How To Create To-Do Lists In WordPress

If you are running a growing business, time is always in short supply.

There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have clients to meet, project tasks to complete, meetings to attend, fires to extinguish, deliveries to make, commitments to keep and so on. The “doing” never stops.

Now … add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and keeping your website updated with new content and things can start to become unmanageable and out of control.

Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a project, it’s important to be able to organize and prioritize your activities, keep track of your progress and daily accomplishments, and, if necessary, delegate tasks to others efficiently.

A simple proven method that can help you save time, create a sense of order and manageability, and allow you to regain control is to use “to do” lists.

To-Do Lists – Benefits

A “to do” list can help to keep you on track and measure your progress when trying to complete tasks. Your to do list can be minutely detailed and specific, or act as a reminder of tasks that need to be done today, tomorrow, next week, next month, etc.

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

Organization

Having a to-do list helps you create order, keep things organized and reach goals sooner.

Be More Strategic

By creating and organizing your to-do list, you can view the larger picture and come up with a strategy for getting tasks done on budget and on time.

Log Your Work

A to-do list lets you maintain documented logs of what you have done. This can be used as evidence of work done to employers or clients, or simply as a means of helping you monitor your own productivity and efficiency.

Stress Relief

Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and so little time to do it in. Creating to-do lists allow you to prioritize urgent tasks that need to be completed immediately, and reschedule tasks that can be addressed at a later time. This can help reduce stress.

Feeling Of Accomplishment

Ticking items off your to-do list gives you a sense of accomplishment and allows you to relax more, as you can objectively see (or show) that the workload is getting done and that milestones are being reached.

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, prioritizing tasks and working in a systematic way increases your business productivity and efficiency.

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

In this detailed step-by-step tutorial we are going to show you how to create to do lists in WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity using a customizable, multi-featured to do list plugin 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 lets you easily add a customizable to do list to a WordPress site.

Features

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

You can configure the plugin with private to-do lists for each user, to have all users share a to do list, or to have a master list with individual completion of items.

The shared to-do list option has a variety of settings available. You can delegate to-do items to a specific user (this includes a setting to email new to-do items to the assigned user) and optionally to have those items only seen by that user. You can also assign different permission levels using capabilities. There are also settings available to show deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well in the front-end administration.

A new menu item is added to the backend to manage your lists and the to do list can also display on the dashboard widget.

A sidebar widget is available as well as shortcode to display the to-do list items on your site. There are two shortcodes for front-end list administration. Management of categories is accessed via the back-end.

If you plan to set up a multi-author site you can use this plugin to create custom to do lists for your post editors if you also download a copy of the Post Planner plugin for WordPress from the same developer.

How To Install The Plugin

In your site’s dashboard, scroll down the main menu and select Plugins > Add New …

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

Locate the Cleverness To-Do List item in the Search Results area and click Install Now …

Click Activate Plugin …

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

After you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

Note: You can also get to the plugin’s settings section by selecting To-Do List > Settings from your dashboard menu …

This takes you to the plugin ‘Settings’ area …

Let’s go through the plugin configuration process …

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Configuration

The Settings screen is divided into four sections:

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

Let’s now configure each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

Categories

Select ‘Enabled’ to organize your 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 lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …

You can set up ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your lists.

Private categories are not visible using sidebar widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View allows you to specify how your lists will be viewed. There are three kinds of list views you can select:

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

Sort Order

‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how your to-do list items will be sorted.

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

Show Added By

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can display which users on your site have added an item to your 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 to-do tasks.

Show Deadline

If this option is enabled, you can specify deadlines for your to-do tasks …

Show Progress

If enabled (‘Yes’), you will be able to specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …

Show Admin Bar Menu

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display the ‘To-Do List’ menu in your WP Dashboard 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

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

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 author that provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

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

After 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 you to the ‘Advanced Settings’ area …

This screen lets you customize your To Do lists, assign to-do tasks to other users and carry out 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

Here 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 in 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 area you can customize your labels for prioritizing highest, middle (normal) and low items …

Items prioritized as “important” are shown in red in the lists and lowest priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

If this option is enabled, the items’ IDs show on your to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

Enabling this option will show the date the To-Do Items table was added …

To-Do List Advanced Settings > Assign To-Do Items Settings

If you have selected either ‘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 …

The following options can be configured in this section:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

If enabled, you can 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 to-do items only to users who have been assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled (‘No’) will display items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Check the boxes in this area Editor to display the type of users that can be assigned to-do items. If you don’t want to assign to-do items to a specific role, then don’t tick its checkbox.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), WordPress automatically sends users an email with their assigned to-do items …

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

Note: If you disable this option, you can 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 to display to-do categories in the subject of your emails.

Leave this option disabled if you don’t want to-do categories to display the subject of your emails.

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

Enabling this option displays the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This option is useful if, for example, you have multiple 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 notices. Add your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …

From Email

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

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

In this field, add a subject field for the email that will be automatically sent out to users when new items have been assigned to your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

Add 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 allows you to carry out database maintenance tasks associated with plugin data inside your plugin settings area …

This is useful if, for example, you see that previously deleted to-do items are still appearing on your site.

The following tasks can be performed in this section:

• Delete Tables – Remove any custom database tables that you are no longer using.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Delete 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 we recommend backing up your database first.

If you don’t want to do manual backups, then consider getting support services from a WordPress professional, or use WordPress backup plugins. You can read about a WordPress backup plugin that can automate your site backups here:

• Backup, Copy & Protect Your WP Website With Backup Creator WordPress Plugin

User Permissions

This section lets you configure user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types …

If you have chosen the Individual List type, the only item that applies in this section is the View To-Do List option …

If you plan to configure 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 …

The 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 working with the Master list type make sure that you only authorize non-administrator users to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list.

Below is a description of the settings in this section:

View To-Do List

Here you can allow the selected 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 setting allows the chosen capability to mark to-do items as completed or not completed.

Add To-Do Item Capability

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

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This permits the chosen capability to modify existing to-do items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can permit the chosen capability to delegate to-do items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This enables 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 permit the chosen capability to purge all the completed to-do items.

Add Categories Capability

This option enables the selected capability to add new categories.

Import/Export

Being able to import and export to-do list data can be useful. For example, you may want to copy over data from one website to another, or export the data for backup or reporting purposes.

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

Now you can easily 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 will open up a window allowing you to view or save your data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to a storage device (e.g. your hard drive) …

In addition to exporting data from the ‘Import/Export’ section, 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 just select ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and click on the ‘Download Export File’ button to save 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 file and click ‘Open’ …

After your data file has been uploaded to your settings area, click the ‘Import Settings’ button …

The data from the existing to-do file will be imported.

Once you have configured all of the plugin settings, you are ready to start create and edit to-do lists.

Plugin Usage

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 …

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 WP admin 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, since the link will simply take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the screen) …

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

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

Configure the options you have enabled for your to-do items, add appropriate values and 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 have selected a list type that lets you 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 delete a user) …

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

Repeat this process to keep adding items to your list …

Edit And Delete 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 set up the plugin (discussed earlier), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …

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

When users assigned with the item complete the task and click on the item checkbox …

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

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

Additional Information

The Cleverness plugin offers added functionality that lets you display to-do lists on your WordPress site using widgets, and add a list to content inside a 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’ page (Appearance > Widgets) and drag the ‘To-Do List’ widget to the menu location where you would like your list to appear …

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

Your to-do list will now display wherever the widget has been added (e.g. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

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

• How To Use s

Using The Cleverness Plugin Short Codes

You can also display to-do lists on your site by placing 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 top right hand corner of your screen …

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

This documentation section explains various ways to configure and use short codes to display lists on your content.

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

After publishing your page or post, you should see the list displayed 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 know how to create and add to-do lists to your WordPress site.

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