Creating To Do Lists In WordPress

Time is always in short supply, especially if you run a fast-paced business or manage 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, appointments 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 maintaining your website or blog updated with fresh content and things can quickly start to become unmanageable and overwhelming.

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

A proven tool that can help you save time, alleviate stress, and allow you to regain control is to use a “to do” list.

The Benefits Of Using A To-Do List

A “to-do” list helps you measure your progress as you work towards your goals. Your to do list can be detailed and very specific, or act as a concise reminder of what needs to be done over a given period of time.

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

Keep Things Organized

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

Prioritize Your Time

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

Quickly Reorganize And Reschedule

Having a to-do list helps you better handle changes in circumstances. If you find that an appointment has been cancelled at short notice or extra time becomes available because something was completed sooner than expected, you can quickly reschedule and continue working with little to no loss of focus.

Ensures Accountability

With no accountability there’s no commitment to getting things completed, and no motivation to take meaningful action. Lack of accountability can also allow excuses to creep in and impact your productivity.

Sense Of Accomplishment

Crossing items off to do lists not only makes you feel more productive, motivated and in-control, it also allows you to stress less, as you can objectively see (or show) that work is indeed being completed and that milestones are being reached.

As you can see, there are many benefits to using to-do lists, both in business and in your personal life. Create a list, prioritize your list items and work towards completing the tasks on your list and productivity and efficiency in your business is sure to improve.

What about adding a to-do list to your WordPress website?

In this detailed tutorial you are going to learn how to create to do lists in WordPress to improve business efficiency and productivity 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 lets you easily add to-do lists to a WP website or blog.

Plugin Features

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

You can configure Cleverness To-Do List 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 offers a number of settings. You can delegate to do items to specific users (this includes emailing a new to do item to users) and optionally to have assigned items be seen by that user. You can also assign different permission levels using capabilities. There are also settings available to enable the display of 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 manage your list and your to-do list can also be displayed 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 two short codes for front-end administration of your list. Category management is restricted to the back-end.

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

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Installation

Inside your WP administration area, choose Plugins > Add New …

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

Locate the item 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 area …

Once the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

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

This takes you to the ‘Settings’ section …

The section below shows you how to configure the plugin …

Setting Up The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

The Settings area is divided into 4 tabs:

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

Let’s now go through each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

List View

List View allows you to choose how your to-do lists will be viewed. There are three types of list views you can select:

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

Sort Order

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

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

Show Added By

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display which of your members has added an item to your to-do list.

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

Show Date Completed

If this option is enabled, completion dates will display for to-do items.

Show Deadline

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

Show Progress

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …

Show Admin Bar Menu

If enabled (‘Yes’), the ‘To-Do List’ menu will display in your WP 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

If this option is enabled, automatic paragraphs are used to display content in your to-do lists.

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 …

To learn more about this handy plugin, visit this site: WordPress Post Planner

After you have finished configuring your plugin options in this section, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button …

Advanced Settings

After configuring the general settings, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab to proceed …

This brings you to the ‘Advanced Settings’ area …

This screen lets you customize your To Do lists, assign to-do items to other users and perform plugin database maintenance.

Let’s take you 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 …

You can configure the following options 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, visit the date 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 and low items …

Highest priority items display in red in your lists and lowest priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

If this option is enabled, item IDs display on your to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

If enabled (‘Yes’), the date your to-do list was added will show on your 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 area 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 (‘Yes’) to assign tasks 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

If this option is enabled, you can display 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

Check the boxes in this section (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber) to display the type of users that can be assigned to-do 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

If you enable this option, WordPress will automatically send 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.

Note: If this option is disabled, skip the other settings 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 display categories 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

If this option is 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 multiple 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. You can enter your company name, 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 distributed to users whenever a new item has been added to your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

In this field, type 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

In this section you can carry out database maintenance tasks related to plugin data directly from the plugin settings area without having to log into your server …

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

You can perform the following tasks in this section:

Delete Tables – Remove custom database tables that you are no longer using.
Delete All To-Do Items – Remove 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 perform database operations in this section, then remember to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to back up your site manually, then get professional assistance, or use WordPress backup plugins. Learn about a great WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your backup process here:

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

User Permissions

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

Info

If you are using the Individual List type, the only item that is applicable for this section is the View To-Do List option …

If you are configuring 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 …

The default general capabilities for each user role are configured as follows:

Subscribers: Read
Contributors: Edit Posts
Authors: Publish Posts
Editors: Edit Others Posts
Administrators: Manage Options

Note: When using the Master list type non-administrators should only be permitted to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.

Let’s review the settings in the User Permissions section:

View To-Do List

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

Add To-Do Item Capability

This setting allows the selected capability to add new items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

Here you can enable the chosen capability to modify existing items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

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

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This allows 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

This setting allows the chosen capability to delete individual items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to purge all the completed items.

Add Categories Capability

Here you can permit the selected 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 to-do 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 …

Now you can export and import your list 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 in plain text format to a storage device …

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

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 …

Select the previously saved to-do list data file in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …

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

Your file data will be imported.

Now that you have configured all of the plugin settings, you are ready to begin create and edit to do lists.

Plugin Usage

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

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

Add New To Do Items To Your List

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

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

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

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

Depending on how you have configured your 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, 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 responsibilities over items to users, select a user from the drop-down list and assign them the item …

You can also assign multiple users to the same item (click on ‘x’ to remove users) …

After After adding a new item, the item will be listed as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …

Repeat this process to add new items to your list …

Editing And Deleting Items

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

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

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

When the user assigned with completing an item ticks the item checkbox …

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

And gets listed the ‘Completed Items’ section located in the ’To-Do List’ screen …

Additional Plugin Information

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin provides additional functions that let you display to-do lists on your site using widgets, and display lists on content inside a post or page using short codes.

Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Widget

To add to-do lists 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 menu where you would like your list to show …

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

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

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

Using s

Using The Cleverness Plugin Shortcodes

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin also lets you add to-do lists and checklists on your site by placing short codes into your content.

To access the documentation on using shortcodes, 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’ menu entry to access the Shortcode Documentation section …

This section explains various ways to configure and use shortcodes to display lists on your posts and pages.

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

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

To learn more about this plugin, visit this site:

Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

Congratulations! Now you know how to create and add a to-do list in WordPress.

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"I have used the tutorials to teach all of my clients and it has probably never been so easy for everyone to learn WordPress ... Now I don't need to buy all these very expensive video courses that often don't deliver what they promise." - Stefan Wendt, Internet Marketing Success Group

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