This article discusses how to create and manage activity items in a given project. An activity item could be a note, email, task, text message, or reminder related to the project. In short, activity items represent all internal and external project communications. These items can be viewed in the project’s Activity Feed.
Each activity item also has many actions, like commenting, copying, and more. Learn more about activity item menu actions.
Create Items
Activity items can be created either in the project's Activity Feed, or using the activity drawer.
To create activity items in the Activity Feed, navigate to a project and click Activity in the left side menu. Click the Add new activity field at the top of the feed. You'll see expanded options for creating different types of items and attaching documents.
To create activity items while viewing other pages or project sections in Filevine, find and select Create Activity in the top right corner. This action opens the activity drawer.
In the drawer, select the desired project. If you’re currently viewing a project, the Project field automatically fills with that project, but can be edited. Fill in the remaining fields as desired.
This drawer remains open, even if you navigate between pages in Filevine. You can also minimize the drawer, and reopen it later to pick up where you left off. Only one drawer can be open at a time. You’ll need to finish creating your activity item before you can start a new one.
If you start creating an activity item in the Activity Feed and need to navigate to another page, you can move your item to the drawer to keep working on it. In the Activity Feed, click Open in Drawer. (If you navigate away from the Activity Feed without doing this, your item still moves to the drawer.)
Item Types
All available activity item types are listed below. When viewing the Activity Feed or user feed, you can filter by these item types as desired.
Most activity items have a Subject and Message field, and can be formatted with bold, links, and more.
Some items are used for internal communication among project team members. Others are used to communicate externally with the client or other parties.
Internal Communication
Notes
Notes are the most basic activity item and are used to inform other users of project updates. They are usually plain text, but they can also include formatting, photos, and attachments. A note’s creator will receive a notification in their user feed any time the note is updated, even if they are not subscribed to the project. Notes have a yellow sticky note icon.
To create a note, click Add new activity at the top of the Activity Feed. Enter your note text in the message field. You can also enter a subject if desired. When you’re finished, click Add Note.
Tasks
Use tasks to assign work to other users, ask questions, remind yourself to do things, and more. Other activity items like notes, emails, faxes, and reminders can be assigned to a team member, making them task activity items.
Tasks contain editable due dates and can be marked as complete. The creator of a task will receive notifications in their user feed any time that task item is updated. Incomplete tasks have a list icon. Completed tasks have the same icon, with a checkmark.
To create a new task item in the Activity Feed, click Add new activity, and then click Assign a Task in the menu along the top. By default, the assignee is the task creator (you) and the due date is today, but either field can be edited. In the Message field, enter the task to be completed. You can also enter a subject if desired. When you’re finished, click Create Task.
Once created, the task’s assignee and due date can be changed by selecting the item and updating the desired field(s). Click Complete Task to mark the task as complete.
Tip
In card view, you can perform these actions directly within the Activity Feed without opening the item.
To convert a non-task item to a task, open the item and click Assign as Task. Choose an assignee and due date.
There are a few shortcuts available to rapidly convert items into tasks, or change the assignee and due date on existing tasks. These shortcuts can be used while creating an item, or while adding a reply to an existing item.
| Action | Code | Example |
|---|---|---|
| assign a note or email to a team member | @ | @johnsmith |
| mention a user to push an item to their activity feed even if they are not subscribed |
+@ .@ |
+@johnsmith |
| add a due date | * | *May 1, ,*11/05/2020, *in X days/weeks/months/years |
To revert an item back to a note, email, fax, or reminder, expand the “Assigned To” dropdown and select Clear Assignee.
Note
Portal messages, phone calls, and texts cannot be converted into tasks. However, for phone call items, users can create and assign related tasks instead.
Phone Calls
Phone call items are similar in function to note items, but have additional fields to record the date, time, and contacts you spoke with. Phone calls have a phone icon.
To create a phone call item in the Activity Feed, click Add new activity, and then click Log a Phone Call in the menu along the top. In the Message field, enter your notes from the call. Enter the date and time the call took place, and then select the contact(s) you spoke with. You can also enter a subject if desired. When you’re finished, click Log Call.
Tip
While phone calls cannot be converted into tasks, users can instead create related tasks after creating the phone call item.
Reminders
Reminder activity items are created according to reminders schedules for deadlines, Deadline (with reminders) fields, or Deadline Chains. Reminders have a bell icon.
For subscribed users, reminders appear in the Activity Feed as notifications. If you have already viewed the reminder, or if you are not subscribed, then reminders will not appear unless the feed is filtered for reminders.
External Communication
Portal Messages
Portal messages are items sent to or from the Client Portal. If you have Client Portal enabled on a project, you can send and receive portal messages through the Activity Feed. Portal messages have a purple computer icon.
Heads Up!
Comments on portal message items are sent as responses to the client within the Client Portal.
To send a portal message in the Activity Feed, click Add new activity, and then click Send a Client Portal Message in the menu along the top. Select the desired recipient, and then enter the subject and the message you’d like to send. If desired, you can also attach a document or form for them to view. When you’re finished, click Send Message.
Emails
Email activity items are similar in function to note items, but they are incoming emails to a project. Emails have an envelope icon.
Emails are not created in the Activity Feed—instead, they appear in the Activity Feed when an email is sent or CCed to a project. Learn more about setting up and using project emails.
Faxes
Fax activity items appear in fax-enabled projects, or when a fax is moved from a fax-enabled mailroom. Faxes have a printer icon.
Faxes appear in the Activity Feed when a fax has been sent to a project or moved to a project from the Org’s mailroom. Learn more about fax.
Texts
Text messages you send or receive from a registered text number show up in the Activity Feed. This item type allows you to directly communicate with the client via text. The creator of a text item will receive notifications in their user feed any time a text response is added to the text item. Texts have a chat bubble icon.
Heads Up!
Comments on text items are sent as text replies to the client.
Like fax items, texts appear in the Activity Feed when a text is sent to the project or moved into a project from the mailroom. Texts can also be sent from text-enabled projects. The text message conversation that follows will appear in the text activity item replies.
Add Files
Any file can be attached to a note, task, or comment. Additionally, some file types can be sent via text or portal message.
To attach a file from the project’s Docs Section or from your computer to an activity item, click Attach a file while creating the item. Two options will appear.
If you’d like to attach a file from the project, use the “Search for project documents” field to search for and select the desired document. To upload a file from your computer, click Upload a Doc. Files can also be attached to Activity Feed items directly from the Docs Section using the “Note This” feature.
Attached files will appear underneath the attachment fields. Multiple files can be attached to one item.
When an activity item is created, the attached files will appear along the top of the item’s flyout. Click the caret next to the file’s name to preview, download, and handle the file as you would in the Docs section.
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