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== RefractTrack Documentation ==
== Welcome to RefractTrack ==


RefractTrack is a small, self-hosted kanban tool for tracking development tasks across one or more game projects. It runs on plain PHP 8 and MySQL/MariaDB with no framework and no build step, uses Jira-style task IDs (<code><nowiki>PREFIX-123</nowiki></code>) with matching clean URLs (<code><nowiki>/task/FE-12</nowiki></code>), and supports fine-grained role-based permissions, per-project stages/groups/saved lists, CSV/JSON export and import, 15 selectable color themes, and automatic schema migrations.
RefractTrack is a task board for game dev teams. Think of it as a friendly, self-hosted kanban board built specifically for tracking the work of making a game — features, bugs, art tasks, sound effects, whatever your team needs to keep straight — across as many separate projects as you like.


This documentation describes RefractTrack as of package version '''v99'''.
Every task gets a short, memorable code like ''RPG-12'' so it's easy to refer to in chat, in commit messages, or in conversation ("hey, did you see RPG-12?"). Tasks live on a drag-and-drop board, organized into columns your team defines, and can be tagged, commented on, attached to files, reviewed, and archived once they're done.
 
This guide walks through everything RefractTrack can do, organized by what you're trying to accomplish rather than how it's built.
 
=== Get set up ===


=== Getting started ===
* [[RefractTrack_Sales_Pitch|Sales Pitch]] — some feature highlights and why it will work for you
* [[RefractTrack_Sales_Pitch|Sales Pitch]] — some feature highlights and why it will work for you
* [https://nerdofepic.itch.io/refracttrack Buy It!] — for sale at itch.io
* [https://nerdofepic.itch.io/refracttrack Buy It!] — for sale at itch.io
* [[RefractTrack_Installation|Installation]] — guided wizard and manual setup, requirements, upgrading an existing install
* [[RefractTrack_Getting_Started|Getting Started]] — what you need, and how to get RefractTrack up and running
* [[RefractTrack_Server_Setup|Server Setup]] — the standalone <code><nowiki>prereqs.sh</nowiki></code> provisioning script for a fresh Debian/Ubuntu box
* [[RefractTrack_Configuration|Configuration]] — <code><nowiki>config/config.php</nowiki></code> settings and Clean URLs


=== Core concepts ===
=== The basics ===


* [[RefractTrack_Projects|Projects]] — multi-project support, task numbering, soft delete
* [[RefractTrack_Projects|Projects]] — keeping separate games or teams cleanly apart from each other
* [[RefractTrack_Tasks|Tasks]] — task fields, task types, bug-specific fields, task codes
* [[RefractTrack_Tasks|Tasks]] — what a task looks like and everything you can fill in
* [[RefractTrack_Board_and_List_Views|Board and List Views]] — the kanban board, drag-and-drop, list/filter view
* [[RefractTrack_Board_and_List_Views|Board and List Views]] — the two ways to browse your work
* [[RefractTrack_Stages|Stages]] — per-project swimlanes/workflow stages
* [[RefractTrack_Stages|Stages]] — the columns your tasks move through
* [[RefractTrack_Groups|Groups]] — per-project many-to-many task tags
* [[RefractTrack_Groups|Groups]] — color-coded tags for organizing tasks
* [[RefractTrack_Markdown_Formatting|Markdown Formatting]] — the supported text-formatting subset and task-code auto-linking
* [[RefractTrack_Markdown_Formatting|Formatting Text]] — making descriptions and comments easy to read


=== Workflows ===
=== Getting work done ===


* [[RefractTrack_Bulk_Task_Creation_and_Saved_Lists|Bulk Task Creation and Saved Lists]] — mail-merge style batch task creation
* [[RefractTrack_Bulk_Task_Creation_and_Saved_Lists|Bulk Task Creation]] — creating a whole batch of similar tasks at once
* [[RefractTrack_Archiving|Archiving]] — archiving/unarchiving tasks individually or in bulk
* [[RefractTrack_Archiving|Archiving]] — clearing finished work off the board without losing it
* [[RefractTrack_Approvals_and_Review|Approvals and Review]] — the task review workflow (pending / approved / won't do)
* [[RefractTrack_Approvals_and_Review|Approvals and Review]] — a lightweight sign-off step for finished tasks
* [[RefractTrack_Comments_and_Activity_Log|Comments and Activity Log]] — discussion and automatic system history on each task
* [[RefractTrack_Comments_and_Activity_Log|Comments and Activity]] — discussing a task and seeing its history
* [[RefractTrack_Attachments|Attachments]] — file uploads on tasks
* [[RefractTrack_Attachments|Attachments]] — attaching screenshots, reference art, and files to tasks
* [[RefractTrack_Export_and_Import|Export and Import]] — CSV/JSON project export and import
* [[RefractTrack_Export_and_Import|Export and Import]] — taking your data out (or bringing it in) as a spreadsheet or backup file


=== Administration ===
=== Running your team ===


* [[RefractTrack_Users|Users]] — accounts, activation, password resets
* [[RefractTrack_Users|Users]] — adding teammates and managing their accounts
* [[RefractTrack_Permissions_and_Roles|Permissions and Roles]] — the full RBAC model, role presets, per-user overrides
* [[RefractTrack_Permissions_and_Roles|Permissions and Roles]] — controlling who can do what
* [[RefractTrack_Themes_and_Branding|Themes and Branding]] — the 15 color themes and application name
* [[RefractTrack_Themes_and_Branding|Themes and Branding]] — giving RefractTrack your own look and name
* [[RefractTrack_Per_User_Preferences|Per User Preferences]] — what the app remembers per user across sessions
* [[RefractTrack_Migrations_and_Upgrades|Migrations and Upgrades]] — automatic schema migrations, web and CLI upgrade paths


=== Reference ===
=== Everything at a glance ===


* [[RefractTrack_Feature_Inventory|Feature Inventory]] — a flat checklist of everything the app can do
* [[RefractTrack_Feature_Inventory|Feature Inventory]] — a quick checklist of everything RefractTrack can do
* [[RefractTrack_Data_Model|Data Model]] — database tables at a glance
* [[RefractTrack_Security|Security]] — the hardening measures built into the app
* [[RefractTrack_Architecture|Architecture]] — request lifecycle and where things live in the codebase (for maintainers)
* [[RefractTrack_Known_Limitations|Known Limitations]] — things that are deliberately not supported yet

Revision as of 13:17, 28 August 2026

Welcome to RefractTrack

RefractTrack is a task board for game dev teams. Think of it as a friendly, self-hosted kanban board built specifically for tracking the work of making a game — features, bugs, art tasks, sound effects, whatever your team needs to keep straight — across as many separate projects as you like.

Every task gets a short, memorable code like RPG-12 so it's easy to refer to in chat, in commit messages, or in conversation ("hey, did you see RPG-12?"). Tasks live on a drag-and-drop board, organized into columns your team defines, and can be tagged, commented on, attached to files, reviewed, and archived once they're done.

This guide walks through everything RefractTrack can do, organized by what you're trying to accomplish rather than how it's built.

Get set up

  • Sales Pitch — some feature highlights and why it will work for you
  • Buy It! — for sale at itch.io
  • Getting Started — what you need, and how to get RefractTrack up and running

The basics

  • Projects — keeping separate games or teams cleanly apart from each other
  • Tasks — what a task looks like and everything you can fill in
  • Board and List Views — the two ways to browse your work
  • Stages — the columns your tasks move through
  • Groups — color-coded tags for organizing tasks
  • Formatting Text — making descriptions and comments easy to read

Getting work done

Running your team

Everything at a glance