Working with Events

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Events are the building blocks of your timeline — time-anchored nodes representing things that happened.


Creating an Event

From the Timeline Lens

  1. Open an investigation and click the Timeline tab.
  2. Click the + Event button in the toolbar, or press N.
  3. The Create Event dialog opens. Fill in the fields:
FieldRequiredDescription
TitleYesA concise description of what happened (e.g., "Board votes to authorize acquisition")
Canonical TimeNoThe date and time in ISO 8601 format. If left blank, the event is placed at the end of the sequence.
Time PrecisionNoChoose the precision level that matches your certainty about the time
DescriptionNoA longer narrative description with context, details, and notes
StatusNoThe verification state
  1. Click Create.

The event appears as a card in the timeline sequence.

What you'll see: The event card shows the title, status badge, time precision indicator, and formatted timestamp. It appears in chronological position relative to other events.


Time Precision

Every event records a canonical_time — your best estimate of when it occurred — and a time_precision — how certain you are about that time.

Choosing the Right Precision

PrecisionUse whenExample input
exactYou know the precise time (to the second)2024-01-15T09:30:00Z
estimated_date_timeYou have a specific estimate but aren't 100% sure2024-01-15T09:30:00Z (precision flag tells viewers this is approximate)
exact_time_period_rangeYou know the event happened within a specific windowStart: 2024-01-15T09:00:00Z, End: 2024-01-15T11:00:00Z
estimated_time_period_rangeYou estimate the window but aren't sure about the boundsStart: 2024-01-15T09:00:00Z, End: 2024-01-15T11:00:00Z

Be honest about uncertainty. A tool that demands exact times forces you to fabricate precision. This tool forces you to record what you actually know.

Time Confidence

Alongside precision, every event has a time_confidence score (0–100). You can have an exact timestamp with low confidence, or an estimated range with high confidence.


Editing an Event

  1. On the timeline, select the event card or click it.
  2. Click the Edit (pencil icon) button, or press E.
  3. The Edit Event dialog opens with current values pre-filled.
  4. Modify any field.
  5. Click Save.

You can also edit an event from its detail page at /app/investigations/[investigationId]/timeline/events/[eventId] by clicking the Edit button in the header.


Deleting an Event

  1. On the timeline, select the event you want to delete.
  2. A delete button appears on the expanded card. Click it.
  3. Confirm in the dialog.

Deleting an event is a soft delete. The data is archived and recoverable through the revision system.


The Event Detail Page

Each event has a dedicated page at /app/investigations/[investigationId]/timeline/events/[eventId]. This page shows the complete picture for a single event, within the investigation context.

  • From the Timeline lens: click an event's title or the arrow on its card
  • From the Evidence lens: click a claim's parent event
  • From the Knowledge lens: click an entity's linked event
  • From search results: click any event result
  • From the Review Queue: click an event item

Page Layout

  • Event title with status badge and time precision indicator
  • History button — view revision history
  • Edit button — modify the event
  • Delete button — remove the event

Description Card

  • The event's full description text

Location Card

  • If the event has coordinates, an interactive map is displayed
  • Location name, coordinates, and address fields

Claims Section

  • All claims attached to this event, shown as cards
  • Each claim card shows: claim text, status badge, source link, and confidence percentage
  • + Add button to create a new claim

Linked Entities Section

  • All entities linked to this event, shown as badges
  • + Link button to link additional entities

Annotations

  • Visual annotations with revision tracking

Setting an Event's Location

  1. Click the Edit button on the event.
  2. In the dialog, expand the Location section.
  3. Use the search field to find existing locations, or create a new one with coordinates or a geocoded address.
  4. A live map preview confirms the selection.
  5. Click Save.

To remove a location, clear the selection and save.


Linking Entities to an Event

  1. Under "Linked Entities" on the event card or detail page, click + Link.
  2. Search for an existing entity by name (matches against canonical names and aliases).
  3. Select an entity and add optional notes about its role.
  4. Click Link.

Unlink an entity by clicking the X on its badge.


Event Statuses

StatusUse When
reportedA source mentions this event, but you haven't evaluated it yet
allegedSomeone claims this event occurred, but confirmation is pending
confirmedMultiple reliable sources verify this event
disputedAt least one credible source contradicts this event's details
contradictedEvidence shows this event did not happen or happened differently
inferredThe event is logically deduced from other confirmed events
supersededThis event record has been replaced by a more accurate version
retractedPreviously reported but since withdrawn by the source
sealedRestricted access — not publicly visible

A typical workflow: reportedallegedconfirmed. Don't leave events at reported indefinitely.


Next: Claims and Sources →