Smart Capture
Type naturally and let HyperPlanner understand your intent. One line becomes a fully-formed task with dates, context, priority, and tags extracted automatically.
Overview
Smart Capture is HyperPlanner's intelligent input system that transforms natural language into structured tasks and events. Instead of filling out forms or clicking through menus, simply type what you need to do and Smart Capture handles the rest.
Date/Time Parsing
Recognizes natural date and time expressions automatically
Context Detection
@mentions extract work, personal, and custom contexts
Priority Flags
!priority markers set urgency levels instantly
Smart Tags
#hashtags categorize and organize your tasks
One-Line Parsing
The heart of Smart Capture is its ability to understand a single line of text and extract all relevant information. Here's how it works:
Basic Example
Type this in the capture bar:
HyperPlanner automatically extracts:
💡 Pro Tip
The order of elements doesn't matter. You can put the date first, tags in the middle, or priority at the beginning. Smart Capture figures it out.
Date and Time Parsing
Smart Capture understands a wide variety of date and time formats:
| Input | Parsed As |
|---|---|
| tomorrow | Next day |
| next monday | Coming Monday |
| in 3 days | 3 days from now |
| next week | 7 days from now |
| dec 15 | December 15th |
| 12/15 | December 15th |
| 2pm | 2:00 PM today |
| 14:30 | 2:30 PM today |
| tomorrow at 3pm | Tomorrow at 3:00 PM |
| friday 9am-11am | Friday, 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM |
More Date Examples
Context Detection with @mentions
Use the @ symbol to assign context to your tasks:
| Context | Description |
|---|---|
| @work | Work-related tasks, shown during work hours |
| @personal | Personal tasks, hidden during focus mode |
| @home | Tasks to do at home |
| @errands | Tasks to do while out |
| @inbox | Uncategorized, needs processing |
| @waiting | Blocked, waiting on someone else |
📝 Note
You can create custom contexts in Settings. Once created, Smart Capture will recognize them automatically. Common custom contexts include @client-name, @project-x, or @gym.
Priority Levels with !flags
Set task urgency with exclamation marks:
| Flag | Priority | Visual Indicator |
|---|---|---|
| !high or !1 | High Priority | Red accent, top of list |
| !medium or !2 | Medium Priority | Yellow accent |
| !low or !3 | Low Priority | Blue accent, bottom of list |
Tags with #hashtags
Categorize tasks with hashtags for easy filtering and grouping:
💡 Pro Tip
Use consistent tag naming. Tags like #meeting, #review, and #planning help you filter your calendar view to see only certain types of events.
Complete Examples
Here are some real-world examples showing all features together:
Custom Phrase Mapping
Teach HyperPlanner your personal shortcuts and abbreviations. Custom phrases let you type faster by expanding short codes into full task properties.
Built-in Phrases
HyperPlanner comes with common phrases pre-configured:
| Phrase | Expands To |
|---|---|
| eod | Due today at 5:00 PM |
| eow | Due Friday at 5:00 PM |
| eom | Due last day of month |
| asap | Due today + !high priority |
| someday | No due date + !low priority |
| tm | Tomorrow |
Creating Custom Phrases
Define your own shortcuts in Settings > Smart Capture > Custom Phrases:
Advanced Phrase Patterns
Phrases can include multiple properties:
💡 Pro Tip
Create phrases for recurring meeting types. For example, standup could expand to 9:30am @work #daily 15min, automatically setting time, context, tags, and duration.
⚠️ Important
Custom phrases are case-insensitive. Both EOD and eod will work. However, if a phrase conflicts with a date keyword (like "friday"), the date takes precedence.
Inline Subtasks
Break down complex tasks as you type using the > separator. Each segment after the first becomes a subtask.
Basic Subtask Syntax
Subtasks with Properties
The main task inherits all properties; subtasks inherit context and tags:
Subtasks with Dates
The due date applies to the parent task. Subtasks can be individually scheduled later:
Real-World Examples
💡 Pro Tip
Subtasks are great for checklists. After creating a task with subtasks, you can reorder them by dragging, add due dates to individual subtasks, or convert a subtask into a standalone task.
📝 Note
There's no limit to the number of subtasks, but for readability we recommend keeping it under 10. For larger projects, consider creating separate tasks and linking them with tags.
Smart Conflict Hints
HyperPlanner watches your calendar as you type and alerts you to scheduling conflicts before they happen.
How Conflict Detection Works
When you enter a date and time, Smart Capture checks your existing events:
Types of Conflicts
| Conflict Type | Visual Indicator | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Overlap | Red warning border | New event overlaps with existing event |
| Back-to-Back | Yellow warning | No buffer between events (configurable) |
| Over-scheduled Day | Orange indicator | Day exceeds your meeting limit |
| Outside Work Hours | Gray notice | Scheduled outside your defined work hours |
Conflict Resolution Options
Real-Time Preview
As you type, the calendar panel highlights where your event will land:
Configuring Conflict Settings
Customize how Smart Capture handles conflicts in Settings > Calendar:
💡 Pro Tip
Enable "Focus Time Protection" to automatically warn when scheduling over blocks you've marked as focus time. Great for protecting deep work sessions.
⚠️ Important
Conflict detection only works with timed events. Tasks without specific times (just due dates) won't trigger conflict warnings. Convert them to time-blocked events for full conflict protection.
Conflict Hints in Action
Quick Reference
A cheat sheet for Smart Capture syntax:
Syntax Summary
| Element | Syntax | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Context | @name | @work, @personal, @home |
| Priority | !level | !high, !medium, !low, !1, !2, !3 |
| Tags | #tag | #planning, #review, #q4 |
| Subtasks | > | task > subtask1 > subtask2 |
| Time Range | start-end | 2pm-4pm, 9:00-11:30 |
| Duration | Xmin or Xhr | 30min, 1hr, 90min |
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl + K | Open Smart Capture bar |
| Enter | Create task/event |
| Tab | Auto-complete suggestion |
| Esc | Close capture bar |
| Ctrl + Enter | Create and open detail view |
| ↑ / ↓ | Navigate suggestions |
💡 Pro Tip
Press Ctrl + K twice quickly to open Smart Capture with your most recent input, making it easy to create similar tasks.
Troubleshooting
If a date isn't being parsed, try these formats:
- Use explicit keywords: "tomorrow", "next monday", "in 3 days"
- Use MM/DD format: "12/25" instead of "dec 25"
- Add "on" before dates: "on friday" instead of just "friday"
- Check that the word isn't part of your task title (use quotes if needed)
Make sure there's no space after the @ symbol. @work works, but @ work doesn't. If using custom contexts, ensure they're set up in Settings > Contexts first.
The > character needs spaces around it. Use task > subtask not task>subtask. Also check that you haven't disabled subtask parsing in Settings.
Custom phrases are processed after the title is extracted. If your phrase appears at the beginning, try moving it: "my task eod" instead of "eod my task". Also verify the phrase is saved in Settings > Smart Capture > Custom Phrases.