or Critical priority.
UnassignedTasks with no assignee.
OverdueTasks whose due date is in the past and are not Done.
✓ DoneTasks with status = Done.
Member chipsTasks assigned to that specific team member. Only members with tasks in the current scope appear.

Use the Search bar (Ctrl+K) to filter by task title in real time. Search and chip filters work together.

📌 Kanban Board

The Kanban board organises tasks into five status columns: Backlog → To Do → In Progress → Review → Done.

Cards show the task title, description preview (up to 2 lines), priority badge, assignee avatar, due date, project tag, and subtask progress pill. Drag cards between columns to update their status, or open a card to edit all fields.

📋 List View

The List view groups tasks by status in a flat table format. Each row shows the task ID, title, priority, assignee, project, due date, and progress bar. Click any row to open the task detail modal.

📅 Gantt Timeline

The Gantt chart renders all tasks (and their subtasks) as horizontal bars across a time axis. Weeks begin on Monday.

Zoom Levels

ZoomColumn widthHeader shows
Week40 px / dayMonth label + day numbers + week number
Month22 px / dayMonth label + Monday dates
Quarter12 px / dayMonth label + week numbers

Date Range Pickers

Use the From and To date inputs in the Gantt controls bar to pin the visible range. Click ✕ Reset to return to the auto-calculated range (based on task dates).

Subtask Rows

Each task row has an expand/collapse arrow. Expanded subtask rows show colour-coded bars using the subtask assignee's colour. The Show all subtasks toggle expands all parent rows at once.

Reading Bars

A bar spans from the task's Start Date to its Due Date. If no start date is set the bar starts at the due date (one-day bar). A white tick on the left edge marks the start date. A red vertical line marks today.

Dependency Arrows

When tasks have Depends on relationships set, the Gantt chart draws dashed arrows from the end of each predecessor bar to the start of the dependent bar:

Arrow colourMeaning
Orange dashed arrowThe predecessor task is not yet done — the dependency is outstanding.
Green dashed arrowThe predecessor task is marked Done — the dependency is satisfied.

Hover over any task bar to see its dependencies listed in the tooltip, including each predecessor's status and a ✓ when complete.

💡 Use Month or Quarter zoom for the clearest view of dependency chains. Orange arrows immediately highlight which predecessors are still blocking progress.

Milestones

Milestones mark key dates on the timeline — releases, reviews, handovers, or any important deadline. They appear as gold diamond markers with a full-height dashed vertical line running the entire chart so you can instantly see which tasks fall before or after each milestone.

Managing milestones

  1. Click the 🏁 Milestones button in the Gantt controls bar. The button shows the current milestone count in brackets.

  2. In the dialog, enter a Name, a Date, and optionally scope it to a specific Project. Click Add Milestone.

  3. To edit an existing milestone, click the ✏ pencil button next to it. The form switches to edit mode — update the fields and click Save Changes.

  4. To delete a milestone, click the ✕ button next to it.

BehaviourDetail
Gold diamondMarks the milestone date on its sidebar row.
Dashed vertical lineSpans the full chart height for easy cross-referencing with tasks.
Past milestonesAutomatically turn grey once their date has passed.
Project scopeMilestones scoped to a project appear under that project's group row. Milestones with no project appear in a global Milestones section at the bottom when viewing all projects.
Orange dashed arrowDependency link — predecessor task is still in progress.
Green dashed arrowDependency link — predecessor task is complete (Done).
💡 Use Month or Quarter zoom to get a strategic view of milestones across your roadmap. The dashed line makes it easy to see which tasks are at risk of missing a milestone.
💡 Set both a Start Date and a Due Date on each task for the most accurate Gantt bars. Tasks with only a due date appear as single-day markers.

📊 Analytics

The Analytics dashboard gives a high-level view of project health. Use the project filter chips at the top to scope all charts to one project or view all projects combined.

WidgetShows
KPI CardsTotal tasks, completed, overdue, and unassigned counts.
Status BreakdownDonut chart of task counts by status.
Priority BreakdownDonut chart of task counts by priority.
Project BarsHorizontal bar chart comparing task counts across projects.
Assignee WorkloadBar chart showing tasks assigned to each team member. Each bar also shows a thin accent stripe for subtasks, and the label includes a ☑done/total subtask count where applicable.
Due Date HeatmapCalendar heatmap of task due dates.
Team TablePer-member breakdown with columns for Total, Done, In Progress, Review, Subtasks (done/total with percentage), High Priority, Overdue, and Completion bar.

📥 XML Import

You can import an entire project structure from an XML file. This is the fastest way to bring an existing Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) into Memorix Project Free.

How to Import

  1. Click + New Project in the sidebar.

  2. Select the Import XML tab in the modal.

  3. Enter a project name and choose a colour.

  4. Click Choose File and select your .xml file, or paste raw XML directly into the text area.

  5. A preview of the parsed tasks and subtasks will appear. Review it before confirming.

  6. Click Import Project to create the project with all tasks.

ℹ️ All imported tasks are created as Unassigned. You can assign team members after the import from the task detail modal or the Kanban board.
⚠️ The import creates a new project. It does not merge tasks into an existing project.

🗂 XML Format Reference

The importer looks for two key child elements inside any container element:

<wbs>
required  Work Breakdown Structure number. Controls whether an item is a main task (e.g. 1, 2, 3) or a subtask (e.g. 1.1, 2.3). Only one level of nesting is supported.
<task>
required  The task title / description text. This becomes the task name in MemorixApps Project Free.

The container element (the parent of <wbs> and <task>) can have any tag name — the importer detects the pattern automatically. Common choices include <row>, <item>, <task_item>, <entry>, etc.

💡 The importer supports multiple fallback strategies: scoped child lookup, flat positional pairing, and sibling scanning. Most standard WBS XML exports will parse correctly without any modification.

💻 XML Examples

Basic WBS — Nested Structure

The most common format: a root element containing row elements, each with <wbs> and <task> siblings.

<project>

  <!-- Main task -->
  <item>
    <wbs>1</wbs>
    <task>Planning & Discovery</task>
  </item>

  <!-- Subtasks of task 1 -->
  <item>
    <wbs>1.1</wbs>
    <task>Stakeholder interviews</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>1.2</wbs>
    <task>Requirements gathering</task>
  </item>

  <!-- Second main task -->
  <item>
    <wbs>2</wbs>
    <task>Design</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>2.1</wbs>
    <task>Wireframes</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>2.2</wbs>
    <task>Visual design</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>3</wbs>
    <task>Development</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>3.1</wbs>
    <task>Frontend implementation</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>3.2</wbs>
    <task>Backend API</task>
  </item>

  <item>
    <wbs>3.3</wbs>
    <task>Testing & QA</task>
  </item>

</project>

Alternative Tag Names

The container element name does not matter. All of these are valid:

<!-- Using <row> -->
<tasks>
  <row><wbs>1</wbs><task>Design</task></row>
  <row><wbs>1.1</wbs><task>Mockups</task></row>
</tasks>

<!-- Using <entry> -->
<wbs_schedule>
  <entry><wbs>1</wbs><task>Phase 1</task></entry>
  <entry><wbs>1.1</wbs><task>Kick-off meeting</task></entry>
</wbs_schedule>

Flat / Positional Format

If your XML lists all <wbs> elements and all <task> elements at the same count, the importer will pair them by position (fallback mode):

<export>
  <wbs>1</wbs>   <task>Analysis</task>
  <wbs>1.1</wbs> <task>Data collection</task>
  <wbs>2</wbs>   <task>Reporting</task>
</export>

📐 WBS Rules & Behaviour

WBS valueInterpretationResult
1, 2, 3…No dot — top-levelCreated as a main task
1.1, 1.2…One dot — child of 1Created as a subtask of task 1
2.1, 2.3…One dot — child of 2Created as a subtask of task 2
1.1.1 (deeper)Two dots — not supportedTreated as subtask using first number as parent

Orphan Subtasks

If a subtask (e.g. 4.1) is encountered before its parent task (4), the importer automatically creates a placeholder parent named (Group 4). When the actual parent task 4 is later parsed, it replaces the placeholder.

Ordering

Tasks appear in the order they are encountered in the XML file. Subtasks always appear under their parent regardless of where they appear in the file.

After Import

All imported tasks are assigned the following defaults:

FieldDefault value
StatusTo Do
PriorityMedium
AssigneeUnassigned
Start / Due dateNot set
Progress0%
💡 After importing, use the Gantt view to assign Start and Due dates to each task, then assign team members from the task detail modals or Kanban cards.

⬇ Export Project Backup

You can export any project as a .json backup file. This is the recommended way to backup your data. The project can be imported into any MemorixApps Project Pro.

How to Export

  1. Hover over any project name in the left sidebar.

  2. Click the ⬇ button that appears (leftmost of the action buttons).

  3. A .json file is downloaded immediately — named memorix_backup_{project}_{date}.json.

What the backup contains

IncludedDetails
ProjectName, colour, and all project settings.
TasksAll tasks and subtasks belonging to the project, including status, priority, dates, descriptions, comments, and dependencies.
Team membersOnly the members who are assigned to tasks in this project.
ℹ️ The backup file is compatible with MemorixApps Project Pro — you can import it there using the Pro version's Import Backup feature.
💡 Export a backup before making large changes such as bulk-deleting tasks or reorganising a project. If anything goes wrong you'll have a restore point.

💾 Data & Storage

All data is stored in your browser's localStorage under the key memorix_project_state. This means:

🏷 Statuses & Priorities

Statuses (in workflow order)

StatusMeaning
BacklogNot yet started; waiting for prioritisation.
To DoPrioritised and ready to begin.
In ProgressActively being worked on.
ReviewWork complete; awaiting review or approval.
DoneFinished and accepted.

Priorities

PriorityTypical use
LowNice-to-have; can be deferred.
MediumStandard importance (default for imported tasks).
HighImportant; should be addressed soon.
CriticalBlocking or urgent — requires immediate attention.

✨ Tips & Tricks

Scoping views to a project

Click a project name in the sidebar to scope Kanban, List, Gantt, and Analytics to that project only. Click Tasks (top of sidebar) to return to the all-projects view.

Using Gantt zoom levels

Use Week zoom for sprint planning, Month for monthly milestones, and Quarter for a high-level roadmap view.

Colour-coding your team

Assign unique, high-contrast colours to each team member. Gantt bars and Kanban avatars use these colours, making it easy to spot workload imbalances at a glance.

Importing from MS Project / Excel

Export your schedule as XML from MS Project (File → Save As → XML), or build a simple XML using the format described in this manual. Most project scheduling tools support XML export.

Archiving completed phases

When a project phase is complete, archive it. Tasks are preserved but hidden from all active views, keeping the workspace tidy.

Using milestones for roadmap clarity

Add milestones for key releases, reviews, or handovers. At Quarter zoom the full-height dashed lines make it easy to see which tasks are at risk of missing a milestone. Past milestones turn grey automatically.

Tracking discussions with Comments

Use the Comments field in each task detail to keep context alongside the work — decisions, blockers, updates. Press Enter to post quickly, Shift+Enter for multi-line messages.

Editing or correcting a comment

Hover over any comment to reveal the ✏️ edit and 🗑️ delete buttons. Click ✏️ to switch the comment into an editable textarea, update the text, then click Save. An (edited) label appears next to the timestamp so the history stays transparent.

Using the Project Owner for comment identity

Open Team Members, expand any member's edit panel, and check 👑 Set as Project Owner. All future comments on all tasks will appear under that person's name and avatar. Useful when a single person is managing all project communication and you want consistent authorship across the task board.