Creating To Do Lists In WordPress

As a busy person trying to run a business or manage a team, time is always in short supply.

There is just too much to do and remember. You have clients to meet, project tasks 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 end.

Now … add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and maintaining your website updated with regular content and things can start to become unmanageable and overwhelming.

Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a team, you need to be able to organize and manage your day.

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

The Benefits Of Using To Do Lists

A “to do” list helps you monitor your progress as you to get tasks completed. Your to do list can be quite detailed and specific, or serve as a reminder of what needs to be done over a given period of time.

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

A To-Do List Helps Keep Things Organized

Having to do lists help you create order, keep things organized and reach your goals faster.

Manage Your Time Better

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

Reschedule Or Reorganize Quickly

Using to do lists let you better cope with unexpected situations. If an appointment suddenly gets cancelled at short notice or extra time becomes available when something gets completed sooner than expected, you can continue moving forward with minimal disruption.

Reduce Stress

Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and so very little time to do it all in. Creating to-do lists let you prioritize important tasks that need to get done within a reasonable timeframe, and push out tasks that can be addressed at a later time. This can help reduce stress.

Improved Collaboration

Creating to-do lists and other project management tools is essential for working with other people on some of your larger or more complex projects.

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 towards completing the tasks on the list and productivity and efficiency in your business is sure to improve.

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

In this detailed tutorial we are going to show you how to create a to-do list in WordPress to help your team get things done faster and more efficiently using a customizable, multi-featured to do list 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/

Description

This WordPress plugin lets you easily add a customizable to do list to a WordPress site.

Plugin Features

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

You can configure Cleverness To-Do List with private to do lists for individual users, 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 includes different settings. You can assign to do items to specific users (this includes a setting to email new to do items to the user) and optionally to have assigned items be viewable by that user. You can also assign different permission levels to different users based on user roles. There are also settings available to display deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well as front-end administration.

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

A sidebar widget is available as well as short code to display the to do list items on your site. There are 2 shortcodes for front-end list administration. Category management is accessed through the back-end.

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

Installing The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

In your site’s admin area, click on Plugins > Add New …

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

Locate the item in the Search Results area and click Install Now …

Click Activate Plugin …

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

Once the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

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

This takes you to the ‘Settings’ area …

Let’s configure the plugin …

How To Configure The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

The Settings area is divided into 4 sections:

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

Let’s configure each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

List View

List View lets you choose how your to-do lists will be viewed. There are three list views:

Individual – Choosing this option lets each user create and manage their own private to-do list.
Group – Choosing this option lets users share one to-do list.
Master – Select this option to create a master list for all users, where users have their own individual completion of items. If you select 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 to sort your to-do list items.

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

Show Added By

If enabled, you can display which of your users has added an item to your to-do list.

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

Show Date Completed

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

Show Deadline

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you specify deadlines for to-do items …

Show Progress

If enabled (‘Yes’), you can 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 lets you add and edit items on your to-do list using the WordPress WYSIWYG Editor …

Use Auto Paragraphs

If enabled (‘Yes’), automatic paragraphs are used to display content in your to-do list items.

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 using this plugin: WordPress Post Planner – WordPress Plugin

After configuring your plugin options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …

Advanced Settings

After configuring the settings in the To-Do List Settings tab, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab …

This brings you to the plugin’s ‘Advanced Settings’ area …

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

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’ tab allows you to 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 todo lists (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

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

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

Show To-Do Item ID

If this option is enabled, item IDs display on the list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

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

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 settings in this section and assign items to other users …

You can configure the following options in this section:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enabling this option lets you 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

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

User Roles to Show

Check the boxes in this section Contributor to display the type of users that can be assigned to-do items. If you do not want to assign to-do items to a role, then leave its check box unticked.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

If this option is enabled, 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.

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 to-do categories in the subject of your emails.

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

Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email

Enable this option (‘Yes’) to display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This option is useful if, for example, you have several project managers assigning to-do items to users …

From Field for Emails Sent to User

Use this field to customize the “From” field when sending out email notices. You can enter your company name, 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” email address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

In this field, type a subject field for the email that will be sent automatically to users when a new item has been added to your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

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

This is useful if, for example, you notice that previously deleted items are still showing up on your site.

The tasks below 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 of your to-do items.

Any database operations performed from this screen cannot be undone. If you are sure that you want to perform database maintenance in this section, then remember to backup your database first.

If you don’t want to perform your own backups, then consider getting support from a WordPress professional, or use a backup plugin. You can learn more about a great WordPress backup plugin that we recommend using to automate WordPress site backups here:

Backup, Copy And Protect Your WordPress Website With Backup Creator WordPress Plugin

User Permissions

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

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

If you are setting up 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 …

The default general capabilities of 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-administrator users should only be allowed to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list itself.

Here is a description of the settings for this tab:

View To-Do List

Here you can allow 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

This option enables the selected capability to mark to-do items as completed or uncompleted.

Add To-Do Item Capability

Here you can enable the chosen capability to add new items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This option allows the chosen capability to edit existing items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

This setting permits the selected capability to assign items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

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

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

This enables the chosen capability to purge all the completed items.

Add Categories Capability

This option enables the chosen capability to add new categories.

Import/Export

Being able to import and export to-do list data can be useful. For example, you may need to transfer data from one website to another, or store your 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 easily export or import your data 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 will open up a window allowing you to download and save the data in a plain text file (e.g. Notepad) to a storage medium (e.g. your hard drive) …

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

You can include to-do list data in a WordPress 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 your storage device…

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

After uploading your data file, click the ‘Import Settings’ button …

Your file data will be imported.

Now that you have configured all of the plugin settings, you are ready to start creating and editing to-do 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 …

Add New To Do Items To Your List

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 admin bar …

You can also add new to-do items in your Dashboard by clicking on the ‘Add To-Do item’ link …

You can also click on the ‘Add New Item’ link in the ‘To-Do Items’ section (note: only use this option if your To-Do list already contains many items, as the link will simply send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the screen) …

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

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

Select 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 to-do item …

Note: If you have selected 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 make multiple users responsible for the same item (click on ‘x’ to delete users) …

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

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

Editing And Removing Items From Your List

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

Depending on your plugin configuration plugin settings (discussed earlier), users assigned to completing tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …

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

When a user assigned with the item completes the task and ticks the item check box …

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

And appears in the ‘Completed Items’ table located in the main screen of the ‘To-Do List’ plugin …

Additional Plugin Information

The Cleverness plugin provides additional functions that let you display to-do lists on your WordPress website using widgets, and add a list to content inside a post or page using shortcodes.

Using The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Widget

To add to-do lists to your site using widgets, go to the ‘Widgets’ section (Appearance > Widgets) and drag the ‘To-Do List’ widget to the menu location where you would like your to-do list to show …

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

Your to-do list will appear wherever the widget was placed (e.g. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)

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

Using s

Using Plugin Shortcodes

You can also create lists on your site using short codes.

To access the plugin’s short code documentation, click on 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 to access the Shortcode Documentation screen …

This section explains different ways to configure and use shortcodes for displaying lists on your content.

Once you know what type of information you want to add to your site, open up a new page or post and either type or paste the short code into the content area …

After publishing your post or page, you will see the list showing where you have added the short code …

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

Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

Congratulations! Now you know how to add to-do lists in WordPress.

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"Wow! I never knew there's so much to learn about WordPress! I bought one of the WordPress for Dummies three years ago, such authors need to be on this course!" - Rich Law, Create A Blog Now

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