> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://learn.nextedy.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Swimlanes
> Common questions about configuring and using swimlanes in Nextedy PLANNINGBOARD.
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## What are swimlanes and how do they work?
Swimlanes are the horizontal rows on the Planningboard that group cards by a chosen criterion — such as the assignee, a parent work item, a project, or a custom enumeration field. Each swimlane shows the cards belonging to that group within the visible Plan columns, and can display a capacity bar when capacity tracking is enabled. See [Concepts](/planningboard/concepts/index) for a broader overview of how Plans, cards, and swimlanes relate to each other.
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## Which swimlane assignment types are available?
The **Assignment Type** widget parameter controls how work items are grouped into rows. The following modes are available:
You configure the type in the **Widget Parameters** panel under **Swimlanes (Rows) > Assignment Type**. Each type exposes its own set of sub-fields. For a full walkthrough of every type, see [Configuration FAQ](/planningboard/faq/configuration).
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## How do I set up user (assignee) swimlanes?
Set **Assignment Type** to **Users (Assignee)** and supply the **User Role** field with the Polarion role ID whose members should appear as swimlane rows (for example, `project_user`). Planningboard displays one swimlane per user holding that role in the current project. Users outside that role are not shown.
Only users who hold the specified role in the current project appear as rows. If a team member is missing, verify their role assignment under **Administration > User Management > Roles**.
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## How do I configure parent item swimlanes?
Set **Assignment Type** to **Parent Item**. You can then configure:
* **Sort By** — the property used to order parent swimlanes (custom properties including priority are supported as of version 25.9.0).
* **Parent Role** — the link role that connects child items to their parent (for example, `implements`).
* **Parent Query** (optional) — a Lucene query to restrict which parents appear as rows.
* **Filter Parents** — whether to limit visible parents to those matched by the query (`Yes` / `No`).
When using parent swimlanes, Planningboard enforces the parent–child relationship. If you drag a card to the wrong row, it automatically moves back to the swimlane of its actual parent. You cannot freely reassign parentage by dragging.
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## How do I use a custom field (enumeration) as swimlanes?
Set **Assignment Type** to **Enumeration Field** and provide the **Field ID** of the enumeration custom field (for example, `team`). Planningboard creates one swimlane per enum value. You can optionally supply a **Rows Filter** to restrict which values appear as rows.
Both single-value enumeration fields and list-type fields whose items are enumeration values are supported. The `status`, `resolution`, and `type` built-in fields are not supported for swimlane grouping.
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## How do I show only users active in the current Plan range?
Enable the configuration property `nextedy.planningboard.activeTeamAssignmentsInPlanRangeOnly=true` in **Polarion Administration > Configuration Properties**. When set, Planningboard hides users whose Team Assignments fall entirely outside the time range of the Plans currently displayed on the board. Users with no active assignment in the shown range have their cards moved to the **Not Assigned / Other** row.
This feature requires:
* A project with configured Teams and Team Assignments.
* User swimlanes derived from Team Assignments.
* Planningboard version **25.12.0** or later.
The earlier property `nextedy.planningboard.activeTeamAssignmentsOnly=true` (introduced in 25.3.0) only hid past Team Assignments and was deprecated in version 25.12.0. Use the new `activeTeamAssignmentsInPlanRangeOnly` property instead.
If the property appears to have no effect, make a minor edit to Configuration Properties and save again to force a reload.
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## Can I filter swimlanes to show only users from a specific team?
Yes, but it requires coordinating two separate configurations:
1. **Swimlane filter** — configure a Team page parameter on the Planningboard widget to restrict which team's members appear as swimlane rows.
2. **Plans filter** — add a query in the **Parameters for Plans (Columns)** section to filter the Plan columns to only iterations belonging to that team.
Both settings must be applied together. Configuring only the swimlane filter shows the correct users but still displays all iterations; configuring only the Plans query filters the columns but leaves all users visible as rows.
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## Does Planningboard support page parameters (e.g. `$pageParameters.xxx`) in swimlane configuration?
No. Swimlane row configuration in Planningboard does not support Polarion page parameters. Available row configuration modes are static: hardcoded assignment type, link roles (one Planningboard page per team), or Nextedy's standard Team work item type via the Teams Service.
Planningboard does not support custom Team work item types for swimlane configuration. If your project uses a custom Team WI type (as opposed to the standard Nextedy Team WI), consider using Nextedy GANTT (which added custom team type support in version 25.5.0) as your primary planning tool. See [SAFe Integration FAQ](/planningboard/faq/safe) for multi-team planning patterns.
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## Can I collapse and expand individual swimlanes?
Yes. Swimlane collapsing is enabled by default (`collapsibleSwimlanes = true`). Users can click the swimlane header to collapse or expand individual rows, which is useful on boards with many lanes.
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## Can I control whether empty swimlanes are shown?
Yes. The `showEmptySwimlanes` widget parameter controls this behavior. When set to `true`, all possible swimlane rows are shown even if they contain no cards. When `false` (the default), empty rows are hidden to keep the board compact.
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## How are swimlane rows ordered?
The `swimlaneSort` parameter controls the vertical order of swimlane rows. The default value is `alphabetical`. As of version 25.9.0, parent item swimlanes can be sorted by any custom property, including priority — configure this via the **Sort By** field in the Parent Item assignment type settings.
A known limitation of Planningboard is that swimlane sort order is coupled to item sort order. Changing the card sort order can affect how swimlane rows are arranged. Plan swimlane ordering changes accordingly.
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## What happens to cards when a user has no swimlane?
Cards assigned to a user who does not appear as a swimlane row (for example, because they lack the configured role, or their Team Assignment is outside the active Plan range) are moved to the **Not Assigned / Other** swimlane at the bottom of the board. From there, they can be reassigned or rescheduled.
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## Where can I learn more about swimlane configuration?
* [Configuration FAQ](/planningboard/faq/configuration) — detailed widget parameter reference for all swimlane options.
* [Capacity FAQ](/planningboard/faq/capacity) — capacity bar behavior per swimlane.
* [SAFe Integration FAQ](/planningboard/faq/safe) — SAFe-specific swimlane assignment types.
* [Multiple Assignees FAQ](/planningboard/faq/multiple-assignees) — limitations around multi-assignee capacity in swimlanes.
* [Guides](/planningboard/guides/index) — step-by-step how-to guides including swimlane setup.
**KB Articles**
* Swimlane Assignment Types
* Filter user swimlanes by Plan range
* Planningboard Widget Parameters
**Support Tickets**
* [#6681](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6681)
* [#6546](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6546)
* [#5760](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/5760)
**Source Code**
* `Config.java`
* `licenseReadonly.cy.ts`
* `PlanningBoardWidgetDependenciesProcessor.java`
* `PlanningBoardWidgetRenderer.java`
* `AssignmentMode.java`