Also: Main Menu, Preferences

 

ToDoList FAQ

 

 

1. Why does my html export have large gaps between each task?

You have got the 'Display a space below each task for notes' preference turned on.

 

2. How do i change the number of days in a week, hours in a day, etc?

Tools > Preferences > Tasks > Attribute Calculations > Time Periods

 

3. When doing a spell check, TDL doesn't move to the next task when I click Continue.

The 'Continue' button moves to next word in the current text. To move to the next task click 'OK' (note: the 'Continue' button has been renamed to 'Next Word' in the latest build of ToDoList).

 

4. Where can i find dictionaries for spell checking?

Here

 

5. Can I import tasks from Excel/Outlook/etc?

Yes. There is support for importing tasks from Outlook and exporting tasklists to csv.

 

6. When time tracking, the time is not incremented if I select Another task.

This is by design. To have ToDoList continue to track time regardless of the current selection, uncheck the 'Only track time on a task if that task is currently selected' preference.

 

7. Does time tracking take account of hibernation?

Yes, if you set it up to do so in the preferences.

 

8. How can I remove unwanted entries from the Allocated To/From/Status/Category droplists?

ToDoList used to build these lists from the data stored in your tasklist and would remove any items not found when the tasklist was next loaded. This has now changed and you must manually remove such items.

 

To remove unwanted entries:

1. Drop down the list

2. Highlight the unwanted item

3. [Ctrl] + [Delete]

 

9. Is ToDoList able to display tasks in a calendar format?

Not at present.

 

10. How long is one day?

By default a day is 8 hours. and one week is 5 days. To Change these see item 2.

 

11. Can I use the keyboard to move multiple tasks up/down the tasklist?

Yes. Use keyboard shortcuts "Ctrl+Up" and "Ctrl+Down". 

 

12. How do I set up a tool?

You must make next settings in window 'Preferences -> User Defined Tools':

- Press 'New Tool'

- Write 'Your New Tool Name' in column-field 'Tool Name'

- Set path to file in field 'Path', f.ex. this line can be: C:\WINDOWS\Notepad.exe

- Optionaly you can set path to icon file for Your Tool in field 'Icon'

- Field 'Arguments' must have: "$(pathName)".

Now, you can see Your Tool icon on ToDoList's toolbar

Everytime as you press it, Your Tool will open active tasklist in a new window

 

see also the Tools help in the preferences

 

13. Why isn't my tool working correctly?

First, try using the 'Test' button to check that the parameters being passed to your tool are correct. In particular check that you are inserting double quotes where pathnames include spaces.

 

14. Where can I find some sample XSLT transforms

ToDoList comes with a number of sample stylesheets in the Resource folder.

 

15. Can I get percentage complete (etc) for my entire tasklist?

Not at present unless you top level tasks all come from the single root item.

 

16. Can I set up recurring tasks?

Yes.

 

17. When I edit the priority of certain tasks the tasklist does not update correctly.

This is by design. ToDoList gives due/overdue tasks the highest priority so that they always get sorted at the top of other tasks. Likewise completed tasks get the very lowest priority. So, you can change this in "Preferences -> Tasks ->Treat Due tasks as having the highest priority.

 

18. Does ToDoList have any reporting features?

For reporting needs which exceed simple exporting to html and text ToDoList provides a 'Tools' interface to simplify the running of external reporting tools (eg. XSLT transforms).

 

19. Does ToDoList support the concept of a workspace containing multiple tasklists?

Not at present, but ToDoList will reload all the tasklists that you had open when you last closed it.

 

20. Can I customize the toolbar?

Not at present because the icons cost me money. Requests for specific additional buttons will be considered.

 

21. Can I make one task dependent on another?

Yes, simply enter the ID of the task into the Dependency field of the dependent task. You can also create dependencies across tasklist by prefixing the task ID by the file path: <task file path>?<t

 

22. Where have the system tray notification balloons gone?

A user commented that the notification balloon were stealing focus when they popped up which was a nuisance if they were currently typing. I have disabled them until I can research and fix the problem.

 

23. Can I filter the tasklist to only show a subset of the tasks?

Yes, ToDoList now sports a filter bar for precisely this purpose. Choose between the many predefined filters and combine these with attribute filters to see only those tasks you are interested in.

 

24. Can I export the results of a 'Find Tasks'?

Yes. When the search has completed click the 'Select All' button to select all the tasks in the tasklist(s). Then select 'Export' from the 'Tools' menu and pick the option which says 'Selected Tasks Only'.

 

25. How can I determine what tasks are due each day?

Select an option from the 'Tools > Show Due Tasks' menu item. If you have also allocated a colour to due tasks then this will help highight them in the task list.

 

26. Is ToDoList unicode compliant?

Unfortunately not. However, I am actively searching for a unicode replacement to the MFC CStdioFile which has a proven track record. Once I find that I will port ToDoList to unicode and provide different builds depending on people's needs.

 

27. Can I add words to the active dictionary during spell checking?

Not at present.

 

28. After I set the colour of a task the tasklist is not updated.

Check if you have the 'Colour tasks by priority' turned on.

 

29. Why doesn't printing work for me?

ToDoList prints tasklists by first exporting them to html and then sending them to your default browser specifying the 'print' verb. It is therefore possible that your browser does not implement this feature.

 

30. How can I enable tasklist encryption?

File > Encrypt TaskList.

 

31. How can I enable spell checking?

If this is not already enabled, download the spell check component to the same folder as ToDoList and then restart ToDoList. You will also have to download an appropriate dictionary which can be done from here or from the spell check dialog.

 

32. Can I drag and drop from explorer into the file reference field?

Yes, both files and folders can be dropped into the file reference field and into the comments field too.

 

33. Why can't I see any of the editing fields that are normally below the tasklist?

Check that you have not got your tasklist in 'Maximize' mode.

 

34. Why is one of my tasks displayed in its completed colour when its checkbox has not been ticked?

Check you have not turned on the preference 'Treat tasks whose subtasks are all completed as also being completed'.

 

35. Is there a way to unbolden the titles of top level tasks?

Not at present. This is to assist people who manage multiple projects within one tasklist.

 

36. Can I disable sorting by clicking column headers?

Not any more, but it's easy to revert a tasklist to its unsorted state via the Sort By menu.

 

37. Can I rename the fields in ToDoList to closer match my needs?

Not at present.

 

38. Can I store my tasklists in a 3rd party source control system with integrated support in ToDoList?

Yes. Sven Axelsson has produced a number of related batch files which can be integrated into ToDoList as tools. You can find them here.

 

39. Can I store my tasklists in a 3rd party database?

Not at present.

 

40. Can I link to files in the comments field?

Yes. You can link to files either on your file system (using 'file://') or on the internet (using 'http://'). You can follow those links by holding down the 'Ctrl' key and clicking.

 

41. Can I also link to other tasks?

Yes. Tasks can be linked to using the custom protocol 'tdl://' followed by the target task's ID. eg. tdl://42. You can also link between tasklists by prefixing the task ID by the tasklist path but you must ensure that any spaces are replaced by '%20' as in any typical URL. The basic syntax is: tdl://<file path>?<taskID>

e.g. 'tdl://list_name.tdl?123' or 'tdl://list_name.tdl' or 'tdl://123'. The easiest way to create cross tasklist links is:

1. Right-click on the task to be linked to
2. Select 'Copy As > Reference (Full)'
3. Paste into comments field.

 

42. Why is the expanded state of my tasklists lost each time I reload them

Preferences > File Actions > After Loading a Tasklist > Expand all tasks.

 

43. How do I get my file links/URLs to work in the comments field

Ctrl+Click