# Views

> A view shows your records as a table, a board, a calendar or a graph without copying them; the view types you can create.

URL: https://doc.synap.live/docs/concepts/views · Last reviewed against the code: 2026-11-04

A view is a way of looking at records you already have. It is not a copy of your data: it stores a query (which
records, filtered and sorted how) and a configuration (how to draw them). Show the same tasks as a sheet, a kanban
board grouped by status, or a calendar, and the tasks stay where they are. Edit a record in one view and every other
view shows the change.

## View types you can create

| View type | Shows records as |
|---|---|
| `sheet` | A spreadsheet-like table |
| `list` | A list, optionally grouped by a field |
| `grid` | Cards in a grid |
| `gallery` | Cards led by a cover image taken from a field |
| `kanban` | Columns grouped by a field, such as a status |
| `matrix` | A two-axis grid, one field for columns and one for rows |
| `masonry` | A feed of cards of varying height |
| `calendar` | Items placed on dates |
| `gantt` | Bars between a start date and an end date |
| `timeline` | Events in time order |
| `graph` | Records and the links between them |
| `flow` | A directed graph or flowchart, for processes and workflows |
| `map` | Locations on a map, optionally joined by routes |
| `bento` | A dashboard of widgets, each showing a number, a chart or another view |
| `whiteboard` | A free canvas you draw on |

A whiteboard holds the shapes drawn on it rather than a query. The others read your records each time they open.

Four more types still open but are not offered for a new view: `table` (replaced by `sheet`), `zoom_map` (retired as a
new view), `branch_tree` (used only inside a conversation) and `pipeline` (created by the features that use it).

## Creating a view

- **From an agent**: `synap_create_view` takes a name, a type, a space or a project, and an optional configuration.
  Call `synap_list_views` first so you do not create a duplicate, and `synap_list_widgets` before you place widgets on
  a bento. See [MCP tools](/docs/reference/mcp-tools).
- **Over HTTP**: `GET` and `POST /api/hub/views` list and create views, and `PATCH /api/hub/views/{viewId}` changes
  one. See the [Hub REST API](/docs/reference/hub-api).

Because a view is configuration, an agent can build one from a plain request. "Show my deals as a board by stage"
becomes a `kanban` view of the `deal` kind with `groupByField` set to the stage field. An agent's new view follows the
[validation policy](/docs/concepts/validation-policy) like any other write, so it can come back as a proposal.