Build a task tracker

This tutorial builds a working task tracker from start to finish. You’ll write a first description, then shape it with a series of plain-language requests — adding fields, filtering, and a few finishing touches — before publishing it. It builds on Build your first app, so if you’ve done that, you’ll feel right at home.

Along the way you’ll see how Exepad gives your app a memory: the tasks you add stick around and come back every time you open it. That’s the heart of any tracking tool. Learn more in Adding data to your app.

1. Describe the first version

Start a new app on your dashboard and describe it in a sentence or two. Be clear about what it does and what it should remember:

“A task tracker where I can add tasks with a title, a due date, and a status of to-do or done. Show them in a list, let me mark a task done, and let me delete tasks.”

Exepad builds a complete, working version — a designed page, an “add task” form, and a list that saves what you enter. It usually takes a few minutes.

2. Try it in the preview

When the build finishes, your app opens in a private preview. Add a couple of tasks, mark one done, delete another. Everything you add is saved, so you can close the preview and your tasks will still be there when you come back.

3. Add the fields you need

Now shape it, one request at a time. Ask for the details that make it yours:

“Add a priority field with low, medium, and high, shown as a colored tag next to each task.”

“Add a short notes field to each task so I can jot down details.”

“Let me group tasks by project — add a project name to each one.”

Each request updates the app, and you see the result in the preview immediately.

One idea per message

Ask for a single change at a time. “Add a priority field shown as a colored tag” lands cleanly; a paragraph asking for five things at once is harder to get right — and harder for you to review.

4. Add filtering and sorting

A tracker earns its keep when you can focus on what matters. Ask for ways to slice the list:

“Add filters so I can show only to-do tasks, only done tasks, or everything.”

“Add a filter by priority.”

“Sort tasks by due date, with the soonest at the top.”

“Add a search box that filters the list by title as I type.”

Try each one in the preview as it lands, and keep the ones that feel right.

5. Polish the look

A few small requests go a long way:

“Make the header dark and add a bit more spacing between tasks.”

“Show a friendly message when there are no tasks yet.”

“Highlight tasks that are overdue in red.”

If a change isn’t quite right, just say so — “that’s close, but make the tags smaller” — or ask to undo it. Nothing is permanent while you’re building.

6. Publish and share

When you’re happy, publish. Exepad puts your tracker online at its own link — your-app.exepad.app — that you can open from anywhere or send to a teammate. Made more changes later? Publish again to update the live version, or roll back if you need to.

See Publishing your app for the full picture, including versions and rollback.

What’s next

• Adding data to your app — go deeper on how your app remembers information.
• Build a client portal — add a login so each person sees only their own tasks.
• Publishing your app — versions, rollback, and custom links.