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How You Could Do Hide Tasks, Nested Tasks, and Dependent Tasks with One Feature Set

wcitypoe Pro says:

I just had an idea on how you could fulfill three feature requests with one feature set.

I've seen people request the ability to hide. I've also seen people request the ability to have nested lists. As a corollary to people's requests about nested lists, I've seen people request the ability to have dependent tasks, in which, say, in a list of 10 dependent tasks, #2 doesn't show up until #1 is marked complete, #3 doesn't show up until #2 is marked complete, and so on.

Here is how you could go about that.

You would have to first create the ability to have nested lists -- to have, in other words, subtasks.

You would have to then create a new element for every task, called "hide until" that could be used in tasks OR subtasks. The "hide" variable would accept two types of input.

For tasks and subtasks, it would accept a date (with RTM's lovely flexible date input such as "in 10 days" or "Wednesday", etc.). For subtasks only, it would accept "until parent task is marked complete". (I'm not sure how you could simplify that wording, but I'm sure you could.)

In this manner, you'd end up having the following abilities:

(1) Someone could create a nested list with no hidden attribues whatsoever, allowing them to see the entirety of the list, but segregated. This would be useful for project management, I imagine.

(2) Someone could create a nested list in which each item was nested beneath its parent and marked with the "hide until parent is completed" attribute. This would essentially fulfill the "dependent task" request.

(3) Someone could not use nested list at all but instead simply hide a task as requested. This is very useful because it gives you a very fine, granular control over what tasks are put on your plate. Smart Lists can give you a sweeping control over that, but it is like trying to cut a single blade of grass -- but no other blades -- with a scythe.

As a human example of a case in which the above attributes would be desired, I get paid every other Thursday. I would like, every other Wednesday, to have a dated task appear with the top-priority attribute set (so that it bounces to the top of my list) that tells me to in advance prepare checks for bills and such, so that when the paycheck is direct deposited, I can stick them in the mail. However, I cannot set it as a top-priority item without it always being at the top of my list, and scheduling it for every Wednesday will always keep the item visible on my to-do list perenially -- both of these being undesirable outcomes.

Mike

Posted at 3:56pm on March 28, 2007

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tbreiss says:

Yes, this would be wonderful.

I'm playing with this for the first time today, and i'm already running into these issues. I have repeating tasks that are always on the list and that's not what i want.

i have a task that is due each wednesday, but can't be started until my meeting on sunday. i don't want to see it until sunday.

Posted 4 years ago

paige says:

Would LOVE nested lists. A lot of the things I post on my "Work" list have rather complicated procedures, and since I only do some things once a month, having the procedure list ON the to do list would make things fantastically easy.

Posted 4 years ago

deterb says:

Can't wait to see this!

Posted 4 years ago

rainbowcipher says:

please, please, please RTM, please!

Posted 3 years ago

metallator says:

If this is here, count me (and the bunch of disorganized workaholics surrounding me) in for the Pro!!

Posted 3 years ago

vitale.nico says:

I want nested/dependant tasks! This is the one thing I really feel the need for and have found missing from RTM.

Posted 3 years ago

geoff.kennedy says:

Same here, this is a big one for me in an otherwise amazing app. Thanks for the hard work, appreciated!

Posted 3 years ago

peytonstafford says:

I've been using tags for project headings and then numbering tasks under them. Then when I click on a tag RTM gives me a sequenced series of tasks if I have it sort by task name. Of course I can also sort by due date or priority. I use @Office and other GTD-type titles for my main lists. I use +Area of Responsibility tags for major areas I have to cover. For instance, a client name.

Example:

Under @Office there is a list of tasks. Each task is tagged with a +tag indicating area of responsibility, e.g., +RHYW for ReadHowYouWant (one of my clients) or +Personal for my personal projects. It is also tagged with one or more project tags, such as sy08 for the fall 08 school year marketing campaign, or IT for ongoing software projects. If I have a project with sequential tasks, then I number them 001, 002, etc. If I have to interpolate a task between two existing ones, I number it with a decimal. This keeps the system flexible and reduces re-numbering.

This isn't very sophisticated, but it gets the job done and integrates well with outlook.

Hope this idea helps.

Posted 3 years ago

sebastianmaguire says:

I like this setup except one phrase puzzles me..."Integrates well with outlook". How are you getting both Lists and Tags to sync with outlook?

Posted 3 years ago

vjcamarena says:

this would be great.

Posted 3 years ago

jedfonner Pro says:

The new Google Tasks has nested lists and it's almost enough to make me want to switch from RTM to Google Tasks. Hopefully some competition will light a fire under RTM to add this feature because aside from this glaring problem I really love RTM.

Posted 2 years ago

moses.nakamura says:

I would really like to see nested lists--there was an article in the New Yorker about how hospitals that set up check lists for tasks had fewer infections and better mortality rates than they did before the lists. Make nested lists; save lives.

Posted 2 years ago

davidjgrattan says:

Add another vote for nested lists. Everything in RTM is exactly what I need except for that. As a result, I'm currently stuck on the fence between Google Tasks and RTM. Such a feature would easily convince me to get a pro account.

Posted 2 years ago

eric.casteel says:

Another vote dependent/nested/parent-child tasks. Call them what you will, they're an absolute must.

Posted 2 years ago

darkscorp777 Pro says:

Another vote for the nested tasks

Posted 1 year ago

doug.toombs says:

Dependent tasks and hiding tasks is a necessity, in my opinion.

I've become spoiled from hiveminder on this feature. Things just simply don't appear on the list anywhere, until it is time to pay attention to them. And this is without having to decide on any "due dates"...

I like RTM ... a LOT ... but this is a feature that I can't see living without.

Posted 1 year ago

amuckart says:

Another vote from here. Most of what I do is multi-stage projects with dependent steps.

Posted 1 year ago

turkeyphant says:

Nested tasks are a necessary feature if you don't want to lose tons of users to newer apps.

Posted 1 year ago

andrew.meyers says:

Another vote for nested tasks a la Gmail tasks :)

Posted 1 year ago

edude says:

+1

Posted 1 year ago

atriosm3 says:

+1 for this. I use astrid on my droid incredible, and love the fact I can hide tasks until a certain date/time frame. That way I don't have to be bogged by tasks that don't need my attention until they need my attention. RTM hook us up please!

Posted 1 year ago

demod Pro says:

+1 for nested/collapsible tasks, emulating these with tags is rather frustrating to me.

Posted 1 year ago

foosel Pro says:

Yet another vote for this. Taking full advantage of RTM for all my task tracking is rather cumbersome without subtasks and hiding (and no, an army of tags and smartlists doesn't properly provide these features)

Posted 1 year ago

k.a.samuel Pro says:

Yes please!

I'm a grad student and I've been thinking of using RTM to organize my research, especially collaborative projects and papers. This would make it so much more intuitive: for example, I can't start write the results section of a paper until my collaborator gets me the preliminary analysis. With a shared list, tags, AND dependent/nested tasks, once they finish and check off the analysis task, my task for the results section would show up.

I'd even be down with it being a pro feature. That's something I would pay for.

Posted 1 year ago

nkdobbe says:

Am moving from Palm to Android and need list nesting for GDT (Getting Things Done) system. As far as I can see, GTM has everything I need--except nested lists.

Posted 1 year ago

aalupului Pro says:

oh hey what's up

i sure would like some nested tasks, my dudes

Posted 1 year ago

whistler11 says:

+1 for nested tasks; I've been using Google Tasks and find the ability to nest tasks indispensable.

Posted 1 year ago

pattern86 says:

Yes yes yes!

Posted 1 year ago

dvsmemphis Pro says:

Please please please we need nested tasks!

Posted 1 year ago

badbob says:

Please, implement nested tasks. It's very usefull feature for me.

Posted 1 year ago

zoresvit says:

Nested tasks would definately be usefull! Looking forward to the feature.

Posted 1 year ago

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