Purpose
The generator turns a future moving date and optional planning details into a dated checklist. It is general planning guidance, not a statement of legal deadlines, provider availability, or contractual requirements.
Timeline phases
The plan uses eight phases: eight, six, four, two, and one week before moving; the day before; moving day; and the first week after. This keeps early decisions separate from final preparation and post-move follow-through.
Date calculation
Python date arithmetic calculates each phase from the selected move date. Multi-day planning phases display a seven-day working range. The day-before and moving-day phases display a single date, while the post-move phase covers days one through seven after the move.
Base tasks
Every plan receives stable task IDs and a core set of budgeting, inventory, mover research, packing, utilities, paperwork, access, moving-day, and settling-in tasks. Stable IDs allow anonymous browser progress to survive a refresh.
Conditional tasks
The moving method and housing situation add relevant tasks for professional movers, rental trucks, containers, renters, or homeowners. Move type can add long-distance, interstate, or international research and travel preparation without asserting universal rules.
Personalization logic
Optional flags add tasks for children, pets, storage, specialty items, home offices, and building access. Empty optional fields do not create tasks. Unknown query values are ignored and replaced with safe defaults.
Calendar export
The ICS download contains six all-day milestones: start research and budgeting, confirm the moving arrangement, complete access and utility planning, finish most packing, moving day, and first-week inspection. Small tasks remain in the checklist to avoid overcrowding a calendar.
Progress storage
Completed task IDs are saved in localStorage under a key based on move date and non-sensitive planning selections. Names, contact details, addresses, and completion state are not placed in shared URLs or sent to a user account.
Limitations
The plan cannot know contract terms, local rules, provider availability, exact inventory, travel requirements, school processes, or property-specific instructions. Users should adjust dates and verify external requirements with authoritative sources.
Update policy
Task wording and sequencing are reviewed when the planning model changes. Dates shown on a generated timeline come from the selected move date; they are not editorial update timestamps.
Sources
The current task model uses internal editorial planning guidance. No validation study or external timing source is claimed. Verified sources will be disclosed if regulatory requirements or evidence-based scheduling guidance are added.