You can create new items from the main menu without having to open a specific page. Doing so significantly reduces the amount of clicking and thinking you have to do to create something like a new note, feature, or release. By default, the create menu puts Spark first: describe the entity or board you want, and Spark builds it. You can also create items manually, or create and update entities from a Spark chat.
In this article:
The global create button
Click Create in the Global header to open the create menu from anywhere. The menu gives you two ways to create: describe what you want to Spark, or pick the item type yourself.
Creating with Spark
Create with Spark is the main input in the create menu. Describe any entity or board, and Spark builds it for you.
- In the Global header, click Create.
- In the Create with Spark input, describe what you want to create and press Enter/Return. For example, "Create a grid board for our growth sprints."
A new Spark chat will start. Spark may ask clarifying questions before proceeding. Spark also checks your workspace for similar existing entities before it creates anything. If it finds possible duplicates, it shows them so you can decide how to proceed.
Once you've answered any questions it has, Spark creates your entity or board immediately. New entities open with a Spark chat already attached, so you can keep refining them.
Creating manually
If you prefer to set up an item yourself, you can create it manually:
- In the Global header, click Create.
- Select the item or board type you wish to create. If you don't see the type you're looking for, click ••• More entities for more. Alternatively, click Import in the footer to import companies, feedback, or features from a spreadsheet.
- Give your new item a name. (If you selected a board instead of an item, it will open and you can configure it as normal).
- If your new item requires a parent or location, specify it. The parent picker shows a Suggested section at the top with up to five ranked candidates based on your recent placement history. If you haven’t placed items recently, it falls back to components and products you own.
- Click Create [item].
- A sidebar will appear with the details of your new item, and you can begin filling it out immediately.
Note: The sidebar will appear on top of your current page, meaning you won’t have to navigate back to whatever you were doing once you’re done configuring your new item. Just close the sidebar!
If you create an item from a filtered board with a single-value filter active, Productboard automatically applies that filter value to the new item. A notification confirms which values were pre-filled. See Simple filters for details.
Navigating the create menu with your keyboard
You can use the whole create menu from your keyboard:
- Press the arrow keys or Tab to move between options.
- Press Enter to select an option.
- Press Esc to close the menu.
Creating entities with Spark
Spark can create and update entities directly from a conversation, without opening the create menu. Describe what you want using plain language in any Spark chat, and Spark shows you a confirmation preview before making any changes.
You must have editor access to an entity to create or update it with Spark. If you have access:
- Open Spark and describe what you want to create. For example, "Create a feature called Dark mode under the Settings component."
- Review the confirmation preview Spark shows before committing the change.
- Confirm to create the entity, or ask Spark to adjust your request.
Spark supports features, subfeatures, components, initiatives, products, objectives, key results, releases, and release groups, and can handle up to 100 entities in a single request. You can also ask Spark to update existing entities or manage relationships between them, such as linking a feature to an initiative.
See Create and update entities from Spark for the full list of supported fields, relationship types, and example prompts.