Graph view

The primary view in Tree. Renders a project as an interactive graph of nodes and edges.

The graph view is Tree's primary view in Plan mode. It renders a project as a visual graph, with nodes positioned on a canvas and edges drawn between them. The graph view is where Tree's tree metaphor is most directly visible.

What the graph view shows

The graph view displays:

  • Every node in the project, colored and styled according to its current state
  • Every edge connecting nodes, drawn as directional lines from prerequisite to dependent
  • The project's overall structure, with branches, tiers, and the relationships between work units

Nodes are positioned automatically by Tree's layout algorithm. Users can pan, zoom, and click to focus on specific regions of the graph.

Interactions

In the graph view, users can:

  • Hover a node to trace its prerequisites and dependents
  • Click a node to focus on it and open its detail panel
  • Drag to pan around the canvas
  • Scroll to zoom in or out
  • Right-click or use the keyboard to perform node-level actions

Why graph view is the default

Tree was built around the assumption that project work has structural shape, and that the shape is information. The graph view makes that information visible by default. Other views (List view, Timeline view, Calendar view) are projections of the same underlying graph data.

The graph view is for Plan mode. When the user moves to Work mode, the same underlying graph data renders as the day or week view (Your day, Your week) instead of the canvas.

LAST UPDATED · 2026-05-12