How To Create To Do Lists In WordPress

If you run a hectic business or manage other people, there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get things done.

There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have so many deadlines to meet, tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to put out, appointments to make, commitments to keep and so on. The stress of trying to get things done on time never ends.

Now … 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 suddenly begins feeling unmanageable and overwhelming.

Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a project, you need to be able to organize and prioritize your daily activities, track your progress, and, if necessary, assign responsibilities to others effectively.

A simple proven method 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 monitor your progress as you work towards certain goals. Your to do list can be minutely detailed and very specific, or act as a concise reminder of the things that need to be done over a given period of time.

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

Free Up Resources

Creating to-do lists means you won’t have to try to memorize stuff or clutter your head with details. Once things are recorded on a to do list, your mind is free to process information and you can focus on other things that are important.

Strategize

By creating and organizing a to do list, you can break down larger projects into doable tasks and come up with a strategy for getting everything completed on budget and on time.

Keep Documented Work Logs

A to-do list allows you to maintain documented logs of what you have done. You can use this as evidence of work done to clients or employers, or simply as a way of helping you assess your own productivity and efficiency.

Accountability

Without accountability there is no commitment to getting things completed, and no motivation to act with a sense of purpose. Lack of accountability allows excuses to creep in and take over your work day.

Better Delegation

Having a to-do list helps you better delegate work to others. This is also important if you plan to collaborate within a team (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 in a systematic way and productivity and efficiency in your business will increase.

What about adding a to-do list to your website or blog?

In this step-by-step tutorial we are going to show you how to add to do lists to WordPress to help your team get things done  faster and more efficiently using a great little WordPress 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/

Plugin Description

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

Features

Note: the plugin 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 the same to-do list, or to have a master list with individual completion of items.

The shared to-do list option provides a number of different settings. You can assign to do items to a specific user (this includes a setting to email new to do items to the user) 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 show deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well as front-end administration.

A new menu item is added to the backend to help you manage your list and the to-do lists can also appear 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 shortcodes for front-end list administration. Management of categories is restricted to the back-end admin section.

If you plan to run a multi-author blog you can use the plugin to create custom to-do lists for your post planners if you also use a copy of the developer’s premium plugin, Post Planner.

Installing The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

Inside your WordPress admin section, go to the menu and choose Plugins > Add New …

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

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

Activate the plugin …

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

After you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

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

This brings you to the plugin ‘Settings’ area …

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

Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Configuration

The plugin’s ‘Settings’ area is divided into four sections:

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

Let’s go through each of these tabs.

To-Do List Settings

To-Do List Categories

Choose ‘Enabled’ to organize your list into categories, otherwise leave this option set to ‘Disabled’.

Note: If you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item is added to the To-Do List plugin menu …

This allows you to add categories that can help 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.

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

List View

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

• 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 be able to share the same to-do list.
• Master – Choose this option to have one master list for all users, where users have their own individual completion of items. If you select 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 sort your to-do list items.

If you choose ID, Alphabetical, or Category 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 your to-do list.

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

Show Date Completed

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

Show Deadline

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can specify deadlines for to-do items …

Show Progress

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

Show Admin Bar Menu

Enabling this option displays the ‘To-Do List’ menu in your WP Dashboard 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 list items using paragraphs.

Integrate with Post Planner

If you are running a multi-author website 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 …

Go here to learn more about this handy plugin: WordPress Post Planner – WordPress Editorial Solution Plugin

After you have configured your options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …

Advanced Settings

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

This brings up the plugin’s ‘Advanced Settings’ area …

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

Let’s step 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 on your todo list (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)

Note: To learn more about how to format 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 labels for important, middle (normal) and lowest (low) priority items …

Items prioritized as “important” are color-coded in red in the lists and low priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

Enabling this option shows the items’ IDs on your to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

If enabled (‘Yes’), the date your to-do list was added appears on the table of items …

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 options can be configured in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

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

User Roles to Show

Check the boxes in this area (Administrator to display the type of users that can be assigned to-do items. Leave the check box unticked for any roles that you don’t want to assign to-do items.

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 …

If you don’t want to send out emails to users, then leave this option disabled (‘No’).

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

Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want categories added to 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

Enable this option to display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if you have a number of 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 notifications. You can enter the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

In this field, enter the email address that you would like showing as the “sent from” address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Type in a subject field for the email that will be automatically sent out to users whenever 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 of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab allows you to perform database maintenance operations associated with plugin data directly from the plugin settings area itself without having to log into your server …

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

The tasks below can be performed in this section:

• Delete Tables – Delete custom database tables that you are no longer using.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Remove all to-do items.

Actions that you perform on the database from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are sure that you want to perform database operations in this section, then make sure to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to back up your data yourself, then consider using professional WordPress support services, or use backup plugins. You can read about a WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to automate file and data backups here:

• Back Up, Clone & Keep Your WordPress Sites Protected With Backup Creator Plugin For WordPress

User Permissions

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

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

If you are setting up user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you would like users to perform 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 authorize non-administrator users to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.

Let’s review the settings in this tab:

View To-Do List

Here you can permit the chosen capability to view 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 to-do items as completed or uncompleted.

Add To-Do Item Capability

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

Edit To-Do Item Capability

Here you can permit the selected capability to edit existing items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can allow the selected capability to delegate to-do items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This setting allows 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

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

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This setting permits the chosen capability to purge all the completed items.

Add Categories Capability

This setting enables 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 decide to transfer data from one site to another, or store 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 export or import your to-do list data and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

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

This will open up a window allowing you to view or download your data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to a storage medium (e.g. your hard drive) …

As well as exporting 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 an internal or external 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 …

Select the file in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …

Once the data file has been uploaded in your settings area, click on the ‘Import Settings’ button …

Your file will be imported.

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

How To Use The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

To create a new to do list, go to your WordPress admin menu and click on To-Do List > To-Do List …

This brings up the ‘To-Do List’ screen …

Add A New Item To Your List

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

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

You can also add new to-do items to your list inside 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 is only going to take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the page) …

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

Depending on the way you have configured the plugin settings, some options may not display when when you add new to-do items.

Select the options you have enabled for your to-do items, enter 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 are using a list type that lets you assign tasks 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 a new item has been added, it will be listed as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …

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

Editing And Removing Items From Your List

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

Depending on how you have configured the plugin (discussed in the previous section), users assigned to tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …

Once you have created your to do list, users can view it when logged into their own WordPress dashboard …

When users responsible for completing an item click on the item check box …

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

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

Additional Information

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

Using The 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 (or footer) menu where you would like your to-do list to appear …

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

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

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

• How To Use WordPress Widget

Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Short Codes

The Cleverness To-Do List plugin also lets you display to-do lists and checklists on your site with shortcodes.

To access the plugin’s short code documentation, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the WordPress admin menu …

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

Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu entry to access the Shortcode Documentation …

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

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

After publishing your page or post, you should see the list showing in the location where you have inserted the short code …

For more information about this plugin, visit the plugin website:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

Congratulations! Now you can create and add to-do lists to your WordPress site.

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