Creating To Do Lists In WordPress

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

There is just so much to do and remember. You have deadlines to meet, projects 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 stop.

Now … add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and maintaining your website updated with regular content and everything suddenly begins feeling unmanageable and chaotic.

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

One proven method 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 helps you track your progress as you complete tasks. Your to-do list can be detailed and very specific, or serve as a concise reminder of the things that need doing over a given period of time.

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

Think Clearly

Writing a to do list means that you don’t have to keep remembering stuff or clutter your brain with details. Once tasks are recorded on a to do list, your head is free to process information and you can focus on other important areas.

Prioritize Your Time

Prioritizing tasks on your list helps you save time and better manage your workload. You can develop a clearer perspective on what’s more urgent vs what isn’t, and what steps should be done first.

Keep Work Logs

To-do lists let you keep documented logs of what work has been done. You can use this 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 is no commitment to completion, and no motivation to take meaningful action. Lack of accountability can also allow excuses to creep in and take over your productivity.

Improved Collaboration

Using to-do lists and other project management tools is essential for collaborating with others 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. Creating to-do lists, prioritizing tasks and working in a focused manner improves your business productivity and efficiency.

Let’s turn now to using to-do lists on your website or blog. More specifically, adding a to do list to WordPress.

In this tutorial you are going to learn how to easily create a to do list in WordPress to help get things done online  faster and more efficiently using a great little plugin for WordPress called Cleverness To-Do List.

Cleverness To-Do List

Download The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

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

Description

This WordPress plugin provides users with a to do list feature.

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Features

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

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

The shared to-do list includes different settings. You can assign to-do items to a specific user (this includes emailing a new to-do item to assigned users) and optionally to have those items only seen by that user. You can also assign different permission levels to different users. There are also settings available to display deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well in the front-end administration.

A new menu item is added to the admin backend to help you manage your lists 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 2 short codes for front-end list administration. Category management is restricted to 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 editors if you also download the Post Planner plugin.

Installing The Plugin

Log into your WordPress dashboard area, and select Plugins > Add New …

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

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

Click Activate Plugin …

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

When you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

Note: You can also get to the ‘Settings’ section by selecting To-Do List > Settings from the admin menu …

This brings you to the plugin ‘Settings’ area …

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

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Configuration

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

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

Let’s now take you 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: If you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item will be added to the To-Do List menu …

This allows you to add categories that can help organize your lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …

You can create ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your to-do lists.

Categories marked ‘private’ are not visible when using widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

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

• Individual – Select 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 – This option allows you to create one 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 to-do list items will be sorted.

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

Show Added By

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display which users have 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 your to-do items.

Show Deadline

If this option is enabled, you will be able to specify deadlines for 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

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) 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 your 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 …

To learn more about using this plugin, visit this site: WordPress Post Planner – Plugin For WordPress

Once you have configured your options, 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’ area …

This screen lets you customize your To Do lists, assign to-do tasks to 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’ screen allows you to customize your To Do List …

The following settings can be configured in this section:

Date Format

This section lets you specify how to display dates in your to-do list (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

This section lets you customize your labels for highest, middle and lowest priority items …

Highest priority items are shown in red and low priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) displays the items’ IDs on your list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

Enabling this option will show the date your To-Do Items table 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 settings in this section and assign to-do items to other users …

The following settings can be configured in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enable this option to 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

Enabling this option lets you display tasks 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 section Editor displays 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 check box.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

If you enable this option, WordPress automatically sends an email to users with their assigned to-do items …

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

Note: If this option is disabled, you can skip other 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 display to-do categories in the email subject.

If you don’t want to display to-do categories in the email subject, then leave this option disabled.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

If enabled (‘Yes’), you can display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if your site has several project managers assigning to-do items to users …

From Field for Emails Sent to User

This field allows you to customize the “From” field when sending out email notifications. You can enter your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …

From Email

In this field, enter the email address that you would like to display 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 sent 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 allows you to perform database maintenance operations related to plugin data inside your plugin settings area itself without having to log into your server …

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

The tasks below can be performed in this section:

• Delete Tables – Remove 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 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 do your own backups, then consider getting assistance from a WordPress professional, or use a WordPress backup plugin. You can learn more about a great WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to automate WordPress backups here:

• Backup, Clone & Protect Your WordPress Web Site With Backup Creator Plugin For WordPress

User Permissions

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

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

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 be able to perform 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 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.

Let’s review the settings for the User Permissions tab:

View To-Do List

This setting allows 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

Here you can permit the selected capability to mark to-do items as completed or uncompleted.

Add To-Do Item Capability

This option allows the chosen capability to add new to-do items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This option enables the selected capability to modify existing items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to assign items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

Here you can permit 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 enables the chosen capability to delete individual to-do items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This enables the selected 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

The ability to import and export to-do list data can be useful. For example, you may want to transfer data from one site to another, 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 …

Use this section to easily import or export your to-do list data and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

To export and download your data settings click on the ‘Download Export File’ …

This will open up a window allowing you to download and save the data in plain text format to a storage device …

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

You can include to-do list data in an 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 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’ …

After the data file has been uploaded in 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 are ready to begin create and edit your to-do lists.

How To Use The Plugin

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 up the ‘To-Do List’ screen …

How To Add New To Do Items To Your List

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

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

You can also add new to-do items to your list in the Dashboard 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 will simply take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section further down the page) …

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

Depending on the way you have configured your plugin settings, you may or may not see certain options displayed when adding new to-do items.

Set up 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 have chosen a list type that allows you to assign responsibilities over 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 remove users) …

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

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

Editing And Removing To Do Items From Your List

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

Depending on how you have configured the plugin (see previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …

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

When users responsible for the item complete the task and tick the item checkbox …

… the item no longer appears in the “To-Do” list …

And displays in the ‘Completed Items’ section located in the ’To-Do List’ page …

Additional Information

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

Using The Cleverness 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 (or footer) menu where you want the list to display …

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

Your to-do list will now display where you have inserted the widget (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

To learn more about using WordPress widgets, see the tutorial below:

• Using WordPress Widget

Using The Cleverness Plugin Shortcodes

You can also add lists and checklists to your site by inserting short codes into your content.

To access the documentation on using shortcodes, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the admin 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 for displaying lists on your posts and pages.

Once you know what information you want to display on your site, open up a new post or page and either type or paste the shortcode inside the content area …

Publish your page or post and you will see the list displayed where you entered the shortcode …

To learn more about this plugin, visit this site:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

Congratulations! Now you know how to add to-do lists to your WordPress site or blog.

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