Understanding the Farline AI Interface

Farline AI features a flexible multi-pane interface that adapts to your workflow. Learn how to customize, move, and optimize your workspace.

Interface Overview

The Farline AI workspace consists of six main panes:

Project Selector (top left) - Switch between projects
Chat (left side) - AI assistant for building projects
Advanced Editor (center) - Project definition editor for direct editing
Results (bottom center) - Forecast summary table
Charts (right side) - Visual timeline (Gantt charts)
Debug (bottom) - Technical information and validation errors

Each pane can be collapsed, resized, and some can even pop out to separate windows.

The Six Panes Explained

1. Project Selector

Location: Top left corner Purpose: Switch between your projects

Features:

Dropdown to select different projects
Create new project button
Shows current project name
Quick access to all your saved projects

Collapse/Expand:

Click the arrow icon to toggle
Keyboard: Ctrl+1 (Cmd+1 on Mac)

2. Chat Interface

Location: Left side of screen Purpose: Interact with AI to build and modify projects

Features:

Natural language conversation
Project generation and editing
Scenario creation
Context-aware suggestions
Conversation history

Controls:

Collapse: Click header bar or use keyboard shortcut
Pop out: Click pop-out icon (opens in separate window)
Resize: Drag the divider between Chat and other panes

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+2 (Cmd+2 on Mac) to toggle

Pro tip: Pop out Chat to a second monitor for more workspace

3. Advanced Editor (Project Definition)

Location: Center pane Purpose: Direct project definition editing

Features:

Syntax highlighting
Real-time validation
Error detection with red underlines
Auto-formatting
Undo/redo support

Controls:

Collapse: Hide when you're not editing the project definition
Pop out: Edit the project definition in a separate window
Resize: Drag dividers to make editor larger/smaller

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+3 (Cmd+3 on Mac) to toggle

When to use:

Making bulk changes to your project
Fine-tuning work item sizes
Copying project definitions to share with team
Advanced users who prefer text over chat

4. Results Table

Location: Bottom center (below Advanced Editor) Purpose: Summary of forecast calculations

Features:

Project completion date
Scenario comparison
Milestone dates
Workstream utilization
Critical path information

Controls:

Collapse: Hide when focusing on charts or the project definition
Pop out: View results in separate window
Resize: Make taller to see more details

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+4 (Cmd+4 on Mac) to toggle

Best for: Quick overview of project timeline and dates

5. Charts Pane

Location: Right side of screen Purpose: Visual timeline and Gantt charts

Features:

Mermaid Gantt charts (text-based, exportable)
DayPilot interactive charts
Toggle between chart types
Copy to clipboard (Mermaid)
Visual project timeline

Controls:

Collapse: Hide when editing the project definition or chatting
Pop out: View charts on second monitor
Resize: Make wider for better chart viewing

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+5 (Cmd+5 on Mac) to toggle

Chart types:

Mermaid: For exporting to Confluence, Notion, GitHub
DayPilot: For interactive exploration and presentations

6. Debug Pane

Location: Bottom of screen Purpose: Technical information, errors, and validation

Features:

Project definition validation errors
Parsing errors with line numbers
Tier validation warnings
Technical diagnostics
Project structure insights

Controls:

Collapse: Hide when everything is working fine
Resize: Make taller to see full error messages

Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+6 (Cmd+6 on Mac) to toggle

When to check:

Project definition has red underlines
Charts aren't rendering
Project validation fails
Want to see technical details

Managing Your Workspace

Collapsing and Expanding Panes

Click to toggle:

Each pane has a collapse/expand button in its header
Click the header bar directly
Or use the arrow icons

Keyboard shortcuts:

Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+6 (Cmd on Mac) toggle individual panes
Remember: 1=Selector, 2=Chat, 3=Editor, 4=Results, 5=Charts, 6=Debug

Auto-collapse:

Some panes auto-collapse when others are maximized
Focus mode hides non-essential panes

Resizing Panes

Drag dividers:

Hover over the line between two panes
Cursor changes to resize icon (↔️ or ↕️)
Click and drag to adjust size
Release to set new size

Tips:

Make Chat wider for longer conversations
Make Charts wider for complex timelines
Make Editor taller when editing long project definitions
Make Results taller to see all scenarios

Sizes are saved:

Your preferred sizes persist across sessions
Saved with your account

Popping Out Panes

Some panes can open in separate windows for multi-monitor setups.

Which panes support pop-out:

✅ Chat
✅ Advanced Editor
✅ Results
✅ Charts
❌ Project Selector (always in main window)
❌ Debug (always in main window)

How to pop out:

Look for the pop-out icon in the pane header (icon with arrow pointing out)
Click to open in new window
Position on second monitor
Click "pop in" icon to return to main window

Popout benefits:

Use Chat on one screen, Charts on another
Edit project definition while viewing Results
More screen real estate
Multiple panes visible simultaneously

Popout limitations:

Requires multiple windows/monitors
Position not saved on mobile browsers
Desktop browser recommended

Layout Presets

Save and load custom workspace layouts.

Saving a Preset

Arrange panes how you like them
Collapse/expand as desired
Click Menu → Layout → Save Preset
Name your preset (e.g., "Editing Mode", "Presenting")
Click Save

What gets saved:

Which panes are collapsed
Pane sizes
Popout states
Focus state

Loading a Preset

Click Menu → Layout → Load Preset
Choose from saved presets
Workspace instantly rearranges

Deleting a Preset

Click Menu → Layout → Manage Presets
Click delete icon next to preset
Confirm deletion

Built-in Preset Ideas

Create presets for different workflows:

"Editing Focus":

Chat: Collapsed
Editor: Expanded (full width)
Results: Collapsed
Charts: Collapsed
Debug: Collapsed

"Chat Mode":

Chat: Expanded (full width)
Editor: Collapsed
Results: Visible (small)
Charts: Visible (small)
Debug: Collapsed

"Presentation":

Chat: Collapsed
Editor: Collapsed
Results: Visible (medium)
Charts: Expanded (full width)
Debug: Collapsed

"Debugging":

Chat: Collapsed
Editor: Visible (medium)
Results: Collapsed
Charts: Collapsed
Debug: Expanded (tall)

Special Modes

Zen Mode

Minimal distractions for focused work.

Activate Zen Mode:

Keyboard: Ctrl+Shift+Z (Cmd+Shift+Z on Mac)
Or Menu → View → Zen Mode

What happens:

All panels except main work area collapse
Maximizes your focus pane (Editor or Charts)
Header bar may hide

Exit Zen Mode:

Press Esc
Or click "Exit Zen Mode" button
Restores previous layout

Focus Mode

Focus on one specific pane.

How to focus:

Click pane header to focus
Pane expands, others shrink
Not as aggressive as Zen Mode

Focused pane benefits:

Gets priority space
Easier to read and work in
Other panes still accessible

Exit focus:

Click another pane header
Or toggle collapse on current pane

Tips for Different Workflows

For Beginners

Recommended layout:

Chat: Expanded (50% width)
Editor: Collapsed (let AI generate project definition)
Results: Visible (small)
Charts: Visible (30% width)
Debug: Collapsed (only open if errors)

Why: Focus on Chat for natural language interaction, see results visually

For Advanced Users

Recommended layout:

Chat: Small or collapsed (occasional use)
Editor: Expanded (50% width for direct editing)
Results: Visible (medium)
Charts: Visible (30% width)
Debug: Small (catch errors early)

Why: Direct project definition editing is faster once you know the syntax

For Presentations

Recommended layout:

Chat: Collapsed
Editor: Collapsed
Results: Visible (30% width)
Charts: Maximized (70% width)
Debug: Collapsed

Why: Clean view focusing on timeline and forecast data

For Multi-Monitor Setups

Recommended layout:

Monitor 1: Editor + Results + Debug
Monitor 2 (popped out): Charts
Monitor 3 (popped out): Chat (optional)

Why: Maximum screen real estate, all info visible

Keyboard Shortcuts Reference

Toggle Panes

Ctrl+1 (Cmd+1): Toggle Project Selector
Ctrl+2 (Cmd+2): Toggle Chat
Ctrl+3 (Cmd+3): Toggle Advanced Editor
Ctrl+4 (Cmd+4): Toggle Results
Ctrl+5 (Cmd+5): Toggle Charts
Ctrl+6 (Cmd+6): Toggle Debug

Special Modes

Ctrl+Shift+Z (Cmd+Shift+Z): Zen Mode
Esc: Exit Zen Mode

Other Shortcuts

Ctrl+S (Cmd+S): Save project (auto-save enabled)
Ctrl+/ (Cmd+/): Show all keyboard shortcuts

Note: Some shortcuts may vary by browser

Troubleshooting Layout Issues

Pane Disappeared

Symptoms:

Can't find Chat, Editor, or other pane
Screen looks empty

Solutions:

Check if pane is collapsed (use keyboard shortcuts)
Try Ctrl+2 through Ctrl+6 to toggle all panes
Reset layout: Menu → Layout → Reset to Default
Refresh page (F5)

Can't Resize Panes

Symptoms:

Drag doesn't work
Pane stuck at small size

Solutions:

Make sure pane isn't collapsed
Try clicking elsewhere first, then dragging
Reset layout to default
Refresh browser

Popout Window Issues

Symptoms:

Popout button doesn't work
Window opens but is blank
Can't pop window back in

Solutions:

Check browser allows popups for farline.ai
Close popout window and try again
Refresh main window
Use in-window layout instead (no popout)

Layout Not Saving

Symptoms:

Preferences reset on page refresh
Presets don't load

Solutions:

Check browser allows cookies
Check browser not in private/incognito mode
Check you're signed in to your account
Try different browser

Best Practices

Start simple: Use default layout initially, customize as you learn

Save presets: Create presets for your common workflows

Use keyboard shortcuts: Faster than clicking once you learn them

Hide what you don't need: Collapsed panes = less clutter

Pop out on big screens: Multi-monitor setups benefit from popouts

Reset when confused: Menu → Reset Layout brings you back to defaults

Experiment: Try different layouts to find what works for you

Getting Started with Farline AI - Introduction to Farline AI
Creating Your First Project - Build your first project
Using the AI Chat to Build Projects - Master the Chat pane
Understanding Project Definition Structure - Learn the Editor pane
Visualizing Projects with Charts - Get the most from Charts pane

Last updated: 2025-12-19

Understanding the Farline AI Interface

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