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Improvement to Subtasks
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jamielee

Posted: Jan 19, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
yes, no reordering must be the biggest flaw in what is otherwise an awesome app!
michael.leroux

Posted: Jan 20, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
I'd also like manual reordering of tasks. I bought the iPhone app expecting that functionality to be there.

Also, an option to hide fields in the task list. I'd like to do without the status, folder name and star fields.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Jan 21, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Manual sorting is on our Top requests lis.

You can hide fields that you don't use. Just go into your account settings and you can turn on/off any of the fields.

Hope that helps.
User

Posted: Jan 22, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
I second the ability to create a subtask to a subtask. It really helps with managing larger projects.

Right now I have to use another application to do this and I would love to be able to use toodledo exclusively.
Carl

Posted: Jan 23, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
Subtasks were a big reason I switched from Hiveminder to Toodledo. (Hiveminder is nice, but I just need more control over sort order and tasks.)

I would really like it if created subtasks inherited all of the parent task's settings as defaults, especially since we aren't given the standard task-creation dialog. My subtasks disappear from my most used views (active-only, contextual) if I forget to open them and set everything.

I think it's more likely that the subtask will have settings *like* the parent than *unlike*, so getting the parent settings as default means fewer settings to tweak.

(Toodledo rocks, btw. And the Pro features are both reasonably priced and contain things seriously worth paying for.)
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Jan 23, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Thanks for the suggestion.
rfullen

Posted: Feb 04, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Carl:

I would really like it if created subtasks inherited all of the parent task's settings as defaults, especially since we aren't given the standard task-creation dialog.


Seconded. I'd also like to have: subtasks be able to have subtasks; ordered subtasks; and tags autofilled or multiple choiced - not being able to choose from my existing tags undermines the tag field's usefulness.

Thanks for the great app.
Proximo

Posted: Feb 05, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Erik C Bugge:
Importance/due date of parent task automatically set by the most important/next upcomming due date of the subtasks
I love the parent and subtask functionality, because it removes the cluttering of my todo-list by hiding the smaller, manageable steps under the main task (yes, I nest subtasks)! This helps me keep an overall focus and not get burried in small, currently unimportant details all the time.

There is a major flaw in the way subtasks works, though (I think), as described in the documentation:
"When subtasks are nested, they will be hidden inside their parent task and will only be visible when you reveal them. This could cause you to forget about an important subtask."

I think of the parent task as mainly a container of different tasks/steps (subtasks) that needs to be completed in order to complete the whole assignment. These subtasks may have different due dates (and priorities), so in periods you may not need to pay attention to the "container" itself. But when a due date for a subtask is closing, you should pay attention to the (parent) task again - or more correctly; Toodledo should make sure you pay attention again by increasing the importance of the parent task accordingly (so it appears on the Hotlist again), regardless of the overall due date and priority of the parent task.

One possibility would be to explicitly set the parent task to "As subs" in order to achive this.


I could not agree more. GTD states that you can't complete Projects. You can only complete the task required to move the Project forward towards completion. What this does is put focus on the individual task you need to take action on. The way sub-task work in toodledo, it does not allow for true GTD implementation. When you add sub-task to something, the parent task should become a project. Having a different icon would be helpful. If the sub-task are nested and currently hidden, they should always show up according to their due dates and priorities on the Hotlist or any other area. Using sub-task "Flattened" is useless because the benefit of sub-task is to see that they actually belong to a Parent "Project" and you don't need to focus on all the individual steps required to complete the project. You should only focus on the "Next Action" for that Project. GTD is about clearing your head and focus on what needs to get done NEXT.

I sure hope sub-task are fixed to work as they should. I am getting a Pro Account regardless, because I want to support Toodledo for creating such a great product.
Proximo

Posted: Feb 05, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
I need to make a correction to my statement above. After playing with the sub-task further I come to realize that the sub-task does show up in the Hotlist based on it's Priority or Due Date. The Hot List can be tweaked to show priorities and dates based on how you want it too.

With this in mind, the sub-task can be seen in the hot list and you will not loose sight of the fact that it's due in the number of days you set the Hot List to show.

This is how it should work and I was a little confused in the functionality at first. There is still an issue where you can't see the due date for a sub-task when you are looking at the Parent Task "Project" from one of the other views, such as a folder or Status.

It would be nice for Parent Task to have some kind of icon that tells you that a sub-task has a due date approaching, but I was incorrect in thinking that the due dates or priorities set for sub-task will not show in the Hot List.

The Hot List is one of the best features in Toodledo because it prevents you from loosing sight of something important, regardless of how you organized it in your system.

The Hot List is what I use as my point of focus when attacking my Next Actions and therefor the sub-task do work according to the GTD way of thinking.

I think most users will agree that a visual hint on the parent task when you have all sub-task hidden would be a nice addition and the ability to re-order the sub-task by draging them in the sequence that they must be accomplished.

You can set dates and priorities in your sub-task to make this work, but in many cases I don't assign due dates to sub-task that are lower on the list of task related to a project because I simply don't know at the time how the schedule will work and I stay focused on the Next Action that needs to be done.

Again, Thank you guys at Toodledo for always listening and providing such a great product.
pgootkind

Posted: Feb 08, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
New to toodledoo and loving it. #1 on my wishlist: ability to create a subtask within a subtask. Thanks for your great product.
Adam

Posted: Feb 09, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
I know this has already been brought up, but please, please, please, add (1) manual ordering of subtasks & (2) subtasks on the iPhone.

Thanks!!!

P.S. ToodleDo rocks!
Claudio

Posted: Feb 09, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Well, you can eliminate one please ... ;)

The Toodledo iPhone app has subtasks.
info

Posted: Feb 14, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Bump!

1. Scheduler on Iphone plz
George

Posted: Feb 23, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
How can I promote a subtask back to the task level without deleting and reentering it?
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Feb 23, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Just drag it out and drop it outside of it's parent task.
stephenmford

Posted: Mar 12, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Any clues or hints on updates to subfolders, like being able to nest them?

Because of toodledo, I've been able to get much more work done, which results in more being tasked to me :-/ Anyway, not being able to nest was a minor issue before, but now that I'm using it for everything.....

Thanks for a great app.
Stephen
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Mar 12, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
Multiple levels of nesting is something that we are still thinking about.
hornmg

Posted: Mar 13, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
Would it be inappropriate to beg for nesting of subtasks and/or folders? Please help us out with this.
saskia.x

Posted: Mar 15, 2009
Score: 2 Reference
My number one wish for subtasks would be for new subtasks to automatically inherit the attributes of the parent - generally my subtasks have similar properties to their parent (especially folder, goal & due date). I also think that maybe having subtasks of repeating tasks default to "repeat with parent" would be good, although I'm not sure whether everyone would find that as helpful as I do.

My second wish would be for some kind of task dependency. Multiple levels of nesting combined with some kind of "hide parent task until subtasks are complete" function might be one solution to this (I used to use MyLifeOrganised & I seem to remember it had this feature), although obviously there are a few different ways somethig like dependencies could be achieved. I've developed a system of using staggered due dates to make sure that tasks that have to be completed before the others in the sequence are at least displayed higher up the list, but it would be nice if the dependent tasks could be hidden until the first task is complete. Having a load of unactionable tasks cluttering up the task list is far too distracting. I like the GTD-inspired idea of making sure all items on your to do list are true "next actions", i.e. they can be done straight away as long as you're in the right context & have time to do them, but I also like to plan out projects & have it all in Toodledo ready for action!

The idea of manually re-ordering subtasks arbitrarily doesn't appeal to me so if this were introduced I would hope that it wouldn't intefere with the ordinary functionality of Toodledo.


This message was edited Mar 15, 2009.
Proximo

Posted: Mar 23, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Erik C Bugge:
Importance/due date of parent task automatically set by the most important/next upcomming due date of the subtasks
I love the parent and subtask functionality, because it removes the cluttering of my todo-list by hiding the smaller, manageable steps under the main task (yes, I nest subtasks)! This helps me keep an overall focus and not get burried in small, currently unimportant details all the time.

There is a major flaw in the way subtasks works, though (I think), as described in the documentation:
"When subtasks are nested, they will be hidden inside their parent task and will only be visible when you reveal them. This could cause you to forget about an important subtask."

I think of the parent task as mainly a container of different tasks/steps (subtasks) that needs to be completed in order to complete the whole assignment. These subtasks may have different due dates (and priorities), so in periods you may not need to pay attention to the "container" itself. But when a due date for a subtask is closing, you should pay attention to the (parent) task again - or more correctly; Toodledo should make sure you pay attention again by increasing the importance of the parent task accordingly (so it appears on the Hotlist again), regardless of the overall due date and priority of the parent task.

One possibility would be to explicitly set the parent task to "As subs" in order to achive this.


Very well said. Subtask are great, but they do not work as they should by any subtask application standard. Nesting subtask is the default way they should be used as mentioned above.

Please give this suggestion top priority. We have many workarounds, but we should not need to do this.

Thanks
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