How To Create To Do Lists In WordPress

There are never enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially if you run a hectic business or manage a team.

There are so many things to do and remember. You have clients to meet, urgent tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to extinguish, calls and appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The stress of trying to get things done on time never stops.

Now … on top of all this, add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and keeping your website updated with fresh content and things can quickly start to become 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.

One ”tried and true” method that can help you save time, create a sense of order and manageability, and allow you to regain control is to use “to do” lists.

To Do Lists – Benefits

A “to do” list can help you track your progress as you work towards your goals. Your to do list can be very detailed or specific, or serve as a reminder of tasks that need to be done today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.

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

To-Do Lists Help Keep Things Organized

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

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’s truly important vs what is not, and what steps should be completed first.

Quickly Reschedule Or Reorganize

Using to-do lists help you better cope with events. If a meeting gets cancelled or extra time becomes available because some task was completed sooner than expected, you can quickly reschedule and continue moving forward with little to minimal loss of focus.

Stress Relief

Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by the thought that there is so much that needs doing and very little time to do it all in. Using a to-do list allows you to prioritize important tasks that need to be completed within a reasonable timeframe, and push out non-urgent items that can be addressed later. This can help reduce stress.

Working With Others

Creating to-do lists and other project management tools is essential for working with others on some of your larger or more complex projects.

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 productivity and efficiency in your business is sure to improve.

What about using to do lists on your WordPress website or blog?

In this detailed step-by-step tutorial we are going to show you how to add to do lists to WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity using a great little WordPress plugin 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 are discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.

You can set up the plugin with 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 new to-do items to users) and optionally to have those items only viewable by that user. You can also assign different permission levels using capabilities. There are also settings to show deadline and progress fields. Category support is also included as front-end administration.

A new menu item is added to the admin backend to help you manage your lists and your to do lists can also appear on a dashboard widget.

A sidebar widget is also available as short code to display the to-do list items on your blog. There are 2 short codes for front-end list administration. Category management is accessed through the back-end admin section.

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

Plugin Installation

From your WordPress administration area, click on Plugins > Add New …

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

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 screen …

Once you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

Note: The ‘Settings’ screen can also be accessed by selecting To-Do List > Settings from your admin menu …

This brings you to the ‘Settings’ screen …

The section below shows you how to set up the plugin …

Configuring The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

The Settings screen is divided into four tabs:

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

Let’s go through each of these tabs.

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 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 to-do lists.

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

List View

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

• Individual – Use this option if you want each user to create and manage their own private to-do list.
• Group – Selecting this option allows users to share the same 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 set the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (see further below).

Sort Order

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

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 users has added an item to your to-do list.

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

Show Date Completed

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

Show Deadline

Enabling this option lets you specify deadlines for your 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 lets you display 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

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

Integrate with Post Planner

If you plan to run 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 plugin author that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

To learn more about using this WordPress plugin, go here: WordPress Post Planner – WordPress Plugin

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

Advanced Settings

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

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

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

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 …

You can configure the following options in this section:

Date Format

Here 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 date section of the WordPress Codex below:

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

Here you can customize labels for highest, normal and lowest (low) priority items …

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

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) shows the item’s ID on the to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

If this option is enabled, the date the to-do list was added shows on the 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 items to other users …

The following settings can be configured in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

If enabled, you can assign to-do items to other users …

Note: This set this option 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 tasks only to users who have been assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled (‘No’) displays to-do items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Check the boxes in this area Author to display the type of users that can be assigned todo items. If you don’t want to assign to-do items to a particular role, then don’t tick its checkbox.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

When this option is enabled, WordPress automatically sends users an email with their assigned to-do items …

If you don’t want to send out emails to users, then leave this option disabled.

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 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 (‘No’) if you don’t want to show to-do categories in the email subject.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to display 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 lets you customize the “From” field when sending out emails. You can enter the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …

From Email

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

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

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

Text in Emails Sent to User

Add 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 lets you perform database maintenance operations related to plugin data inside the plugin settings area itself …

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

You can perform the following tasks in this section:

• Delete Tables – Delete any custom database tables that are no longer being used.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Erase all of your to-do items.

Any database operations performed from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are sure that you want to perform database maintenance in this section, then remember to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to perform your own site backups, then consider getting professional WordPress help, or use a backup plugin. You can learn more about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your backup process here:

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

User Permissions

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

If you choose the Individual List type, the only permission that is applicable in this section is the View To-Do List option …

If you plan to configure 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 …

The 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 working with the Master list type non-administrator users 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 this tab:

View To-Do List

Here you can permit the selected 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 setting enables the chosen capability to mark items as completed or not completed.

Add To-Do Item Capability

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

Edit To-Do Item Capability

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

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the chosen capability to assign to-do items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This option allows 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 chosen capability to delete individual to-do items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This setting allows the chosen 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

Being able to import and export to-do list data can be very useful. For example, you may need to transfer data from an existing list to another website, or store the data for backup or reporting purposes.

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

Now you can export or import your to-do list data 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 will open up a window allowing you to download and save the data as plain text to a storage device …

As well as exporting data from the ‘Import/Export’ tab, you can also export data by going to your WordPress main 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 selecting ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and clicking on the ‘Download Export File’ button to save your file to your hard drive…

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 …

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

Once your data file has been uploaded to your settings area, click on the ‘Import Settings’ button …

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

Now that you have configured all of the plugin settings, you can begin create and edit your to-do lists.

Plugin Usage

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

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

How To Add New Items To Your To Do List

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

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

You can also add new items 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 already contains many items, since the link is only going to take 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’s 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 to-do item …

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

You can also assign items to multiple users (click on ‘x’ to delete users) …

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

Repeat the above process to keep adding items to your list …

Edit And Remove 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 plugin settings (see previous section), users assigned to completing tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …

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

When the user assigned with the item completes the task and clicks on the item checkbox …

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

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

Additional Information

The Cleverness plugin provides added functionality that lets you display a to-do list on your website using widgets, and add a list to content inside a page or post 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 would like the list to appear …

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

The to-do list will appear on your site where the ‘to-do-list’ widget was placed (e.g. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

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

• Using WordPress Widget

Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Short Codes

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

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

This documentation section explains various ways to configure and use short codes to display lists and checklists on your content.

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

Publish your post or page and you will see the list showing where you have added the shortcode …

For more details about this plugin, visit the plugin website here:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

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