Creating A To-Do List In WordPress

If you are running a fast-paced business or managing any kind of project that requires people to work as part of a team, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have deadlines to meet, project tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to put out, calls and appointments to make, commitments to keep and so on. The “doing” never seems to end.

Now … add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and maintaining your website updated with fresh content and everything can start becoming unmanageable and chaotic.

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

One proven method that can help you save time, reduce stressful workloads, and allow you to regain control is to use “to do” lists.

Benefits Of Using A To-Do List

A “to do” list helps you keep track of your progress when trying to complete tasks. Your to do list can be very detailed or specific, or just 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:

See Things More Clearly

Creating to-do lists means that you don’t have to keep remembering things or clutter your head with details. Once things are jotted down on a to-do list, your mind is free to process information and you can focus on other important things.

Strategize

After creating and organizing a to-do list, you can break larger projects into doable tasks and come up with a strategic plan for getting tasks completed efficiently.

Quickly Reschedule

Having a to do list helps you better cope with situations. If an appointment gets cancelled or extra time has been made available when something gets completed sooner than expected, you can keep working with little to minimal loss of focus.

Reduce Stress

Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and very little time to do it all in. Creating to-do lists allow you to work on urgent tasks that need to be completed within a reasonable timeframe, and reschedule tasks 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.

Better Work Delegation

A to do list helps you better delegate work to others. 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 efficiency and productivity in your business will increase.

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

In this detailed step-by-step tutorial you are going to learn how to easily create to do lists in WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity 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 a customizable to-do list to a WordPress site.

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Features

Note: the features described below are discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.

You can set up Cleverness To Do List 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 completion of items.

The shared to do list offers a number of different settings. You can delegate to-do items to a specific user (this includes a setting to email a new to-do item to assigned 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 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 manage your lists and the to do lists are 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 2 shortcodes for front-end list administration. Management of categories is accessed through the back-end admin section.

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

How To Install The Plugin

Log into your WP dashboard section, and choose Plugins > Add New …

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

Locate the plugin in the Search Results section and click Install Now …

Activate the plugin after installing it …

Note: You can also activate this plugin from the Plugins section …

Once the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

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

This brings you to the ‘Settings’ area …

Let’s set up the plugin …

Plugin Configuration

The Settings area is divided into 4 sections:

• To-Do List Settings – In this section you can specify the main plugin settings.
• Advanced Settings – Here you can customize your 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 go through each of these tabs.

To-Do List Settings

To-Do List Categories

Select ‘Enabled’ to organize your to-do list 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 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 will not be visible using sidebar widgets or short codes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View allows you to choose how lists are viewed. There are three list views available:

• Individual – Choosing this option lets each user 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 – Use this option to create a master list for all users, where users have their own individual items to complete. If using the ‘Master’ list view, make sure to configure the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (see further below).

Sort Order

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

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

Show Added By

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

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

Show Date Completed

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) displays completion dates for to-do items.

Show Deadline

Enabling this option lets you specify deadlines for your to-do tasks …

Show Progress

If this option is enabled, you can 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

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to display content in your to-do lists using paragraphs.

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, from the same plugin developer that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

Visit this site to learn more this plugin: WordPress Post Planner

Once you have configured your plugin options in this section, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …

Advanced Settings

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

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 database maintenance tasks.

Let’s take you 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 allows you to 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 lists (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)

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

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

In this area you can customize your labels for prioritizing highest (important), normal and lowest items …

Items given the highest (important) priority are shown in red in the lists 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 display on the list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

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

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 settings in this section 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 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

Enable this option to display tasks only to users who have been assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled displays to-do items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Checking the boxes in this section Author displays the type of users that can be assigned items. If you do not want to assign to-do items to a specific role, then leave its checkbox unticked.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

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

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

Note: If you disable this option, skip the remaining 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 to show the subject of your emails.

If you don’t want categories to display the subject of your emails, then leave this option disabled.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

If enabled, you can display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This option is useful if, for example, 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 email notices to users. Add 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 would like displayed as the “sent from” address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Add a subject field for the email that will be automatically distributed to users when a new item has been assigned in your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

Add 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 carry out database maintenance operations associated with plugin data inside the plugin settings area itself without the need to access your server …

This function is useful if, for example, you see that old items are still showing up on your site.

The following tasks can be performed in this section:

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

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

If you don’t want to perform site backups, then consider using professional assistance services, or use a WordPress backup plugin. You can read about a great WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your backup process here:

• Backup, Duplicate And Keep Your WordPress Websites Protected With Backup Creator Plugin For WP

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 in this section is the View To-Do List option …

If you plan to set up user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you want users to have access to for each option …

By default, general capabilities of each user role are 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 make sure that you only permit non-admin users to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.

Let’s go through the settings for this section:

View To-Do List

This option permits 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 allows the chosen capability to mark to-do items as completed or not completed.

Add To-Do Item Capability

This permits the chosen capability to add new items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to edit existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

This setting enables the chosen 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

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

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This setting permits the selected capability to purge all the completed 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 export the list data for backup or reporting purposes.

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

Use this section to easily import or export 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 opens up a window allowing you to view or save the data as plain text to a storage device (e.g. your hard drive) …

As well as exporting data from the ‘Import/Export’ tab, you can also export data by going to your dashboard 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 a storage medium…

Importing To-Do List Data

To import a list data file, 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 the data file has been uploaded to your settings area, click the ‘Import Settings’ button …

Your file data will be imported.

After configuring all of the plugin settings, you can begin creating and editing your lists.

How To Use The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

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

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

Add New Items To Your List

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

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

You can also add new to-do items to your list from the ‘To-Do List’ dashboard section by clicking on the ‘Add To-Do item’ link …

You can 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 is only going to take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section further down the page) …

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

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

Configure 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 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 remove a user) …

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

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

Edit And Delete To-Do Items

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

Depending on your plugin configuration plugin settings (see previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …

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

When users assigned with completing an item click on the item checkbox …

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

And gets added to the ‘Completed Items’ table located in the ’To-Do List’ page …

Additional Information

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin provides additional functions that let you display a to-do list on your WordPress site using widgets, and display a list on 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’ section (Appearance > Widgets) and drag the ‘To-Do List’ widget to the location in your sidebar menu where you want your to-do list to display …

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

The list will now display on your site where you have added the 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

Using Plugin Shortcodes

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

To access the documentation on using short codes, click on To-Do List > To-Do List from your dashboard menu …

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

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

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

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

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

Visit the plugin website to learn more about this plugin:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

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