Activity Sets

Build and apply Activity Sets in Daylite: reusable templates of Tasks and Appointments that create a complete, automatically dated set of activities on any record in one step

An Activity Set is a saved template of Tasks and Appointments that you build once and apply to any record. Applying it creates the real Tasks and Appointments all at once, with their dates already calculated. You run a repeatable process the same way every time, without rebuilding the same schedule by hand for every deal, client, or case. This article covers building an Activity Set and applying one to a record.

Key Facts:

• An Activity Set is a saved template of Tasks and Appointments applied to a record in one step.
• It can be applied to People, Companies, Projects, Opportunities, and Groups.
• Applying an Activity Set creates all the Tasks and Appointments at once, with due dates and start dates already calculated.
• A Task's due date and an Appointment's start date is dated from either the start date or the end date you enter when applying, set per item, and allows you to skip chosen days of the week.
• Activity Sets can only be created and applied on Mac. They are not available on iPhone or iPad.
• Activity Sets must be created by a database administrator in Settings > Activity Set before anyone can apply them.

What Is an Activity Set?

An Activity Set is a predefined collection of Tasks and Appointments for a process your team repeats the same way each time.

This makes Activity Sets useful for any deadline-driven or checklist-driven process. Common examples:

• Court proceedings preparation for legal firms
• Client onboarding steps for consultancies
• House closing checklists for real estate
• Film shoot planning for creative professionals
• Sales follow-up sequences

Each Task and Appointment in the set is dated relative to a start or end date you provide when you apply it. See How Activity Sets Calculate Dates below.

Activity Sets vs Pipelines

Activity Sets and Pipelines are close cousins. Both let an administrator predefine a collection of Tasks and Appointments that Daylite then creates on a record, and both are built in nearly the same way. The difference is structure.

A Pipeline organizes its Tasks and Appointments under sequential stages. You advance through the stages one at a time, each stage's activities are created as you reach it, and you are expected to finish one stage before moving to the next. The Pipeline tracks where you are in that sequence. Pipelines apply to Projects and Opportunities only.

An Activity Set has no stages. It is a single flat batch of Tasks and Appointments that are all created at once when you apply the set, with dates calculated from one reference date. Nothing is bound to a stage or a required order, which makes an Activity Set the more freeform, unbounded option.

	Activity Set	Pipeline
Structure	Flat batch of Tasks and Appointments, no stages	Tasks and Appointments organized under sequential stages
When items are created	All at once, when you apply the set	Per stage, as you start or advance to each stage
Progression	None. Dates drive the schedule	Advance stage by stage, finishing one before the next
Applies to	People, Companies, Projects, Opportunities, Groups	Projects and Opportunities only

Because they overlap, teams often use both on the same Project or Opportunity, choosing a Pipeline when the process is a gated sequence and an Activity Set when it is a one-shot batch of dated activities. For more on Pipelines, see Pipelines in Daylite.

How to Create an Activity Set Template

Activity Sets are created and edited by a database administrator in Settings > Activity Set. Only Activity Sets marked Active are available to apply.

1. Open Daylite > Settings.
2. Click Activity Set.
3. Click the + button at the bottom-left of the window.
4. Enter a name and a short description.
5. Select Active to make the set available to apply in Daylite.
6. Select the record types the set applies to: People, Companies, Projects, Opportunities, and/or Groups.
7. Add Tasks and Appointments:

   • In the New Activity Set area, click the + button.
   • Choose Add Task or Add Appointment.
   • Enter the details for each item, including its relative date offset.

For each Task and Appointment, set its date offset and choose whether it is calculated from the set's start date or end date. See How Activity Sets Calculate Dates. Reorder Tasks and Appointments within the set by dragging and dropping. To delete a set, select it and click the − button.

Include @@ in a Task or Appointment title, and Daylite swaps in the record name when the set is applied. For example, "Send welcome packet to @@" becomes "Send welcome packet to Acme Corp" when the set is applied to a Company named Acme Corp. The token is optional.

How Activity Sets Calculate Dates

An Activity Set stores relative dates rather than fixed calendar dates. You set each Task's due date and each Appointment's start date as an offset from either the Activity Set's start date or its end date, and you make that choice for each item individually. A single set can mix the two: one Task can be due 2 days after the start date while another is due 3 days before the end date.

When you apply the set, you provide the start date, the end date, or both, and Daylite converts every offset into a real date against the anchor each item was configured with.

You can also exclude chosen days of the week from the count. If a Task is due 3 days before the end date, you can have Daylite skip Saturdays and Sundays so the date lands on a working day. Any day of the week can be skipped.

How to Apply an Activity Set

After an Activity Set has been created in Settings, any Daylite user can apply it to a record.

1. Select a Person, Company, Project, Opportunity, or Group.
2. Choose File > New > New Activity Set, or click the Quick Action button and choose New Activity Set.
3. In the sheet that opens:

   • Select an Activity Set from the list.
   • Enter the start date, the end date, or both.
   • Optional. Click Add Link to link the created Tasks and Appointments to another record. Search for the record and double-click to link it.
4. Click Create.

Daylite creates every Task and Appointment in the set, assigns real dates from the reference date you entered, and shows them in the Activity view of the record.

The Tasks and Appointments an Activity Set creates are independent records. You can edit or complete them individually. Editing the Activity Set template later does not change items that were already created from it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Activity Sets on iPhone or iPad?

No. Activity Sets can only be created and applied on Mac. The Tasks and Appointments they create sync to iPhone and iPad as normal records, but you cannot apply an Activity Set from those devices.

What happens to my Tasks if the Activity Set is later changed or deleted?

Nothing happens to Tasks you have already created. Once applied, the Tasks and Appointments become independent records on the object. Editing the Activity Set in Settings changes only future applications, and deleting the set removes it from the list you can apply but leaves already-created Tasks and Appointments in place.