or: Probably the most relaxed way to talk to your To-Do app without filling out forms

Many To-Do apps have a very clear idea of how your life should look.

You have projects.
These projects have subprojects.
These subprojects have tasks.
These tasks have tags, labels, priorities, deadlines, color codes and somewhere there is probably also a category called “Misc”.

And somewhere between “set up project structure” and “configure task filters” you suddenly realize:

“Wait… I just wanted to write down one thing.”

This is exactly where the vLine comes in.
Because the vLine follows a very simple idea:

You should be able to enter things directly without navigating through menus first.

We tried a lot of To-Do apps. At some point we simply did not want to spend multiple lifetimes configuring them. So we built vanilla9 and the vLine for real people in real life.

What the vLine actually is

The vLine is the central input and control field of vanilla9.

It is the place where you simply type things like:

– tasks
– commands
– changes
– information

In a way it works like a mix of:

– a note pad
– a command line
– and a place to park thoughts

Everything happens through one single input line.

Something comes to mind → you type it into the vLine → done.

A few typical examples

You could simply type:

Milk buy

And vanilla9 understands: new task.

Or:

Cancel internet provider tomorrow

Now the system understands:

– task: cancel internet provider
– deadline: tomorrow

Or something a bit more technical:

/todo prepare presentation p1 tomorrow

That also works.

The vLine understands both natural language and commands.

Adding properties while typing

The interesting part about the vLine is that you can add context while you type.

For example:

Cancel internet provider !i tomorrow

This means:

– !i → important
– tomorrow → deadline tomorrow

Or:

Do tax return !i !u today

Now vanilla9 understands:

– !i → important
– !u → urgent
– today → deadline today (must happen today)

All of this happens in a single line.

No forms.
No 15 mandatory fields.
No “please select a category”.

You simply write what you mean.
vanilla9 tries to understand what you want to do.

Why this is much faster

Most To-Do apps we have seen work like this:
1. Click button
2. Open form
3. Enter title
4. Choose priority
5. Choose deadline
6. Choose category
7. Save – And try very hard not to get distracted along the way.

With the vLine it usually looks more like this: Thought → type → Enter.
Done.

The difference sounds small.
In daily life it removes a surprising amount of friction.

One input for everything

The vLine is not just for tasks.

You can also use it to:

– execute commands
– search
– switch views
– change information

For example:

/search tax
or
/todos

The vLine is basically the universal remote control of the app.

You type a short command and the app knows what to do.

The idea actually comes from IT itself. Many tools for professionals work through a single input line. You briefly describe what you want to do and the system executes it.

Why your brain likes this system

The biggest enemy of productivity systems is friction.

If something is complicated, this usually happens:

You think: “I will just remember it.”
And three hours later you think: “Damn… there was something.”

We know that situation too. You are definitely not alone.

The vLine reduces this friction drastically.

Thought → type → done.

If you have more context, you can add it.
If not, that is fine too.

The system survives surprisingly well even with cryptic one-word tasks. A bit more context helps of course, then your future self will at least understand what you meant back then.

In short

The vLine is the central input field of vanilla9.

Here you can:

– create tasks
– add properties
– execute commands
– search or control things

All through a single line.

Or even simpler:

The vLine is the place where you tell the app:

“Hey, remember this.”

And vanilla9 takes care of the rest.