A board is a single screen, page, or flow inside a project. Its settings — especially the viewport mode — determine how it's planned and displayed. This article walks through every board setting and how to pick the right one.
Board anatomy
Each board has:
- A title (the screen name) and an auto-generated board key slug.
- A viewport mode that signals what kind of artifact it is.
- A status (draft by default).
- An optional thumbnail preview image.
- A layout document containing its frames and blocks.
Viewport modes explained
The viewport mode is the most important board setting. Choose the one that matches what you're planning:
- Responsive — the default. Plans one screen across Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile frames. Use for websites, landing pages, marketing pages, dashboards, and admin panels.
- Mobile — phone-first screens and navigation flows. Use for mobile app boards.
- Tablet — tablet layouts with split panels and detail views.
- Email — a single email or newsletter layout with stacked content blocks.
- Canvas — free-form, where fixed breakpoints don't apply. Use for user flows, sitemaps, and component boards.
Tip: Pick the viewport mode when you create the board. It sets the right defaults and tells reviewers at a glance whether they're looking at a web page, an app screen, an email, or a flow.
Choosing the right mode
| You're planning... | Use viewport mode |
|---|---|
| A marketing or web page across breakpoints | Responsive |
| A phone app screen | Mobile |
| A tablet split-view layout | Tablet |
| A marketing email or newsletter | |
| A user journey, sitemap, or component inventory | Canvas |
Board status
Like projects, boards carry a status (draft by default). Use it to track which screens are still rough versus finalized within a project, so a reviewer knows where to focus.
Thumbnails
A board can have a thumbnail — a small preview image shown in the Boards list and on project cards. Thumbnails make a project with many boards far easier to scan than a wall of titles.
Board keys
Every board has a board key — a short, URL-safe slug auto-generated from the title. It's a stable reference used throughout the app, so renaming a board's display title doesn't break links to it.
Edit board settings
Reopen a board to change its title, viewport mode, status, or thumbnail. Changes save through the StretchWire service and refresh the board's last-updated timestamp, keeping it current in Recent and the Boards list.
Example
Inside an Acme App project you create three boards: Onboarding (mobile), Settings (tablet), and Signup Flow (canvas). The Boards list shows each with its viewport chip, so a reviewer instantly sees which is a phone screen, which is a tablet layout, and which is a flow diagram — no guessing.
Tips
- Use canvas boards for anything that isn't a single laid-out screen — flows, maps, and shared component inventories.
- Add thumbnails to boards in large projects so the list stays scannable.
- Keep board titles specific (
Checkout - Payment, notPage 3) so the board key and list stay meaningful.
FAQ
Can I change a board's viewport mode later? Yes. Reopen the board and update the mode. Note that switching between very different modes (e.g., responsive to canvas) changes how the board is meant to be laid out.
What happens to my frames if I switch modes? Your existing frames and blocks remain in the board document; the viewport mode is a signal for how the board is planned and displayed.
Do I have to set a thumbnail? No — it's optional, but helpful in projects with many boards.
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