How To Create A To Do List In WordPress

There are never enough hours in the day to get things done, especially if you are running a hectic business or managing any kind of project that involves people working as a team.

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

Now … add the extra dimension of trying to promote and grow your business online and keeping your website or blog updated with fresh content and everything can start feeling unmanageable and overwhelming.

Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a team, you need to be able to organize and manage your daily tasks.

A ”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 a “to-do” list.

Benefits Of Using To Do Lists

A “to do” list helps you monitor your progress when trying to achieve a certain objective. Your to do list can be detailed or specific, or act as a concise reminder of tasks that need doing today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.

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

Clearer Thinking

Writing a to do list means that you won’t have to keep remembering things or store extra information inside your head. Once tasks are jotted down on a to do list, your brain is free to process information and you can focus on other important areas.

Be More Strategic

Creating and organizing to do lists helps you break your workload into doable tasks and create a strategic plan for getting things completed efficiently.

Quickly Reschedule

Using to do lists let you better deal with events. If an appointment gets cancelled at short notice or extra time becomes available when some part of the project gets completed sooner than expected, you can quickly reschedule or reorganize and continue moving forward with no disruption.

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.

Delegate Better

To-do lists help you delegate work to other people better. This is also important when collaborating 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 things systematically and your business efficiency and productivity will increase.

What about adding to do lists to your website?

In this detailed tutorial you are going to learn how to easily add a to-do list to a WordPress website or blog to help get things done online  faster and more efficiently using a great little 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 to do lists to WordPress.

Features

Note: the plugin features described below will be 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 the same to do list, or to have a master list with individual item completions.

The shared to do list option provides a number of different settings. You can assign to do items to specific users (this includes a setting to email new to do items to the user) and optionally to have assigned 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 backend to help you manage your lists and your to do list is also displayed on the dashboard widget.

A sidebar widget is available as well 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 through the back-end admin section.

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

How To Install The Plugin

Inside your WordPress dashboard section, scroll down the menu and choose 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 entry in the Search Results area and click Install Now …

Click Activate Plugin …

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

When you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

Note: The plugin’s settings section can also be accessed by selecting To-Do List > Settings from the admin menu …

This brings you to the plugin ‘Settings’ section …

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

How To Configure The Plugin

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

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

Let’s go through each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

Categories

Choose ‘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 you can use to organize your 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 are not visible when using the sidebar widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View lets you choose how your lists will be viewed. You can select three kinds of list views:

• Individual – Choose this option if you want each user to be able to create and manage their own private to-do list.
• Group – Use this option if you want all users to share one to-do list.
• Master – Use this option to have a master list for all users, where users have their own individual items to complete. If using the ‘Master’ list view, make sure to adjust the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).

Sort Order

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

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

Show Added By

Enabling this option lets you display which of your members has added an item to the to-do list.

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

Show Date Completed

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

Show Deadline

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

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 displays in your WP 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

If this option is enabled, automatic paragraphs are used to display content in to-do list items.

Integrate with Post Planner

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

Go here to learn more this handy plugin: WordPress Post Planner

When you have finished configuring your plugin options in this section, click the ‘Save Changes’ button …

Advanced Settings

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

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

This area lets you customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do tasks to 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

Here you can customize your To Do List …

You can configure the following options in this section:

Date Format

In this area 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 formatting dates in WordPress, visit the date section of the WordPress Codex below:

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

In this section you can customize the labels for highest, middle (normal) and lowest priority items …

Items prioritized as “important” display 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 item’s ID show up on your to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

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

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 section and assign items to other users …

You can configure the following options in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

If this option is 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

If enabled, 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 to-do 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 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 you disable this option, you can skip other items 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 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.

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

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if 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 email notices. Add the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

Type in the email address that you would like to display as the “sent from” address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Enter a subject field for the email that will be sent automatically to users whenever a new item has been assigned 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

In this section of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab you can carry out database maintenance operations related to plugin data inside your plugin settings area itself …

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

You can perform the following tasks in this section:

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

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

If you don’t want to perform manual backups, then hire the services of a professional, or use WordPress backup plugins. You can read about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your site backups here:

• Backup, Copy And Protect Your WordPress Websites With Backup Creator WP Plugin

User Permissions

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

If you choose the Individual List type, the only configurable option applicable for 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 of each user role are set 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 authorized to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list itself.

Let’s now review the settings in this section:

View To-Do List

Here you can allow the chosen 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 enables the chosen capability to mark items as completed or uncompleted.

Add To-Do Item Capability

This setting enables the chosen capability to add new to-do items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

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

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to delegate to-do 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

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

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to purge all the completed to-do items.

Add Categories Capability

This setting allows 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 need to transfer data from an existing to-do list to another website, or store the list data for backup or archiving purposes.

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

Here you can export or import 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 your data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to a storage medium (e.g. your hard drive) …

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

You can include to-do list data in a WordPress 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 download your file to an internal or external hard drive…

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

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

Your file will be imported.

After configuring all plugin settings, you are ready to begin create and edit your 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 you to 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 dashboard bar …

You can also add new to-do items inside your Dashboard 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 down the page) …

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

Depending on how you have configured the plugin settings, some options may not display when new items to your to-do list.

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 new to-do item …

Note: If you are using a list type that allows you to assign responsibilities over items to 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 After adding a new item, the item will be listed as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …

Repeat the above process to add new items to your to-do list …

Editing And Removing 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 configured the plugin (discussed earlier), users assigned to tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …

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

When users assigned with an item complete the task and click on the item check box …

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

And gets added to the ‘Completed Items’ section located in the ’To-Do List’ plugin area …

Additional Information

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin provides added functionality that lets you display to-do lists on your website using widgets, and insert a list into content inside a page or post using short codes.

Plugin Widget

To add to-do lists 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 the to-do list to appear …

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

Your to-do list will display on your site where you have placed the widget (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

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

• Using Widgets In WordPress

Using Plugin Shortcodes

You can also display to-do lists on your site using shortcodes.

To access the plugin’s short code documentation, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the WP admin menu …

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

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

This documentation section explains different ways to configure and use shortcodes for displaying lists on your content.

Once you know what type of information you would like to add to your site, create a new page or post and either type or paste the short code into the content editor …

Publish your post or page and you should see the list showing exactly where you have inserted the short code …

Visit the plugin website here for more details about this plugin:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

***

***