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How to use the Journal plugin

Allow users to record entries, track habits or moods, and set reminders — ideal for wellness, productivity, or reflection-based apps.

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Written by Support
Updated yesterday

The journal plugin lets users log their personal reflections, habits, or progress over time. App owners can enable reminders for inactivity, set custom messages, and track additional data such as mood, blood pressure, or heart rate. Admins can also assign special access to review journal entries using tags. This feature is highly flexible and can even integrate with other plugins like chat for more interactive journaling experiences.

Requirements

  • This is a Boost plugin, available on specific plans only.

How to use the Journal plugin

  1. Log in, go to Builder in the left navigation

  2. Click the + button to open the Plugin Marketplace

    • Search for Journal, then click Add Plugin

    • Name your plugin (e.g., “My Daily Journal”) and click Add

  3. Click the Content tab:

    • Enable Reminders to prompt users who haven’t written entries recently

    • Set the reminder cadence (e.g., daily, weekly, or custom intervals)

    • Write a custom reminder message that users will see

  4. Click the Settings tab:

    • Add an Admin Tag to grant selected users access to other users’ responses

    • (Optional) Enable settings to let users:

      1. Change dates or times of their entries

      2. Add titles to each journal entry

      3. Enable tracking for health metrics like blood pressure or heart rate

      4. Choose where data is stored — connect your own database if you require HIPAA compliance (contact Buildfire Support for setup requirements)

      5. Connect a companion feature, such as Chat, to pair conversations with journal entries

  5. Click the Slider section:

    • Customize the mood scale slider by editing text labels and icons

    • Replace the default faces with custom icons or emotions suited to your app’s theme

  6. Click the Activities section:

    • Add checklist-style activity items with icons, titles, and descriptions

    • Replace the default items to better match your app’s use case (e.g., “Drink water,” “Meditate,” “Exercise”)

  7. Click the Options section:

    • Add additional questions or optional selections that users can check when logging entries

    • Customize these to suit your journal type (e.g., gratitude, goals, or symptom tracking)

  8. Click the Security tab:

    • Turn on Require Login to restrict access to logged-in users

    • (Optional) Add tag-based restrictions to limit access to specific groups

  9. Click the Tagging tab:

    • Add behavioral tags that are automatically applied when users open or interact with the journal

  10. Click the Purchase tab:

    • Check Require Purchase to enable a paywall

    • Choose your product type (e.g., Single Purchase or Subscription)

    • Upload an image, fill out purchase text, and add success/failure messages

  11. Click the Analytics tab to view feature performance:

    • Track user engagement, number of entries created, and activity trends over time

Pro tips

  • Use reminders to re-engage users who stop journaling regularly.

  • Assign Admin Tags if you need to review or moderate entries in a controlled way.

  • Combine with the Chat plugin for guided journaling or therapist feedback loops.

  • When enabling health metrics, clearly communicate data privacy practices to users.

  • Always test database connections if you’re using custom or HIPAA-compliant storage.

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