Creating To-Do Lists In WordPress

When you are running a growing business, time always seems to be in short supply.

There is just too much to do and remember. You have deadlines to meet, tasks to complete, meetings to attend, fires to put out, calls and appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The “doing” never stops.

Now … on top of all this, add the extra workload of trying to promote and grow your business online and keeping your website or blog updated with new content and things can start to become unmanageable and chaotic.

Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a team, you need to be able to organize and prioritize your activities, keep track of your progress, and, if necessary, delegate tasks to others effectively.

One proven method that can help you save time, alleviate stress, and allow you to gain some control is to use “to-do” lists.

To Do Lists – Benefits

A “to-do” list can help you monitor your progress as you complete tasks. Your to-do list can be quite detailed or specific, or just serve as a reminder of the things that need doing today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.

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

Think More Clearly

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

Manage Your Time Better

Prioritizing tasks on your list helps you manage your time better. You can develop a clearer perspective on what is truly important vs what’s not, and what tasks should be done first.

Quickly Reorganize And Reschedule

Having a to-do list helps you better handle situations. If an appointment gets cancelled at the last minute or extra time is made available because some task got completed sooner than expected, you can keep working without loss of focus.

Stress Less

Stress can come from feeling overwhelmed by the thought that there is so much that needs to get done and very little time to do it in. Using a to-do list lets you prioritize urgent items that have to be completed immediately, and push out items that can be addressed later. This can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and help to relieve some of the stress you may be feeling.

Delegate Better

Having to-do lists help you delegate tasks to others better. This is also important if you plan to work with others (see further below).

As you can see, there are many benefits to using to-do lists, both in business and in your personal life. Creating a to-do list, then prioritizing tasks and working systematically improves your business efficiency and productivity.

Let’s turn now to using to-do lists on your website or blog. More specifically, how to add a to do list to WordPress.

In this step-by-step tutorial you are going to learn how to create to do lists 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

Download The Plugin

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

Description

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

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Features

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

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

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

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

A sidebar widget is available as well as shortcode to display the to-do list items on your site. There are two short codes for front-end administration of the list. Category management is accessible via the back-end admin section.

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

Installing The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

Log into your WP administration area and in the menu click on Plugins > Add New …

In the Install Plugins section, type in “cleverness” into the search field and click Enter on your keyboard …

Locate the Cleverness To-Do List plugin in the Search Results area and click Install Now …

Click Activate Plugin …

Note: You can also activate the 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 admin menu …

This takes you to the ‘Settings’ section …

Let’s go through the plugin setup process …

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Configuration

The Settings area is divided into 4 sections:

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

Let’s review each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

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

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

Private categories are not visible using widgets or short codes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View allows you to specify how your to-do lists are viewed. You can choose from 3 list views:

• Individual – Use this option if you want each user to be able to create and manage their own private to-do list.
• Group – Choosing this option lets users share the same to-do list.
• Master – Choose this option to have one 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 configure the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).

Sort Order

‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to-do list items will be sorted.

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

Show Added By

If this option is enabled, you can display which members have added an item to the to-do list.

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

Show Date Completed

Enabling this option displays completion dates for to-do items.

Show Deadline

If this option is enabled, you will be able to specify deadlines for your to-do tasks …

Show Progress

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

Show Admin Bar Menu

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display the ‘To-Do List’ menu in your WordPress Dashboard 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 (‘Yes’) to display content in your to-do list items using paragraphs.

Integrate with Post Planner

If you are running a collaborative site 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 helps to make the process of managing a multi-author WordPress site easier …

Go here to learn more this handy plugin: WordPress Post Planner – WordPress Multi-Author Publishing Plugin

After you are done configuring your plugin options in this section, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …

Advanced Settings

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

This brings up the plugin’s ‘Advanced Settings’ area …

This section lets you customize your To Do lists, assign to-do tasks to users and perform plugin database maintenance.

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’ screen lets you customize your To Do List …

The following options can be configured in this section:

Date Format

In this section you can specify how to display dates in your todo list (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)

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

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

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

Items given the highest priority are colour-coded in red in the lists and lowest (low) priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) shows the items’ IDs on the to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

If enabled (‘Yes’), the date the to-do list was added displays on your To-Do Items table …

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

The following settings can be configured in this section:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you assign to-do items 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

Enabling this option lets you display tasks only to users who have been assigned those items. Leave this option disabled (‘No’) to display to-do items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Checking the boxes in this section (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber) 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 you enable this option, WordPress will automatically send users an email with their assigned to-do items …

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

Note: If you disable this option, skip the remaining settings in this section.

Add Category to Subject

If you have enabled categories in your plugin settings and select ‘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 to show the subject of your emails.

Leave this option disabled if you don’t want to-do categories displayed in the email subject.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) displays the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This option is useful if, for example, you have a number of project managers assigning to-do items to users …

From Field for Emails Sent to User

This field lets you customize the “From” field when sending out email notifications to users. Add your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

In this field, add the email address that you would like to display 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 sent out automatically to users when a new item has been assigned in your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

In this field, type 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 section allows you to carry out database maintenance operations related to plugin data directly from your plugin settings area itself …

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

The following tasks can be performed in this section:

• Delete Tables – Remove custom database tables that you no longer use.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Delete all of your to-do items.

Any database operations carried out from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are sure that you want to carry out database maintenance in this section, then we recommend backing up your WP database first.

If you don’t want to do your own backups, then consider using a professional, or use backup plugins. Learn about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your backup process here:

• Backup, Duplicate & Keep Your WP Web Sites Protected With Backup Creator WordPress Plugin

User Permissions

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

If you have selected Individual List, the only permission applicable in this section is the View To-Do List permission …

If you are configuring 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 using the Master list type non-admin users should only be authorized to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list.

Let’s go through the settings for the User Permissions 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

Here you can permit the chosen capability to mark to-do items as completed or uncompleted.

Add To-Do Item Capability

Here you can permit the chosen capability to add new to-do items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

Here you can permit the chosen capability to modify existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to assign items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

Here you can allow 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 permit the chosen capability to delete individual to-do items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

Here you can enable the chosen 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 want to transfer data from an existing to-do list to another website, or store your data for backup or archiving purposes.

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

Now you can easily import or export your list data 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 new window allowing you to download and save the data as plain text to an internal or external storage device …

In addition to exporting to-do list data from the ‘Import/Export’ section, you can also export data by going to your admin menu and choosing Tools > Export …

You can include to-do list data in a WordPress export file (in XML format), either by checking ‘All content’ (includes everything – posts, pages, 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 your storage medium…

Importing To-Do List Data

To import a previously saved to-do list data file, click on the ‘Browse’ button next to the ‘Choose File to Import’ field …

Select 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 the ‘Import Settings’ button …

Your file will be imported.

Now that you have configured all plugin settings, you can start create and edit to do lists.

Plugin Usage

To create a new to-do list, log into your WordPress dashboard, then go to the menu and click on To-Do List > To-Do List …

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

Adding New To Do Items

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

For example, you can add new to-do items from your WP admin bar …

You can also add a new item to your to-do 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 screen) …

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

Depending on how you have set up your plugin, some options may not display 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 to-do item …

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

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

Repeat this process to add new items to your list …

Editing And Deleting To-Do Items

To edit or delete an item, click on the ‘Edit’ or ‘Delete’ buttons next to each item under the ‘Action’ column …

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

After creating your to-do list, users can view it inside their dashboard …

When a user assigned with completing an item clicks on the item checkbox …

… the item is then removed from the “To-Do” list …

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

Additional Plugin Information

The Cleverness plugin offers added functionality that lets you display a to-do list on your website using widgets, and insert a list into any post or page using shortcodes.

Using The Plugin Widget

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 location in your sidebar menu where you want the list to show …

Configure the settings in the widget and click ’Save’ to update your settings …

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

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

• Using Widgets In WordPress

Plugin Short Codes

Cleverness To-Do List also lets you add to-do lists and checklists on your site with short codes.

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

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

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

This section explains various ways to configure and use shortcodes to display lists on your content.

Once you know what type of information you would like to display on your site, create or edit a new or existing post or page and either type or paste the short code inside the content section …

After publishing your page or post, you will see the list displayed 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 to your WordPress site.

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