Board Modes Overview

Every board in Klaro Cards has a display mode that controls how cards are arranged on screen. You can switch modes at any time using the mode switcher in the top-left corner of the board. The same cards, the same dimensions — just a different view.

The 8 Display Modes at a Glance

Switching Modes

The mode switcher appears in the top-left area of every board. It shows up to three modes as icon buttons, with a dropdown menu to access all eight. Click any icon to switch instantly — your cards stay the same, only the layout changes.

Each mode comes with its own settings that appear right next to the mode switcher. These controls let you configure how the mode uses your dimensions — for example, which dimension drives the columns in Kanban, or the rows and columns in Matrix.

Here are a few examples of what the toolbar looks like depending on the mode:

The settings adapt to each mode: some modes need one dimension, others need two, and some offer extra controls like time scale or hierarchy. You can change these settings at any time without losing your cards or filters.

Choosing the Right Mode

Here's a quick decision guide:

• "I just want to see my cards" → Grid
• "I have a workflow with stages" → Kanban
• "I want to cross two dimensions" → Matrix
• "I need to compare many fields" → Datagrid
• "My cards are visual" → Gallery
• "I'm planning with dates" → Gantt
• "I need charts and reports" → Chart
• "I need to triage a backlog" → Casino

You can switch modes freely without losing any data. Each board remembers its mode, so different boards in the same project can use different views.

Mode by Mode

Grid

The default mode. Cards are displayed in a flowing grid that wraps across the screen. There is no grouping — every card is shown side by side.

Key features:

• Shows up to 8 dimensions per card
• Supports drag & drop to reorder cards
• Infinite scroll loads cards as you scroll down
• Drop files onto the board to create new cards with attachments

When to use it: As a general-purpose overview, especially when you don't need cards grouped by a specific dimension. Great for small boards or when you want to see everything at once.

Kanban

Cards are organized in vertical columns based on a single dimension (e.g., Status, Priority, Assignee).

Key features:

• Drag & drop cards between columns to change their value
• Drag columns themselves to reorder dimension values
• Collapse empty columns for a compact view
• Summaries below each column (count, sum, average)
• Infinite scroll within each column
• Create new dimension values directly from column headers

When to use it: Whenever your workflow has clear stages or categories. Classic examples: a "Status" kanban (To Do → In Progress → Done), or grouping by assignee or priority.

Matrix

A two-dimensional table where rows represent one dimension and columns represent another. Cards appear in the cell that matches both values.

Key features:

• Requires two "Display By" dimensions (rows and columns)
• Drag & drop cards between cells to update both dimension values at once
• Collapse rows or columns for a compact view
• Shows up to 4 dimensions per card

When to use it: When you need to cross-reference two dimensions — for example, Priority vs. Assignee, Team vs. Status, or Effort vs. Impact.

Datagrid

A spreadsheet-like view for power users who need to see and edit many dimensions at once.

Key features:

• Displays up to 50 dimensions
• Row grouping by any dimension
• Column resizing and reordering
• Hierarchical display with parent-child relationships
• Summaries per group
• Loads all cards at once (no pagination)

When to use it: When you're working with large datasets and need advanced grouping, filtering, or column management. Best for power users who want spreadsheet-level control.

Gallery

Cards displayed as visual tiles emphasizing cover images. Cards are grouped into sections by a dimension.

Key features:

• Cover images shown prominently
• Cards grouped into sections by the "Display By" dimension
• Compact mode to show more cards per row
• Up to 8 dimensions visible per card

When to use it: When your cards have strong visual content — design assets, product photos, portfolio items, or any collection where the image tells the story.

Gantt

A timeline view where cards appear as horizontal bars along a time axis. Requires at least one date dimension.

Key features:

• Configurable time scale (day, week, month)
• Drag bars to change card dates directly on the timeline
• Cards grouped into categories by a dimension
• Collapse empty categories
• Summaries per group
• Today marker for orientation

When to use it: Project scheduling, deadline tracking, roadmap planning — any time your cards have dates and you want to see how they spread across time.

Chart

Data visualization mode that turns your cards into bar charts, line charts, pie charts, radar charts, and more.

Key features:

• Multiple chart types: Bar, Stacked Bar, Line, Radar, Pie, Donut
• "Display By" dimension defines the X axis or categories
• Optional "Series By" dimension for multi-series charts
• Optional "Multi Chart" dimension to generate several charts at once
• Download charts as images

When to use it: Reporting and analytics — when you want to visualize distributions, trends, or aggregated metrics. Great for dashboards and presentations.

Casino

A unique triage mode. Cards are dealt from a deck, and you sort them into piles using keyboard shortcuts.

Key features:

• Two decks: "Unsorted" (cards to process) and "Folded" (cards to decide on later)
• Keyboard shortcuts (Alt+A, Alt+B, …) to send cards to piles
• Each pile corresponds to a value of the "Display By" dimension
• Summaries per pile
• Fold/unfold actions to defer decisions

When to use it: Fast card triage — when you have a backlog of unsorted cards and want to categorize them one by one. Perfect for prioritization sessions, review workflows, or any decision-making process where you handle cards sequentially.