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Thanks to both of you for your helpful replies.
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Me again...
Again, I probably have to remind you all that I'm not an IT professional. Apologies if I'm asking things which TDLers find obvious. Maybe my questions will be useful for future non-IT-professionals.
I keep the TDL7 files under D:\apps\ on my system... it seems to be about 8 MB in size currently. This D:\apps\ location isn't a location I back up every day.
But I want in particular to back up my main list at least daily... so I found a way of doing an "auto-export" every minute: Tools > Prefs > Categories > File Actions (more) > Saving > Automatically export after saving.
This exports as an HTML file (to a location where I do a daily backup).
But when I then wanted to test reimporting this HTML file I couldn't find HTML as one of the Import Tasks > Format choices. Can someone possibly explain how this works?
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You must not mix up "Export" and "backup". Export is a conversion of format (and maybe data), and depending on your settings (What are you exporting to which format?) there is a reduction / a loss of logic and data. For 99% "Export" is for usage in other context (presentation, ..) or in other formats, but not for "reusage".
To "really, unchanged backup" you need only to take a look at "Preferences -> File Actions (more) -> Backup", and you will find 4 "Auto-save" options.
(BTW: You could also select "Export tp TDL", but depending on your settings the data also can be changed.)
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thanks... OK, so export is not for re-import.
I have now tweaked the backup thing so that it saves to a more suitable place. This is better (for me) than having the "backup" folder in the app directory tree, but it is a bit blunt - ideally I'd like to backup just one particular project...
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Member 12436111 wrote: ideally I'd like to backup just one particular project...
All the software that I know handle the backup-settings in the same way for all files / projects. For other requirements you will need other supporting tools (monitor and save etc.)
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Hi,
Very new user here.
I have dabbled over the years with this sort of todo list design. One thing I wonder about is if the "Comment" box/field couldn't become a bit more sophisticated:
I use the Comment thing to track a "history" of how the task happens. This is an example of how I keep track of my local library books (it really is).
2016-01-18 Mon: renewed (over phone) to 8 Feb: "just one day late on each"
2016-01-22 Fri: m'ship renewed - fine cancelled by the librarian
- sit: 9 (?) B due 02-12
2016-02-10 Wed: renewed all
- sit: 9 B due 03-02
2016-03-03 Thu: renewd all
- sit 9B due 24/3, fine £1.44
2016-03-23 Wed: renewed all
- sit 9B due 13/4, fine £1.44
2016-04-09: 1B due 2016-04-11
- renewed
- sit 1B due 2016-04-30
... and in my amateur application I have a hotkey which 1) takes focus to the Comment box; 2) puts the caret at the bottom of the box; 3) does a new line; 4) adds the current date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
A hotkey along those lines in Todolist 7 would already be nice.
But it occurred to me some time ago that a next step might actually to make each date-stamped entry a record in its own right in a table... This would make things a bit more complicated to print things out, perhaps, but it could also have a lot of analytical advantages.
I haven't got a clue at the moment how your database (if such it be) underpins the structure of the lists. In my implementation each task/tree node is a record in a table, with an ID field, and a "parent ID" field. Obviously the "history elements" would have a "task ID" and there would be a one-to-many relationship.
PS Sorry if this idea is old and has already been thought about and discarded...
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Member 12436111 wrote: ... and in my amateur application I have a hotkey which 1) takes focus to the Comment box; 2) puts the caret at the bottom of the box; 3) does a new line; 4) adds the current date in YYYY-MM-DD format.
IMHO functions like this should stay userdefined, with tools like AutoHotkey and other. I'm sure that the next user whishes a hotkey for
1) save the file, takes focus to the Comment box; set font to arial
2) puts the caret at the bottom of the box;
3) does a new line plus horizontal line plus new line
4) adds the current date in DD.MM.YYYY format ...
So this cannot be solved ...
Member 12436111 wrote: This would make things a bit more complicated to print things out, perhaps, but it could also have a lot of analytical advantages.
If you have a fine stylesheet or you know how to create them, you can print what you want ...
Member 12436111 wrote: I haven't got a clue at the moment how your database (if such it be) underpins the structure of the lists
It is XML ...
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There are good comments on the table here. I tend to agree with Pierre on a couple points. ToDoList is great at what it does. Some of us, including myself, want it to do more to help us to manage our workflow. But there are Many cases where it would be better to integrate other first-class solutions with ToDoList, rather than trying to make this into a Swiss Army Knife, one-app-does-all kind of solution. There's no shame to integration, and a lot of advantages. There's no shame in ToDoList being "just" the best task management solution available, and using other tools to do what they do best.
In your workflow, I'm thinking you want a database, and ToDoList can refer to that with links, so that you can access details of How you accomplished a task, while TDL records the status of the task itself. So TDL isn't the tool for itemizing payments or membership renewals, but it is the tool for recording when these things need to be done, reminding you that they should have been done, and for crossing off the fact that you've accomplished what you intended to do.
For such integration, I again agree with Pierre that AutoHotKey is great. I also use PhraseExpress ... check out their website docs, watch a couple videos, try the software - once you get familiar with it you might be hooked for life, as I was.
As to specific fields that can be used to integrate with an external database, TDL has custom fields and file links. And you'll notice that ToDoList allows you to use tdl:// links on your system to jump to tasks. Well, if you can create this kind of reference in other apps (whether through your code or something built-in elsewhere, then you can enter a comment in TDL which points to a specific transaction in another app.
One example of that might be bugzilla, or other "issue trackers" where in your case you're not tracking "issues" or "bugs", but you do seem to be looking to create a "case" or "ticket" to record an event. So you might create a "case" that needs to be handled, like going to the library, and each comment you put in there does indeed get a timestamp. With most of these apps you can also add custom fields like FinePaid (decimal value), MembershipPaid (Boolean/check), etc. So in ToDoList you might have case://345 which then links to your documentation of such events. This is the way we track software bugs - we link to other structured information rather than trying to fit these fields into ToDoList, which is Not intended to be a general purpose database.
Having said all of that, without automation, you Could get your workflow into ToDoList... Create a general purpose recurring parent task for Handle Library. So this will come up once per week or whenever you schedule. Under this you'll have tasks for Return Books, Pay Fine, Update Membership, and other such details. If you have no fines, just mark the status as Not Needed or Complete. If you pay a fine, there's a built-in Cost field. When a single event has been documented, flag it as Complete. For follow-up reporting, you can sort all tasks by name, or issue them tags or categories. This WILL give you a database of sorts that can be used to quite nice reporting using the Transform function.
As you see, the tool is powerful, and Can be used in various ways. The ongoing question all of us ask from time to time is "Should we ask Dan to build in some functionality, is it already there, or might it be better to do this outside the box?" We might get answers that change our vision of how we Like to do things, or how we think things Should be done. We need to accept on a daily basis that we need to make occasional concessions in order to get an overall great solution. And then there are those times when Dan says "good idea, I'll add it in the next release". Bonus! One of the reasons why this software is so cool is that we have those options, where it's not so easy elsewhere.
And you have a community of people here who like to brainstorm like this. 
HTH
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Thanks very much... very useful thoughts.
Yes, with my amateur attempt at a Todolist, which (in intention at least) has a lot of things in common with Dan's brilliant app, I came up against the question of just what I wanted the thing to do: should it just be a simple todo list, the primary function of which would be to flag up tasks that needed doing, or continuing, 2 or 3 weeks from now, or every year, etc?
But I inevitably started wondering, yes, but what about "archiving" tasks that have been done, and finished with...? Particularly with important things in life, like running a business or paying taxes, you might need to refer back to things that had happened years ago... Given that my solution was database-based, it was easy to just exclude tasks (or subtrees) from the "active" tree.
It's amazing how many issues this then generated: the question of "maintenance" of the archived tree, in short.
Anyway, I've had a couple of reads of your response and there are some things I understand and some I don't. I really wish there were one of those "door-stop" 1000-page books on Todolist7, or even just a Todolist7 for Dummies. I know there's the Wiki... but I wonder whether it actually documents the sorts of techniques you have mentioned... I shall endeavour to look.
PS I already use Autohotkey... I wonder whether a given AHK hotkey combo can be made to apply only in the context of a particular app (i.e. rather than regardless of which window has focus). In my amateur app, which was written in Java, I could really tailor the use of hotkeys very precisely.
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Member 12436111 wrote: I wonder whether a given AHK hotkey combo can be made to apply only in the context of a particular app
You could either set it up as a user-defined-tool with ToDoList, or use the AHK functions to search for the ToDoList window.
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This sounds like a perfect fit for writing a Custom Comments Plugin[^].
This way your suggestions would not alter the default free-form comments, and would be available to users on a per-task basis (like the existing Simple vs Rich Text).
But AHK would undoubtedly be a much easier solution.
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... ah... just found out about Ctrl-D hotkey: date/time stamp. This is very useful. Another reason for a "TDL for Dummies"?
Maybe in a year or more I'll be able to write it...!
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You may notice from the wiki pages (which need updates...) that I've tried to document core functionality while also creating pages that describe how ToDoList can be used in various contexts. So it's not just about which buttons to press, but about why you might want to use the various features. I believe this is your intent with the ToDoList for Dummies concept. The Wiki is that documentation.
Please note the link in my signature here for the Wiki Suggestion Box[^]. You are welcome to write up minimal notes there which I will incorporate into the wiki. Or we can exchange notes via email. (PM me off list for contact info if you don't have it, or send your address to the Suggestion Box, I don't publish email addresses in public.) Or you can use GitHub, create an Issue, and start posting content there for review and possible inclusion (although that's not ideal). I'd like to invite you to open a single thread in the Google Group too where you can solicit feedback on your contributions and sort of build your documentation as you go in collaboration with others, but Dan may not agree to such usage of that medium. ( ? )
So, no need to wait to write a book ( I write a book in every forum post  ). You can start now, and actually your soul searching now will be quite valuable to others who are in the same position. After we get to know something it's often tough to remember what it's like not to know it, and perhaps the frustration of trying to get info on specific topics. Post questions if you don't see something in the wiki. HowTo questions allow others to respond with how They do something, which can help everyone. And this entire process can help Dan to see where there may be some weaknesses for an occasional helpful tweak ... that happens a Lot.
HTH (Hope That Helps)
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Hi Dan,
I type in the comment field a lot, and depend heavily on its right-click menu for efficient workflow. Please consider the following requests/suggestions regarding the context menu for comments:
- Add "Selected text as task title", to minimize shifting back and forth between the task tree and the comment field.
- Add "Insert Date & Time/Date/Time".
- List together all the "Copy", "Paste", and "Insert" commands in groups, so that they are easier to pick out.
Additionally, in relation to inserting date & time, getting the comment fields automatically date- and time-stamped when new tasks are created would be a great time-saving option to have.
Many thanks for your consideration, Dan.
NT
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A couple of your requests may already be implemented in a way:
First, ctrl-D to insert the date/time.
Second, note a couple options under Prefereces>User Interface>Tasklist Attributes Date/Time formatting: Append the users 'Created By' name when pasting the Date/Time, and Append the following text when pasting the Date/Time. I put a space in that field. Someone else might want a comma or colon or hyphen...
From that same preference page, under Other, see : Display comments after task title, and Display only the first line of comments. So you can have a short task title and the first line will automatically display in the grid.
Auto assign selected text to the title, that's unique.
HTH
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Hi iamstarbuck,
Thank you for the suggestions.
iamstarbuck wrote: ctrl-D to insert the date/time
I tend to go more for clicking around on a menu than using key commands  . I guess I was wishing for the context menu in the comment field to look more like the Edit menu--I really like the way the commands are organized on the Edit menu, with all insert, copy, and paste commands listed together in groups, and mostly in flat lists not involving submenus.
iamstarbuck wrote: Display comments after task title, and Display only the first line of comments
I tried "Display only the first line of comments", but when the first line of comments is displayed in a task title, it does not replace the default title name, "Task", and it is also grayish.
For "Selected text as task title", maybe "Display the first line of typed comments as task title" (i.e., bypassing the automatically stamped date and time--if that becomes an option) would be an even better implementation--it would require fewer mouse clicks from the user  .
And somewhat related to task titles, here's a thought on comment titles: to have the first line of typed text in the comment field automatically boldfaced so it'd stand out as a title for comments would also be really helpful, especially when the comment field is maximized, with the task tree out of view.
NT
modified 20-Apr-16 10:49am.
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This is Dan's software and he might or might not implement your suggestions. Anything I say here is just a personal comment based on my own usage.
For making the first line of the comment the actual task title, this can be accomplished with a UDT, and with less effort than selecting, going to a context menu, and selecting an option. With just a tiny bit of code, a UDT can read the comment, extract the first line, then execute a TDL command-line that sets the title with that text. So if you have any programming experience consider that. If not then I might add this to my Nebula UDT (see my sig).
About bolding the text, that implies that all of your comments are Rich and not Plain Text. That may be the case but there's no certainty. I'm thinking there are not only conditions for which you need to be aware, but this is a highly specific request which almost certainly doesn't apply to most other users. This is yet another application for a UDT. For reference it's also possible to do this with my .NET library, which  has still not yet been published. If there is some way you can make your request less specific to one user, it might get more support.
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Hi NT
Because these proposals are very specific to the way that you work, I suggest using a scripting tool like AHK to create the custom actions and then adding them to TDL as user-defined tools in the preferences. This way they would all appear in the Tools menu as well as on the toolbar.
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Hi Dan,
Thanks for the reply.
Would you at some point reconsider modifying the organization of the comment field's context menu somewhat, so that the copy, paste, and insert commands are grouped together--as they are on the Edit menu--instead of being listed in separate sections?
As for "Display the first line of comments as task title": is there a way to make an UDT with AHK for a command that's not listed in Preference>Shortcuts? (This must be beyond my "programming experience"! )
Thank you for answering my questions.
NT
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Notetaker wrote: is there a way to make an UDT with AHK for a command that's not listed in Preference>Shortcuts? (This must be beyond my "programming experience"! )
Sure - a User Defined Tool executes a "DOS" command-line. So anything you can do from the command-line can come back into TDL to do things. So if you have an AHK script that can affect the TDL UI, pass information to it via the UDT, then have it use that info to do what you need.
Granted, it's not so easy to get AHK to do things. You need to get it to access the right application, then to find controls or text, then to do some function or execute the right hotkeys. You need to know that you're in the right place and entering the right data, just like a person but without the benefit of sight. Yes, it's a challenge.
Another way to do this would be to have your UDT Save your list (force a ctrl-s or menu option to the UI), then modify the .tdl XML with your tool of choice, and then force the UI to refresh the tasklist from disk.
You should be seeing the pattern here. A UDT is a hand-off to some other routine that does something for you. It's not a plugin which controls TDL directly. In fact, it's not related to TDL at all. The UDT causes execution of something outside of TDL - it's "coincidence" that we want it to come back and do something with TDL ... it can as well operate on any other application or data. Perhaps if you separate the concepts you'll be able to work out more ways to affect TDL from outside - using UDTs as a way to invoke those tools.
HTH
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Hi iamstarbuck,
Thank you very much for your informative response; but I'm afraid it's all sorta over my head (and that's an understatement!  ): my "programming experience" is limited to making UDTs with AHK for commands listed in TDL's Preferences>Shortcuts; I don't have a clue as to how to do that for, say, "Display the first line of comments as task title", since that is not currently an available command in TDL. Is there a way to add such a command to the list of shortcuts?
Thanks for your help,
NT
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In the Print Preview dialog there is a drop down list of titles that were previously used to print task lists. How may I delete the entries in this drop down list? I tried various key combinations including Ctrl-Del, Shift-Del, Ctrl-Bksp and Shift-Bksp but none of them works.
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It seems that it is stored in the registry:
\\\Registry\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\AbstractSpoon\ToDoList\Print\
EDIT:
And if you work with INI-file, it is here:
[Print]
AttributeOption=1
CompletedTasks=1
DefaultStylesheet=1
ExportStyle=0
HistoryCount=20
....
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Or in the ini file if you are using that.
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