Visual Space manual, Live Apps, Add Data And Workspace References

Use this guide to turn an existing visual plan into a working board with structured data and direct routes to the people, places, and source material behind it. You can add only the objects that strengthen the plan: a status table may be enough for a small review, while a larger launch board might combine charts with selected workspace references and visual markers.

Before You Add More To The Board

Open a board that you can edit and leave enough clear canvas around the main diagram or plan. If the board still needs its basic notes, shapes, tasks, and connectors, start with Build a Visual Plan.

Gather the sources that matter to this board. Depending on the outcome, that may include a document with the brief, the Goal being tracked, an Event for the next checkpoint, the responsible Profile, the Space area where follow-up belongs, and an existing image asset. You must already be able to access each source in its normal location; pinning it does not grant new access.

Before placing data, decide what the reader should learn at a glance:

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Use a table when exact entries, owners, tasks, or statuses matter.

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Use a pie chart to show how one total is divided among categories.

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Use a bar chart to compare values across categories such as owners or workstreams.

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Use a line chart to show one or more named measures changing over dates.

You do not need every chart type. Choose the smallest set that tells the story clearly, then keep the source values on the board so they remain editable.

Build An Editable Table

Choose the data object that matches whether the board needs editable cells or a compact visual comparison.

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Open Data tools - Choose Data, select Table, and place the table near the part of the plan it explains.

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Set the useful dimensions - Select the table and use Rows and Cols to fit the information you intend to show. You can adjust these again later without rebuilding the table.

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Enter the complete data - Choose CSV, replace the sample content with a simple grid such as Owner,Task,Status, and add one line for each item. Save when the previewed structure matches the rows and columns you expect.

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Make a quick correction in place - Activate a visible cell and edit its text directly on the canvas. Inline editing is convenient for one value; the CSV editor is easier when several rows need to change together.

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Arrange the result - Move and resize the table so its text remains readable without hiding the diagram. The table stays an ordinary board object, so its location and size can change as the plan develops.

CSV cells are text. A value that resembles a spreadsheet formula is displayed as text and is not calculated or executed. For the current size boundaries and the wider set of supported object controls, see Board Tools and Objects.

Add The Charts That Explain The Data

Create charts from a compact, recognizable dataset rather than copying a large report onto the canvas. Each new chart begins with visible sample data; select it and choose CSV to replace those values.

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Show a distribution - Choose Pie chart for data such as work grouped by status. Use one label column and one numeric-value column, then choose a color scheme that keeps neighboring slices distinct.

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Compare categories - Choose Bar chart for data such as task count by owner. Keep category labels short, edit the numeric values through CSV, and resize the chart until both labels and bars can be read comfortably.

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Follow change over time - Choose Line chart for weekly readiness or another dated measure. Start with a date column, then add one or more named numeric series. The series names identify the lines, so use names a reviewer will understand without another legend.

You can use one chart or several. If you place pie, bar, and line charts together, give each one a distinct question to answer; three views of the same fact usually add noise rather than insight. Select any chart later to update its CSV or apply a coordinated color scheme.

Correct CSV Without Losing Good Work

Whiteboard checks structured data before replacing the current table or chart. Use that checkpoint when editing:

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Keep the last valid version visible - Open CSV, make the intended changes, and review the column pattern before saving.

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Read the validation message - Empty or malformed CSV is not applied. A line chart also needs a date column and at least one named value series, while pie and bar charts need usable labels and numeric values.

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Correct the input and save again - Fix empty content, malformed quoted values, or a line-chart layout without both its first column and a series column. If you no longer want the change, choose Cancel; the current valid object remains unchanged.

This makes experimentation recoverable: a rejected edit should not replace the table or chart that collaborators were already using. If a valid dataset is too large for the board, summarize it into the categories or time points needed for the discussion instead of trying to reproduce the entire source.

Pin The Sources Behind The Plan

The Objects group mixes linked workspace sources with lighter visual assets, so choose the source type deliberately.

Use Objects to place references that help a reader move from the visual plan into the real work. Pick the reference first, then place its card where the relationship is clear.

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Connect the brief - Open the document pinning tool, select Doc, and choose the relevant source. Place its card beside the plan or data it supports. Select the card to try Small or Big; use the larger view when its preview context is useful.

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Connect delivery work - Choose Pin goal for the outcome being tracked or Pin event for a checkpoint, review, or deadline. These cards use the same compact-or-large presentation, so their visual weight can match their importance.

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Connect people and ownership - Choose Pin profile for a responsible person or stakeholder. Choose Pin space area when the work belongs to a particular space, subspace, or activity rather than one person.

Pinned cards point to their sources rather than copying the underlying content into the board. Double-click a Doc, Goal, Event, Profile, or Space area card to open its normal destination. After checking the source, return to the Whiteboard and confirm that the card still represents the intended item.

If the plan changes owner or destination, select the card and use its source control, such as Change Doc, Change Profile, or Change Space Area, to choose another valid source. The card stays in the same visual arrangement while its reference changes. Goals and Events use their corresponding document picker when their source is changed.

Add Media And Lightweight Visual Signals

References carry meaning; media and symbols help people scan it. Choose only the signals that make the board easier to understand.

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Reuse a workspace image - Choose Image, browse the existing image assets in the space, and place the selected asset. Resize it to support the plan rather than dominate it. Select it and use Change Image when another existing asset should take its place.

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Mark a moment with an emoji - Choose Emoji, pick the expression or symbol, and place it near the relevant item. A selected emoji can be changed later, so it can follow a status or workshop mood without recreating the object.

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Create a consistent icon cue - Choose Icons, select an icon, then adjust its color and size. Icons work well for repeated categories or states; add nearby text when the meaning would not be obvious to every reader.

Images, emoji, and icons remain ordinary canvas objects. They can be moved, resized, layered, duplicated, or removed alongside the table, charts, and cards.

Add An Award When Recognition Belongs Here

Awards are quick item-level appreciation. On a Whiteboard, confirming an Award gives the selected recognition and places its card on the stage; it is not a free decorative sticker. The action uses the chosen quantity from your available Award balance and depends on the relevant permission.

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Choose Award deliberately - Open Objects, select Award, and complete the picker only when the board or collaboration moment deserves that recognition.

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Check the result - Confirm that the card shows the Award you intended and that its quantity and giver context are represented accurately.

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Respect availability - If the Award action is unavailable, the picker cannot offer a usable choice, or you have no available balance, leave the board without an Award card. Use an emoji or icon only as a visual marker, not as a claim that an Award was given.

Awards differ from Medals: an Award appreciates a particular item or moment, while a Medal is rare lasting recognition attached to a member's contribution history. The board can be complete without either one.

Verify The Enriched Board

Finish with a short source-and-editing review instead of counting object types:

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Read the data story - Confirm that the table headings, chart labels, numeric values, dates, and named line series support the intended conclusion. Remove any chart that does not add a distinct insight.

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Follow important references - Double-click the central Doc, Goal, Event, Profile, or Space area cards and confirm that each opens the intended source. Return to the same Whiteboard after each check.

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Exercise ordinary editing - Move and resize one data or reference object. Duplicate a disposable visual marker, change its overlap order, and delete the extra copy. This confirms that enriched objects participate in the same canvas editing model as the original shapes.

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Check the composition - Keep labels readable, avoid covering connector paths, and place references close enough to the content they explain. Pan and zoom once to make sure the board remains understandable beyond the initial viewport.

You are finished when the board tells a clear visual story, its important sources open correctly, and every object that remains has a purpose. The exact mix may be one table and a few references or a fuller data view with charts, ownership cards, media, and recognition.

If Something Does Not Behave As Expected

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A source is missing from a picker - Confirm that it is the requested type and that you can open it in the current space or area. A Whiteboard reference does not bypass source permissions.

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A card opens the wrong item - Return to the board, select the card, and use its change-source control to choose the intended source again.

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CSV will not save - Read the validation message, check for an unclosed quoted value, and restore the required columns. For a line chart, keep the date column first and include at least one named numeric series.

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The board feels crowded - Keep the exact values in a table, retain only charts that answer different questions, and move secondary context into the linked article or a nearby source Doc.

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An Award cannot be placed - Treat the boundary as real: check permission and available Award balance, or continue without the Award. Do not substitute a decorative object in a way that implies recognition was sent.

Continue The Whiteboard Journey

Return to Whiteboards for the board lifecycle and access boundaries, or review Board Tools and Objects for object behavior and current data limits. When the enriched plan is ready for group feedback, follow Collaborate, Review, and Export to work live, attach context, and frame a PNG snapshot.