# Projects and fields

Read the item tree, stable field declarations and task lifecycle separately from board display.

A project is an item in the shared tree. Its fields have stable declaration ids and types. Boards and saved views present the work; task ownership is a separate lifecycle.

## One tree

Projects, tasks, topics and milestones sit under parent items. A move changes the parent. Resolving an old topic path can identify its current destination; retain the item's id when working through the API.

## Declare once, address by id

Read the visible field declarations before using a field. A choice value is the option's id, not its label. A structured field carries its schema. The built-in Description is identified by its built-in marker.

A workflow-owned output field cannot be edited as if it were a person's input. Its source connection determines who writes it.

## Task ownership

- `open`: No participant holds the task.
- `taken`: One participant holds the task.
- `done`: The task has been finished.
- `dropped`: The task was abandoned with a reason.


Taking a task records a holder. The ordinary done and drop operations act as the authenticated participant; the server judges transitions and any administrative authority. A board's Status field does not replace this lifecycle.

## Views

A board groups items through its declared layout. Saved views add filters and ordering. Changing a view does not create a second copy of the task or a second permission model.