ForumsQuestionsIs there a way to control the display order of tasks


Is there a way to control the display order of tasks
Author Message
j_tudor

Posted: May 28, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
Is there a way to order tasks by display order? High, Med, Low, Top and Negative priorities are great, but they do not let you control the order of how each task is displayed. This would be like the Netflix queue where you can control the order of every item. Right now I use excel to manage tasks and I like being able to control the order. I do not see anyway to to this in this program.
Anders

Posted: May 28, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
I'm not sure if I understand your question. You cannot order tasks manually, but you can use up to three sort criteria (two for basic subscriptions I think). There are a number of tricks for achieving a sort you want, but if you just want to be able to tinker constantly with moving tasks up and down it isn't very easy. Probably the best way would be to use Tag as your second sort criterion (if you want to keep a top level sorting like Priority), and then just use numbers or letters as the first Tag in the field to order your tasks.

~Anders
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: May 28, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Toodledo doesn't support manual sorting, but we may in the future. Like Anders has suggested, you could experiment with typing numbers in the tag field and then sorting by tag.
Top 3

Posted: Sep 10, 2009
Score: 2 Reference
I just became a Pro subscriber, and really like Toodledo. Also have the iPhone version. Thanks!

I do feel a strong need to be able to manually order the tasks. In a given View, would like to be able to order the relative to each other, simply by using the "hand" icon to move them up or down. The Views should "remember" the manual ordering.

This method should also work for manually ordering the subtasks with a task (and should consider making it the default).

The Sort order choices would include "Manual" as the sort order. If "Manual" is selected as the first sort criterion, the 2nd and the 3rd sort criterion could be grayed out.

For an example of manual sorting/ordering, please look at Nozbee, http://www.nozbe.com/.
Proximo

Posted: Sep 10, 2009
Score: 3 Reference
+10 for manual sorting.

Using the Alphabetical hack for this is just not acceptable long term. I see it as a good short term solution, but the lack of sorting by dragging is a real issue for many.

When using numbers to sort alphabetically, you start to see issues when looking at sub-task in different views.

One example is by Context. I have to Flatten my sub-task to see them in this view and now I have all these numbers showing up in front of my sub-task. Many have the same number and it kills the ability for me to sort the task in that view in any type of order that would make sense.

I can't rename them in that view because it will break the sequence in my Project view.

You also start to see problems when adding new task to a project that should fall in a particular order in the sequence of task and now you have to rename all your task to get the order correct.

So if I have task 1 through 15 on a project and realize there is another critical step that needs to be added to the project. I add the task and give it the correct number in the sequence. Let's say it's number 4.

Now I have two number 4 task and must rename the original number 4 task and all the task below it, just to keep them in the correct order. This is really a pain when you add several task as you work on a Project and realize the complexity is growing.

I don't want to see 3 number 4's and 2 number 8's. etc. So I am forced to rename all these task often to keep order.

I honestly believed this was an official update that Toodledo had on their to do list, but it seems that it's something they are only considering.

This would eventually be a deal breaker for me.

Hope this becomes an official feature.


This message was edited Sep 10, 2009.
Vin Thomas

Posted: Sep 10, 2009
Score: 2 Reference
I am so with Proximo (and almost everyone else who uses Toodledo). This NEEDS to become a part of the system.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Sep 10, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
Manually sorting is on our to-do list. It is a complicated thing to implement in a non-confusing manner, which is why it is taking so long.
Kristof

Posted: Oct 01, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
I also am in desperate need of this feature. Great to hear that you are implementing it!
Proximo

Posted: Oct 01, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Toodledo:
Toodledo doesn't support manual sorting, but we may in the future. Like Anders has suggested, you could experiment with typing numbers in the tag field and then sorting by tag.


I appreciate your honesty as always. I am wondering why this would be so complicated when compared to other similar sites that have it implemented.

I assume it's the code or programming language you are using that makes it difficult. If other sites have very dynamic features like this and are using different programming to accomplish it such as Ajax.

Will Toodledo ever migrate their code to something more dynamic that would be easier to add these type of functions?

I assume this is why the GUI looks more like a spreadsheet when compared to other sites as well.

Just asking.

Love Toodledo. :-)
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Oct 02, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
Other to-do sites have manual sorting because they don't have any of the other sorting methods that we have (due-date, importance, priority, etc). When you try to have both sorting by criteria and manual sorting, it gets really messy and confusing.

We already have extensive usage of ajax.
drylemming

Posted: Dec 02, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
This would push me over the edge to the iPhone app or the pro account. As it is, Toodledo is my repository, but each day I use a post it note next to my screen for writing down the order I will attack my tasks that are due today.

The hacks don't work because I tend to defer tasks and then the numbering wouldn't match the new day's priority.

Manual numbering a la Netflix is great and all but I would settle for a sequence field even if it was not smart enough to renumber when a task was marked completed or was deferred.
rdd

Posted: Dec 03, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Toodledo:
Other to-do sites have manual sorting because they don't have any of the other sorting methods that we have (due-date, importance, priority, etc). When you try to have both sorting by criteria and manual sorting, it gets really messy and confusing.


I agree totally with this philosophy. This is the exact reason why I chose Toodledo over all the other (nice and fancy) web-based todo systems.
Kelly Regan

Posted: Dec 03, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
What I have been doing until this is updated is us a combination of letters and numbers.

A1
A2
A3
B1
B2
B3
B4
C1
C2

This way if I have to add something I only have to renumber a few parent tasks.

Posted by Proximo:
+10 for manual sorting.


Now I have two number 4 task and must rename the original number 4 task and all the task below it, just to keep them in the correct order. This is really a pain when you add several task as you work on a Project and realize the complexity is growing.

Joyce

Posted: Dec 09, 2009
Score: 1 Reference
I got my tasks in some kind of order using priority but it was frustrating because I want them in a given order and I had to use importance to get them into morning, afternoon and evening and even just a drag and drop would make a huge difference.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Dec 10, 2009
Score: 0 Reference
If you use subtasks, you can manually sort your subtasks via drag and drop.

http://www.toodledo.com/forums/1/3905/0/manual-sorting-of-subtasks.html
bro.louie

Posted: Jan 06, 2010
Score: 2 Reference
I understand that ...

- manual sorting has become a NEED and is on the wishlists of many;
- manual sorting has been in Toodledo's own todo list at least since Jan. 19, 2009 (based on one of the admin's posts found on this discussion board);
- manual sorting is quite tedious and difficult for Toodledo to implement across the board.

Suggestion/Request:
Would it be possible to implement manual sorting even just on the "Starred" list? I think this would make a lot of Toodledo users happy, and make an already very useful product even much better. Even though quite limited, you've done it with "Fields & Defaults" under Settings, as well as in subtasks. Hope you could apply it on the "Starred" list as well. Please Toodledo?
gsinclair

Posted: Jan 12, 2010
Score: 2 Reference
I agree with bro.louie that manual sorting in Starred would be a nice feature, even if it can't be implemented elsewhere (which I understand). Reason being: I use stars to indicate "Today" tasks, and it's conceptually nice to lay out today's tasks in the order in which you wish to tackle them.

Some are saying manual ordering is a must-have feature. For me, it's only nice-to-have. Furthermore, Starred is the only place where I would use manual ordering.
bro.louie

Posted: Jan 13, 2010
Score: 0 Reference
Top 3's suggestion on Sep 10, 2009, reprinted below, I hope is workable:

>>If "Manual" is selected as the first sort criterion, the 2nd and the 3rd sort criterion could be grayed out.
rcross_us

Posted: Jan 28, 2010
Score: 1 Reference
Another vote for manual sorting. Toodledo is great.. I trust if you say it is hard and have thought about it a bit, but with that said could the manual sorting just have a higher precedent than the sorting of other fields via UI interaction? Even if it was effectively the same as the tag column, that would work. Thing is that many times I have a few tasks that over lap on time or have a tactical priority due to travel order, etc.

Whatever you can do, but if I had only one feature request to use over the next 5 years this would be it!
taloncarde

Posted: Feb 01, 2010
Score: 0 Reference
New user, just wanted to give a vote for not needing the manual sort, I appreciate that some may want it, but so far i'm very happy with the way tasks are sorted based on due date and priority. Keep up the good work regardless.
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