📖 Joe's Status Dashboard - Help Documentation

🚀 Getting Started

Welcome to Joe's Status Dashboard! This application helps you track and manage your project progress with visual charts and organized task cards.

Key Features:

➕ Adding New Projects

To create a new project:

  1. Click the "Add New Project" button in the header
  2. Fill out the project form:
    • Project Title: A descriptive name for your project
    • Project Details: Additional information or description
    • Start Date: When the project begins
    • Due Date: Project deadline
    • Status: Current project state
    • Project Steps: Enter each step on a new line (these become interactive checkboxes)
  3. Click "Save Project" to add it to your dashboard
💡 Tip: The start date is automatically set to today's date when creating new projects.

📊 Project Status Types

Each project can have one of four status types:

NOT STARTED

Project hasn't begun yet

IN PROGRESS

Currently working on the project

COMPLETED

Project is finished

ON HOLD

Project is temporarily paused

✏️ Editing Projects

To modify an existing project:

  1. Find the project card you want to edit
  2. Click the "✏️ Edit" button at the bottom of the card
  3. Update any fields in the form
  4. Click "Save Project" to apply changes
⚠️ Note: Make sure the start date is not after the due date when editing.

🗑️ Deleting Projects

To remove a project from your dashboard:

  1. Find the project card you want to delete
  2. Click the "🗑️ Delete" button
  3. Confirm the deletion in the popup dialog
⚠️ Warning: Deleting a project is permanent and cannot be undone.

✅ Interactive Project Steps

Each project card displays an interactive checklist showing your project steps:

The progress percentage and progress bar update automatically based on completed steps. For example, if you have 4 steps and complete 2 of them, your progress will show 50%.

💡 Tip: Break down your projects into specific, actionable steps for better progress tracking!

🎉 Auto-Completion and Archiving

When you complete all steps in a project, the dashboard automatically handles the completion process:

📋 Completion Process:

  1. Check the last box: When you check the final uncompleted step
  2. Auto-completion: Project status automatically changes to "Completed"
  3. Celebration notification: See a success message with project name
  4. Auto-archiving: After 1.5 seconds, project moves to archived section

🔄 Reversibility:

🎊 Pro Tip: The moment you check that final box, you'll see a celebration - enjoy your accomplishment before the project is automatically organized into your archive!

🔗 Project Dependencies

Link projects together by setting up dependencies - projects that must be completed before another one can start:

🛠️ Setting Up Dependencies:

  1. Create or edit a project
  2. In the "Project Dependencies" dropdown, select one or more projects that must be completed first
  3. Hold Ctrl (Windows/Linux) or Cmd (Mac) to select multiple dependencies
  4. Save the project

📊 Dependency Status Indicators:

📝 Dependency Display:

Each dependency shows:

💡 Tip: Dependencies help you visualize project workflows and identify which projects are ready to start versus which need to wait for other work to complete.
⚠️ Note: You cannot select the project you're currently editing as a dependency (prevents circular dependencies).

📅 Date Tracking

The dashboard automatically calculates:

📰 News Ticker

The ticker at the bottom of the page displays:

The ticker updates every 15 seconds and scrolls slowly across the bottom. In a production environment, you could connect this to a real news API for live local news.

💡 Tip: The ticker combines dashboard-specific messages with local news to keep you informed while you work.

🌐 Footer Information

The footer displays:

💾 Data Storage

Your projects are automatically saved to your browser's local storage. This means:

🖨️ Print Projects

Generate a professional, printer-friendly report of all your projects:

📄 How to Print:

  1. Click the "🖨️ Print Projects" button in the header
  2. A new window opens with a formatted report
  3. Your browser's print dialog appears automatically
  4. Choose your printer settings and print
  5. The window closes automatically after printing

📋 Print Report Contents:

📝 Project Details Included:

💡 Tip: The print layout is optimized for standard paper sizes and avoids splitting projects across pages for better readability.
📊 Use Cases: Perfect for project reviews, team meetings, client presentations, or creating physical project archives.

📤📥 Export and Import Data

To backup or transfer your projects between devices:

📤 Exporting Data:

  1. Click the "📤 Export Data" button in the header
  2. A JSON file will be downloaded automatically with the current date in the filename
  3. Save this file in a secure location as your backup

📥 Importing Data:

  1. Click the "📥 Import Data" button in the header
  2. Select a previously exported JSON file
  3. Confirm that you want to replace your current data
  4. Your projects will be loaded from the backup file
⚠️ Important: Importing data will replace all your current projects. Make sure to export your current data first if you want to keep it!
💡 Tip: Export your data regularly to avoid losing your project information, especially before major browser updates or when switching devices.

⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

📱 Mobile Support

The dashboard is fully responsive and works on:

The layout automatically adjusts for smaller screens.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Projects not saving?

Checkboxes not working?

Layout issues?

📝 Creating Effective Project Steps

To get the most out of the checkbox tracking feature:

💡 Example:
Instead of: "Build website"
Use:
• Set up development environment
• Create wireframes and design mockups
• Develop homepage and navigation
• Build contact and about pages
• Test on different devices
• Deploy to production server

🎯 Tips for Best Results

📞 Need More Help?

This dashboard is designed to be intuitive and easy to use. If you encounter any issues or have suggestions for improvements, the interface provides clear feedback and validation messages to guide you.

Remember to regularly backup your important project data by noting down key information, as the dashboard stores everything locally in your browser.

Joe's Status Dashboard - Stay organized, stay productive! 🚀