> ## 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.

# Swimlane Controls

> Reference for all swimlane-level controls in Nextedy PLANNINGBOARD — the collapse/expand toggles, the capacity bar, the assignment type configuration, sorting options, and the Not Assigned/Other row behavior.

***

## Board Layout Overview

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW/planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-1.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW&q=85&s=3e1fb5c876cc2659f63f459a7a7d3a13" alt="Planningboard grid with a toolbar row, an Iteration 1/2/3 column header row with capacity bars, and Alex Seller, Carl User, and Not Assigned/Other swimlane rows holding cards across the plan columns" width="760" height="330" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-1.svg" />
</Frame>

Each horizontal band is a **swimlane**. Swimlanes group work items (cards) by a chosen criterion — the **assignment type** — across all Plan columns.

***

## Collapse / Expand Controls

Individual swimlanes can be collapsed to hide their cards and save vertical space, then expanded again to reveal them.

### Per-swimlane toggle

Clicking the swimlane row header toggles that swimlane between collapsed and expanded state. The toolbar also provides global collapse/expand actions that affect all swimlanes simultaneously (see [Toolbar Controls](/planningboard/reference/ui-elements/toolbar)).

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/f2B5Oj-k4j8GirhH/planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-interface-basic-in-b80e9b8b.gif?s=6a43f880711c379524b41bb65beaab21" alt="Animated board showing individual swimlane collapse and expand by clicking the swimlane row header, with dependency links visible across the board" width="2240" height="960" data-path="planningboard/assets/images/article-planningboard-interface-basic-in-b80e9b8b.gif" />
</Frame>

| Control                | Location           | Effect                                     |
| ---------------------- | ------------------ | ------------------------------------------ |
| Click swimlane header  | Swimlane row label | Toggles that swimlane collapsed / expanded |
| Collapse all (toolbar) | Upper-left toolbar | Collapses every swimlane on the board      |
| Expand all (toolbar)   | Upper-left toolbar | Expands every swimlane on the board        |

### Widget parameter

| Parameter              | Type    | Default | Description                                                                                                                         |
| ---------------------- | ------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `collapsibleSwimlanes` | boolean | `true`  | Enables per-swimlane collapse/expand. When `false`, swimlane headers are not interactive and all lanes remain permanently expanded. |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
collapsibleSwimlanes=true
```

<Warning title="Known issue — Chrome swimlane expansion">
  An intermittent browser-specific bug causes clicking to expand a swimlane to expand a different swimlane (typically the last one in the list) instead. This has been observed in Chrome but not in Edge. **Workaround:** use Microsoft Edge, or click the global Expand all toolbar button and then collapse the lanes you do not need.
</Warning>

***

## Show Empty Swimlanes

By default, swimlanes with no matching work items are hidden. Enabling this option keeps all possible lanes visible even when empty.

| Parameter            | Type    | Default | Description                                                                  |
| -------------------- | ------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `showEmptySwimlanes` | boolean | `false` | When `true`, all swimlane rows are rendered even if they contain zero cards. |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
showEmptySwimlanes=true
```

<Note>
  Showing empty swimlanes is useful when you want a consistent row structure across all iterations — for example, to confirm a team member truly has no work planned in a sprint rather than wondering whether the row is simply hidden.
</Note>

***

## Assignment Type

The **assignment type** (widget parameter `assignmentMode`) determines how work items are grouped into swimlane rows. It is configured in the **Widget Parameters** panel under **Swimlanes (Rows) > Assignment Type**.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW/planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-2.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW&q=85&s=e0d38e4bd6e39bad3acbed98e66437c3" alt="Widget Parameters tree showing Swimlanes (Rows) expanding into Assignment Type, User Role, and Report Link fields" width="560" height="220" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-2.svg" />
</Frame>

### Assignment type options

| Assignment Type   | `assignmentMode` value | Swimlane rows represent                                   |
| ----------------- | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Users (Assignee)  | `ASSIGNEE`             | Individual users who hold a specified role in the project |
| Parent Item       | `PARENT`               | Parent work items matched by a Lucene query and link role |
| Enumeration Field | `ENUM`                 | Values of a specified enumeration custom field            |
| Project           | `PROJECT`              | Sub-projects within the current project group             |
| SAFe Team         | `SAFE_TEAM`            | SAFe teams within the current program                     |
| SAFe Train Team   | `SAFE_TRAIN_TEAM`      | Teams within a specific Agile Release Train               |
| SAFe Programs     | `SAFE_PROGRAMS`        | SAFe programs within a solution train                     |
| No Swimlanes      | `none`                 | (all items in a single flat view — no rows)               |

Each type exposes different configuration fields, described in the sections below.

***

### Users (Assignee)

Each swimlane row represents one user who holds a specified role in the current Polarion project.

| Field                      | Required | Description                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| -------------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **User Role** (`userRole`) | Yes      | The Polarion role ID whose members become swimlane rows. Example: `project_user`.                                                                                                                  |
| **Report Link**            | No       | URL template for a report link on the swimlane label. Supports `${r.objectId.itemId}` to pass the user ID. Example: `/polarion/#/project/PlanningBoard/wiki/SOME_REPORT?user=${r.objectId.itemId}` |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
assignmentMode=ASSIGNEE
userRole=project_user
```

**When to use:** plan the workload of individual team members who are active in the project. Provides a per-person view for balancing assignments.

See also: [Assignee Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/assignee-mode)

***

### Parent Item

Each swimlane row represents a parent work item. Items can only be placed under their actual parent — dragging to an incorrect row causes Planningboard to snap the card back to its correct parent's lane automatically.

| Field                                            | Required | Description                                                                                                                        |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Parent Role** (`parentRole`)                   | Yes      | The link role that defines the parent relationship (e.g., `implements`).                                                           |
| **Parent Work Item Type** (`parentWorkItemType`) | No       | Filters parent items to only those of this type.                                                                                   |
| **Parent Query**                                 | No       | Lucene query to restrict which parent items appear as rows.                                                                        |
| **Filter Parents**                               | No       | `Yes` / `No` — whether to limit visible parents to those matched by the query.                                                     |
| **Sort By**                                      | No       | Property by which parent swimlanes are ordered. Since Planningboard 25.9.0, any custom property including `priority` is supported. |
| **Report Link**                                  | No       | URL template for a report link on the swimlane label.                                                                              |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
assignmentMode=PARENT
parentRole=implements
parentWorkItemType=feature
```

<Warning title="Limitation — no normalization with Parent mode">
  Parent Item assignment mode does **not** support plan normalization (`planCellsMode`). Do not combine `assignmentMode=PARENT` with `planCellsMode=true`.
</Warning>

**When to use:** visualize and plan hierarchical relationships — for example, see how tasks distribute across features or initiatives.

See also: [Parent Item Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/parent-mode), [Swimlanes Parameters](/planningboard/reference/widget-parameters/swimlanes-parameters)

***

### Enumeration Field

Each swimlane row represents a value from a specified enumeration custom field (e.g., `team`, component type, or priority tier).

| Field                        | Required | Description                                                                                                                               |
| ---------------------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Field ID** (`enumFieldId`) | Yes      | The Polarion custom field ID (e.g., `team`). Must reference a valid enumeration field (`IEnumType` or `IListType` containing enum items). |
| **Rows Filter**              | No       | Limits which enum values appear as rows.                                                                                                  |
| **Report Link**              | No       | URL template for a report link on the swimlane label.                                                                                     |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
assignmentMode=ENUM
enumFieldId=team
```

<Warning title="Unsupported field types">
  The `status`, `resolution`, and `type` built-in fields are **not** supported as enum swimlane sources. Only custom enumeration fields are valid.
</Warning>

**Multi-valued fields:** when a work item has multiple values for the enum field, it appears in each corresponding swimlane row simultaneously. Dragging the card to the **Not Assigned/Other** row removes that specific enum value from the field — not all values.

**When to use:** plan work by team, component, or any categorical attribute stored as a custom enumeration field.

See also: [Enumeration Field Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/enum-mode)

***

### Project

Each swimlane row represents a sub-project within the current project group. Only projects readable by the current user are included; the current project itself is excluded.

| Field           | Required | Description                                                       |
| --------------- | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Report Link** | No       | URL template for a project-specific report on the swimlane label. |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
assignmentMode=PROJECT
```

**When to use:** cross-project planning view for teams working across multiple projects simultaneously.

See also: [Project Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/project-mode)

***

### SAFe Assignment Types

Three assignment types are available for SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) environments. These require a Polarion SAFe Solution to be configured.

| Assignment Type | `assignmentMode` value | Additional field                                                                               |
| --------------- | ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| SAFe Team       | `SAFE_TEAM`            | `safeTeamField` — custom field storing the SAFe team assignment (default: `safeTeam`)          |
| SAFe Train Team | `SAFE_TRAIN_TEAM`      | `safeTeamField` + ART ID parameter to filter by Agile Release Train                            |
| SAFe Programs   | `SAFE_PROGRAMS`        | `safeProgramField` — custom field storing the SAFe program assignment (default: `safeProgram`) |

<Info title="Verify in application">
  SAFe assignment type configuration requires Polarion SAFe Solution. Contact Nextedy support for setup guidance specific to your SAFe topology.
</Info>

See also: [SAFe Team Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/safe-team-mode), [SAFe Train Team Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/safe-train-team-mode), [SAFe Programs Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/safe-programs-mode)

***

### No Swimlanes

All work items appear in a single flat view. No horizontal grouping is applied.

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
assignmentMode=none
```

**When to use:** high-level planning or quick overviews where swimlane separation is unnecessary; focus is on columns (Plans) only.

See also: [No Swimlanes Mode](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/no-swimlanes-mode)

***

## Swimlane Sort Order

The `swimlaneSort` parameter controls the vertical ordering of swimlane rows (when using any assignment type other than `none`).

| Parameter      | Type   | Default        | Description                                                                         |
| -------------- | ------ | -------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `swimlaneSort` | string | `alphabetical` | Sort order for swimlane rows. Controls vertical ordering of all lanes on the board. |

**Available values:**

| Value          | Description                                                                        |
| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `alphabetical` | Rows sorted A–Z by the swimlane label (user name, enum value, project name, etc.). |

<Info title="Verify in application">
  Additional sort values beyond `alphabetical` (including custom property sort introduced in Planningboard 25.9.0 for Parent mode via the **Sort By** field) may be available depending on the assignment type and version. Check the **Sort By** field in Widget Parameters > Swimlanes (Rows) for available options for your chosen assignment type.
</Info>

**Note:** swimlane sort order is coupled to item sort order within each lane. The sort order of cards within a swimlane follows the same hierarchy: 1) resource name, 2) start date, 3) priority (if prioritization is enabled) or the custom sort field, 4) work item ID as tiebreaker.

***

## Capacity Bar

Each swimlane row displays a **capacity bar** that visualizes the load relative to available capacity for that resource. The capacity bar is a per-swimlane indicator — not to be confused with the per-Plan capacity tooltip displayed on column headers.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW/planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-3.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW&q=85&s=cace147065a065c867e86ff3ee266553" alt="Alex Seller swimlane row showing a capacity bar filled to 16 of 24 hours, with three cards below it" width="460" height="150" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-3.svg" />
</Frame>

### Enabling capacity display

Capacity bar display is controlled by a combination of parameters:

| Parameter           | Type    | Default | Description                                                                                                       |
| ------------------- | ------- | ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `capacityLoad`      | boolean | `false` | Enables capacity/load calculations for resources. Must be `true` for capacity bars to appear.                     |
| `capacityField`     | string  | (none)  | Custom field ID containing the capacity values used in load calculations (e.g., story points field, hours field). |
| `hoursPerDay`       | number  | `8`     | Working hours per day, used in capacity normalization calculations.                                               |
| `multiCapacityLoad` | boolean | `false` | Enables capacity loading across multiple plans simultaneously.                                                    |
| `userCapacityLoad`  | boolean | `false` | Enables user-level capacity loading. Requires `useTeamsService=true`.                                             |

**Configuration example:**

```properties theme={null}
capacityLoad=true
capacityField=storyPoints
hoursPerDay=8
```

<Warning title="Whitespace sensitivity">
  Capacity configuration parameter values are whitespace-sensitive. Do not add leading or trailing spaces around `=` assignments when editing capacity parameters.
</Warning>

### Capacity tooltip

Hovering over the capacity bar on a **Plan column header** (not the swimlane bar) displays a detailed tooltip with capacity information per plan. This tooltip is only available when `capacityLoad` is enabled via Widget Parameters.

<Warning title="Limitation — capacity vs GANTT">
  Planningboard capacity tracking has the following known gaps compared to Nextedy GANTT:

  * **No multi-assignee capacity distribution** — if a work item has multiple assignees, capacity is not split across them.
  * **No sub-item effort distribution** — effort from child work items is not rolled up to parent items for capacity purposes.
</Warning>

See also: [Capacity Parameters](/planningboard/reference/widget-parameters/capacity-parameters)

***

## Not Assigned/Other Row

When using Enumeration Field or Users (Assignee) assignment types, a special **Not Assigned/Other** row (`UNASSIGNED`) is displayed at the bottom of the swimlane list. It contains work items that have no value for the grouping field.

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/none-17b4493f/vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW/planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-4.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=vfRg9jxXRntLqZFW&q=85&s=e6e900b1744d2e461ec7206ba874167f" alt="Two-column swimlane grid showing the Alex Seller, Carl User, and Not Assigned/Other rows, with the Not Assigned/Other row holding items that have no assignee or no enum value" width="520" height="240" data-path="planningboard/diagrams/reference/ui-elements/swimlane-controls/diagram-4.svg" />
</Frame>

### Drag-and-drop behavior with Not Assigned/Other

| Action                                                    | Result                                                                                               |
| --------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Drag card from user/enum swimlane to Not Assigned/Other   | Removes **that specific value** from the multi-valued field. Other values on the card are preserved. |
| Drag card from Not Assigned/Other to a user/enum swimlane | Assigns that user or enum value to the work item.                                                    |

<Note title="Multi-valued fields">
  When a work item has multiple values for the grouping field, it appears in each corresponding row simultaneously. Dropping it onto Not Assigned/Other removes only the value corresponding to the source swimlane row — not all values. The change persists after board refresh.
</Note>

***

## License-Based Swimlane Access

Swimlane interaction is restricted based on whether the current user holds a Planningboard license.

| Capability                   | Licensed user | Unlicensed user                                                      |
| ---------------------------- | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| View swimlane contents       | Yes           | Yes                                                                  |
| Collapse / expand swimlane   | Yes           | Yes                                                                  |
| Drag cards between swimlanes | Yes           | No — drag operations are blocked; cards return to their original row |
| View capacity bar            | Yes           | Yes                                                                  |

<Note>
  Unlicensed users retain full visibility of the board — including swimlane contents and capacity bars — for collaboration and review purposes. Editing capabilities (drag-and-drop, creating plans, accessing the sidebar) are restricted to licensed users.
</Note>

See also: [License Panel](/planningboard/reference/ui-elements/license-panel)

***

## Configuration Example

The following example configures a board with user-based swimlanes, capacity enabled, and empty lanes hidden:

```properties theme={null}
# Swimlane assignment
assignmentMode=ASSIGNEE
userRole=project_user
swimlaneSort=alphabetical
showEmptySwimlanes=false
collapsibleSwimlanes=true

# Capacity
capacityLoad=true
capacityField=storyPoints
hoursPerDay=8
```

**Report link example for user swimlanes:**

```
/polarion/#/project/PlanningBoard/wiki/SOME_REPORT?user=${r.objectId.itemId}
```

The `${r.objectId.itemId}` placeholder is substituted at runtime with the user ID for the selected swimlane row.

***

## Related Reference

| Page                                                                                    | Description                                                |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| [Swimlanes Parameters](/planningboard/reference/widget-parameters/swimlanes-parameters) | Full widget parameter reference for swimlane configuration |
| [Capacity Parameters](/planningboard/reference/widget-parameters/capacity-parameters)   | Capacity and load parameters                               |
| [Assignment Modes](/planningboard/reference/assignment-modes/index)                     | Detailed reference for each assignment mode                |
| [Toolbar Controls](/planningboard/reference/ui-elements/toolbar)                        | Global collapse/expand and other toolbar actions           |
| [Unplanned Sidebar](/planningboard/reference/ui-elements/sidebar)                       | Sidebar controls for unplanned work items                  |
| [Card Quick Actions](/planningboard/reference/ui-elements/card-quick-actions)           | Per-card hover actions                                     |

<Accordion title="Sources">
  **KB Articles**

  * Planningboard interface & basic interactions
  * Swimlane Assignment Types
  * Planningboard Widget Parameters

  **Support Tickets**

  * [#6681](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6681)
  * [#6688](https://support.nextedy.com/helpdesk/tickets/6688)

  **Source Code**

  * `licenseReadonly.cy.ts`
  * `Config.java`
  * `AssignmentMode.java`
  * `widget.vm`
  * `PlanningBoardWidget.java`
</Accordion>