On the Mac and iPad, TandemLoop is organized in three columns—sidebar, list, and Inspector. On iPhone, a tab bar replaces the sidebar. This chapter shows you what’s where.
The Three-Column Layout
┌────────────────── Top Bar (Toolbar) ────────────────────┐
│ Sidebar │ Middle Column / List │ Inspector │
│ 240 pt │ flexible │ 420 pt │
│ │ │ │
│ Navigation, │ Content of the current │ Properties of │
│ tree, tabs │ selection │ the selected │
│ │ │ item │
└─────────────────┴────────────────────────┴────────────────┘From left to right: sidebar › middle column › Inspector.
To adjust the width of the sidebar (180–320 pt) and the Inspector (280–720 pt), drag the divider. To hide and show the sidebar, use the sidebar button at the top left. On iPad, when space is tight (portrait orientation, Split View), the Inspector stays closed until you select something.
On the Mac, File › New Window (⌘ + N) opens another window with the same data folder—useful for seeing a view and a project side by side, for example.
The Sidebar
The sidebar is your navigation center. At the very top is a switcher with up to three tabs:
| Tab | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Projects | The entire tree of areas and projects |
| Views | Your saved views and view folders |
| Proposals | Structural changes proposed by your connected AI tool—visible only if you’ve turned on proposals (Settings › AI Agents) |
Directly below the switcher (in the Projects and Views tabs) are two fixed entries:
- Inbox—where everything you haven’t sorted yet lands; the number next to it shows the open Inbox tasks.
- Back from Agent—tasks an AI agent has handed back to you. As soon as there’s something there, the filters For Review, Question, and With the Agent appear below it. For more, see Working Together Autonomously & Continuously.
In the Projects tab, you see all your areas below them, with their folders and projects as an expandable tree. In the Views tab, the sidebar lists your views and view folders; in the Proposals tab, open and closed proposals.
Expanding an area: Click the small arrow (chevron) to the left of an area or folder. To reach a row’s actions, right-click it; on iPad, use the ⋯ button at the end of the row.
The Middle Column
The middle column shows the content of the current selection: the project list of an area, the task list of a project, the result of a view, or the proposal overview. This is also where you create new items—directly in an input row at the end of the list.
The Inspector
The Inspector (on the right) shows the properties of the selected item—such as the status, dates, and tags of a task, or the intent and success criteria of a project. To show or hide it, use the Inspector button at the far right of the toolbar or press ⌥ + ⌘ + I. The proposal view and the spec page have no Inspector.
The Top Bar (Toolbar)
The toolbar above the list shows the create buttons that fit the current selection—such as Project in an area, Task and Milestone in a project, Folder in an area. In addition:
| Button | Effect |
|---|---|
| Review Specs | appears when the list contains AI tasks without a finished spec (see Tasks) |
| Columns | in a Multi-View only: number of columns, carousel, width (see Display Options) |
| Inspector | shows or hides the Inspector |
| Distraction-Free Mode | hides the title row above the content (⇧ + ⌘ + F) |
On iPad, there’s also Quick Search (magnifying glass) on the left and Quick Entry (tray icon) on the right. On the Mac, open Quick Search with ⌘ + P; it finds projects, tasks, and milestones.
Text size: With ⌘ + +, ⌘ + −, and ⌘ + 0 (View menu), you enlarge, shrink, or reset the text in the current window; to set it permanently, go to Settings › Display.
The Footer
At the bottom of the sidebar is a compact footer:
- New buttons (left): Area in the Projects tab; View and View Folder in the Views tab.
- Documentation (question mark icon): opens this manual (also Help › Documentation, ⌘ + ?).
- Archive Run (archive box icon): starts an archive run with a preview.
- Settings (gear icon): opens the settings. To show the data folder in the Finder, go to Data Folder there.
On iPhone
On iPhone, a tab bar at the bottom replaces the sidebar:
| Tab | Content |
|---|---|
| Projects | Areas, folders, and projects—a tap opens the next level |
| Inbox | the Inbox |
| From Agent | Back from Agent |
| Views | your views |
| AI | Proposals (only if turned on) |
| Search | search projects, tasks, and milestones |
To create something, use + at the top right; to open the settings, tap the gear at the top left. Instead of an Inspector, tapping a task opens its detail page; to reach actions, touch and hold or swipe (see Tasks).