Task Creation Basics

In Aptly, most tasks are created automatically through automations. However, there may be times when you need to manually create a task, whether that's on a card, a conversation, or as a personal task for yourself.

This article covers how to manually create tasks, explains the different task types available in Aptly, and covers two things that changed with the redesign: inserting data with the slash command, and what happens to an incomplete task if its card is archived.

Aptly supports four types of tasks, each suited for different workflows:

To-Do: A general task for any type of action or reminder. Email: A task to send or schedule an email. SMS: A task to send a text message. Call: A task to make or log a phone call.

The process for creating each type is similar, with a few differences in the task details.

A simple action item or reminder.

You can include form fields and merge fields within the description, using the slash command above, these will populate dynamically if a related card or contact is linked.

Designed to schedule or prepare an email.

Add your subject and recipient contact. The description field works as the email composer, including templates, attachments, and merge fields. You can send the email directly from the task once created.

💡 Email tasks are helpful if you want to plan communication ahead of time instead of setting a generic reminder.

Used to compose and send a text message.

Select a contact and choose your SMS template (optional). The description field acts as your text composer. You can send the SMS directly from this task.

Used for scheduling or logging calls.

Select the contact to call. Add discussion topics or a call script in the description field (rich text supported). After the call, update the call outcome (e.g., Completed, Left Voicemail).

It's best practice to also link the related card or contact for tracking and reporting purposes.

You can create a task from multiple locations in Aptly.

Once created, the task shows up in that person's task list (in My Tasks, from the Tasks panel next to your inbox), and stays linked to the card it came from. Open the task itself and you'll see a Related Card section pointing back to it, so you can always jump back and forth between the task and the card that spawned it.

Not every task needs a card behind it. For a quick to-do that isn't tied to anything else, use the ad hoc option:

This is the leanest version of a task: no description field, no card, no related contacts up front. It's meant for something like "follow up with the owner" that doesn't belong to any particular process. Once it's created, you can still open it and add a description, link a card, or link a contact later if it turns out it does need that context.

Open the conversation you want to create a task from. In the Details panel, find the Tasks section (expand the panel first if it's collapsed). Click the + to add a task.

For anything that happens the same way every time, you don't want to be creating tasks by hand. Aptly can generate them for you two ways:

From a task template. A task template is a pre-built task—including its description—that you can attach to a board or automation and reuse repeatedly. Tasks created from templates are the only tasks that can use conditional logic or task dependencies—for example, when Task 1 is completed, trigger Task 2. Task templates can be loaded in through automations or directly from the card.

When a template is triggered, the resulting task includes a Related Task Template section linking back to its source. This makes it easy to distinguish template-generated tasks from one-off tasks.

From an automation. An automation can create a task as one of its actions, typically as a step in a larger workflow (for example, when a card moves into a certain stage, or when a balance goes past due). In practice, most recurring, board-specific tasks come from an automation that fires a task template, which is how you get a consistent task every time a certain condition is met, with the same title, description, and merge fields already filled in with that card's data. You can create manual / adhoc tasks from automations or connect your automation to a task template.

A good real-world example: an Accounts Receivable board that automatically creates an "Evaluate lease for eviction" task on any card in the Delinquent stage, pulling in that lease's actual building, rent, and past-due amount so whoever picks it up doesn't have to go look those up.

All task types share a similar setup. When creating a task, you'll complete the following:

You can also:

The task description field supports the same slash command you'll find elsewhere in Aptly. On a new line in the description, type / and a Merge Fields menu opens with these categories:

Picking a field from one of these inserts a merge field, a placeholder that automatically fills in with the real value from whatever card the task is linked to (a building address, a rent amount, a lease end date, and so on). You can also use the same slash menu to link the task directly to another Aptly object, or add a form field, without leaving the description editor.

This is a newer addition to the task editor. It's what lets an automation-generated task show real, specific details instead of generic boilerplate, and it's faster than filling a description in by hand.

Once a task is created, you can:

These options are found in the Details Pane on the right side of the task.

Worth knowing before you make archiving a habit: archiving a card automatically clears any incomplete tasks on it. This happens whether you archive the card by hand or an automation archives it for you.

A couple of nuances worth understanding:

If you're storing information you'll need later inside a task description (notes, account numbers, and so on), keep in mind that information goes away with the task when the card archives. That kind of data is better kept on a card field than buried in a task that's designed to be temporary.

Use manual tasks for follow-ups, reminders, or personal to-dos that aren't part of an automated workflow, especially for exceptions or one-off communications.