How To Create A To Do List In WordPress
Time always seems to be in short supply, especially if you run a fast-paced business.
There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have deadlines to meet, urgent tasks to complete, meetings to attend, fires to extinguish, appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The “doing” never seems to end.
Now … add the extra dimension of trying to promote and grow your business online and keeping your website or blog updated with new content and everything suddenly begins feeling unmanageable and overwhelming.
Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a project, you need to be able to organize and manage your day.
A simple proven tool that can help you save time, create a sense of order and manageability, and allow you to gain some control is to use “to-do” lists.
To Do Lists – Benefits
A “to do” list can help to keep you on track and measure your progress when trying to achieve specific objectives. Your to-do list can be very detailed and specific, or just serve as a reminder of what needs to be done over a given period of time.
Here are some of the many benefits of using to-do lists:
Free Up Resources
Creating to-do lists means you don’t have to try to memorize things or store information inside your brain. Once things are written down on a to do list, your head is free to process other information and you can focus on other important areas.
Be More Strategic
By creating and organizing your to-do list, you can see the larger picture and come up with a strategy for getting everything done on budget and on time.
Reschedule And Reorganize Quickly
Using to do lists help you better deal with situations. If you suddenly find that an appointment gets cancelled at the last minute or extra time becomes available because some task got completed sooner than expected, you can continue moving forward with no disruption.
Less Stress
Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and very little time to do it in. Using to-do lists allow you to work on important tasks that need to be completed within the time you have available, and reschedule tasks that can be addressed at a later time. This can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and help to take away some of the stress you (and your team) may be feeling.
Feeling Of Accomplishment
Ticking items off to do lists not only makes you feel more positive, motivated and in-control, it also allows you to stress less, as you can objectively see (or show) that work is indeed being completed and that progress is being made.
As you can see, there are many benefits to using a to-do list, both in business and in your personal life. Creating a to-do list, prioritizing tasks and working systematically improves productivity and efficiency in your business.
What about using to do lists on your website?
In this step-by-step tutorial we are going to show you how to easily create to do lists in WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity using a great little plugin for WordPress called Cleverness To-Do List.
Cleverness To Do List
Download The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin
http://wordpress.org/plugins/cleverness-to-do-list/
Plugin Description
This plugin provides users with a to-do list feature.
Features
Note: the features listed below will be discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.
You can configure Cleverness To-Do List with private to do lists for each user, to have all users share the same to-do list, or to have a master list with individual completion of items.
The shared to do list includes different settings. You can assign to-do items to specific users (this includes a setting to email a new to do item to users) and optionally to have those items be viewable by that user. You can also assign different permission levels to different users. There are also settings available to display deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well in the front-end administration.
A new menu item is added to the backend to manage your list and your to-do list can also display on the dashboard widget.
A sidebar widget is also available as short code to display the to do list items on your blog. There are two short codes for front-end administration of your list. Category management is accessible via the back-end admin section.
If you plan to set up a multi-author site you can use this plugin to create custom to-do lists for your post editors if you also use a copy of the Post Planner plugin.
Installing The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin
From your site’s admin, choose Plugins > Add New …
In the Install Plugins screen, type in “cleverness” into the search field and click the Enter button on your keyboard …
Locate the Cleverness To-Do List plugin in the Search Results tab and click Install Now …
Click Activate Plugin …
Note: You can also activate the plugin in the Plugins section …
When the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …
Note: You can also get to the plugin’s ‘Settings’ screen by selecting To-Do List > Settings from the admin menu …
This brings you to the plugin ‘Settings’ page …
Let’s configure the plugin …
Configuring The Plugin
The Settings screen is divided into four sections:
- To-Do List Settings – The options in this area let you specify the main plugin settings.
- Advanced Settings – The options in this tab let you customize To-Do lists, assign to-do items to other users and perform plugin database maintenance tasks.
- User Permissions – The options in this tab let you set up user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types.
- Import/Export – This area is where you can import and export to-do plugin and list data settings.
Let’s review each of these sections.
To-Do List Settings
To-Do List Categories
Select ‘Enabled’ to organize lists into categories, otherwise leave this option set to ‘Disabled’.
Note: When you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item is added to the To-Do List plugin menu …
This allows you to add categories to your to-do lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …
You can set up ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your lists.
Categories marked ‘private’ are not visible using widgets or short codes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)
List View
List View allows you to choose how your lists are viewed. There are 3 kinds of to do list views you can select:
- Individual – Selecting this option allows each user to create and manage their own private to-do list.
- Group – Choose this option if you want all users to be able to share one to-do list.
- Master – This option allows you to have a master list for all users, where users have their own individual items to complete. If you choose the ‘Master’ list view, make sure that you adjust the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (see further below).
Sort Order
‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to order to-do list items.
If you choose Alphabetical, Category or ID options, items will be first sorted by priority.
Show Added By
Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display which of your members has added an item to the to-do list.
Note: This setting only applies if ‘List View’ is set to ‘Group’.
Show Date Completed
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), completion dates will display for your to-do tasks.
Show Deadline
Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you specify deadlines for to-do tasks …
Show Progress
Enabling this option lets you specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …
Show Admin Bar Menu
If enabled, the ‘To-Do List’ menu will display in your WordPress Dashboard Admin bar …
Use WYSIWYG Editor
If enabled (‘Yes’), you can add and edit items on your to-do list using the WordPress WYSIWYG Editor …
Use Auto Paragraphs
If enabled (‘Yes’), automatic paragraphs are used to display content in to-do lists.
Integrate with Post Planner
If you are running a multi-author site or blog, you can integrate the Cleverness To Do List plugin with a plugin called WordPress Post Planner, developed by the same author that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …
Visit this site to learn more about using this handy plugin: WordPress Post Planner – WordPress Multi-Author Publishing Plugin
After you have finished configuring your options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …
Advanced Settings
After you have configured the general settings, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab …
This brings up the ‘Advanced Settings’ area …
In this area you can customize your To Do lists, assign to-do tasks to users and perform plugin database maintenance.
Let’s go through how to configure the plugin’s ‘Advanced Settings’ section …
To-Do List Advanced Settings > Customize The To-Do List
This section of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab allows you to customize your To-Do List …
The following settings can be configured in this section:
Date Format
Here you can specify how to display dates in your to-do lists (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)
Note: To learn more about formatting dates in WordPress, see the date section of the WordPress Codex below:
WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time
Priority Labels
In this area you can customize your labels for prioritizing highest, normal and low items …
Items prioritized as “important” are colour-coded in red in the lists and lowest priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …
Show To-Do Item ID
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), the items’ IDs display on your to-do list …
Show Date To-Do Was Added
If enabled (‘Yes’), the date the to-do list was added will display on the To-Do Items table …
To-Do List Advanced Settings > Assign To-Do Items Settings
If you have chosen ‘Group’ or ‘Master’ View for your to-do list, you can configure the settings in this area and assign to-do items to other users …
You can configure the following settings in this section:
Assign To-Do Items to Users
Enabling this option lets you assign tasks to other users …
Note: This setting must be set to ‘Yes’ for the settings below it to work.
Show a User Only the To-Do Items Assigned to Them
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can display items only to users who have been specifically assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled will display to-do items to all users.
User Roles to Show
Checking the boxes in this section (Administrator displays the type of users that can be assigned to-do items. Leave the check box unticked for any roles that you do not want to assign to-do items.
Email Assigned To-Do Items to User
If you enable this option, WordPress will automatically send an email to users with their assigned to-do items …
Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want emails sent out to users.
Note: If this option is disabled, skip other settings in this section.
Add Category to Subject
If categories are enabled in your plugin settings and you have selected ‘Yes’ for this option, the to-do category will display on the subject of your emails …
Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want to-do categories added to the subject of your emails.
If you don’t want to show to-do categories in the email subject, then leave this option disabled (‘No’).
Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email
Enabling this option displays the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if you have several project managers assigning to-do items to users …
From Field for Emails Sent to User
This field allows you to customize the “From” field when sending out email notices. You can enter the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …
From Email
Enter the email address that you want showing as the “sent from” address …
Subject Field for Emails Sent to User
Add into this field a subject field for the email that will be automatically sent out to users when a new item has been added in your to-do list …
Text in Emails Sent to User
Type into this field the body of the email message that will be sent out automatically to users when a new item has been assigned to your to-do list.
To-Do List Advanced Settings > Database Cleanup
In this area of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab you can carry out database maintenance operations related to plugin data inside your plugin settings area itself …
This is useful if, for example, you see that items you have already deleted are still showing up on your site.
The following tasks can be performed:
- Delete Tables – Delete custom database tables that you are no longer using.
- Delete All To-Do Items – Remove all to-do items.
Any actions that you perform on your database from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are sure that you want to carry out database maintenance in this section, then make sure to backup your WP database first.
If you don’t want to back up your files manually, then consider getting assistance from a WordPress professional, or use a WordPress backup plugin. You can read about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your site backups here:
User Permissions
In this section you can configure user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types …
If you have selected the Individual List type, the only setting that applies in this section is the View To-Do List permission …
If you are setting up user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you want users to have access to for each option …
By default, general capabilities of each user role are set as follows:
- Subscribers: Read
- Contributors: Edit Posts
- Authors: Publish Posts
- Editors: Edit Others Posts
- Administrators: Manage Options
Note: When working with the Master list type non-administrator users should only be authorized to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list.
Let’s review the settings in this tab:
View To-Do List
Here you can enable the chosen capability to view to-do items in the dashboard widget and on the To-Do List page under the ‘Tools’ section.
Complete To-Do Item Capability
Here you can permit the selected capability to mark items as completed or uncompleted.
Add To-Do Item Capability
This allows the selected capability to add new to-do items.
Edit To-Do Item Capability
This setting enables the selected capability to modify existing items.
Assign To-Do Item Capability
This enables the selected capability to delegate items to individual users.
View All Assigned Tasks Capability
Here you can enable the chosen capability to view all tasks even if “Show Each User Only Their Assigned Tasks” is set to ‘Yes’.
Delete To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the chosen capability to delete individual items.
Delete All To-Do Items Capability
Here you can enable the selected capability to purge all the completed to-do items.
Add Categories Capability
Here you can enable the selected capability to add new categories.
Import/Export
The ability to import and export to-do list data can be very useful. For example, you may need to transfer data from one site to another, or store the list data for backup or archiving purposes.
To access this function, click on the ‘Import/Export’ tab in your plugin settings section …
Now you can import or export your to-do list data and plugin settings …
Exporting To-Do List Data
You can export and download your data settings by clicking on the ‘Download Export File’ …
This will open up a window allowing you to download and save your data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to a storage device (e.g. your hard drive) …
As well as exporting to-do list data from the ‘Import/Export’ tab, you can also export data by going to your admin menu and selecting Tools > Export …
You can include to-do list data in an export file (in XML format), either by checking ‘All content’ (includes everything – posts, pages, etc…), or selecting ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and clicking the ‘Download Export File’ button to save your file to your hard drive…
Importing To-Do List Data
To import a list data file, click on the ‘Browse’ button next to the ‘Choose File to Import’ field …
Locate the file in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …
Once the data file has been uploaded to your settings area, click on ‘Import Settings’ …
Your file will be imported.
After configuring all of the plugin settings, you can start create and edit to-do lists.
Plugin Usage
To create a new to-do list, log into your WordPress admin, then scroll down the menu and click on To-Do List > To-Do List …
This brings you to the ‘To-Do List’ screen …
Add New To-Do Items To Your List
There are several ways to add new to-do items.
For example, you can add new to-do items to your list from your WP dashboard toolbar …
You can also add new to-do items inside your Dashboard by clicking on the ‘Add To-Do item’ link …
You can click on the ‘Add New Item’ link in the ‘To-Do Items’ section (note: only use this option if your To-Do list contains many items, since the link is only going to send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section further down the screen) …
The methods shown above will take you to the ‘Add New To-Do Item’ section.
Depending on the way you have configured your plugin settings, you may or may not see certain options displayed when when you add new to-do items.
Set up the options you have enabled for your to-do items, enter appropriate values and information into the relevant fields and click on the ‘Submit To-Do Item’ button to add the new item to your list …
Note: If you have selected a list type that lets you assign responsibilities over items to specific users, select a user from the drop-down list and assign them the item …
You can also make multiple users responsible for the same item (click on ‘x’ to remove users) …
After a new item has been added, it will be listed as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …
Repeat this process to keep adding items to your to-do list …
Editing And Deleting Items From Your List
To edit or delete an item, click on the ‘Edit’ or ‘Delete’ buttons next to items under the ‘Action’ column …
Depending on your configuration settings (see previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …
After creating your to do list, users can view it from their user dashboard …
When the user assigned with completing an item clicks on the item checkbox …
… the item is removed from the “To-Do” list …
And gets listed the ‘Completed Items’ section located in the ’To-Do List’ page …
Additional Information
The Cleverness To-Do List plugin offers added functionality that lets you display a to-do list on your site using widgets, and display lists on content inside a page or post using shortcodes.
Widgets
To add a to-do list to your site using widgets, go to the ‘Widgets’ page (Appearance > Widgets) and drag the ‘To-Do List’ widget to the menu location where you want the list to show …
Configure the widget settings and click the ‘Save’ button …
The list will now display on your site where the ‘to-do-list’ widget was added (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)
To learn more about using widgets in WordPress, see the tutorial below:
Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Short Codes
Cleverness To-Do List also lets you display to-do lists to your site by inserting short codes into your content.
To access the documentation on using short codes, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the admin menu …
Click the ‘Help’ tab on the top right hand corner of your screen …
Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu entry to access the Shortcode Documentation screen …
This section explains different ways to configure and use short codes for displaying lists on your content.
Once you know what type of information you want to add to your site, create or edit a new or existing post or page and either type or paste the short code into the content section …
Publish your post or page and you should see the list showing where you entered the short code …
Visit the plugin website to download this plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to create and add to-do lists in WordPress.
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"This is AMAZING! I had learnt about how to use WordPress previously, but this covers absolutely everything and more!! Incredible value! Thank you!" - Monique, Warrior Forum
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