How To Create To-Do Lists In WordPress
There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get everything done, especially if you run a hectic business.
There are so many things to do and remember. You have deadlines to meet, project tasks to complete, priorities to attend to, fires to extinguish, calls and appointments to make, schedules to keep and so on. The amount of things that need ”doing” never ends.
Now … add the extra dimension of trying to promote and grow your business online and maintaining your website updated with regular content and things can start to feel unmanageable and out of control.
Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a project, it’s important to be able to organize and manage your daily activities.
One ”tried and true” method that can help you save time, reduce stressful workloads, and allow you to gain some control is to use “to-do” lists.
To-Do Lists – Benefits
A “to do” list can help you track your progress as you work towards completing tasks. Your to-do list can be detailed or specific, or just serve as a concise reminder of what needs to be done today, tomorrow, this week, this month, etc.
Here are just some of the many benefits of using to-do lists:
Clearer Thinking
Creating to do lists means that you don’t have to try to memorize things or store a ton of information inside your mind. Once tasks are jotted down on a to do list, your brain is free to process information and you can focus on other areas that are important.
Save Time
Prioritizing tasks on your list helps you manage your time better. You can gain a clearer perspective on what’s truly important vs what is not, and what steps should be done first.
Keep Documented Work Logs
A to-do list lets you keep documented logs of what you have done. This can be used as evidence of work done to employers or clients, or simply as a means of helping you measure your own productivity and efficiency.
Stress Relief
Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and so very little time to do it in. Creating to do lists let you prioritize urgent things that need to be completed within the time you have available, and reschedule items that can be worked on at a later time. This can help you stress less.
Sense Of Accomplishment
Crossing items off to do lists gives you a sense of accomplishment and allows you to relax more, as you can objectively see (or show) that the workload is 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. Creating a to-do list, then prioritizing tasks and working to complete the items listed increases your business productivity and efficiency.
What about adding a to do list to your website?
In this step-by-step tutorial we are going to show you how to easily create a to-do list in WordPress to help your business grow faster and more efficiently using a great little plugin called Cleverness To-Do List.
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 customizable to-do lists to a WordPress website or blog.
Features
Note: the features described below are discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.
You can configure Cleverness To-Do List to assign 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 option offers different settings. You can delegate to do items to specific users (this includes emailing new to-do items to users) 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 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 lists and your to-do lists can also be displayed on the dashboard widget.
A sidebar widget is available as well as short code to display the to do list items on your blog. There are two short codes for front-end administration of your list. Management of categories is accessible via the back-end.
If you plan to set up a multi-author site you can use the to-do lists plugin to create custom to-do lists for your post planners if you also use a copy of the Post Planner plugin for WordPress from the same developer.
Installing The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin
Log into your WP admin and click on 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 section and click Install Now …
Activate the plugin after installing it …
Note: You can also activate this plugin in the Plugins screen …
After the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …
Note: The plugin’s settings section can also be accessed by selecting To-Do List > Settings from your admin menu …
This takes you to the ‘Settings’ page …
Let’s configure the plugin …
Plugin Configuration
The Settings area is divided into 4 sections:
- To-Do List Settings – The options in this area let you specify the main plugin settings.
- Advanced Settings – This area is where you customize your To Do lists, assign tasks to other users and perform database maintenance tasks.
- User Permissions – This area is where you set up user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types.
- Import/Export – This section is where you import and export your to-do plugin and list data settings.
Let’s now configure each of these tabs.
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 gets added to the To-Do List menu …
This lets you 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 lists.
Categories marked ‘private’ are not visible using the sidebar widgets or short codes (only when ‘Sort Order’ is set to ‘Category’)
List View
List View lets you choose how your lists will be viewed. There are three kinds of to do list views:
- Individual – Selecting this option lets users create and manage their own private to-do list.
- Group – Selecting this option lets all users share the same to-do list.
- Master – This option allows you to create one 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 set the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (this is covered further below).
Sort Order
‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how to sort list items.
If you select Alphabetical, ID or Category, ID, Category or Alphabetical 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 to-do items.
Show Deadline
If enabled, you can specify deadlines for your to-do tasks …
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 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
Enable this option to display content in your to-do list items using paragraphs.
Integrate with Post Planner
If you plan to run 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 about using this WordPress plugin, visit this site: WordPress Post Planner
When you are done configuring your plugin options in this section, 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 …
In this section you can customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do items to users and carry out 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’ screen lets you customize your To-Do List …
You can configure the following options in this section:
Date Format
This section lets you specify how to display dates in your to-do lists (e.g. month/day/year, day/month/year, etc.)
Note: To learn more about formatting dates in WordPress, refer to the relevant section of the WordPress Codex below:
WordPress Codex – Formatting Date And Time
Priority Labels
In this area you can customize your labels for highest (important), middle and lowest (low) priority items …
Items prioritized as “important” display in red in the lists and lowest (low) priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …
Show To-Do Item ID
Enabling this option shows item IDs on your to-do list …
Show Date To-Do Was Added
If this option is enabled, the date the to-do list was added shows up on the table of items …
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 section and assign to-do items to other users …
You can configure the following options in this section:
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
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), you can display to-do items only to users who have been specifically assigned those items. Leaving this option disabled (‘No’) will display items to all users.
User Roles to Show
Checking the boxes in this section (Administrator displays 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
If you enable this option, WordPress automatically sends users an email with their assigned to-do items …
Leave this option disabled if you don’t want to send out emails to users.
Note: If this option is disabled, you can skip the remaining 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-do categories to show the email subject.
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
Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if you have several project managers assigning to-do items to users …
From Field for Emails Sent to User
This field allows you to customize the “From” field when sending out email notices to users. You can enter your company name, your domain, your name, or anything you like into this field …
From Email
Add into this field the email address that you want displayed as the “sent from” email address …
Subject Field for Emails Sent to User
Type in a subject field for the email that will be sent automatically to users whenever a new item has been assigned to 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 area you can carry out database maintenance operations related to plugin data inside the plugin settings area itself …
This is useful if, for example, you notice that previously deleted to-do items are still appearing on your site.
The tasks below can be performed in this section:
- Delete Tables – Remove any custom database tables that you no longer use.
- Delete All To-Do Items – Remove all of your to-do items.
Any actions that you perform on your database from this screen cannot be undone. If you are comfortable to perform database maintenance in this section, then we recommend backing up your database first.
If you don’t want to do your own backups, then consider getting professional WordPress support, or use backup plugins. You can read about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your backup process here:
User Permissions
This section lets you configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types …
If you select Individual List, the only setting that applies in this section is the View To-Do List option …
If you are setting up user permissions and capabilities for Group and 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 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 non-admin users should only be authorized to view and complete items, otherwise they will have the ability to edit the Master list itself.
Let’s review the settings in the User Permissions tab:
View To-Do List
Here you can permit 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 enables the chosen capability to mark to-do items as completed or not completed.
Add To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the chosen capability to add new to-do items.
Edit To-Do Item Capability
Here you can enable the selected capability to modify existing to-do items.
Assign To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the selected capability to assign 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
Here you can permit the selected capability to delete individual to-do items.
Delete All To-Do Items Capability
Here you can enable the selected capability to purge all the completed items.
Add Categories Capability
Here you can permit the chosen capability to add new categories.
Import/Export
The ability to import and export to-do list data can be very useful. For example, you may decide to transfer data from one site to another, or export the list data for backup or archiving purposes.
To access this function, click on the ‘Import/Export’ tab in your plugin settings section …
Use this section to export or import your to-do list data and plugin settings …
Exporting To-Do List Data
You can export and download your to-do list data settings by clicking on the ‘Download Export File’ …
This will open up a window allowing you to view or save your data in plain text format to an internal or external hard drive …
In addition to exporting to-do list data from the ‘Import/Export’ section, you can also export data by going to your WordPress main menu and selecting Tools > Export …
You can include to-do list data in an 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 on the ‘Download Export File’ button to download your file to your 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 …
Locate the previously saved to-do list data file in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …
Once the data file has been uploaded to your settings area, click on the ‘Import Settings’ button …
The data from the existing to-do file will be imported.
After configuring all of the plugin settings, you are ready to begin creating and editing to-do lists.
How To Use Cleverness To-Do List
To create a new to do list, go to your WordPress dashboard menu and click on To-Do List > To-Do List …
This brings up the ‘To-Do List’ page …
Add New To Do Items
There are several ways to add new to-do items.
For example, you can add new to-do items to your list from your dashboard toolbar …
You can also add new items to your to-do list inside your 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 contains many items, as the link is only going to send you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section down the screen) …
All the methods shown above will take you to the ‘Add New To-Do Item’ area.
Depending on how you have set up your plugin, you may or may not see certain options displayed 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 to-do item …
Note: If you are using a list type that lets you assign responsibilities over items 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 users) …
After you have added a new item item, it will display as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …
Repeat this process to continue adding items to your to-do list …
Edit And Delete To Do 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 your configuration plugin settings (discussed in the previous section), users assigned to completing tasks may also receive an email notification in their inboxes …
After creating your to-do list, users can view the list when logged into their own user dashboard …
When a user assigned with completing an item clicks on the item checkbox …
… the item no longer appears in the “To-Do” list …
And gets listed the ‘Completed Items’ table located in the main screen of the ‘To-Do List’ plugin …
Additional Plugin Information
The Cleverness To-Do List plugin offers additional functions that let you display a to-do list on your WordPress site using widgets, and display a list on content inside a page or post using shortcodes.
Plugin Widget
To add a to-do list to your site using widgets, go to the ‘Widgets’ section (Appearance > Widgets) and drag the ‘To-Do List’ widget to the location in your sidebar (or footer) menu where you would like the list to show …
Configure the widget settings and click ’Save’ to update your settings …
The to-do list will appear 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:
Plugin Short Codes
You can also add to-do lists and checklists to your site with shortcodes.
To access the plugin’s shortcode documentation, select To-Do List > To-Do List from your admin menu …
Click the ‘Help’ tab on the top right hand corner of your screen …
Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu entry to access the Shortcode Documentation section …
This section explains different ways to configure and use short codes for displaying 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 short code into the content area …
After publishing your post or page, you should see the list showing where you entered the short code …
For more information about this plugin, visit this site:
Congratulations! Now you know how to add to-do lists to your WordPress site or blog.
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"This is AMAZING! I had learnt about how to use WordPress previously, but this covers absolutely everything and more!! Incredible value! Thank you!" - Monique, Warrior Forum
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