How To Create A To-Do List In WordPress

There are never enough hours in the day to get things done, especially if you run a hectic business.

There are so many things to do and remember. You have deadlines to meet, urgent tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to extinguish, appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The “doing” never seems to stop.

Now … add the extra workload of promoting and growing your business online and keeping your website or blog updated with regular content and everything can start feeling unmanageable and out of control.

Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a team, you need to be able to organize and prioritize your activities, monitor your progress, and, if necessary, assign tasks and responsibilities to others effectively.

One simple “tried and true” tool that can help you save time, create a sense of order and manageability, and allow you to take control is to use “to do” lists.

The Benefits Of Using A To-Do List

A “to do” list helps you track your progress as you work to get tasks completed. Your to do list can be detailed and very specific, or just serve as a reminder of the things that need to be done today, tomorrow, next week, next month, etc.

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

Stay Organized

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

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 is more important vs what isn’t, and what steps need to be completed first.

Keep Documented Work Logs

A to do list lets you retain documented logs of what has been done. You can use this as evidence of work done to clients or employers, or just as a way of helping you measure your own productivity and efficiency.

Reduce Stress

Stress can come from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and so little time to do it all in. Using a to do list allows you to work on important items that have to be completed immediately, and push out non-urgent items that can be addressed at a later time. This can help reduce stress.

Sense Of Accomplishment

Ticking items off to do lists not only helps you feel more productive, motivated and in-control, it also lets you stress less, as you can objectively see (or show) that the workload is getting done and that progress is being made.

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 things systematically and your business efficiency and productivity is sure to increase.

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

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

Cleverness To-Do List

Download The Plugin

http://wordpress.org/plugins/cleverness-to-do-list/

Plugin Description

This 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 configure the plugin to have private to do lists for each user, to have all users share a to do list, or to have a master list with individual item completions.

The shared to-do list offers different settings. You can assign to do items to specific users (this includes a setting to email new to do items to users) 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 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 list can also display 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 shortcodes for front-end administration of the list. Category management is accessed via the back-end admin section.

If you plan to run a multi-author site you can use this to-do lists plugin to create custom to do lists for your post editors if you also download the Post Planner plugin from the same developer.

Installing The Plugin

Log into your WordPress admin and click on Plugins > Add New …

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

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

Click “Activate Plugin” …

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

After you have activated the plugin, click on Settings …

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

This brings you to the ‘Settings’ section …

Let’s go through the plugin configuration process …

How To Configure The Plugin

The Settings area is divided into four sections:

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

Let’s 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: 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 to-do lists (see ‘Plugin Usage’ section further below for more details) …

You can set up ‘public’ and ‘private’ categories for your to-do lists.

Categories set to ‘private’ are not visible when using widgets or shortcodes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)

List View

List View allows you to specify how your lists will be viewed. You can select 3 types of list views:

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

Sort Order

‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to order 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 members have added an item to your 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 lets you specify deadlines for your to-do tasks …

Show Progress

Enabling this option lets you specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …

Show Admin Bar Menu

If enabled (‘Yes’), the ‘To-Do List’ menu displays in your WP 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 (‘Yes’), automatic paragraphs are used to display content in 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 provides you with a complete WordPress editorial solution …

To learn more this handy plugin, go here: WordPress Post Planner – Plugin For WordPress

After you are done configuring your plugin options in this section, click the ‘Save Changes’ button …

Advanced Settings

Once you have configured the settings in the To-Do List Settings tab, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab …

This brings up the ‘Advanced Settings’ screen …

In this area you can customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do tasks to other users and perform 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 allows you to customize your To Do List …

The following options can be configured in this section:

Date Format

This section lets you 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, see 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 important, middle (normal) and lowest items …

Highest (important) priority items are colour-coded in red in your lists and lowest (low) priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …

Show To-Do Item ID

If this option is enabled, the items’ IDs will display on your list …

Show Date To-Do Was Added

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) displays the date the To-Do Items table was added …

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 options in this area and assign items to other users …

You can configure the following settings in this area:

Assign To-Do Items to Users

Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you 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

Enable this option to display items only to users who have been assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled displays items to all users.

User Roles to Show

Checking the boxes in this section Contributor displays the type of users that can be assigned todo 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

If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), WordPress automatically sends an email to users with their assigned to-do items …

Leave this option disabled (‘No’) if you don’t want emails sent out to users.

Note: If you disable this option, you can skip 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-do categories to appear the subject of your emails.

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

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 your website has 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 the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …

From Email

Type into this field the email address that you would like showing as the “sent from” address …

Subject Field for Emails Sent to User

Enter a subject field for the email that will be distributed automatically to users when new items have been added to your to-do list …

Text in Emails Sent to User

Type 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

In this area you can perform database maintenance operations associated with plugin data directly from the plugin settings area itself without the need to access your server …

This function is useful if, for example, you notice that old todo items are still appearing on your site.

You can perform the following tasks:

• Delete Tables – Delete any custom database tables that you no longer use.
• Delete All To-Do Items – Delete all of your to-do items.

Any actions that you perform on the database from this screen cannot be undone. If you are comfortable to carry out database operations in this section, then we recommend backing up your WordPress database first.

If you don’t want to do site backups, then consider using professional help services, or use WordPress backup plugins. You can read about a great WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your site backups here:

• Back Up, Duplicate & Protect Your WP Sites With Backup Creator WordPress Plugin

User Permissions

This section lets you 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 option …

If you plan to configure user permissions and capabilities for Group or Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you want users to perform for each option …

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

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

Note: When using the Master list type make sure that you only allow non-administrator users to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.

Here is a description of the settings for the User Permissions section:

View To-Do List

This option enables 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 setting allows the chosen capability to mark items as completed or not completed.

Add To-Do Item Capability

Here you can permit the selected capability to add new to-do items.

Edit To-Do Item Capability

This option permits the chosen capability to modify existing items.

Assign To-Do Item Capability

Here you can enable the selected capability to assign to-do items to individual users.

View All Assigned Tasks Capability

This setting permits 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

This setting enables the chosen capability to delete individual items.

Delete All To-Do Items Capability

Here you can permit the chosen capability to purge all the completed to-do items.

Add Categories Capability

This enables the chosen 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 want to copy over data from one site to another, or store your data for backup or archiving purposes.

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

Here you can export and import your to-do list data and plugin settings …

Exporting To-Do List Data

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

This will open up a new window allowing you to view or download the data in plain text format to a storage device (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 dashboard menu and choosing Tools > Export …

You can include to-do list data in an export file (in XML format), either by selecting ‘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 your storage device…

Importing To-Do List Data

To import a previously saved to-do list data file, click on the ‘Browse’ button next to the ‘Choose File to Import’ field …

Select the previously saved to-do list data file and click ‘Open’ …

After 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 start creating and editing your lists.

Plugin Usage

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

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

How To Add New Items To Your List

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

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

You can also add new to-do items to your list 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 already contains many items, as the link is only going to take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section at the bottom of the screen) …

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

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

Set up 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 item to your list …

Note: If you have chosen a list type that allows you to assign tasks 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 a user) …

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

Repeat this process to add new items to your list …

Edit And Delete To Do Items

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

Depending on how you have configured the plugin (see 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 the list inside their own user dashboard …

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

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

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

Additional Information

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

Using The Plugin Widget

To add a to-do list 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 would like the list to show …

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 WordPress widgets, see the tutorial below:

• How To Use s

Using The Cleverness Plugin Shortcodes

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

To access the documentation on using shortcodes, select To-Do List > To-Do List from your WordPress admin menu …

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

Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ tab to access the Shortcode Documentation …

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

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

Publish your post or page and you should see the list showing exactly where you entered the shortcode …

Visit the plugin website to download this plugin:

• Cleverness To-Do List WordPress Plugin

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

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