How To Create A To Do List In WordPress
Time always seems to be in short supply, especially if you are running a hectic business or managing any kind of project that requires people to work together.
There is just too much to do and remember. You have clients to meet, urgent tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to put out, deliveries to make, commitments to keep and so on. The amount of things that need to get done never stops.
Now … add the extra dimension of trying to promote and grow your business online and keeping your website or blog updated with regular content and everything can quickly start feeling unmanageable and chaotic.
Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a team, you need to be able to organize and manage your day.
A simple proven method that can help you save time, reduce stressful workloads, and allow you to take control is to use a “to do” list.
Benefits Of Using A To-Do List
A “to do” list can help you measure your progress as you work to achieve a certain goal. Your to-do list can be very detailed and specific, or serve as a reminder of tasks that need to be done today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.
Here are just a few of the benefits of using to do lists:
Free Up Resources
Writing to do lists means you don’t have to keep remembering things or clutter your brain with details. Once tasks are jotted down on a to-do list, your mind is free to process other information and you can focus on other areas that are more important.
Strategize
After creating and organizing a to-do list, you can view the larger picture and come up with a strategic plan for getting tasks done on time and on budget.
Keep Work Logs
To-do lists allow you to retain documented logs of what work has been done. This can be used to provide evidence of work to employers or clients, or just as a way of helping you track your own productivity and efficiency.
Reduce Stress
Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by the thought that there is so much to do and so very little time to do it all in. Creating to do lists allow you to prioritize urgent tasks that need to be completed within the time you have available, and reschedule items that can be worked on later. This can help reduce stress.
Feeling Of Accomplishment
Ticking items off to do lists not only makes you feel more productive, motivated and in-control, it also allows you to relax more, 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 a to-do list, both in business and in your personal life. Create a list, prioritize your list items and work things systematically and efficiency and productivity in your business will increase.
Let’s turn now to using a to do list on your website. More specifically, adding 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 WordPress plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.
Cleverness To Do List
Download The Plugin
http://wordpress.org/plugins/cleverness-to-do-list/
Plugin Description
This WordPress plugin provides users with a to-do list feature.
Plugin Features
Note: the plugin features described below will be 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 a to-do list, or to have a master list with individual item completions.
The shared to do list option has a variety of settings available. You can assign to-do items to specific users (this includes emailing a new to-do item to the assigned user) and optionally to have those items be viewable 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 help you manage your lists and your to do lists can also appear on the dashboard widget.
A sidebar widget is also available as shortcode to display the to do list items on your blog. There are two short codes for front-end administration of the list. Category management is accessed through the back-end admin section.
If you plan to set up a multi-author blog you can use the 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.
Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Installation
In your WordPress admin section, scroll down the main menu and choose Plugins > Add New …
In the Install Plugins section, type in “cleverness” into the search field and click Enter on your keyboard …
Locate the Cleverness To-Do List item in the Search Results section and click Install Now …
Click Activate Plugin …
Note: You can also activate this plugin from the Plugins section …
After the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …
Note: You can also get to the ‘Settings’ section by choosing To-Do List > Settings from your admin menu …
This takes you to the ‘Settings’ area …
The section below shows you how to go through the plugin configuration process …
How To Configure The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin
The “To-Do List” plugin ‘Settings’ screen is divided into 4 sections:
- To-Do List Settings – This area lets you specify the plugin’s main settings.
- Advanced Settings – This tab is where you can customize your To Do lists, assign tasks to other users and perform plugin database maintenance tasks.
- User Permissions – This tab is where you configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types.
- Import/Export – This tab is where you export and import to-do list data and plugin settings.
Let’s now take you through each of these sections.
To-Do List Settings
Categories
Select ‘Enabled’ to organize lists 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 you can then use to 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.
Private categories will not be visible using widgets or short codes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)
List View
List View allows you to choose how your lists are viewed. You can select 3 types of list views:
- Individual – Choose this option if you want each user to create and manage their own private to-do list.
- Group – Selecting this option allows all users to share the same to-do list.
- Master – This option allows you 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 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 to-do list items.
If you select ID, Alphabetical, or Category options, items will be first sorted by priority.
Show Added By
If enabled (‘Yes’), you can display which of your members has added an item to your to-do list.
Note: This setting only works if ‘List View’ is set to ‘Group’.
Show Date Completed
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), completion dates will display for to-do items.
Show Deadline
Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you specify deadlines for your to-do tasks …
Show Progress
If this option is enabled, you will be able to specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …
Show Admin Bar Menu
If enabled (‘Yes’), the ‘To-Do List’ menu displays in your WordPress 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 enabled, automatic paragraphs are used to display content in your to-do lists.
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, developed by the same author that helps to make the process of managing a multi-author WordPress site easier …
To learn more about this handy plugin, go here: WordPress Post Planner – Multi-Author Publishing Plugin For WordPress
When you are done configuring your plugin options, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to update your settings …
Advanced Settings
Once you have configured the settings in the To-Do List Settings tab, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab to continue …
This brings up the plugin’s ‘Advanced Settings’ area …
In this section you can 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
This section of the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab lets you 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 on 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 labels for important, normal and lowest (low) priority items …
Highest priority items are color-coded in red in your lists and low priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …
Show To-Do Item ID
Enabling this option displays the item’s ID on your to-do list …
Show Date To-Do Was Added
If this option is enabled, the date your to-do list was added will display on the items table …
To-Do List Advanced Settings > Assign To-Do Items Settings
If you have chosen either ‘Group’ or ‘Master’ View for your to-do list, you can configure the settings in this section and assign to-do items to other users …
You can configure the following settings in this area:
Assign To-Do Items to Users
Enable this option (‘Yes’) to 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
Enabling this option lets you display tasks only to users who have been specifically assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled (‘No’) displays to-do items to all users.
User Roles to Show
Checking the boxes in this area (Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, Subscriber) displays the type of users that can be assigned todo items. If you don’t want to assign to-do items to a role, then don’t tick its checkbox.
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 emails sent out to users, then leave this option disabled (‘No’).
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 categories to show the subject of your emails.
If you don’t want to display categories in the subject of your emails, then leave this option disabled.
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, your site has various 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 emails. You can enter the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …
From Email
Type in the email address that you want to display 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 a new item has been added in your to-do list …
Text in Emails Sent to User
Enter 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 operations associated with plugin data directly from the plugin settings area itself …
This is useful if, for example, you see that previously deleted todo items are still showing on your site.
The tasks below can be performed:
- Delete Tables – Delete custom database tables that are no longer being used.
- Delete All To-Do Items – Erase all to-do items.
Actions that you perform on the database from this screen cannot be undone. If you are sure that you want to proceed with any of the database operations available in this section, then remember to backup your WP database first.
If you don’t want to perform manual backups, then consider getting professional help, or use backup plugins. Learn about a great WordPress backup plugin that can automate your backup process here:
User Permissions
This section lets you configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types …
If you are using the Individual List type, the only item that is applicable in this section is the View To-Do List option …
If you are configuring 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 …
By default, general capabilities for 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 permit non-administrators to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list.
Let’s now review the settings in the User Permissions tab:
View To-Do List
This option allows the selected 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 permits the chosen capability to mark items as completed or not completed.
Add To-Do Item Capability
Here you can enable the chosen capability to add new items.
Edit To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the chosen capability to edit existing items.
Assign To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the chosen capability to assign to-do items to individual users.
View All Assigned Tasks Capability
This enables 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 items.
Delete All To-Do Items Capability
This option allows the selected capability to purge all the completed to-do items.
Add Categories Capability
This permits 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 an existing list to another website, or store your list data for backup or archiving purposes.
To access this function, click on the ‘Import/Export’ tab in your plugin settings area …
Use this section to import and export your list 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 view or save your data as plain text to an internal or external drive …
As well as exporting data from the ‘Import/Export’ tab, you can also export data by going to your WordPress admin menu and choosing Tools > Export …
You can include to-do list data in a WordPress export file (in XML format), either by selecting ‘All content’ (includes everything – pages, posts, etc…), or just select ‘To-Do’ from the ‘Choose what to export’ section and click the ‘Download Export File’ button to save your file to your 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 …
Select the file in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …
Once your data file has been uploaded in 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 creating and editing your lists.
Plugin Usage
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 up the ‘To-Do List’ screen …
Adding New To-Do Items
There are a number of ways to add new to-do items.
For example, you can add a new item to your to-do list from your admin bar …
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 already contains many items, since the link will simply send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section at the bottom of the page) …
The methods shown above will bring you to the ‘Add New To-Do Item’ area.
Depending on the way you have set up your plugin, some options may not display when when you add new to-do items.
Select 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 item to your list …
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 make multiple users responsible for the same item (click on ‘x’ to remove users) …
After the 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 to-do list …
Edit And Delete Items
To edit or delete an item, click on the ‘Edit’ or ‘Delete’ buttons next to items under the ‘Action’ column …
Depending on your configuration plugin settings (discussed earlier), users assigned to tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …
After creating your to-do list, users can view the list inside their dashboard …
When a user assigned with the item completes the task and clicks on the item checkbox …
… the item is then deleted from the “To-Do” list …
And gets added to the ‘Completed Items’ table located in the ’To-Do List’ screen …
Additional Plugin Information
The Cleverness plugin provides additional functions that let you display a to-do list on your site using widgets, and add lists to any 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 menu location where you want your to-do list to display …
Configure the widget settings and click the ‘Save’ button …
The list will display wherever the ‘to-do-list’ widget has been added (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)
To learn more about how to use WordPress widgets, see the tutorial below:
Plugin Shortcodes
You can also add to-do lists and checklists to your site by inserting shortcodes into your content.
To access the plugin’s short code documentation, click on To-Do List > To-Do List from the dashboard menu …
Click on the ‘Help’ tab on the corner of your screen …
Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu to access the Shortcode Documentation …
This section explains various ways to configure and use shortcodes to display lists and checklists on your content.
Once you know what type of information you want to display on your site, create or edit a new or existing post or page and either type or paste the short code into the content section …
Publish your post or page and you should see the list displayed in the location where you have added the short code …
For more information about this plugin, visit this site:
Congratulations! Now you know how to create and add to-do lists to your WordPress site or blog.
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