How To Create To Do Lists In WordPress
If you are a business owner or busy team leader, time is always in short supply.
There are just so many things to do and remember. You have so many deadlines to meet, project tasks to complete, meetings to attend, fires to extinguish, deliveries to make, schedules to keep and so on. The amount of things that need ”doing” never seems to stop.
Now … add the extra workload of trying to promote and grow your business online and keeping your website updated with new content and things can start to feel unmanageable and overwhelming.
Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a project, it’s important to be able to organize and prioritize your daily tasks, keep track of your progress, and, if necessary, delegate responsibilities to others effectively.
A ”tried and true” tool that can help you save time, create a sense of order and manageability, 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 as you to get tasks completed. Your to do list can be very detailed or specific, or act as a concise reminder of the things that need to be done today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.
Here are just some of the many benefits of using to do lists:
Free Your Brain
Creating a to do list means you don’t have to try to memorize things or clutter your brain with details. Once things are written down on a to-do list, your head is free to process other information and you can focus on other things that could be more important.
Strategize
By creating and organizing a to-do list, you can view the bigger picture and create a strategy to get things done effectively.
Keep Documented Work Logs
To-do lists allow you to maintain documented logs of what has been done. This can be used as evidence of work to clients or employers, or simply as a way of helping you assess your own productivity and efficiency.
Less Stress
Stress can come from feeling overwhelmed by the thought that there is so much that needs doing and very little time to do it all in. Creating to-do lists allow you to work on important items that have to get done immediately, and reschedule non-urgent items that can be addressed at a later time. This can help reduce stress.
Better Delegation Of Work
A to do list helps you better delegate work to other people. This is also important when collaborating within a team (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 to-do lists, prioritizing tasks and working in a focused way increases your business productivity and efficiency.
Let’s turn now to using to do lists on your website. More specifically, how to add to-do lists to WordPress.
In this detailed tutorial we are going to show you how to easily add a to do list to your WordPress site to help your business grow online faster and more efficiently using a customizable, multi-featured to-do list plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.
Cleverness To Do List
Cleverness To-Do List Plugin URL
http://wordpress.org/plugins/cleverness-to-do-list/
Plugin Description
This plugin lets you easily add a to do list to WordPress.
Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Features
Note: the 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 a to do list, or to have a master list with individual item completions.
The shared to-do list option provides different settings. You can delegate 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 using capabilities. There are also settings to show deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well as front-end administration.
A new menu item is added to the admin backend to manage your lists and the to-do list is also listed 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 two short codes for front-end list administration. Category management is accessed via the back-end.
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.
Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Installation
Log into your WP admin area scroll down 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 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 from the Plugins section …
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 the admin menu …
This brings you to the plugin ‘Settings’ page …
Let’s go through the plugin configuration process …
How To Set Up The Plugin
The Settings area is divided into 4 tabs:
- To-Do List Settings – In this section you can specify the plugin’s main settings.
- Advanced Settings – This tab is where you customize your to-do lists, assign tasks to other users and perform database maintenance tasks.
- User Permissions – This area lets you configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types.
- Import/Export – Here you can import and export your to-do list data and plugin settings.
Let’s review each of these tabs.
To-Do List Settings
Categories
Select ‘Enabled’ to organize lists into categories, otherwise leave this option set to ‘Disabled’.
Note: When you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item gets added to the To-Do List menu …
This lets you add categories to your to-do lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …
You can set up ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your lists.
Categories marked ‘private’ are not visible using the sidebar widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)
List View
List View lets you specify how your lists are viewed. There are three list views available:
- Individual – Selecting this option allows users to create and manage their own private to-do list.
- Group – Choosing this option lets all users share the same to-do list.
- Master – Use this option to have one master list for all users, where users have their own individual completion of items. If you select the ‘Master’ list view, make sure to configure the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).
Sort Order
‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to order to-do list items.
If you choose 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 of your members has 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 displays completion dates for your to-do items.
Show Deadline
If enabled (‘Yes’), 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
If this option is enabled, the ‘To-Do List’ menu will display in your WP Dashboard Admin bar …
Use WYSIWYG Editor
If this option is 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 (‘Yes’), automatic paragraphs are used to display content in your to-do lists.
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 to help make the task of managing a multi-author WordPress site easier …
Go here for more information about using this plugin: WordPress Post Planner – Plugin For WordPress
Once you have configured your plugin options in this section, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …
Advanced Settings
Once you have configured the general settings, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab to continue …
This brings you to the ‘Advanced Settings’ screen …
This section lets you customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do tasks to users and carry out 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
In this section you can customize your To Do List …
You can configure the following settings in this section:
Date Format
This section lets you specify how to display dates on your to-do lists (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 your labels for prioritizing highest (important), middle (normal) and lowest items …
Items given the highest priority are shown in red and lowest priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …
Show To-Do Item ID
Enabling this option (‘Yes’) shows item IDs on the list …
Show Date To-Do Was Added
Enabling this option shows the date the table of items was added …
To-Do List Advanced Settings > Assign To-Do Items Settings
If you have chosen either ‘Group’ or ‘Master’ View for your to-do list, you can configure the options in this area and assign items to other users …
The following options can be configured in this area:
Assign To-Do Items to Users
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can 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 displays items only to users who have been assigned those items. Leave this option disabled to display 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 checkbox 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, 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 other 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 on the subject of your emails …
Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want categories displayed in the email subject.
If you don’t want to-do categories to display the subject of your emails, then leave this option disabled.
Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email
Enabling this option lets you display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if your website has 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. Type the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …
From Email
Type into this field the email address that you would like showing as the “sent from” address …
Subject Field for Emails Sent to User
In this field, enter a subject field for the email that will be distributed automatically to users whenever a new item has been added in 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 section of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab lets you perform database maintenance operations related to plugin data directly from your plugin settings area without having to access your server …
This is useful if, for example, you see that previously deleted items are still displaying on your site.
The following tasks can be performed:
- Delete Tables – Delete any custom database tables that you no longer use.
- Delete All To-Do Items – Delete all to-do items.
Actions that you perform on your database from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are sure that you want 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 back up your site manually, then get help from a WordPress professional, or use a backup plugin. Learn about a WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to perform complete WordPress file and database backups here:
User Permissions
In this area you can configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types …
If you are using Individual List, the only configurable option that applies in this section is the View To-Do List option …
If you are setting up user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you would like users to have access to for each option …
The default general capabilities of 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 using the Master list type make sure that you only permit non-administrators to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.
Below is a description of the settings for this 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 setting permits the selected capability to mark to-do items as completed or not completed.
Add To-Do Item Capability
This setting allows the chosen capability to add new items.
Edit To-Do Item Capability
Here you can enable the selected capability to modify existing items.
Assign To-Do Item Capability
This allows the chosen capability to assign items to individual users.
View All Assigned Tasks Capability
This setting permits 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
This setting allows the chosen capability to delete individual items.
Delete All To-Do Items Capability
This setting allows the selected capability to purge all the completed items.
Add Categories Capability
This option allows the chosen capability to add new categories.
Import/Export
The ability to import and export to-do list data can be useful. For example, you may need to transfer data from one site to another, or export your list data for backup or archiving purposes.
To access this function, click on the ‘Import/Export’ tab in your plugin settings area …
Now you can import and export your to-do list 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 download and save the data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to a storage device …
As well as exporting 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 an export file (in XML format), either by checking ‘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 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 …
Locate the file in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …
After your data file has been uploaded in your settings area, click the ‘Import Settings’ button …
The data from the existing to-do file will be imported.
Now that you have configured all plugin settings, you are ready to begin creating and editing to-do lists.
How To Use Cleverness To-Do List
To create a new to do list, log into your WordPress admin, 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 To Your List
There are several ways to add new to-do items.
For example, you can add new items to your to-do list 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, as the link is only going to send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section further down the screen) …
All the above methods will bring you to the ‘Add New To-Do Item’ section.
Depending on the way you have configured the plugin’s settings, you may or may not see certain options displayed when adding new items to your to-do list.
Configure 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 item to your list …
Note: If you have chosen 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 an item has been added, it will display as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …
Repeat this process to keep adding new items to your list …
Editing And Deleting 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 earlier), users assigned to tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …
After creating your to do list, users can view it from their own WordPress user dashboard …
When a user assigned with the item completes the task and clicks on the item checkbox …
… the item no longer appears in the “To-Do” list …
And gets added to the ‘Completed Items’ table located in the main screen of the ‘To-Do List’ plugin …
Additional Plugin Information
The Cleverness plugin offers added functionality that lets you display to-do lists on your site using widgets, and insert lists into content inside a page or post using shortcodes.
Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Widget
To add a to-do list to your site using widgets, go to the ‘Widgets’ section (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 appear …
Configure the widget settings and click ’Save’ to update your settings …
Your list will display wherever you have placed the widget (e.g. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)
To learn more about how to use widgets in WordPress, see the tutorial below:
Using The Cleverness Plugin Shortcodes
You can also add to-do lists to your site by inserting short codes into your content.
To access the documentation on using short codes, select To-Do List > To-Do List from your dashboard menu …
Click on the ‘Help’ tab on the corner of your screen …
Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu to access the Shortcode Documentation section …
The documentation section explains different ways to configure and use short codes for displaying lists on your posts and pages.
Once you know what type of information you would like to display on your site, create a new page or post and either type or paste the shortcode into the content editor …
After publishing your page or post, you will see the list displayed exactly where you added the shortcode …
Go here for more information about this plugin:
Congratulations! Now you can create and add to-do lists in WordPress.
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"If you're new to WordPress, this can stand on its own as a training course and will stay with you as you progress from beginner to advanced and even guru status." - Bruce (Columbus, Ohio)
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