ForumsQuestionsHELP - Regarding Indented Tasks on iPhone/iPad


HELP - Regarding Indented Tasks on iPhone/iPad
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brian

Posted: Jan 30, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I have Folders, and then within those, I have Tasks, then within those I have SubTasks. On the iPhone/iPad, the Tasks & SubTasks are all mixed together, regardless of how I sort them. I am looking for a sort similar to "Indented", however I don't care if the SubTasks are actually "indented" or not ... as long as the SubTasks appear underneath their respective Tasks. (Yes, that's a mouthful, I am hoping it is clear!)
The little hierarchical Icons are so tiny and not very useful.
Is their a solution for this? If this is just not possible right now, I'd be happy with a work-around (like using another field like Context or Status and sorting on that field) ... OR a third-party App that syncs with ToodleDo that can crack this problem. I tried most of the 3rd Party iPhone Apps that I could find (Including the $10 "Action Lists" ... and although that app is worth the $10 (IMHO) it still jumbles the Tasks with the SubTasks the exact same way)
Help please !!! Thanks all.
PeterW 

Posted: Jan 30, 2011
Score: 2 Reference
Have you tried Appigo Todo? I use it on the iPhone and am really happy with the way it handles subtasks.
JCarl

Posted: Jan 30, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I think Pocket Informant does a very nice job with subtasks and you get a calendar also sync to your mail provider
gazcelnic

Posted: Feb 22, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Currently, the way the iPhone Toodledo App handles / shows the subtasks is really not good. They either show up almost identical as regular task do (Inline mode), or you have to navigate a couple more menus to see them (Nested mode). Truly not practical to add subtask (3 clicks to get to enter subtask, 2 more clicks to come back... should be 2 in and 1 out). Visually, once typed in, it is also not practical to get the global picture. For example, when you have multiple tasks with each multiple subtasks, you do not see which completed subtask belongs to which task...

I agree with PeterW... The Appigo Todo handles 100x better the Toodledo subtasks (which they call Projects or Checklists). If one is to use subtasks a lot, the Appigo Todo App is to be seriously consider instead of the Toodledo App.

Please Toodledo consider this for subtasks on iPhone:
1- on the parent task, show the number of subtasks that are still to do (i.e. a "subtask count badge" just like the "task badge" we currently see on the right of a folder's name).
2- when we click on a parent task, instead of showing the Task Details with a tiny Subtasks menu at the bottom, show directly the Subtasks view, with maybe a button on top to access the Task Details. Except MAYBE for the first time a task is created, I believe the primary goal when a user clicks on a parent task is to interact with the subtasks.
3- when choosing "in-line" option, would be much better to indent subtasks

The bottom line is that, no matter how you do it, we should have easy access to the subtasks with only ONE click on the parent task, and things should be clear enough so we get the global completion picture of a task with subtasks.

Cheers,

Stephane
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Feb 22, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Thanks for the suggestions. We can't comment on a timeframe for implementation, but these are on our to-do list.
ccoleman

Posted: Apr 07, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Wow - just downloaded toodledo for iPad. I could live without visual indenting I guess, but I'm stunned that subtasks don't at least position themselves below parent tasks. It sort of defeats the whole purpose of having subtasks if they are mixed in randomly with and among various parents. I'm trying to think of any possible use of subtasks that could work without some minimal level of sorting. Trying, but failing . . . .

I get the feeling that the original database was constructed without subtasks in mind, and the developer is forced to try to graft them on after the fact. That's going to be a fatal flaw in the long run if it isn't fixed.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Apr 08, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
There are currently two ways to view subtasks on the iPad.

1) Inline with the other tasks. This is useful for sorting and finding subtasks that are important to do.

2) Nested inside their parents. This is useful for organization.

You can flip between these two modes in the the filter settings.
ccoleman

Posted: Apr 08, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I hope I wasn't too harsh in my comment above. I would agree that subtasks as implemented on the iPad may be useful for some users. What caught me by surprise is that I assumed that under the "nested inside their parents" mode they would actually be visible on the screen when viewing the contents of a folder. Instead, you have to tap on the parent task to "open" it and see the subtasks, an operation that takes you away from the folder view.

The upshot is that if most of your true action items are really subtasks nested inside of a project (which I think is true for may GTD users), you cannot actually see a list of those action items in folder view.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Apr 11, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
We are working on a third option which would be what you have described.
cefstathiou

Posted: Apr 17, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Eagerly awaiting your solution to viewing subtasks the way they should show.
santhosh

Posted: May 07, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I bought pro subscription only because of subtasks and did not know that Ipad does not show nested subtasks. Toodledo, can you tell us any time frame for implementing this?. I may consider canceling the pro subscription with in 30 days for full refund.
May be you guys should separate Iphone and Ipad app developments. I think currently you guys are just scaling the display.


This message was edited May 07, 2011.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: May 07, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
I am sorry but we do not have a timeframe for displaying subtasks nested below their parent tasks in the list. Currently subtasks can be accessed by tapping on the parent task to reveal the list of subtasks.
TheFronz

Posted: May 12, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Let me start with expressing my appreciation for all the work the Toodledo teams puts into continually improving their product and getting updates out consistently. I know there are lots of potential features/fixes you're working on and you can't commit to specific dates.

I just wanted to add my voice to those asking for improved subtask display and navigation.

I have a Pro account and rely on subtasks HEAVILY. The feature is a major differentiator between your product and many competitors. Many people have already talked about the need for a better way to view subtasks. So I'll just focus on navigation.

The heart of the GTD system is the ability to create tasks quickly and put them inside an "InBox" for deeper categorization and consideration later during weekly planning. Until your iOS apps allow you to take a task from the inbox and MOVE it into a subtask position, I can't use it for weekly planning at all. Your Website handles this well with drag and drop capabilities. With reluctance, I would have switched to using AppiGo until you put this feature in except that AppiGo (which allows this functionality through a batch move feature) doesn't support start dates.

For what its worth, I believe improved subtask display (true indentation) and navigation (move tasks into a subtask position) are the most important next things your team can work on. Thanks for listening!


This message was edited May 12, 2011.
j2020

Posted: May 12, 2011
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by PeterW:
Have you tried Appigo Todo? I use it on the iPhone and am really happy with the way it handles subtasks.

Todo is a good product. However it doesn't allow you (I don't think) to view subtasks inline within your main task list.

On the plus side, it DOES show a large indicator sort of like a badge next to each parent task that shows the total number of subtasks inside and how many are undone. It is very obvious and easy to see. You have to tap on the parent for it to open and display the subtasks.

Another plus of Todo's handling of subtasks is that within your main task list it automatically changes the due date of the parent to be whatever the next subtask due date is. Super handy, and makes it so that you don't have to actually open your subtask list to know when the next one is due. Unfortunately it only shows up that way in Todo, and there is no way for the coolness to make it's way back to the Toodledo website. Toodledo claims to be working on that feature, but it's been quite a while.

I have had zero problems with the Todo app synced to Toodledo in two years of use.
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