Part 0 · Getting started with Symbifox

To-do, Notepad and Timer

Personal to-dos, quick notes linked to records and convertible into activities, the timesheet timer, and the daily digest email.

Symbifox 18.0 (September 2026 catalogue) · Modules: Notes, Timer - Feuilles de temps, Daily To-Do Digest · Base applications: To-Do · Revised 2026-09-12

Three menus help you run your own day: To-do for personal tasks with no project, Bloc-notes (notepad) for jotting something down without leaving the current screen, and Minuterie (timer) for capturing the time spent on tasks and posting it to a timesheet. A fourth tool does not show in the menu bar: the daily digest, a morning email that sums up what awaits each person. This chapter is for the whole team; the digest section concerns the administration above all.

Overview#

A to-do is a task that belongs to no project: something to do, for yourself, filed in personal stages (“This week”, “Later”). The day it grows, a to-do converts into a project task.

A note in the Bloc-notes is formatted text, private by default, that you attach to one or more records: a contact, a quotation, a project, a ticket, any record that has a chatter (the message thread at the bottom of a form). You find it again through search, through its tags, through the pin, or from the linked record through the Notes shortcut button at the top of the form. A note turns into a dated activity or a project task without retyping the context. You can take one from any screen, through the note icon in the top bar.

The timer lives in the top bar, under the hourglass icon. You start it from a task, from a Kanban view or from the list of recent tasks; several timers can run at the same time. When you stop it, a dialog proposes the rounded duration and a description: confirming creates the timesheet line on the right task. The Minuterie menu opens the same thing as a full page, with the totals for the day and the week.

The daily digest is an email sent every morning at the chosen hour: activities and tasks overdue or due today, a preview of the coming days, meetings to prepare, weather and a quote. You do not read it in Symbifox but in your mailbox; it is set up in the technical menus.

Configuration#

Access and permissions#

• To-do is open to every internal user. A to-do is visible only to the people assigned to it.
• Bloc-notes is open to every internal user. A note is private: only its author sees it, unless she checks Partagée (shared), in which case the others read it without being able to edit it. A note grants no access to the linked records: a record you cannot read does not show.
• Minuterie requires the Timesheets user access right, the same one needed to enter hours. Preset descriptions are edited with the Timesheets approver access right.
• The digest is configured with the administration group, in the technical menus.

Settings#

• Settings › Timesheets: Mode d'arrondi (rounding mode), with Aucun (none), Arrondir toujours (always round) or Arrondir sous un seuil (round below a threshold); Incrément d'arrondi (rounding increment) of 1, 5, 10 or 15 minutes; and Seuil d'arrondi (minutes) (rounding threshold), visible only in threshold mode. By default, rounding always applies, in steps of 5 minutes.
• Bloc-notes › Configuration › Mes préférences (my preferences): the Rappel par défaut (Bloc-notes) (default reminder) offered in the quick-create dialog, set to Aujourd'hui (today) on the demo.
• On your user form: Ville météo (digest), Latitude météo (digest) and Longitude météo (digest) (weather city, latitude and longitude for the digest), to receive the weather of a city other than the digest's.

Base data#

• The note tags, in Bloc-notes › Configuration › Étiquettes (tags). The demo has seven: À faire, Brouillon, Client, Idée, Interne, Rappel and Référence (to do, draft, client, idea, internal, reminder, reference).
• The timer's preset descriptions, in Timesheets › Timesheets › Presets de description (description presets). The demo has four: Développement, Réunion, Support and Révision (development, meeting, support, review).
• For the timer, tasks in projects where timesheets are turned on (see Project).
• For the digest, a configuration in Settings › Technical › Digest quotidien › Configuration. The demo has none; the 120 quotes ship with the module.

Getting started#

Camille Tremblay jots down an idea in the middle of her work, then turns it into a reminder on the client's record.

1. From any screen, select the note icon in the top bar. The quick-create dialog opens.
2. Enter the title “Call Clinique dentaire Rosemont back about the quotation” and one line of content.
3. In the linked record field, enter “Rosemont” and select the contact Clinique dentaire Rosemont.
4. Save. The dialog closes; the current screen has not moved.
5. Go to Bloc-notes › Toutes les notes (all notes) and open the note, the only one under the Mes notes (my notes) filter.
6. In the note's header, select Demain (tomorrow).

A To-Do activity, due tomorrow, is created on the Clinique dentaire Rosemont record, with the title of the note. It appears in the contact's chatter, under the clock icon of the top bar, and the note's Activités (activities) shortcut button finds it again.

Common tasks#

Create and organize your to-dos#

A to-do is a task without a project, filed in your personal stages.

1. Go to To-do.
2. In the stage pane, enter a name in Personal Stage… and select Add, for example “This week”.
3. Select New, enter the title and save; or select the + of a column to create it in place.
4. Drag the cards from one stage to another.

The Kanban view shows your stages as columns. The Open filter, applied by default, hides finished to-dos. Personal stages belong to you alone.

Finish a to-do#

1. Open the to-do, or find it in the list.
2. Change its state to Done, through the state indicator of the card, of the row or of the form.

The to-do drops out of the Open filter. Remove the Open facet from the search bar to see it again.

Convert a to-do into a project task#

When a to-do concerns the team, make it a task.

1. Open the to-do.
2. Select the gear icon beside the title, then Convert to Task.
3. Choose the project and, if needed, the stage.
4. Confirm.

The task opens in Project with the title, the description and the assignees of the to-do.

Take a quick note#

1. From any screen, select the note icon in the top bar.
2. Enter a title and the content; format it if needed (headings, lists, bold).
3. Optional: paste or drag an image into the content; the file is attached and the image inserted.
4. Check the linked record: if you were on a contact, a task, a project or an opportunity, it is already filled in.
5. Choose the reminder offered, or keep the default one.
6. Save.

The note is created in your name, private. Right-clicking the same icon opens the list of your notes.

Link a note to several records#

A note can concern a client, their quotation and their project at the same time.

1. Open the note in Bloc-notes › Toutes les notes.
2. In the Liens (links) tab, add a line.
3. In Fiche (record), enter a name or a number, or paste the address of a Symbifox page, then select the record among the results grouped by type.
4. Drag the row handles to order the links; the first one is the Lien primaire (primary link).
5. Save.

The Ouvrir (open) button of the header leads to the primary record; the Lié à (linked to) column of the list sums up the links. On each linked record, the Notes shortcut button counts the notes about it.

Pin, colour and tag a note#

1. In the Kanban view, select the pin of the card to pin or unpin it; in the list, the toggle does the same. On the form, the buttons are Épingler (pin) and Désépingler (unpin).
2. In the card's menu (the three dots), choose a colour.
3. On the form, add Étiquettes.

Pinned notes have their own menu, Bloc-notes › Épinglées (pinned). Colours form a band at the top of the card.

Give a note a due date#

1. Open the note and enter an Échéance (due date).
2. Save.

The note appears in the calendar view of Toutes les notes (the third icon of the view switcher) and, once the date has passed, under the Échéance dépassée (past due) filter. A note's due date is not an activity: nothing is created on the linked record.

Share a note#

1. Open the note and check Partagée.
2. Save.

The other members of the team see it under the Partagées (shared) filter. You alone can edit it.

Convert a note into an activity#

A note linked to a record becomes a dated reminder on that record.

1. Open the note.
2. In the header, select Aujourd'hui, Demain, +2 jours or +1 semaine (in 2 days, in 1 week) to create a To-Do activity with that due date right away.
3. For more choice, select Personnaliser… (customize): set Type, Échéance, Résumé (summary), Détails (details), Assignée à (assigned to) and, if needed, the Cible (target), then select Créer l'activité (create the activity).

One activity is created per linked record: a note linked to three tasks produces three activities. The note's Activités shortcut button finds them again. A record that does not accept activities (a calendar event, for example) is skipped.

Convert a note into a task#

1. Open the note and select Convertir en tâche (convert to task).
2. Check the Titre (title) and the Description, taken from the note.
3. Choose the Projet (project) and, if needed, the Étape (stage), a Tâche parente (parent task), the people in Assignée à, an Échéance, Étiquettes and a Client.
4. Leave Lier la note à la tâche (link the note to the task) checked to keep the trace; check Archiver la note (archive the note) if it is no longer useful.
5. Select Créer la tâche (create the task).

The task opens if Ouvrir la tâche (open the task) is checked. The note's Tâches (tasks) shortcut button finds the tasks born from the note.

Reroute a note to another record#

A note attached to the wrong record moves without being copied.

1. Open the note and select Re-router… (reroute); or, in the list or the Kanban view, check several notes and select Actions › Re-router vers une fiche (reroute to a record).
2. In Nouvelle fiche (new record), search for the record by its name, its number or the address of its page.
3. In Mode, choose Remplacer les liens existants (replace the existing links) or Ajouter aux liens existants (add to the existing links).
4. Select Re-router, read the Résultat (result), then Fermer (close).

Only the links change: nothing is posted and nothing is sent. An archived note can be rerouted too.

Find your notes#

1. Go to Bloc-notes › Toutes les notes.
2. Enter a word in the search bar, or open the search panel and check Mes notes, Épinglées, Partagées, Liées à une fiche (linked to a record) or Échéance dépassée.
3. Change views with the switcher: Kanban, list or calendar.

From a contact, a task, a project or an opportunity, the Notes shortcut button opens that record's notes directly.

Archive a note#

1. Open the note and select Archiver (archive).

The note leaves the lists; the Archivées (archived) filter finds it again, and Désarchiver (unarchive) brings it back.

Manage the note tags#

1. Go to Bloc-notes › Configuration › Étiquettes.
2. Select New, enter the name and choose a colour; or edit a row in place.
3. Turn off a tag's toggle to withdraw it from the choices without deleting it.

Set the default reminder#

1. Go to Bloc-notes › Configuration › Mes préférences.
2. In Rappel par défaut (Bloc-notes), choose the reminder offered at each quick creation.
3. Select Enregistrer (save).

Start a timer#

Four starting points, for the same result.

1. On a task form, select Commencer in the header. Or, on a card of the tasks Kanban view, select the green play button.
2. Or select the hourglass icon of the top bar, find the task in the list of recent tasks and select its play button.
3. Or go to Minuterie, enter a name in Chercher une tâche… (search for a task) and start from the result.

The hourglass icon becomes a pulsing green dot, with the name of the task and the elapsed time. The task's button becomes Arrêter. A second timer on the same task is refused.

Pause and resume#

1. Open the top bar list through the hourglass icon.
2. Beside the timer, select the pause button (orange). The time freezes and a Pause label shows.
3. Select the resume button (green) to carry on from there.

The time accumulated before the pause is kept, over as many cycles as needed. When all your timers are paused, the icon shows a steady orange dot.

Stop a timer and create the timesheet#

1. Select Arrêter on the task, or the red stop button beside the timer in the top bar list.
2. In the dialog, read the Durée brute (raw duration) and correct Heures (hours) and Minutes if needed; they are prefilled with the rounded duration.
3. Select a preset description chip, or enter the Description; it is prefilled with the name of the task.
4. Select Confirmer (confirm).

A timesheet line is created on the project and the task, and the timer disappears. Supprimer (delete) erases the timer without entering anything; Annuler (cancel) sets it running again as if nothing had happened.

Track several timers#

1. Start a second timer on another task. A confirmation asks you the first time; check the option to stop seeing it.
2. Open the list through the hourglass icon: each timer shows there with its time, coloured by duration (normal under one hour, orange between one and two hours, red beyond).
3. To close everything at once, select Arrêter tout (stop all); to clear only the paused ones, Arrêter les rouges (stop the red ones).

The bottom of the list shows your totals for the day and the week. The number of active timers appears on the icon.

Pin tasks in the timer#

1. Open the list through the hourglass icon.
2. Select the star of a recent task.

Pinned tasks move to the top of the list, even without a recent timesheet. Each person manages their own pins.

Manage the preset descriptions#

1. Go to Timesheets › Timesheets › Presets de description.
2. Select New, enter the Nom (name, the label of the chip) and the Texte (text, what is inserted into the description), then save.

The chips are shared by the whole team; only timesheet approvers edit them.

Configure the daily digest#

1. Go to Settings › Technical › Digest quotidien › Configuration and select New.
2. Enter the Nom and choose the Destinataires (recipients).
3. Set the Heure d'envoi (sending hour, 0 to 23), evaluated in each recipient's time zone.
4. In the Widgets tab, check the sections you want: Activités en retard, Activités du jour, Tâches en retard, Tâches du jour (overdue activities, today's activities, overdue tasks, today's tasks), Tâches à venir (upcoming tasks) with the number of Jours à venir (days ahead), Météo (weather) with the Ville météo (défaut) (default weather city) and its coordinates, Citation inspirante (inspiring quote), Rencontres (OdJ + CR) (meetings, agendas and reports).
5. Optional: choose a Compagnie (company) to count only its tasks.
6. Save.

The next day, at the chosen hour, each recipient receives their digest. To check right away, select Test (moi seul), which sends only to you; Envoyer maintenant sends to all the recipients.

Manage the digest quotes#

1. Go to Settings › Technical › Digest quotidien › Citations (quotes).
2. Add a line with the Citation (quote) and the Auteur (author), or turn off an existing quote.

Active quotes rotate at random, one per digest.

The menus, one by one#

To-do: your to-dos in a Kanban view, by personal stage, with the Personal Stage… box and the Open filter. Kanban, list and activity views; the form opens from a card. Empty on the demo for Camille.

Bloc-notes: grouping menu.

Bloc-notes › Toutes les notes: your notes in a Kanban view, under the Mes notes filter; list and calendar views too. An empty screen shows the help text and the shortcuts. The demo's nine notes belong to other accounts and stay private. Form screenshot: m392_form.png.

Bloc-notes › Épinglées: the pinned notes, as a Kanban view or a list, under the Épinglées filter.

Bloc-notes › Configuration: grouping menu.

Bloc-notes › Configuration › Étiquettes: the list of tags, editable in place, with the Name, Color and Active columns. These three labels are the only English ones on this otherwise French screen.

Bloc-notes › Configuration › Mes préférences: the Préférences Bloc-notes (notepad preferences) dialog, with its single field Rappel par défaut (Bloc-notes).

Minuterie: the page of running timers, with the aujourd'hui and cette semaine (today, this week) totals, the Chercher une tâche… field and, with no timer, the message Aucune minuterie en cours. (no timer running). The menu only shows to timesheet users.

Reference#

Fields of the Note form#

Fields of the Convertir en tâche dialog#

Fields of the timer stop dialog#

Fields of the Digest quotidien form#

Reports and exports#

No report is specific to these menus. The Minuterie page shows the totals for the day and the week; confirmed hours appear in the reports of Timesheets. Notes and to-dos export from their list view, as everywhere.

Automations#

• A confirmed timer immediately creates a timesheet line on the task, for the employee linked to your account.
• The timer's list of recent tasks builds itself from your last ten tasks with a timesheet.
• Elapsed time counts from the start time: changing pages or closing the browser stops nothing.
• A note without a title receives a title taken from its content.
• The digest is checked every hour and leaves at the chosen hour, once a day and per recipient, in each person's time zone. The weather comes from a public online service; the quote changes every day.

Public pages and portal#

No public page and no portal for these menus.

Modules that extend this application#

Understanding#

Why Camille's Bloc-notes is empty. The demo's nine notes were written by other accounts and are not shared. A private note exists only for its author; the administration sees nothing of it either.

A note is not an activity. A note's due date warns nobody: it serves to sort the note and to see it on the calendar. For a reminder that counts, convert the note into an activity; it will then live on the linked record, with the other activities.

One activity per linked record. The conversion creates an activity on every record of the Liens tab. Link the note to the single useful record before converting, or go through Personnaliser… and its Cible.

A to-do is a task without a project. It uses the same form as Project tasks, with personal stages in place of the project's stages. Converting a to-do into a task amounts to giving it a project.

Why the timer is refused on a task. The Commencer button only appears if timesheets are turned on for the task's project and if your account has the timesheets group. A second timer on a task where yours is already running is refused.

Rounding does not change the actual time. The stop dialog always shows the Durée brute; rounding only affects the proposed duration, which you can correct before confirming. In Arrondir sous un seuil mode, a duration above the threshold is proposed as it is.

The digest respects each person's time zone. Two recipients in two time zones receive the digest at the same local hour. Tasks hidden in their project are not detailed, but a link sums them up.

Troubleshooting#

See also#

• Common actions in every application: the activities, the chatter and the target record.
• Project: the tasks, the projects and turning on timesheets.
• Timesheets: the lines created by the timer and their reports.
• Calendar: where dated notes and meeting activities appear.
• Meetings: the agendas and meeting reports the digest recalls.
• My desk, Dashboard and Progress: placing your to-dos and your activities in a desk.