Creating A To Do List In WordPress

As a busy person trying to run a business or manage a team, time always seems to be in short supply.

There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have clients to meet, projects to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to put out, calls and appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The stress of trying to get things done on time never stops.

Now … add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and keeping your website updated with regular content and everything can start to become unmanageable and chaotic.

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

A proven method that can help you save time, reduce stressful workloads, and allow you to gain some control is to use “to do” lists.

To Do Lists – Benefits

A “to do” list can help you track your progress when trying to complete tasks. Your to-do list can be very detailed and very specific, or act as a reminder of what needs to be done today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.

Here are just some of the benefits of using to do lists:

Organization

A to do list helps you create order, keep things organized and achieve your goals faster.

Better Manage Your Time

Prioritizing tasks on your list helps you manage your time better. You can gain a clearer perspective on what is more urgent vs what isn’t, and what steps have to be done first.

Quickly Reschedule Or Reorganize

A to-do list helps you better cope with changes in circumstances. If a meeting suddenly gets cancelled or extra time becomes available because a task was completed sooner than expected, you can continue moving forward with little to no loss of focus.

Stress Less

Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and very little time to do it in. Creating to-do lists let you prioritize urgent things that have to be completed immediately, and reschedule non-urgent items that can be addressed later. This can help reduce stress.

Better Delegation Of Tasks

To-do lists help you better delegate work to other people. This is also important if you plan to collaborate on a team-based project (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. Create a list, prioritize your list items and work systematically and your business productivity and efficiency is sure to improve.

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

In this detailed tutorial you are going to learn how to create a to do list in WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity using a customizable, multi-featured to do list plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.

Cleverness To Do List

Plugin URL

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

Description

This plugin provides users with a to-do list feature.

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Features

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

You can set up Cleverness To Do List to have private to do lists for each user, 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 option provides different settings. You can assign to-do items to specific users (this includes emailing new to-do items to users) and optionally to have those items be seen by that user. You can also assign different permission levels to different users based on user roles. There are also settings to enable the display of deadline and progress fields. Category support is also included in the front-end administration.

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

A sidebar widget is also available as shortcode to display the to do list items on your blog. There are 2 shortcodes for front-end list administration. Management of categories is accessed through the back-end.

If you plan to set up a multi-author blog you can use this plugin to create custom to-do lists for your post planners if you also own the Post Planner plugin.

Installing The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

Log into your WP admin section and in the main menu click on Plugins > Add New …

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

Locate the item in the Search Results section and click Install Now …

Activate the plugin after installing it …

Note: You can also activate this plugin in the Plugins section …

Once you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

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

This takes you to the ‘Settings’ area …

The section below shows you how to configure the plugin …

How To Configure The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

The “To-Do List” plugin ‘Settings’ area is divided into 4 tabs:

• To-Do List Settings – This section is where you can specify the plugin’s main settings.
• Advanced Settings – In this tab you can customize To-Do lists, assign tasks to other users and perform plugin database maintenance tasks.
• User Permissions – In this area you can set up user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types.
• Import/Export – This tab is where you can export and import your to-do list data and plugin settings.

Let’s now review each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

To-Do List Categories

Choose ‘Enabled’ to organize your to-do lists into categories, otherwise leave this option set to ‘Disabled’.

Note: When you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item will be added to the To-Do List plugin menu …

This lets you add categories that can help organize your to-do lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …

You can set up ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your lists.

Private categories will not be visible when using the sidebar widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View lets you specify how lists are viewed. You can choose 3 types of to do list views:

• Individual – Select this option if you want each user to create and manage their own private to-do list.
• Group – Choosing this option allows users to share one to-do list.
• Master – Choose this option to have a master list for all users, where users have their own individual completion of items. If you choose the ‘Master’ list view, make sure that you configure the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).

Sort Order

‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to sort list items.

If you select Category, Alphabetical or ID, Category, ID or Alphabetical options, items will be first sorted by priority.

Show Added By

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

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

Show Date Completed

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) displays completion dates for to-do items.

Show Deadline

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you specify deadlines for to-do tasks …

Show Progress

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) 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 WP Admin bar …

Use WYSIWYG Editor

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

Use Auto Paragraphs

Enable this option to display content in your to-do lists using paragraphs.

Integrate with Post Planner

If you plan to run a collaborative website or blog, you can integrate the Cleverness To Do List plugin with a plugin called WordPress Post Planner, developed by the same plugin author that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

To learn more about using this WordPress plugin, visit this site: WordPress Post Planner

After you have finished configuring your options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …

Advanced Settings

After configuring the general settings, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab …

This brings you to the plugin’s ‘Advanced Settings’ screen …

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

Let’s take you 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 lets you customize your To Do List …

The following settings can be configured in this section:

Date Format

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

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

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

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

Highest priority items display in red in your lists and low priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option shows item IDs on the to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

If enabled, the date your to-do list was added will show on the table of items …

To-Do List Advanced Settings > Assign To-Do Items Settings

If you have selected ‘Group’ or ‘Master’ View for your to-do list, you can configure the options in this section and assign to-do items to other users …

You can configure the following settings in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

If enabled (‘Yes’), you can 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

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to display items only to users who have been specifically assigned those items. Leave this option disabled (‘No’) to display to-do items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Check the boxes in this area Editor to display the type of users that can be assigned to-do items. If you don’t want to assign to-do items to a specific role, then leave its check box unticked.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), WordPress automatically sends 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, you can skip the remaining items 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 to-do categories in the subject of your emails.

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

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

If this option is enabled, you can display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This option is useful if, for example, your site has several project managers assigning to-do items to users …

From Field for Emails Sent to User

Use this field to customize the “From” field when sending out emails to users. You can enter your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …

From Email

Enter the email address that you would like to display as the “sent from” 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 added to 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

This area of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab lets you perform database maintenance operations related to plugin data directly from your plugin settings area …

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

You can perform the following tasks in this section:

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

Any actions that you perform on your database from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are comfortable to perform database maintenance in this section, then make sure to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to back up your site yourself, then consider getting professional WordPress support, or use a WordPress backup plugin. You can learn more about a great WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to perform automated WordPress site backups here:

• Back Up, Clone & Keep Your WordPress Websites And Blogs Protected With Backup Creator Plugin For WordPress

User Permissions

Here you can configure user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types …

If you select Individual List, the only item that applies in this section is the View To-Do List permission …

If you plan to set up user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you would like users to be able to perform for each option …

The default general capabilities for each user role are configured 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-administrators should only be permitted to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.

Let’s now review the settings in the User Permissions tab:

View To-Do List

Here you can permit 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

This option enables 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

Here you can enable the selected capability to edit existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can enable the chosen capability to delegate items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This enables 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

This setting permits the selected capability to delete individual items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This option allows the selected capability to purge all the completed items.

Add Categories Capability

Here you can allow the chosen capability to add new categories.

Import/Export

Being able to import and export to-do list data can be very useful. For example, you may need to copy over data from one site to another, or export the list data for backup or reporting purposes.

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

Now you can easily import and export your data and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

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

This opens up a window allowing you to view or download the data in plain text format to a storage device …

As well as exporting list data from the ‘Import/Export’ section, you can also export data by going to your WordPress dashboard menu and choosing Tools > Export …

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

Importing To-Do List Data

Importing a previously saved to-do list data file is easy. Just click on the ‘Browse’ button next to the ‘Choose File to Import’ field …

Select the file and click ‘Open’ …

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

Your file will be imported.

Now that you have configured all plugin settings, you can begin create and edit your lists.

How To Use The Plugin

To create a new to do list, go to your WordPress admin menu and click on To-Do List > To-Do List …

This brings up the ‘To-Do List’ page …

Add New To-Do Items

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

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

You can also add new to-do items to your list using the ‘To-Do List’ dashboard section by clicking on the ‘Add To-Do item’ link …

You can also 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 will simply take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section at the bottom of the page) …

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

Depending on the way you have set up your plugin, you may or may not see certain options displayed when adding new to-do items.

Set up 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 item to your list …

Note: If you are using a list type that allows you to assign tasks to specific 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 users) …

After the item has been added, the item will display as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …

Repeat the above process to continue adding items to your to-do list …

Editing And Deleting To Do 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 how you have set up the plugin (discussed in the previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …

After creating your to-do list, users can view the list inside their own WordPress user dashboard …

When users assigned with completing an item tick the item check box …

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

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

Additional Plugin Information

The Cleverness plugin offers additional functions that let you display a to-do list on your site using widgets, and display lists on content inside a page or post using short codes.

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 would like the to-do list to display …

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

The to-do list will now display wherever you have added the ‘to-do-list’ widget (e.g. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

To learn more about using widgets in WordPress, see the tutorial below:

• How To Use s

Using Plugin Shortcodes

You can also display to-do lists and checklists on your site with shortcodes.

To access the documentation on using short codes, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the WP admin menu …

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

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

This section explains various ways to configure and use short codes to display lists on your pages and posts.

Once you know what information you want to add to your site, open up a new post or page and either type or paste the short code inside the content area …

Publish your page or post and you should see the list displayed in the location where you added the shortcode …

Visit this site for more details about this plugin:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

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