Task relations and the relations graph

A relation is a typed link between two tasks, such as Blocks, and the Relationsview draws all of them as a graph, so you can see how your work connects across lists and folders.

The tree says where a task lives; relations say what it has to do with other tasks.

Folders put each task in one place. Real work does not stay in one place: a bug holds up a launch in another list, a research note feeds three projects. Relations record those connections, and the graph shows them across the whole workspace.

Relations across lists: a product launch

flowchart LR
  subgraph Marketing
    LP["Launch the landing page"]
    CP["Write the copy"]
  end
  subgraph Design
    HD["Design the hero image"]
  end
  subgraph Bugs
    SB["Fix the sign-up bug"]
    DUP["Sign-up form fails on Safari"]
  end
  subgraph Research
    RN["Research: competitor pricing"]
    PR["Set the launch price"]
  end

  CP -- "blocks" --> LP
  HD -- "blocks" --> LP
  SB -- "relates to" --- LP
  DUP -- "duplicates" --> SB
  RN -- "mentions" --> PR
  PR -- "relates to" --- LP

These tasks live in four lists, yet the relations show them as one piece of work:

• what the launch waits for;
• which bug report is a duplicate;
• where the pricing decision came from.

Relation types: two readings of one relation

Every relation type reads one way from each end. On "Write the copy" the relation reads Blocks "Launch the landing page"; on the launch it reads Is blocked by "Write the copy". Hule comes with these types:

From this task	From the linked task
Blocks	Is blocked by
Relates to	Relates to
Duplicates	Is duplicated by
Mentions	Is mentioned in

Hule sets Mentions for you from a # mention; you cannot pick it in Add relation. The four built-in types cannot be edited or deleted. Types you add can be edited, and deleted once no relation uses them.

No separate dependencies

Hule has no separate dependency feature: a Blocks relation is how you record that one task waits for another.

A workspace can add its own types in its settings, under Relation Templates — for example Implements / Is implemented by — each drawn in its own style on the graph.

Who can add relation types

Adding, editing and deleting types takes the Relation templates permissions. Of the built-in permission sets, Admin and Super Admin have them; Worker and List/Folder manager do not.

Adding a relation: by hand or by mention

You add a relation by hand with Add relation in the task's Relations section: pick the type, then the other task (Link related tasks).

You need access to both tasks

You can relate two tasks when you can see both of them and edit at least one. See Sharing along the hierarchy.

Or type # and a task's name in a description or a comment, and Hule links the two tasks with Mentions for you. When no description or comment mentions the task any more, the relation goes with it. This way your notes build the graph as you write them.

Relations record, they do not enforce

A relation is information, not a rule: a task with an Is blocked by relation can still be completed. Hule shows the relation on both tasks and in the graph and leaves the decision to you. Automations do not read relations either: no automation can wait for a blocking task.

Relation reach: one workspace

Relations connect tasks anywhere in one workspace, across lists and folders, but not between workspaces.

Relations view: the whole graph

Relations is one of the eleven view types. It draws every task in the view's sources as a node, and every relation between two of those tasks as a line. When the view shows subtasks, the graph also draws a Sub-task line from each parent to its subtasks. Tasks without relations show too, so you can spot what is not connected yet. In Graph settings (the gear button Configure graph in the view header) you choose which relation types the graph shows and how it is drawn. The view's filter applies, so a graph can cover one project or a whole workspace.

A single task also has Show graph in its Relations section, for its own neighborhood.

Turning relations off in a list

A list can turn relations off in Configure List → Features → Relations. The Relations section leaves the task card, and existing relations keep their data. See Set up a list.

Relation guides and recipes

• Link tasks: Link related tasks.
• Build a knowledge map: Build a second brain with relations.