Creating A To-Do List In WordPress

There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially if you are a business owner.

There is just so much to do and remember. You have deadlines to meet, projects to complete, meetings to attend, fires to put out, 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 everything suddenly begins to feel unmanageable and out of control.

Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a project, you need to be able to organize and manage your daily tasks.

A ”tried and true” method that can help you save time, reduce stress, and allow you to regain control is to use “to do” lists.

To Do Lists – Benefits

A “to-do” list helps you measure your progress as you work to achieve your objectives. Your to do list can be detailed and very specific, or just serve as a reminder of tasks that need to be done over a given period of time.

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

Clearer Thinking

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

Prioritize Your Time

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

Log Your Work

To-do lists let you maintain documented logs of what work has been done. This can be used as evidence of work to employers or clients, or just as a means of helping you track your own productivity and efficiency.

Ensures Accountability

With no accountability there’s no commitment to getting things completed, and no motivation to take meaningful action. Lack of accountability can also let excuses creep in and impact your productivity.

Working With Others

Creating to do lists and other project management tools is essential for getting other people involved on some of your larger or more complex projects.

As you can see, there are many benefits to using to-do lists, both in business and in your personal life. Create a list, prioritize your list items and work towards completing the tasks on the list and your business efficiency and productivity will surely improve.

What about adding to do lists to your WordPress website?

In this detailed 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 WordPress plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.

Cleverness To Do List

Plugin Download URL

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

Plugin Description

This plugin provides users with a to do list feature.

Plugin Features

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

You can set up the plugin to have private to do lists for individual users, to have all users share your to do list, or to have a master list with individual item completions.

The shared to do list option has a variety of settings available. 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 assigned items be viewable by that user. You can also assign different permission levels using capabilities. There are also settings available 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 help you manage your list and the 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 site. There are two short codes for front-end list administration. Category management is accessible via the back-end.

If you plan to set up a multi-author blog you can use the plugin to create custom to do lists for your post editors if you also download a copy of the Post Planner plugin for WordPress.

Installing The Plugin

In your WordPress dashboard section, select Plugins > Add New …

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

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

Click Activate Plugin …

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

Once the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

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

This takes you to the plugin ‘Settings’ area …

The section below shows you how to configure the plugin …

How To Set Up The Plugin

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

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

Let’s review each of these tabs.

To-Do List Settings

Categories

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

Note: If you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item is 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 set up ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your to-do lists.

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

List View

List View allows you to specify how your lists will be viewed. You can choose from 3 list views:

• Individual – Choose 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 share the same to-do list.
• Master – Choose this option to have one master list for all users, where users have their own individual completion of items. If using the ‘Master’ list view, make sure to set the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).

Sort Order

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

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

Show Added By

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

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

Show Date Completed

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

Show Deadline

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you will be able to specify deadlines for your to-do items …

Show Progress

If enabled (‘Yes’), you can 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 Admin bar …

Use WYSIWYG Editor

If enabled (‘Yes’), you will be able to add and edit items on your to-do list using the WordPress WYSIWYG Editor …

Use Auto Paragraphs

If enabled, automatic paragraphs are used to display content in to-do lists.

Integrate with Post Planner

If you plan to run a collaborative site or blog, you can integrate the Cleverness To-Do List plugin with a plugin called WordPress Post Planner, from the same plugin developer that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

Go here to learn more this plugin: WordPress Post Planner – Editorial Solution Plugin For WordPress

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

Advanced Settings

After configuring the settings in the To-Do List Settings tab, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab to continue …

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

This screen lets you customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do items to other users and carry out 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

Here you can customize your To Do List …

The following options can be configured in this section:

Date Format

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

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

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

Here you can customize your labels for prioritizing highest, middle and lowest (low) items …

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

Show To-Do Item ID

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), the items’ IDs will show on the list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

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

You can configure the following options 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

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

User Roles to Show

Checking the boxes in this area Contributor displays the type of users that can be assigned to-do items. Leave the check box 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 automatically sends an email to users with their assigned to-do items …

If you don’t want emails sent out to users, then leave this option disabled (‘No’).

Note: If this option is disabled, 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 displayed in the email subject.

Leave this option disabled if you don’t want to display to-do categories in the subject of your emails.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This option is useful if, for example, you have various 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 emails. Add your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

Add the email address that you want displayed as the “sent from” address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Type into this field a subject field for the email that will be automatically distributed to users whenever new items have been added to your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

Type in 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 allows you to perform database maintenance operations associated with plugin data inside your plugin settings area without the need to access your server …

This function is useful if, for example, you see that todo items you have already deleted are still showing on your site.

The tasks below can be performed in this section:

• Delete Tables – Remove 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 reversed. If you are comfortable to perform database maintenance in this section, then remember to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to back up your files yourself, then get professional WordPress assistance, or use a backup plugin. Learn about a great WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to perform automated file and database backups here:

• Backup, Clone And Keep Your WordPress Websites And Blogs 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 choose the Individual List type, the only configurable option 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 want users to have access to 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 allowed 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 section:

View To-Do List

This allows 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 allow the selected capability to mark to-do items as completed or not completed.

Add To-Do Item Capability

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

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This option allows the selected capability to modify existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

This setting enables the selected capability to assign items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

Here you can enable 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 to-do items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

Here you can allow the chosen capability to purge all the completed items.

Add Categories Capability

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

Import/Export

Being able to import and export to-do list data can be useful. For example, you may need to copy over data from one website to another, or store your list data for backup or archiving purposes.

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

Here you can easily import and export your list and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

You can export and download your list data settings by clicking on the ‘Download Export File’ …

This opens up a new window allowing you to view or download your data in plain text format to an internal or external drive …

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

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

Importing To-Do List Data

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

Select the previously saved to-do list data file and click ‘Open’ …

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

Your file data will be imported.

After configuring all of the plugin settings, you are ready to start creating and editing to do lists.

Plugin Usage

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

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

Add New To Do Items

There are a number of ways to add new to-do items.

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

You can also add new to-do items 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 already contains many items, as the link is only going to send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the screen) …

All 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, some options may not display when adding new items to your to-do list.

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

Note: If you are using a list type that lets you assign tasks 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 a user) …

Once you have added the new item, the item will display as an entry in the ‘To-Do List’ table …

Repeat this process to keep adding items to your list …

Edit And Remove To Do Items From Your List

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

Depending on your plugin configuration plugin settings (discussed in the previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …

After creating your to do list, users can view the list from their own dashboard …

When users responsible for completing an item tick the item check box …

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

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

Additional Information

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin offers added functionality that lets you display to-do lists on your website using widgets, and insert lists into content inside a post or page 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 location in your sidebar (or footer) menu where you would like your to-do list to display …

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

Your to-do list will appear wherever the ‘to-do-list’ widget was added (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

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

• Using s

Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Shortcodes

The Cleverness plugin also lets you display lists and checklists to your site by inserting shortcodes into your content.

To access the plugin’s short code documentation, select To-Do List > To-Do List from your 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 section …

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

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

Publish your page or post and you should see the list displayed where you have inserted the shortcode …

To learn more about this plugin, go here:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

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