How To Create A To-Do List In WordPress
Time always seems to be in short supply, especially if you are running a growing business.
There is just so much work to do and things to remember. You have so many deadlines to meet, projects to complete, meetings to attend, fires to extinguish, calls and appointments to make, commitments to keep and so on. The “doing” never stops.
Now … add the extra workload of trying to promote and grow your business online and maintaining your website or blog updated with regular content and everything can suddenly begin to feel unmanageable and overwhelming.
Whether you are running a business, website, blog, or managing a team, you need to be able to organize and prioritize your daily tasks, monitor your progress, and, if necessary, assign tasks and responsibilities to team members effectively.
One simple proven 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 helps you track your progress when working towards a certain objective. Your to-do list can be detailed and specific, or just serve as a reminder of what needs to be done over a given period of time.
Here are some of the benefits of using to-do lists:
Free The Brain
Writing a to-do list means you won’t have to try to memorize things or store additional information inside your brain. Once tasks are written down on a to do list, your head is free to process other information and you can focus on things that are more important to you.
Strategize
Creating and organizing to-do lists helps you break down larger projects into doable tasks and come up with a strategic plan to get things completed on time and on budget.
Reschedule And Reorganize Quickly
A to do list lets you better deal with events. If you suddenly find that a meeting gets cancelled at the last minute or extra time has been made available because some part of the project got completed sooner than expected, you can continue moving forward with little to minimal disruption.
Stress Less
Stress can result from feeling overwhelmed by so much to do and so little time to do it in. Using to-do lists allow you to prioritize important items that need to get done within the time you have available, and push out items that can be worked on later. This can reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed and help to alleviate some of the stress you (and your team) may be feeling.
Collaborate Better With Others
Creating to do lists and other project management tools is essential for collaborating with others 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 systematically and your business productivity and efficiency is sure to improve.
Let’s turn now to using to-do lists on your website. More specifically, adding a to-do list 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 great little plugin for WordPress called Cleverness To-Do List.
Cleverness To Do List
Download The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin
http://wordpress.org/plugins/cleverness-to-do-list/
Plugin Description
This WordPress plugin lets you easily add a to-do list to a WordPress site.
Features
Note: the plugin features listed below will be discussed in more detail in the tutorial section.
You can set up the plugin with private to do lists for individual users, to have all users share your 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 a specific user (this includes emailing a new to-do item to assigned users) and optionally to have those items only seen by that user. You can also assign different permission levels using capabilities. There are also settings available to enable the display of deadline and progress fields. Category support is included as well as 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 2 short codes for front-end list administration. Category management is restricted to the back-end admin section.
If you plan to run a multi-author blog you can use this to do lists plugin to create custom to do lists for your post planners if you also install a copy of the Post Planner plugin for WordPress.
Cleverness To-Do List Plugin Installation
Log into your site’s admin and in the main menu click on Plugins > Add New …
In the Install Plugins section, type in “cleverness” into the search field and hit Enter …
Locate the Cleverness To-Do List plugin in the Search Results section and click Install Now …
Click “Activate Plugin” …
Note: You can also activate the plugin from the Plugins area …
After the plugin has been activated, click on Settings …
Note: You can also get to the ‘Settings’ screen by choosing To-Do List > Settings from your admin menu …
This takes you to the plugin ‘Settings’ screen …
The section below shows you how to configure the plugin …
How To Configure The Cleverness To-Do List Plugin
The “To-Do List” plugin ‘Settings’ area is divided into 4 tabs:
- To-Do List Settings – The options in this area let you specify the plugin’s main settings.
- Advanced Settings – The options in this tab let you customize to-do lists, assign to-do items to other users and perform plugin database maintenance tasks.
- User Permissions – The options in this section let you set up user permissions and capabilities for Master and Group List types.
- Import/Export – This section lets you export and import your to-do list data and plugin settings.
Let’s now go through each of these sections.
To-Do List Settings
To-Do List Categories
Choose ‘Enabled’ to organize lists into categories, otherwise leave this option set to ‘Disabled’.
Note: If you enable this option, a ‘Categories’ item gets 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 lists.
Private categories are not visible 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 will be viewed. There are 3 to do list views available:
- Individual – Use this option if you want each user to be able to create and manage their own private to-do list.
- Group – Choose this option if you want all users to share one to-do list.
- Master – This option allows you to create a master list for all users, where users have their own individual items to complete. If using the ‘Master’ list view, make sure that you adjust the User Permissions appropriately in the ‘User Permissions’ tab (see further below).
Sort Order
‘Sort Order’ lets you specify how list items will be sorted.
If you choose Alphabetical, ID or Category, ID, Category or Alphabetical options, items will be sorted first by priority.
Show Added By
Enabling this option (‘Yes’) lets you 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 your to-do tasks.
Show Deadline
If enabled (‘Yes’), you will be able to specify deadlines for your to-do items …
Show Progress
If enabled, you will be able to specify task progress indicators for your to-do items …
Show Admin Bar Menu
Enabling this option lets you display the ‘To-Do List’ menu in your WordPress 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 to-do list items.
Integrate with Post Planner
If you plan to run a multi-author site or blog, you can integrate the Cleverness To Do List plugin with a plugin called WordPress Post Planner, from the same developer that helps to make the process of managing a multi-author WordPress site easier …
Go here for more information about using this handy plugin: WordPress Post Planner – Plugin For WordPress
When you have configured your plugin options in this section, remember to click the ‘Save Changes’ button …
Advanced Settings
After you have configured the settings in the To-Do List Settings tab, click on the ‘Advanced Settings’ tab …
This brings you to the ‘Advanced Settings’ section …
In this section you can customize your To-Do lists, assign to-do tasks to users and perform 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
In this section you can 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 in your todo lists (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 and lowest (low) items …
Items given the highest (important) priority are shown in red in the lists and lowest (low) priority items display in a lighter shade of grey …
Show To-Do Item ID
If this option is enabled (‘Yes’), the item’s ID appear on the to-do list …
Show Date To-Do Was Added
If enabled (‘Yes’), the date the to-do list was added shows on the To-Do Items table …
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 area and assign 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 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 enabled, you can display tasks 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 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 (‘Yes’), WordPress automatically sends users an email with their assigned to-do items …
If you don’t want emails sent out to users, then leave this option disabled.
Note: If this option is disabled, skip other settings in this section.
Add Category to Subject
If you have enabled categories in your plugin settings and select ‘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-do categories to display the email subject, then leave this option disabled (‘No’).
Show Who Assigned the To-Do Item in Email
If enabled (‘Yes’), you can display the user who assigned the to-do item in the email. This is a useful option if your website has multiple 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 notices to users. You can enter the name of your company, your domain, your name, or anything you like in this field …
From Email
Type into this field the email address that you want displayed as the “sent from” address …
Subject Field for Emails Sent to User
Add into this field a subject field for the email that will be automatically sent to users whenever new items have been assigned 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 section you can perform database maintenance operations related to plugin data inside the plugin settings area without the need to log into your web server …
This function is useful if, for example, you notice that old items are still showing on your site.
The tasks below can be performed in this section:
- Delete Tables – Delete any custom database tables that are no longer being used.
- Delete All To-Do Items – Delete all to-do items.
Any database operations you perform from this screen cannot be reversed. If you are sure that you want to carry out database maintenance in this section, then make sure to backup your database first.
If you don’t want to back up your data yourself, then consider getting support services from a WordPress professional, or use WordPress backup plugins. Learn about a WordPress backup plugin that can fully automate your site backups here:
User Permissions
In this area you can configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types …
If you have selected the Individual List type, the only configurable option applicable in this section is the View To-Do List permission …
If you plan to configure user permissions and capabilities for Group and Master List types, select the highest level capabilities that you would like users to be able to perform for each option …
By default, general capabilities for each user role are 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 authorize non-administrator users to view and complete items, otherwise they will be able to edit the Master list itself.
Let’s now review the settings for this tab:
View To-Do List
Here you can allow 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 option allows the selected capability to mark items as completed or uncompleted.
Add To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the selected capability to add new to-do items.
Edit To-Do Item Capability
Here you can allow the chosen capability to modify existing to-do items.
Assign To-Do Item Capability
This setting permits the selected capability to assign to-do items to individual users.
View All Assigned Tasks Capability
Here you can permit 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 option permits the chosen capability to delete individual to-do items.
Delete All To-Do Items Capability
Here you can allow the chosen capability to purge all the completed to-do items.
Add Categories Capability
This option allows the selected 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 an existing to-do list to another website, or export your list data for backup or archiving purposes.
To access this function, click on the ‘Import/Export’ tab in your plugin settings area …
Now you can easily import and export 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 opens up a new window allowing you to view or save the data in plain text format to a storage device …
As well as exporting list data from the ‘Import/Export’ tab, you can also export data by going to your 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 – posts, pages, 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
To import a 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 in your hard drive or external drive and click ‘Open’ …
Once uploading the data file, click on ‘Import Settings’ …
Your file will be imported.
After configuring all plugin settings, you are ready to begin create and edit to do lists.
Plugin Usage
To create a new to do list, log into your WordPress dashboard, then go to the menu and click on To-Do List > To-Do List …
This brings you to the ‘To-Do List’ screen …
How To Add New To Do Items
There are a number of ways to add new to-do items.
For example, you can add new to-do items to your list from your admin bar …
You can also add new to-do items inside the ‘To-Do List’ dashboard section 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 contains many items, since the link is only going to take you to the “Add New To-Do Item” section at the bottom of the screen) …
The methods shown above will bring 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.
Configure 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 item to your list …
Note: If you have selected 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 assign items to multiple users (click on ‘x’ to remove a user) …
After the item has been added, the item will display as an entry in the ‘To-Do Items’ table …
Repeat this process to keep adding 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 items under the ‘Action’ column …
Depending on how you have configured your settings (discussed earlier), users assigned to tasks may also receive email notifications …
After creating your to-do list, users can view the list when logged into their dashboard …
When users responsible for an item complete the task and click on the item checkbox …
… the item no longer appears in the “To-Do” list …
And appears in the ‘Completed Items’ section 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 to-do lists on your WordPress site using widgets, and display lists on any post or page using shortcodes.
Widgets
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 appear …
Configure the settings in the widget and click on the ‘Save’ button to update your settings …
Your to-do list will appear where you have placed the widget (i.e. the sidebar menu, footer, etc.)
To learn more about how to use widgets in WordPress, see the tutorial below:
Using The Cleverness Plugin Shortcodes
The plugin also lets you display lists to your site with short codes.
To access the documentation on using short codes, click on To-Do List > To-Do List from the admin menu …
Click the ‘Help’ tab on the corner of your screen …
Click on the ‘Shortcodes’ menu to access the Shortcode Documentation section …
This documentation section explains various ways to configure and use shortcodes for displaying lists on your posts and pages.
Once you know what type of information you would like to display on your site, create a new post or page and either type or paste the short code inside the content area …
Publish your post or page and you should see the list displayed where you have added the short code …
Visit the plugin website for more details about this plugin:
Congratulations! Now you know how to add to-do lists in WordPress.
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