Creating To-Do Lists In WordPress

If you plan to run a growing business, there never seems to be enough time to get everything done.

There are just so many things to do and remember. You have clients to meet, urgent tasks to complete, meetings to attend, fires to extinguish, appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The amount of things that need ”doing” never seems to end.

Now … on top of all this, add the extra workload of trying to promote and grow your business online and keeping your website or blog updated with regular content and everything can quickly start becoming unmanageable and overwhelming.

Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a project, it’s important to be able to organize and prioritize your daily activities, monitor your progress and daily accomplishments, and, if necessary, assign tasks to members of your team or staff efficiently.

A simple “tried and true” tool that can help you save time, reduce stress, and allow you to take control is to use “to-do” lists.

To Do Lists – Benefits

A “to-do” list helps you track your progress as you complete projects. Your to-do list can be detailed or specific, or act as a reminder of the things that need doing today, tomorrow, next week, next month, etc.

Here are just a few of the benefits of using to do lists:

Free Your Brain

Creating a to do list means that you won’t have to memorize things or store information inside your head. Once tasks are written down on a to-do list, your mind is free to process other information and you can focus on things that are more important to you.

Be More Strategic

After creating and organizing your to-do list, you can break down larger projects into doable tasks and come up with a strategy for getting everything done effectively.

Log Your Work

To-do lists let you keep documented logs of what you have done. This can be used to provide evidence of work done to clients or employers, or simply as a means of helping you measure your own productivity and efficiency.

Reduce Stress

Stress can come from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and so very little time to do it all in. Using to do lists let you prioritize important tasks that have to get done within a reasonable timeframe, and push out non-urgent items that can be worked on later. This can help reduce stress.

Sense Of Accomplishment

Crossing items off a to do list not only helps you feel more productive, motivated and in-control, it also allows you to relax more, as you can objectively see (or show) that the workload is being completed and that progress is being made.

As you can see, there are many benefits to using a to do list, both in business and in your personal life. Creating to-do lists, then prioritizing tasks and working in a focused way increases your business productivity and efficiency.

What about using a to-do list on your WordPress website?

In this detailed step-by-step tutorial you are going to learn how to add a to-do list to WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity using a great little plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.

Cleverness To Do List

Download URL

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

Plugin Description

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

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 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 has a variety of settings available. You can assign to-do items to a specific user (this includes emailing a new to do item to users) and optionally to have those items only viewable 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 also included as front-end administration.

A new menu item is added to the backend to help you manage your lists and the to-do list can also be displayed on a 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. Management of categories is accessible via the back-end admin section.

If you plan to run 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 developer’s premium plugin, Post Planner.

Plugin Installation

Log into your site’s admin area and in the main menu choose 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 area and click Install Now …

Click “Activate Plugin” …

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

When the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

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

This brings you to the ‘Settings’ screen …

Let’s go through the plugin setup process …

How To Set Up The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

The Settings area is divided into 4 sections:

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

Let’s now configure each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

To-Do List Categories

Choose ‘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 allows you to add categories that can help 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 using sidebar widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View lets you choose how your lists are viewed. There are three kinds of to do list views:

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

Sort Order

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

If you select Alphabetical, Category or ID options, items will be first sorted 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 works when ‘List View’ is set to ‘Group’.

Show Date Completed

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

Show Deadline

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

Show Progress

Enabling this option lets you specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …

Show Admin Bar Menu

If enabled (‘Yes’), the ‘To-Do List’ menu displays in your WordPress 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

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to display content in to-do list items 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, developed by the same plugin author that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

Go here for more information about this plugin: WordPress Post Planner – Editorial Solution Plugin For WordPress

When you have finished configuring your options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button …

Advanced Settings

After you have configured the settings in the To-Do List Settings tab, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab to continue …

This brings up the ‘Advanced Settings’ section …

In this screen you can customize your To Do lists, assign to-do items to users and carry out 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

In this area you can customize your To Do List …

The following settings can be configured in this section:

Date Format

Here you can specify how to display dates in your to-do lists (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)

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

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

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

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

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option will display the item’s ID on the to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

Enabling this option will show the date the items table was added …

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 options in this area and assign to-do items to other users …

You can configure the following options in this section:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enable this option to 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 to-do items only to users who have been specifically assigned those items. Leave this option disabled (‘No’) to display items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Checking the boxes in this area Subscriber) displays the type of users that can be assigned todo items. Leave the checkbox unticked for any roles that you do not want to assign to-do items.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

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

Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want to send out emails to users.

Note: If you disable this option, you can skip the 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 in the subject of emails sent to users …

Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want to show to-do categories in the subject of your emails.

If you don’t want to show categories in the subject of your emails, then leave this option disabled (‘No’).

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 is a useful option if your website has various 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 emails to users. Type the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …

From Email

Enter the email address that you want showing as the “sent from” email address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Type in a subject field for the email that will be automatically sent out to users when a new item has been added to 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 area of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab allows you to carry out database maintenance tasks associated with plugin data inside your plugin settings area without the need to access your server …

This function is useful if, for example, you see that items you have deleted 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 – Remove all to-do items.

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

If you don’t want to perform your own site backups, then consider using professional help services, or use WordPress backup plugins. Learn about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your site backups here:

• Back Up, Clone And Protect Your WP Sites With Backup Creator Plugin For WordPress

User Permissions

In this area you can configure user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types …

If you have chosen the Individual List type, the only configurable option applicable for this section is the View To-Do List option …

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

By default, general capabilities for each user role are set 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 allow non-administrator users to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list.

Let’s go through the settings in this section:

View To-Do List

This setting enables 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

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

Add To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to add new items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This setting enables the chosen capability to edit existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

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

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

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

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This option permits the selected capability to purge all the completed to-do items.

Add Categories Capability

Here you can enable 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 want to copy over data from one site to another, or export your data for backup or archiving 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 data and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

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

This will open up a window allowing you to download and save the data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to an internal or external drive …

As well as exporting to-do list data from the ‘Import/Export’ tab, you can also export data by going to your WordPress dashboard menu and choosing Tools > Export …

You can include to-do list data in an export file (in XML format), either by checking ‘All content’ (includes everything – posts, pages, etc…), or selecting ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and clicking the ‘Download Export File’ button to save your file to your hard drive…

Importing To-Do List Data

Importing a 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’ …

Once uploading your data file, click on ‘Import Settings’ …

Your file data will be imported.

Now that you have configured all of the plugin settings, you can begin creating and editing your lists.

How To Use The Plugin

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

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

How To Add New To Do Items

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

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

You can also add new to-do items using 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, as the link will simply send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the page) …

All the methods shown above will take 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 new items to your to-do list.

Configure the options you have enabled for your to-do items, enter appropriate information into the relevant fields and click on the ‘Submit To-Do Item’ button to add the new item to your list …

Note: If you are using a list type that lets you assign 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 a user) …

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

Repeat this process to continue adding items to your to-do list …

Editing And Deleting Items From Your List

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

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

Once you have created your to do list, users can view the list inside their WordPress user dashboard …

When the user assigned with completing an item clicks on the item check box …

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

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

Additional Information

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin offers added functionality that lets you display a to-do list on your WordPress website using widgets, and display a list on any post or page using shortcodes.

Using The Cleverness 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 show …

Configure the settings in the widget and click on the ‘Save’ button …

The list will display on your site where 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 s

Using The Cleverness Plugin Short Codes

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin also lets you create to-do lists and checklists on your site using short codes.

To access the documentation on using shortcodes, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the WordPress 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 section explains different ways to configure and use short codes to display lists on your content.

Once you know what type of information you want to display on your site, create or edit a new or existing page or post and either type or paste the shortcode into the content editor …

Publish your post or page and you should see the list displayed exactly where you added the shortcode …

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

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

Congratulations! Now you know how to create and add a to-do list to your WordPress site or blog.

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