I’m totally new to TaskPaper, so forgive me if this is a novice query with an obvious answer. I love TaskPaper’s straightforward outline format, sidebar and queries, and the easy way that clicking on the dashes creates a kind of checkbox effect.
I’d like to be able to be able to create TaskPaper documents as recurring checklist documents for this function. Is there some way to do this? – I mean, apart from clicking on the appropriate dashes, and then undoing everything, saving the file and then restarting it…
My suggestion would be just this… except the unchecking step can be easier. Instead of manually clicking on each item you can:
Select entire document.
Command-T (Tag With…) and then choose a tag. That will either add or remove the given tag from all selected items. So do it once or twice and that tag should be removed.
If you’d like some other workflow you can automate it via scripting. Can get quite complex! This page includes lots of user shared scripts:
And this script in particular might be of interest:
So, I probably should’ve used another word instead of “recurring.” Basically, I’m wondering if it’s possible to create a TaskPaper doc as a standalone checklist which I can use, as needed for a particular project, that will enable me to tick of checkboxes for a process, and then reset (or uncheck) the checklist so that I use it again. And then I can refer to the the checklist (or select parts of it that are in the Projects field) again so that I can tick of the checkboxes that for that document and / or select Projects.
Welcome @printer, have you checked the list of scripts to do something like you are thinking about? There are a couple of solutions created for the particular users situations, but it may help. Give it a look. Here a couple of examples that I found.
Just need to know that it may not work since some of the scripts are old, but ask on the linked post for help and the creators may stop by and help you!
Thanks very much for these suggestions. I guess I’m still not clear how one can open a TaskPaper document, save it as template (or through whatever other means), click on the dashes as I’m going through a checklist, and after I’ve completed the checklist, then…reset the TaskPaper document so that when I re-open it (via Keyboard Meastro or in some other way) the checklist is unchecked and ready to use. Make sense?
Any ideas on how best to do this?
Thanks so much again, everyone! Really appreciate all of your helpful suggestions…
Ohhh. I see what you are trying to do. You may be able to accomplish this just using Keyboad Maestro or Alfred.
Using snippets or whatever those are called in Keyboard Maestro, you create the checklist that you want to go over. Just insert that checklist in the place you want it into your TaskPaper file. Probably you will need to manually archive the list you finished before copying the new checklist into your file or you can create a script to accomplish that for you. Check some of the script examples to see if you can get an idea of how to accomplish that part.
Thank you – everyone – for your generous help. I greatly appreciate it!
I think this might require some manual function, such as what @jessegrosjean first suggested with removing a given tag – in this case the @done tag – from a set of checklists that I’ve completed (either all checklists or those that I can focus on by selecting them from the Projects sidebar) by using the Remove Tags function.
One quick question… Is there any way that TaskPaper can reset / uncheck everything once I’ve checked all items on a checklist? I assume this would require some kind of script function, correct? That’s sort of the function I’m looking for, if it’s possible…
Some times one can spend so much time trying to figure out how to do something perfectly, that you miss the easy answer.
If what you are doing is inside a document with other checklists, but you want to have a section of checklists that can be checked out within the document and reset them at will.
Just create a snippet (Type the whole checklist and add it to your favorite program like Alfred, or TextExpander) and have either a hotkey or keyword that can paste that list wherever your cursor is in your program. That is usually very easy to accomplish in those programs and there are plenty of videos that explain how to do it. I would recommend to somehow encapsulate that checklist within a project or something that can easily contain and serve as a parent to your checklist.
If this is the first time running your list within the desire document, then just call the hotkey or keyword.
If this is not the first time, you can select the parent of the checklist and easily delete the parent and all the children within TaskPaper. If I was trying to accomplish this, I would just tag the parent project with the checklist as done, and then use the TaskPaper keyword to archive the old list. Even easier than deleting and this way you have a record of when the checklist was completed or how many of the tasks where completed before starting checking things over again.
After deleting or archiving the old checklist, just call the hotkey or keyword using KM or Alfred, and copy the new list where you want.
Easier than dealing with code or something like that. The only thing you will need to figure out that is a little bit different in TaskPaper if you rather delete than archive is; how to select the parent AND all the children so you are not left with orphans. Usually I first collapse the parent, select the parent, and then holding the shift key, press right again to select all the children. Try it a couple of times in a document to see what I mean.
Hopefully I am making myself clear. If you don’t get it, I might try to make a quick video how to do this, but it will take me some time.
Thank you so much for this, @Victor – and I’m so sorry for my late reply! Somehow I didn’t catch the forum alert informing me of your post…
Anyway, this sounds like an interesting solution, but I confess I’m a bit lost in imagining how the construction of this comes together. If it doesn’t trouble you too much I’d love to see a short video. But please don’t go out of your way if it’s too much work – really.
Hi @printer. Can you give me an example of your checklist so that I can include it on the example? I have been busy with several things but if get that list soon I might have it ready in a couple of days. One of my kids is going to a state competition so I will be out of town from Thursday to Saturday. I might get it done Monday if I get a chance. But check what I mean with Snippets in the included link - How to use snippets
Try using the checklist you will be sending me as an example of your work and incorporate it using the instructions above. I will get to it on Monday if I get a chance.