How To Create To Do Lists In WordPress

Time always seems to be in short supply, especially when you run a growing business or manage a team.

There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have deadlines to meet, project tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to put out, appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The amount of things that need to get done never ends.

Now … on top of all this, add the extra dimension of promoting and growing your business online and maintaining your website updated with regular content and everything can start becoming unmanageable and chaotic.

Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a project, it’s important to be able to organize and manage your daily activities.

One 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.

Benefits Of Using A To Do List

A “to-do” list helps you measure your progress when working towards specific objectives. Your to do list can be detailed and very specific, or serve as a reminder of what needs to be done over a given period of time.

Here are just a few of the benefits of using to do lists:

Think Clearly

Creating a to do list means that you won’t have to try to memorize things or clutter your mind with details. Once tasks are recorded on a to-do list, your head is free to process other information and you can focus on things that are more important to you.

Save Time

Prioritizing tasks on your list helps you save time and manage your workload more effectively. You can gain a better perspective on what is more urgent vs what’s not, and what steps should be completed first.

Keep Work Logs

To-do lists let you retain documented logs of the work you have done. You can use this as evidence of work to employers or clients, or just as a method of helping you assess your own productivity and efficiency.

Ensures Accountability

Without accountability there is no commitment to getting things completed, and no motivation to act with a sense of purpose. Lack of accountability lets excuses creep in and impact your productivity.

Better Delegation

Having a to do list helps you assign work to others better. This is also important when collaborating within a team (see further below).

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, then prioritizing tasks and working to complete the items listed improves your business efficiency and productivity.

What about adding a to do list to your WordPress website?

In this detailed step-by-step tutorial we are going to show you how to add a to-do list to WordPress to help get things done online  faster and more efficiently using a customizable, multi-featured to do list plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.

Cleverness To-Do List

Download The Plugin

http://wordpress.org/plugins/cleverness-to-do-list/

Plugin Description

This plugin lets you easily add a to-do list to a WordPress site.

Features

Note: the plugin features listed below will be discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.

You can configure Cleverness To-Do List to have private to-do lists for individual users, to have all users share a to do list, or to have a master list with individual completion of items.

The shared to-do list has a variety of settings available. You can delegate to do items to a specific user (this includes a setting to email a new to-do item to the user) and optionally to have assigned items be seen by that user. You can also assign different permission levels using capabilities. There are also settings to display deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well as front-end administration.

A new menu item is added to the admin backend to manage your lists and the to do list can also display on the dashboard widget.

A sidebar widget is also available as shortcode to display the to do list items on your site. There are two short codes for front-end administration of the list. Management of categories is accessible through the back-end.

If you plan to run a multi-author blog you can use the plugin to create custom to-do lists for your post planners if you also install the developer’s premium plugin, Post Planner.

Installing The Plugin

From your WordPress administration area, scroll down the main menu and select Plugins > Add New …

In the Install Plugins screen, type in “cleverness” into the search field and click Enter …

Locate the plugin in the Search Results area and click Install Now …

Click Activate Plugin …

Note: You can also activate this plugin from the Plugins area …

After the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

Note: You can also get to the settings screen by choosing To-Do List > Settings from the dashboard menu …

This brings you to the plugin ‘Settings’ page …

The section below shows you how to go through the plugin configuration process …

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Setup

The plugin’s ‘Settings’ screen is divided into four sections:

• To-Do List Settings – Here you can specify the main plugin settings.
• Advanced Settings – This tab is where you can customize to-do lists, assign to-do items to other users and perform database maintenance tasks.
• User Permissions – The options in this tab let you configure user permissions and capabilities for Master and Group List types.
• Import/Export – Here you can export and import your 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: If you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item will be added to the To-Do List plugin menu …

This lets you add categories to your lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …

You can create ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your to-do lists.

Categories marked ‘private’ will not be visible using the sidebar widgets or short codes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View lets you specify how your to-do lists are viewed. There are three types of list views:

• Individual – Select this option if you want each user to create and manage their own private to-do list.
• Group – Use this option if you want all users to be able to share one to-do list.
• Master – Choose this option to create a master list for all users, where users have their own individual completion of items. If you select the ‘Master’ list view, make sure that you set 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 ID, Alphabetical, or Category options, items will be sorted first by priority.

Show Added By

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can display which members have added an item to your to-do list.

Note: This setting only works if ‘List View’ is set to ‘Group’.

Show Date Completed

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), completion dates will display for your to-do items.

Show Deadline

If enabled, you will be able to specify deadlines for to-do items …

Show Progress

Enabling this option lets you specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …

Show Admin Bar Menu

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) displays the ‘To-Do List’ menu in your WP Admin bar …

Use WYSIWYG Editor

This menu option lets you add and edit items on your to-do list using the WordPress WYSIWYG Editor …

Use Auto Paragraphs

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to display content in your to-do list items using paragraphs.

Integrate with Post Planner

If you are running a multi-author website or blog, you can integrate the Cleverness To-Do List plugin with a plugin called WordPress Post Planner, from the same developer that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

To learn more this handy plugin, go here: WordPress Post Planner

After configuring your plugin options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button …

Advanced Settings

Once you have configured the general settings, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab to continue …

This brings you to the ‘Advanced Settings’ area …

In this screen you can customize your To Do lists, assign to-do tasks to other users and perform plugin database maintenance tasks.

Let’s step 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 options can be configured in this section:

Date Format

Here you can specify how to display dates in your to-do list (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)

Note: To learn more about how to format dates in WordPress, refer to the date section of the WordPress Codex below:

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

This section lets you customize your labels for important, middle and lowest (low) priority items …

Items prioritized as “important” are shown in red in your lists and low priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option displays the items’ IDs on your to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

Enabling this option displays the date your items table was added …

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 options in this area and assign to-do items to other users …

You can configure the following settings in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to 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 to-do items only to users who have been specifically assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled will display items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Checking the boxes in this area Editor displays the type of users that can be assigned items. Leave the checkbox unticked for any roles that you don’t want to assign to-do items.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), WordPress will automatically send an email to users with their assigned to-do items …

Leave this option disabled if you don’t want emails sent out to users.

Note: If this option is disabled, skip the 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 in the subject of emails sent to users …

Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want to show categories in the email subject.

If you don’t want to-do categories displayed in the subject of your emails, then leave this option disabled.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

If enabled, you can display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if your site has a number of 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 emails. Enter the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

Add into this field the email address that you want to display as the “sent from” email address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Add a subject field for the email that will be automatically sent to users whenever new items have been assigned in your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

Add 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 section of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab you can carry out database maintenance operations related to plugin data directly from the plugin settings area itself without having to access your server …

This function is useful if, for example, you notice that to-do items you have deleted are still appearing on your site.

The tasks below can be performed in this section:

• Delete Tables – Delete any custom database tables that you are no longer using.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Delete all to-do items.

Any actions that you perform on the database from this screen cannot be undone. If you are sure that you want to proceed with any of the database operations available in this section, then remember to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to do site backups, then get support services from a WordPress professional, or use a backup plugin. Learn about a great WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to completely automate your file and data backups here:

• Backup, Copy & Protect Your WordPress Web Sites With Backup Creator WordPress Plugin

User Permissions

This section lets you configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types …

If you are using Individual List, the only setting applicable in this section is the View To-Do List option …

If you are configuring user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you would like users to have access to for each option …

By default, general capabilities for each user role are set up as follows:

• Subscribers: Read
• Contributors: Edit Posts
• Authors: Publish Posts
• Editors: Edit Others Posts
• Administrators: Manage Options

Note: When using the Master list type non-administrator users should only be allowed to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list itself.

Let’s go through the settings in this section:

View To-Do List

Here you can allow the selected capability to view items in the dashboard widget and on the To-Do List page under the ‘Tools’ section.

Complete To-Do Item Capability

This setting allows the selected capability to mark items as completed or not completed.

Add To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to add new to-do items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This setting allows the chosen capability to edit existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

This enables the chosen capability to delegate to-do items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This permits the selected 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 enable the selected capability to delete individual to-do items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This option enables the selected capability to purge all the completed to-do items.

Add Categories Capability

Here you can allow the chosen 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 want to transfer data from an existing list to another website, or store your data for backup or reporting purposes.

To access this function, click on the ‘Import/Export’ tab in your plugin settings section …

Now you can import and export your list and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

To export and download your data settings click on the ‘Download Export File’ …

This opens up a window allowing you to download and save your data in plain text format to a storage medium (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 dashboard menu and choosing Tools > Export …

You can include to-do list data in an export file (in XML format), either by checking ‘All content’ (includes everything – pages, posts, etc…), or just select ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and click on the ‘Download Export File’ button to save your file to a storage device…

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’ …

After uploading your data file, click the ‘Import Settings’ button …

The data from the existing to-do file will be imported.

Now that you have configured all plugin settings, you can begin creating and editing to do lists.

Plugin Usage

To create a new to-do list, log into your WordPress dashboard, then scroll down the menu and select To-Do List > To-Do List …

This brings you to the ‘To-Do List’ page …

Add A New Item To Your To-Do List

There are several ways to add a new item to your to-do list.

For example, you can add a new item to your to-do list from your WP dashboard bar …

You can also add new to-do items from the ‘To-Do List’ dashboard section 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 already contains many items, as the link will simply send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the page) …

The methods shown above will bring you to the ‘Add New To-Do Item’ area.

Depending on the way you have configured the plugin settings, you may or may not see certain options displayed when new items to your to-do list.

Select the options you have enabled for your to-do items, add appropriate information into the relevant fields and click on the ‘Submit To-Do Item’ button to add the new to-do item …

Note: If you have selected a list type that allows you to assign items to users, select a user from the drop-down list and assign them the item …

You can also assign multiple users to the same item (click on ‘x’ to remove a user) …

Once the item has been added, the item will be listed as an entry in the ‘To-Do List’ table …

Repeat this process to keep adding items to your list …

Edit And Delete Items

To edit or delete an item, click on the ‘Edit’ or ‘Delete’ buttons associated with items under the ‘Action’ column …

Depending on how you have configured the plugin (see previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …

Once you have created your to do list, users can view it inside their dashboard …

When users responsible for the item complete the task and click on the item check box …

… the item disappears from the “To-Do” list …

And displays in the ‘Completed Items’ table located in the ’To-Do List’ screen …

Additional Plugin Information

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin provides additional functions that let you display a to-do list on your WordPress website using widgets, and display lists on content inside a post or page using short codes.

Using The Cleverness Plugin Widget

To add a to-do list to your site using widgets, go to the ‘Widgets’ section (Appearance > Widgets) and drag the ‘To-Do List’ widget to the menu location where you would like your list to appear …

Configure the settings on the widget and click the ‘Save’ button …

Your to-do list will now display wherever you have inserted the widget (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

To learn more about how to use WordPress widgets, see the tutorial below:

• How To Use WordPress Widget

Plugin Shortcodes

You can also add lists and checklists on your site by placing short codes into your content.

To access the plugin’s shortcode documentation, click on To-Do List > To-Do List from the admin menu …

Click the ‘Help’ tab on the corner of your screen …

Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu to access the Shortcode Documentation section …

This documentation section explains different ways to configure and use short codes for displaying lists on your pages and posts.

Once you know what information you would like to add to your site, open up a new page or post and either type or paste the shortcode inside the content section …

After publishing your page or post, you should see the list displayed in the location where you entered the shortcode …

Visit this site to download this plugin:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

Congratulations! Now you know how to add to-do lists in WordPress.

***

***