# Welcome: coming from TaskNotes

If you used TaskNotes, you already think the way Operon's deepest shape works: a task is a note, with its fields in frontmatter and its body as a place to work. Operon calls that a [file task](/docs/docs-013-file-tasks/), so the core of your habit carries straight over. Two things are new. Operon also has a lighter shape, the [inline task](/docs/docs-011-inline-tasks/) (a single line inside any note), and every Operon task must have a durable identity, the `operonId`. This page orients you; the step-by-step move is in [How to migrate from TaskNotes](/docs/docs-093-how-to-migrate-from-tasknotes/).

## The honest summary

Operon does not have a TaskNotes importer. There is no button labeled "import from TaskNotes." What it has instead is a **bridge** built from features you would use anyway, and it works well:

- **Key Mappings** let Operon read and write your existing property names, so it speaks your frontmatter rather than forcing a rename. See [Key mappings](/docs/docs-039-key-mappings/).
- A **folder scan** adopts your existing notes as Operon file tasks in bulk, preserving their frontmatter and adding only what Operon needs. See [Bulk convert a folder into file tasks](/docs/docs-082-bulk-convert-a-folder-into-file-tasks/).
- **Custom Keys** cover any property that has no built-in Operon equivalent. See [Custom keys](/docs/docs-040-custom-keys/).

The one real friction is that an Operon task **must** carry an `operonId`. There is no option to turn that off. So the move is interoperability, not a frictionless one-click import, but it is a clear, repeatable path.

At a glance, a note you already have:

```yaml
---
title: Draft release notes
due: 2026-05-31
---
```

is the same note after the bridge, with your `due` mapped to Operon's `dateDue` and only an `operonId` added:

```yaml
---
title: Draft release notes
due: 2026-05-31
operonId: {{operonId}}
---
```

Your frontmatter is preserved as-is; Operon writes a real `operonId` (shown here as the template variable) and reads `due` as the task's due date.

## What you gain

Alongside the file-task workflow you already know, Operon adds:

- **Inline tasks** for quick capture, so not every task has to become a note. See [One workflow, two task shapes](/docs/docs-072-one-workflow-two-task-shapes/).
- **Unified views.** Your file tasks and any inline tasks appear together in the same [Filter View](/docs/docs-025-filter-view/), [Calendar](/docs/docs-028-calendar-overview/), and [Kanban](/docs/docs-030-kanban-overview/).
- **Focused time work** with [FlowTime](/docs/docs-035-flowtime-focus-sessions/), a focus session with breaks and overtime, and TrackTime for plain logging.

## How Operon differs from TaskNotes

- **Identity is required.** Every task has an `operonId`. It is what keeps a task recognizable across views and edits. See [Task identity and operonId](/docs/docs-015-task-identity-and-operonid/).
- **Mapping is the bridge.** Instead of a fixed schema, you map Operon's fields to your property names, and the value types must match. See [Key mappings](/docs/docs-039-key-mappings/).
- **Two shapes, not one.** TaskNotes makes every task a note; Operon lets a task be a quick line or a full note, and convert between them.
- **Statuses can drive a board.** Operon tasks move through a pipeline of statuses. Those statuses can define either Kanban axis; boards can also group by other properties. See [Pipelines and statuses](/docs/docs-037-pipelines-and-statuses/).

If you keep TaskNotes installed while you move, a few things can clash, since both manage the same file-task notes, use different status systems, and measure time differently (Operon in seconds). Treat running both as a temporary bridge and see the conflicts section in [How to migrate from TaskNotes](/docs/docs-093-how-to-migrate-from-tasknotes/).

## Next step

When you are ready to actually move, follow [How to migrate from TaskNotes](/docs/docs-093-how-to-migrate-from-tasknotes/) in order. For the questions that come up first, see [FAQ for TaskNotes users](/docs/docs-080-faq-for-tasknotes-users/).

## Related

- [Operon Docs MOC](/docs/docs-001-operon-docs-moc/)