Nested Loop Components

Question

Good afternoon, I am running into an issue with loop components, specifically task lists.

I have a meeting notes page within loop that I am looking to use to keep track of notes, agenda items, and tasks during that meeting.

I am also looking to track the tasks in its own to do list component, so that way one doesn't need to hunt from meeting notes to meeting notes to find particular to do tasks.

When I try to make a master to do list, and then place it in a page, it initially works fine, however, if I then copy the meeting notes as their own component, ie for use in a teams chat or an email, the task list now only displays as a link, or as a link with the to do logo next to it.

Answer 1

Basically Correct, here is a chain of events:

1.) Create page with To Do list on it (Functions)

2.) Create page, use meeting agenda or similar format template (functional)

3.) Copy To Do list from step 1 as a component, replace the one inserted by the template in the agenda page created by Step 2 (functional)

4.) Copy the Agenda page created in step 2 as a Loop Component for use elsewhere. To Do list now does not display properly within that copied component (non functional)

Step 4 is the image I shared.

Oddly, I have run into another error, which seems to depend on the order you perform 1-4 above in, where the to do list shows up as a hyperlink. This occurs if the page which is intended to contain it is turned into a loop component prior to adding the component to do list to it, or essentially swapping steps 4 and 3.

Answer 2

OK, I think I see what is going on. As I said components are files. You are referencing a file within a file where the "wrapper" file is really just a URL pointing to a file that then tries to render the file referenced by the "internal" Component URL. Or put another way you are trying to render a webpage inside a webpage. All of which seems awfully complicated. There is no reason to have a Component in a Component, as anyone who has access to the wrapper Component will have access to everything in it.

We have a situation where we want Action Items from all meetings to "roll up" to a project status page. The method we use is below.

1. Create a Planner plan* for your action items.
2. Create a Project Dashboard/RAID page or skip to step 3 and use sub step 3.
   1. If using a Planner, use the /planner function to insert in the page.
   2. If using Tasks or Kanban use those functions.
      1. Create a Component from the Tasks or Kanban.
      2. Use the Copy Component function to get a link. Make sure to open the settings to grant permissions as needed. The default is "People who already have access."
3. Create a meeting page using the MS template or manually as you desire.
   1. If using Planner use the /planner function to insert the same plan as above on this page.
   2. If using the Tasks or Kanban, paste the Component you copied from the Dashboard/RAID page into this meeting page.
   3. Alternately if you create a meeting page and create a Component of the Action Items list, you can then copy that Component from one meeting to the next.

Keep in mind that when you copy a Component you are always pointing to the same file. Everything from everywhere that Component was "copied" to will be visible and editable any other place you copy it to.

Also, there is a "Share Loop Component" function in the ellipsis menu for pages. Easier than selecting all the contents to make a component, and it works differently, so a Component on a page shared as a Component will work properly. There is also a "Duplicate page" function which is what we use in place of the ability to create custom templates that MS hasn't gotten around to yet.

*Reason being you can't filter the Tasks list in Loop, nor can you sort by status. If you are maintaining a longer running action item list, you can't make the completed tasks go away, they will always be at the top. Also, Tasks does not allow @mentions or even comments as they are not associated with an AD group. The Kanban function in Loop does allow @mentions and comments but when you assign a task it does not sync with To Do, so the user has to go to the Kanban in Loop to see work. Plus, you don't have to copy Plans. Just use the /planner function and pick the plan you want from the list that comes up. No need to remember or go to the page you created it on. But the method above will work with any of the three options.

Yes, I see the irony of writing a novella as a simpler method to your 4 steps.

Answer 3

Thanks for the help. We really dont want to use planner for this as we are trying to keep interactions in a singular app as much as possible, as that tends to be much better for a user experience. Especially until the planner/to do/project update MS has been talking about rolls out, as planner in its current form leaves a lot to be desired.

I am already using copy component under the ellipse menu, that is how this originally arose.

Unfortunately our use case really does call for nested components, which I imagine is going to be a very common use case as Loop tries to compete with Notion.

Answer 4

OK, this has become a personal mission to find a solution for your use case. Hope you don't mind me continuing to dig.

When you say, "Copy the Agenda page created in step 2 as a Loop Component for use elsewhere." what exactly do you mean by "for use elsewhere"?

1. Pasted on a dashboard page for project status overview?
2. Used as a template for other meetings with other teams or different meetings on the same team?
3. Are you intending for every meeting to have the same agenda, notes, attendees (including who was or was not there), in addition to the action items?

Answer 5

Basically what we are looking to do is this:

1. Our leadership team has a Loop workspace with pages used for meeting minutes (collection of subpages) and tasking.
2. The tasking page is intended to me a master list of short term tasking, particularly as it comes out of our team meetings i. This task list would need to be copied as a component into meeting agendas below, as well as standalone as part of email, teams chat, etc.
3. We want to use Loop for our weekly team meeting agenda, notes, and action items i. This required the use of a component to past in the prime task list as mention in 2.i. above. ii. This agenda/note page will itself sometimes be shared as a component in teams chats and other locations. The idea is for its nested task list to display properly.

This may be made moot by the upcoming changes to Planner/To Do/Project, which are IMO in dire need of update, but in the interim it is an adoption barrier.

I still think Loop has a long way to go to get anywhere near Notion, but as its our corporate suite I have to work with it for the moment.

Thanks,