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Desk object widget

Put one object from a desk, such as a table, note or task list, on your dashboard, live and editable. Changes go to the same object on its desk.

All plansUpdated

The Desk object widget brings one object from one of your desks, such as a table, a note or a task list, onto your dashboard. It is not a copy or a picture. It is the object itself, so when you type in it on the dashboard the desk has the change, and when you change it on the desk the dashboard shows it.

Before you start

  • Plans. Desk object is on every plan.
  • Where it goes. You can add it to Home, Office Home, People Home or Brain Home, as many times as you like, one object in each.
  • Sizes. Small, Medium or Large. It starts at Medium. Tables, charts and longer notes are easier to work with at Large.
  • Something to show. The desk you pick needs at least one object on it. See Add a widget to a desk.

Add a desk object to a dashboard

  1. Open the dashboard. For Home, click Home in the side menu.
  2. Click Customize at the top right.
  3. Click Add widget.
  4. Click Navigation, or type "object" in Search widgets.
  5. Click Desk object. A window opens and asks Which desk?.
  6. Click the desk the object is on. The list starts with the desks you changed most recently; type in Search desks… to find any other desk.
  7. The window now asks Which object? and lists the objects on that desk, each with its type, such as Table or Note. Click the one you want. To choose a different desk, click ‹ Back.
  8. Use the arrows beside the preview to choose Small, Medium or Large. The preview shows your real object.
  9. Click Add widget. The widget appears at the end of your dashboard, briefly highlighted.
  10. Drag it to where you want it, then click Done.

To close the window without choosing, click Cancel. If the desk has nothing on it yet, the window says This desk has no objects yet.

Work with the object on your dashboard

  • The strip at the top shows the object's name and its type.
  • Below it is the object itself, with its own title bar, as on its desk. Type in it, tick items off, add rows and use its controls the way you would on the desk. See The widget title bar.
  • It fills the tile. You cannot drag or resize the object on the dashboard. To change the tile's size, use Customize. The object keeps its own place and size on its desk.

To work with the object on its desk, open the desk, for example from the Rooms and desks widget or a Pinned desk widget.

Show a different object

  1. Click Customize.
  2. Click the pencil on the tile's top right corner. Its tooltip says Edit Desk object.
  3. Choose a desk, then an object.
  4. Click Done.

Change the size or remove the widget

  1. Click Customize.
  2. To change the size, click the size button on the tile's top right corner. Each click moves to the next size.
  3. To take the widget off the dashboard, click the × on the tile's top right corner.
  4. Click Done.

Removing the widget from the dashboard does not change the object. It stays on its desk.

If the object is no longer there

If the object has been removed from its desk, or is on a desk you can no longer open, the tile says Object unavailable. Click Choose another to pick a different object, or remove the widget in Customize.

Good ways to use it

  • A daily checklist on Home. Put a desk's task list on Home and tick items off as you go, without opening the desk.
  • Figures you keep up to date. Show a table at Large and update it from the dashboard.
  • Running notes. Keep a note from a project desk on Home, so you can add a thought the moment you have it.
  • One project, one corner. Place a Desk object beside a Pinned desk widget for the same desk.

Common questions

Is the dashboard showing a copy?

No. The widget shows the object itself, so there is only one version. Whatever you type on the dashboard is saved to the object on its desk.

Does changing the tile's size change the object on its desk?

No. The tile's size belongs to the dashboard. The object keeps its own place and size on its desk.

Can I show a whole document instead?

Yes. To put a document, spreadsheet or presentation on your dashboard, use the Office document widget.

My desk objects are not on my other computer

Your dashboard layout, including which objects it shows, is saved on each computer separately. Add the widget on each computer you use.

Still need help? Contact support at [email protected].