Swimlane configuration
What swimlane assignment types are available?
Planningboard supports several Assignment Types in the Swimlanes (Rows) section of the Widget Parameters panel: Users (Assignee), Parent Item, Enumeration Field, Project, SAFe-specific types (Program / Solution Teams, Agile Release Train Teams, Programs), and No Swimlanes. Each type changes how board rows are structured and what information they represent. See Swimlanes FAQ for details on each type.How do I group swimlanes by a custom field instead of by assignee?
Select Enumeration Field as the Assignment Type and set the Field ID to the identifier of your custom enumeration field (for example,team). Optionally use the Rows Filter to restrict which enum values appear as rows. Note that status, resolution, and type fields are not supported in this mode — only custom enumeration fields.
Can I filter swimlane rows using Polarion page parameters?
No — Planningboard swimlane configuration does not support Polarion page parameters (such as$pageParameters.xxx) for dynamic row filtering. If you need per-team boards, the recommended workaround is to create a separate Planningboard page per team, configured with a static swimlane filter or link role for that team.
Can I sort parent swimlanes by priority or a custom property?
Yes — as of Planningboard 25.9.0, parent swimlanes can be sorted by any custom property, including priority. Set the Sort By field in the Parent Item assignment type configuration to the desired property. Earlier versions did not support custom property sorting for parent swimlanes.Card display
Which fields appear on a card by default?
Cards display the work item ID and title by default (identified byaria-label attributes containing the work item ID and title). To configure which fields appear in the sidebar when a card is clicked, use the Sidebar Fields widget parameter (PARAMETER_SIDEBAR_FIELDS). The default sidebar fields are title, status, and plannedIn.
How do I control which work items appear on the board?
Use the Query widget parameter to provide a Lucene query that filters which work items are loaded. You can also use Work Item Type (wiType) to restrict by type (for example, task, story, or feature), and set Max Items (maxItems, default 1000) to cap the number of items loaded. Enable Add Planned to include all already-planned items in addition to those selected by the query.
How do I configure dependency arrows between cards?
Set the Dependency Roles widget parameter (PARAMETER_DEPENDENCY_LINK_ROLE) to the link role IDs that represent dependencies in your project. The board will then draw dependency indicators between cards that share those link roles.
Plans (columns)
How do I control which Plans appear as columns?
Use the Plans widget parameter to define which plans appear as columns, and the Plans Type (plansMode) to select the plan mode — for example, Project Plans (PROJECT_PLANS) for standard project plans. You can also set Show # of last plans (lastPlans, default 1) and Show # of next plans (nextPlans, default 5) to control how many past and upcoming plans are displayed. Use the Plans Query (plansQuery) parameter with a Lucene query to filter plans further.
Can I add a link to an external report from a Plan column header?
Yes — use the Report Link parameter in the Plans (Columns) section. The link supports${plan.*} variables, for example:
What does “Assign to Parent Plan” do?
When Assign to Parent Plan is enabled, dropping a work item into a plan also automatically plans it into that plan’s parent Plan. This is useful in hierarchical planning (for example, assigning an item to an iteration automatically adds it to the parent version). When disabled, the item is planned only in the selected iteration.Board behavior
How does drag and drop behave, and when is it blocked?
Licensed users can drag cards between swimlanes and plans; changes are persisted to the board. Unlicensed users can view the board but drag-and-drop operations are blocked — cards return to their original position. Drag is also blocked in prioritize mode and read-only mode. Holding Alt while dragging creates a duplicate assignment to another resource (multi-resource assignment) instead of moving the card. Alt-drag to the Not Assigned/Other swimlane is not permitted, and duplicating from Not Assigned/Other automatically removes the Not Assigned/Other assignment.What sort order is used for cards within a swimlane?
Cards within each swimlane are sorted by: (1) resource name, (2) start date, (3) priority or custom sort field (if configured), and (4) work item ID as a tiebreaker. Configure the sort field using the Sort by widget parameter.How do I configure unplanned items in the sidebar?
Enable the Unplanned Sidebar in widget parameters to show work items that have not been planned into any column. UsePARAMETER_US_DEPTH to control how many levels of parent work items are loaded in the sidebar hierarchy (deeper hierarchies have performance implications). Set PARAMETER_PARENTS_LINK_ROLE to specify which link roles define parent-child relationships for building the hierarchy.
Configuration overview
The table below summarizes the key widget parameters for customizing Planningboard behavior:
For a full parameter reference, see Configuration FAQ.
SAFe-specific customization
The configuration panel looks different when I select a SAFe Plans Type — why?
The widget parameter UI adapts based on the selected Plans Type. Selecting Project Plans (PROJECT_PLANS) shows the standard Scope/Query/Type fields and the plan items configuration section. Selecting a SAFe mode (for example, SAFe Program Increments) shows different fields — including the SAFe PI increment selector — and hides project-plan-specific options. This is by design: each mode surfaces only the relevant configuration for that planning level.
Which SAFe swimlane types require additional setup?
The SAFe-specific swimlane assignment types (Program / Solution Teams, Agile Release Train Teams, Programs) require a Polarion SAFe Solution to be configured on your instance. Contact Nextedy support for setup guidance if your organization uses SAFe and you need these swimlane options enabled. See also SAFe Integration FAQ.For questions about capacity configuration, see Capacity FAQ. For swimlane-specific questions, see Swimlanes FAQ.
Sources
Sources
KB Articles
- Swimlane Assignment Types
- Planningboard Widget Parameters
- Planningboard: Customizable Statistics and Capacity Indicators
Config.javalicenseReadonly.cy.tsPlanningBoardWidget.javaPlanningBoardWidgetDependenciesProcessor.javaPlanningBoardWidgetRenderer.java