Sidebar

(or: The place where you pretend your life is organized)

On the left side of the app you will find the sidebar.

This is basically the navigation of vanilla9.

The central point.
The starting point.
The place you go to reach everything else.

If vanilla9 were a house, this would be the hallway.
Every door leads away from here.

And behind each door you will find something different.

An overview of your life.
A list of things you planned to do.
Or a task you have been successfully ignoring for two weeks because it is about as fun as a tax audit.

So yes.

Welcome to the control center of your chaos.

Nice to have you here.
Your tasks are here too.

They arrived before you.

Dashboard

The dashboard gives you a quick overview.

Here you will see things like:

current activity
the status of your tasks
system hints
and generally how well you currently have your life under control

Or more realistically:

The dashboard answers the question:
“How bad is it right now?”

Sometimes the answer is: “Everything is fine.”
Sometimes it is: “You still wanted to finish seven things.”
And sometimes it is: “Why are you reading a dashboard instead of working?”

But hey.

At least now you know where you stand.

Ignoring it afterwards is still an option.

It is a very popular strategy. Many people use it with impressive dedication.

Todos

This is where daily life actually happens.

The Todos section is the heart of vanilla9.

This is where all the things land that once passed through your brain.

For example:
“I must not forget this.”
Or:
“I will do that later.”

Now those tasks are here.

Patient.
Quiet.

A bit like people waiting at the DMV.

They simply wait until you eventually show up.

No rush.
They have time.

Apparently more than you do.

List

The classic task list.

No tricks.
No magic.
No productivity gurus explaining that success is only one morning routine away.

Wake up at 4:37.
Drink lemon water.
Take a cold shower.
Meditate.
Journal.
Stare at your vision board.
Whisper affirmations.

Then record a reel explaining that anyone can succeed if they just wake up early enough.

Instead you simply see the things you wrote down because your brain knew:

“I will never remember this.”

Now they are here.

Looking at you.

Not aggressively.

More like someone politely asking:

“And… when exactly were you planning to do this?”

Eisenhower

The Eisenhower Matrix helps you decide what actually matters.

Tasks are sorted by:

important
urgent

This results in four categories:

Do this now.
Do this later.
Let someone else handle it.
Why does this even exist?

The fourth category is surprisingly full.

Nobody really knows why.

But it grows reliably.

Just like the “Miscellaneous” folder on every computer.

Heatmap

The heatmap shows you on which days you completed tasks.

Each day receives a color.

The greener the day, the more tasks you finished.

Sometimes you look at it and think:
“Okay, last week was actually productive.”

And sometimes you think:
“Ah. That was my snack and YouTube phase.”

Also known as: research into human motivation.

Light / Dark Mode

Here you can switch between a light and dark interface.

This is one of those decisions that people take surprisingly seriously.

Some swear by dark mode because:
– it is easier on the eyes
– it looks cooler
– and it makes you feel a bit like a hacker

Even if you are currently just writing “buy milk” in your To-Do list.

Others prefer light mode.

Both are fine.

vanilla9 does not judge.

Your To-Do list might though.

Language

Here you decide in which language the app speaks to you.

Currently available:

🇩🇪 German
🇬🇧 English

This is useful if you:
– work internationally
– think in multiple languages
– or simply do not want a German interface

In short: this is where you decide in which language vanilla9 reminds you to do your taxes.

Whether it is German or English, the pain is exactly the same.

Time Zone

Here you configure your time zone.

Sounds boring.

But it is important.

Because if your time zone is wrong, things happen like:

“Why is this app reminding me about tasks at 3:12 in the morning?”

Usually that does not mean vanilla9 hates you.

It just means the time setting is wrong.

Addons

vanilla9 is modular.

That means new features can be added as add-ons.

In the add-on section you can see:
– which extensions are available
– which ones are active
– which new capabilities your system can gain

Or simply put: This is where your app gets new tools.

Like upgrading your toolbox.

Just without the one extra screw that is always left over and nobody knows where it belongs.

Support

If something is not working, this is where you go.

The support section includes things like:
– help articles
– FAQs
– bug reports
– feature requests
support tickets

Basically everything for the moment when you think: “Okay… something here is not right.”
Or: “This could actually be better.”

Both happen.

Quite often.

It is software.

Settings

Here you can customize vanilla9 to fit you.

When you open the settings you will see several tabs.

Why?

Because nobody wants a single page with 200 settings.

That would be about as relaxing as a tax form.

With footnotes.

General

Here you will find the basic configuration of the app.

Options include:
– theme
– language
– vLine default context
– week start for calendar and heatmap

Basically everything that defines how vanilla9 behaves.

The personality of your app.

Without therapy.

Time & Time Zone

Here you configure how vanilla9 handles time.

You will find:
– your time zone
– reference times (server vs browser)
This ensures deadlines work correctly.

Because nothing is more frustrating than a task that the system marks as overdue even though it is actually due tomorrow.

Profile

Here you configure:
– username
– name
– email
– password

You also see your current plan and available components.

The administrative part. Not exciting. But necessary.

Like brushing your teeth.

Notifications

Here you configure when vanilla9 is allowed to remind you about tasks.

For example via:
– email
– push notifications
– in-app hints

The goal is to support you.

Not to bombard you with notifications like a social media app at 23:48.

Components

vanilla9 is modular.

If individual components have their own settings, they appear here.

This is basically the place where modules store their options.

In short: If something has additional settings, you will find them here.

Think of it as a parking space someone rented without actually parking a car there.

Debug

The debug section is intended for development and troubleshooting.

Debug mode can be activated here.

This is essentially the engine room of the app.

Normally you will not need to go here.

But if you do: you have officially entered the area called
“You should probably know what you are doing.”

Brave.

Profile and Logout

At the bottom of the menu you will find your profile section.

Here you can:
– open your profile
– log out

The small avatar also shows which account is currently logged in.

Useful if you use multiple accounts.

Or if you simply want to make sure you are still yourself.

In short

The sidebar is your starting point for everything in vanilla9.

From here you can:
– navigate through your tasks
– switch views
– change settings
– manage extensions
– find support
– manage your profile

Or simply put: If you want to go somewhere in the app, you start here.
And somewhere in there a task is probably still waiting for you.

Calmly.
It is not going anywhere.
It is just waiting.