How To Create To-Do Lists In WordPress

If you plan to run a hectic business or manage any kind of project that involves people working together as a team, time is always in short supply.

There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have deadlines to meet, urgent tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to extinguish, calls and appointments to make, commitments to keep and so on. The amount of things that need to get done never stops.

Now … on top of all this, add the extra workload of trying to promote and grow your business online and maintaining your website updated with new content and everything can quickly start becoming unmanageable and out of control.

Whether you run a business, website, blog, or manage a project, it’s important to be able to organize and prioritize your activities, track your progress and daily accomplishments, and, if necessary, assign tasks and responsibilities to members of your team or staff effectively.

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

Benefits Of Using To-Do Lists

A “to-do” list can help to keep you on track and measure your progress as you complete projects. Your to-do list can be very detailed and specific, or serve as a reminder of what needs to be done over a given period of time.

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

Free Up Resources

Creating a to-do list means that you won’t have to keep remembering stuff or clutter your head with details. Once things are jotted down on a to do list, your head is free to process other information and you can focus on more important things.

Better Manage Your Time

Prioritizing tasks on your list helps you save time and better manage your workload. You can develop a clearer perspective on what is more urgent vs what isn’t, and what steps should be completed first.

Document Your Work

A to-do list allows you to keep documented logs of the work you have done. This can be used to provide evidence of work done to clients or employers, or simply as a way of helping you track your own productivity and efficiency.

Accountability

With no accountability there’s no commitment to completion, and no motivation to act with a sense of purpose. Lack of accountability allows excuses to creep in and take over your work day.

Feeling Of Accomplishment

Crossing items off your to do list not only helps you feel more productive, motivated and in-control, it also lets you 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 improves efficiency and productivity in your business.

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

In this tutorial we are going to show you how to create a to do list in WordPress to help get things done online  faster and more efficiently using a great little plugin for WordPress called Cleverness To-Do List.

Cleverness To-Do List

Plugin URL

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 listed below are discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.

You can set up 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 item completions.

The shared to-do list includes different settings. You can delegate to-do items to specific users (this includes emailing a new to do item to the user) and optionally to have assigned items be seen 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 also included in the front-end administration.

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

A sidebar widget is also available as shortcode 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 blog you can use this to-do lists plugin to create custom to-do lists for your post editors if you also download a copy of the developer’s premium plugin, Post Planner.

How To Install The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

In your WordPress admin area, scroll down the main menu and choose Plugins > Add New …

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

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

Activate the plugin after installing it …

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

When the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …

Note: You can also get to the ‘Settings’ screen by choosing To-Do List > Settings from the admin menu …

This takes you to the ‘Settings’ page …

The section below shows you how to set up the plugin …

Setting Up The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin

The “To-Do List” plugin ‘Settings’ screen is divided into 4 tabs:

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

Let’s configure each of these sections.

To-Do List Settings

To-Do List Categories

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

Note: When you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item will be added to the To-Do List menu …

This lets you add categories that you can then use to organize 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 when using the sidebar widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View allows you to choose how your to-do lists are viewed. There are 3 to-do list views you can choose:

• Individual – Selecting this option allows users to create and manage their own private to-do list.
• Group – Choosing this option lets users share one to-do list.
• Master – Use this option to have 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 adjust the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).

Sort Order

‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to order to-do 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 lets you display which users have 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 (‘Yes’) 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 this option is enabled, the ‘To-Do List’ menu displays in your WordPress 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

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

Integrate with Post Planner

If you are running a collaborative website or blog, you can integrate the Cleverness To-Do List plugin with a plugin called WordPress Post Planner, developed by the same plugin author to help make managing a multi-author WordPress site easier …

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

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

Advanced Settings

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

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

This area lets you customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do tasks 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

This section of the ‘Advanced Settings’ screen lets you 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 list (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)

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

WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time

Priority Labels

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

Highest priority items are shown in red and lowest priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), the items’ IDs show up on your to-do list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

If enabled (‘Yes’), the date your to-do list was added displays on the 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 options in this section and assign items to other users …

You can configure the following settings in this section:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enable this option (‘Yes’) 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

Enabling this option lets you display items only to users who have been assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled will display items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Check the boxes in this area (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber) to display the type of users that can be assigned items. Leave the checkbox unticked for any roles that you don’t want to assign to-do items.

Email Assigned To-Do Items to User

When you enable this option, WordPress will automatically send 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, 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 on the subject of your emails …

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

If you don’t want to show categories in the email subject, 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 option is useful if, for example, you have various 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. Add your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

Type in the email address that you want displayed as the “sent from” address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Add a subject field for the email that will be sent out automatically to users whenever new items have been added in your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

Type in 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 of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab you can perform database maintenance operations related to plugin data directly from your plugin settings area itself …

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

The tasks below can be performed:

• Delete Tables – Delete custom database tables that you no longer use.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Remove all of your 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 perform manual backups, then get professional support services, or use WordPress backup plugins. You can learn more about a great WordPress backup plugin that can automate your backup process here:

• Backup, Duplicate And Protect Your WordPress Sites With Backup Creator Plugin For WordPress

User Permissions

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

If you have selected the Individual List type, the only configurable item that is 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 would like users to have access to for each option …

By 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 working with the Master list type non-administrator users should only be permitted to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list.

Below is a description of the settings for this section:

View To-Do List

This permits 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

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

Add To-Do Item Capability

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

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This allows the selected capability to edit existing items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

This permits the chosen capability to delegate items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

Here you can allow 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 enables the selected capability to delete individual items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

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

Add Categories Capability

This 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 transfer data from an existing to-do list to another website, or store the data for backup or archiving purposes.

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

Now you can import or export your list and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

You can export and download your data settings by clicking on the ‘Download Export File’ …

This opens up a window allowing you to view or download your data in plain text format to an internal or external storage medium …

In addition to 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 – pages, posts, etc…), or selecting ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and clicking the ‘Download Export File’ button to download your file to an internal or external hard drive…

Importing To-Do List Data

Importing a previously saved to-do 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’ …

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.

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, log into your WordPress dashboard, then scroll down the menu and select To-Do List > To-Do List …

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

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 to your list from your admin bar …

You can also add new items to your to-do list inside the Dashboard 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 already contains many items, since the link is only going to send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section further down the page) …

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

Depending on how you have set up your plugin, you may or may not see certain options displayed when new items to your to-do list.

Select 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 to-do item …

Note: If you have chosen a list type that allows you to assign responsibilities over items to specific users, select a user from the drop-down list and assign them the item …

You can also assign items to multiple users (click on ‘x’ to remove a user) …

Once After adding a new item, the item will display as an entry in the ‘To-Do List’ table …

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

Editing And Deleting To-Do 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 your configuration plugin settings (discussed in the previous section), 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 WP user dashboard …

When the user assigned with an item completes the task and ticks the item checkbox …

… the item disappears from the “To-Do” list …

And displays in 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 a to-do list on your site using widgets, and display lists on content inside a page or post using shortcodes.

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 the to-do list to display …

Configure the widget settings and click ’Save’ …

The list will now display on your site 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:

• How To Use WordPress Widget

Using The Cleverness Plugin Short Codes

You can also add to-do lists on your site using shortcodes.

To access the plugin’s shortcode documentation, select To-Do List > To-Do List from the WP admin 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 …

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

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

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

Visit the plugin website for more information about this plugin:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

***

***