Board Identity

Use the Board Identity tab to define requirements, organize tasks, upload concept images, and document your board before building.

Previously called the Plan tab. The sidebar entry, the page title, and the underlying data model were renamed to Board Identity in v4.4 so the name "Plan" could be reserved for the new ProtoBot complexity mode. The notebook icon, requirements, tasks, tags, and concept images all work the same way.

Goal

Use the Board Identity tab to organize your design intent before and during building: set board metadata, track requirements, manage tasks, and upload reference images.

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Opening the Board Identity tab

Click the notebook icon in the left sidebar to open the Board Identity tab as a fullscreen panel. This is your design planning hub.

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Board metadata

At the top of the Board Identity tab, you can edit the core information about your board:

• Name: give your board a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Motor Driver v2" instead of "Untitled Board")

• Description: a brief summary of what the board does and its purpose

• Notes: free-form space for design rationale, constraints, or anything you want to remember

The board name is used in exported file names (e.g., Motor-Driver-v2-bom.csv), so choose something meaningful before exporting.

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Requirements

Track what your board needs to achieve with the Requirements section.

Adding requirements

Add individual requirements that describe what your design must satisfy. Each requirement is a clear statement like "Supply 5V at 2A to sensor array" or "Communicate with host via USB-C."

Requirement statuses

Each requirement has a color-coded status dot:

Status	Color	Meaning
Pending	Gray	Not yet evaluated or started
Validated	Green	Confirmed to be met by the current design
Partial	Amber	Partially met; some work remains
Failed	Red	Not met; design changes needed

Update requirement statuses as you build and validate your board. This gives you a clear picture of design completeness at a glance.

You can edit or remove any requirement at any time.

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Tasks

Organize your work with a Kanban-style task board that has three columns:

TODO

Tasks that need to be done. Add new tasks here as you identify work items.

IN PROGRESS

Tasks you are actively working on. Drag tasks here from TODO when you start them.

DONE

Completed tasks. Move tasks here when finished.

Working with tasks

• Add a task: Create new tasks in any column

• Move tasks: Drag and drop tasks between columns to update their status

• Reorder: Drag tasks within a column to prioritize

• Cycle status: Click a task to cycle its status (TODO, IN PROGRESS, DONE)

Tasks are a great way to break down your board design into manageable steps. For example: "Add power regulation section," "Wire up I2C sensor bus," "Resolve DRC voltage warnings."

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Tags

Use the tag system to categorize and label your board with free-form tags. Tags help you organize and search across multiple boards.

Examples of useful tags:

• prototype, production, v2

• motor-control, sensor-array, power-supply

• client-name, project-code

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Concept images

Upload reference images to keep visual inspiration and design references alongside your board.

1

Upload images

Add concept images, hand-drawn sketches, reference photos, or screenshots of existing designs. Images are stored in the cloud alongside your board.

2

Browse the carousel

Uploaded images appear in an image carousel. Click through them to review your references while working.

3

Use the full-screen viewer

Open any image in the full-screen viewer for a closer look.

Viewer controls:

• Arrow keys: navigate between images

• Escape: close the viewer

• Delete: remove the current image

4

Download or delete

From the viewer, you can download an image to your computer or delete it from the board.

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Common failures

I forgot to name my board and now my exports have "Untitled Board" in the file name

Open the Board Identity tab and update the board name. The next export will use the new name. Previously exported files will need to be renamed manually.

My concept image will not upload

Check the image file format and size. Standard formats (PNG, JPG, GIF) are supported. Very large files may take longer to upload depending on your internet connection.

I accidentally deleted a concept image

Deleted images are removed from cloud storage and cannot be recovered through Protoboard. Keep local backups of important reference images.

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Related pages

• Projects: create and save boards

• BOM + Export: your board name appears in export file names

• Keyboard Shortcuts: image viewer navigation shortcuts

• Sharing / Collaboration: share your planned board with teammates