Adaptive Cards and Task Previews

Adaptive Cards and Task Previews

AB Projects posts Adaptive Cards (interactive message cards in Microsoft Teams) into the linked channel so the team sees task activity without opening the app. Each card is a snapshot of the task at that moment, plus what just changed — and the thread underneath it is more than chat.

When a card is posted

  • Every comment on a task posts a card (or a threaded reply) to the linked channel.
  • Every task change — creation, status, progress, completion, assignee, dates, priority, type, environment — posts a card carrying the reason the editor entered.
  • The first card for a task starts its thread; every later card for that task is a reply in the same thread, so all of a task’s activity stays grouped.
  • When a task is deleted or omitted, a short notice is posted so the channel isn’t left wondering where it went.

What a card shows

A task card is a full preview, not just a title:

Card elementWhat it tells you
Priority & datesPriority badge (🔴 High / 🟡 Medium / 🟢 Low) and the start → due date range, with an overdue warning when the due date has passed
The update itselfThe comment text or change summary, and — for changes — a diff of the most recent edits (field: old → new) next to the reason entered
Identity & progressThe task ID badge (e.g. “AB · 747”), the title (with a ✅ when complete), and a progress bar with percentage
Badges & peopleType, status, and environment badges; the assignee (avatar and name); subtask count (done / total); comment count; who created the task
Open buttonDeep-links straight to the task in the AB Projects tab — no searching

Channel behavior

  • Cards go to the one Teams channel the project is linked to.
  • Members you selected in the comment’s mention picker are @mentioned in the card’s message, so notification happens through Teams natively.
  • If a card’s original message becomes unreachable, AB Projects automatically posts a fresh card instead — updates are never silently lost.
  • Adaptive Cards render on both desktop and mobile Teams, so the same preview works wherever the team is.

Tips

  • Write a clear reason when you change a task — it appears on the card next to the field diff, so the channel sees exactly what changed and why.
  • Use the Open button to jump straight to the task instead of hunting for it in the tab.
  • Reply in the task’s thread rather than a new channel message; it flows back into the task and stays grouped with its activity.

A card is the task’s pulse in the channel: what it looks like right now, what just changed, and one button to act on it.

Published on 2025-07-07
Last updated on 2026-07-17
Version 7