I agree, if the individual and multi- edit modes are to behave distinctly and properly as they should, then selection of a task in the single-edit mode ought to automatically cause a de-selection of any other previous task.

Currently, the previous task remains tick-marked/selected, which is an overlap with the multi-edit mode.

The confusion between the single and multi actions is, in my opinion, the biggest issue facing the web site, as it leads people to delete or complete tasks by accident. Losing information is a horrible side effect of bad UI, and really needs to be addressed.

This is true. I have accidentally completed many tasks without knowing. I have now created a saved tab with completed tasks just to check periodically whether I had accidentally completed something without me knowing. Here is what usually happens:

- I'm in single edit mode, tasks sorted by date
- I select task A on the top, changed date. Task A moves to bottom.
- I select task B on the top, changed date. Task B moves to bottom.
- Repeat from task C to M. Meanwhile, task A to M are all out of sight at the bottom of the screen. They are all selected. But since I'm in single edit mode, I'm editing dates, tags, etc happily.
- I select task N on the top. I hit "c" to mark task N complete. As far as I can see on the screen, it's the only one selected. Plus I'm in single edit mode anyway.
- Task A to N have all been marked completed. I have now lost Task A to M.

I emphatically agree with jyan. The failure to deselect tasks which move down the list is a very serious danger.

I'll add another situation: I have a couple of important tasks which I decide to postpone until tomorrow. (NOT repeating tasks, just things that aren't going to get done today.) I select them and postpone them. They disappear from sight, either completely on the next page or at least way down the list. Then I click another task and complete it. Oops, my postponed tasks are gone.

MAJOR PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suggest that tasks should be deselected when either 1) they are postponed, or 2) the due date is changed. Case 2 would NOT apply to the initial setting of the due date, since while some danger exists there too, when one initially sets the due date one is likely to be editing other attributes too.

A possible variation on this would be to delay the deselect: after postponing, deselect the postponed tasks when another task is selected. After editing the due date, deselect the task when another task is selected. This might be a bit more fluid but also a bit harder to understand.

At any rate, I'll say it again: I've been using RTM about a week and a half now -- newbie alert! -- but I've used a stand-alone reminder program for nearly 15 years, so I have some experience with accidentally marking things complete. And this is by far the biggest danger I've seen in using RTM.

Edward

I was a bit disappointed when I came back to RTM and found this still hadn't been addressed. It's actually a major annoyance. I'm going to wear out the 'n' key on my keyboard ('n', as probably all of you know, deselects all tasks).

Absolutely agreed. This is confusing for new users and clumsy for experts. Solutions, please?

I also frequently by mistake select more than one task and some operations work on all (even without multi-edit mode).

What about having like Google system: You click the title it selects one only, if you click the check box it selects more than one. The multi-edit is great and should work all the time be default (or keep the switch when reloading). Once you've more than one selected may be clicking the title can add to the selection.

Never had issues with Google, so why no try the same selection way? I mean Google Contacts, Google Tasks, even Google E-mail.

Agreed!

I'll concur with what others have said here. Having to deselect items in order to select the new one I want to update is a pain. I usually want to edit a single task. If I want to select more than one task I'm willing to expend some extra clicks at that time.

+1

+1, this sounds like a great idea, I was confused by the "single edit, multiple items checked" mode and it still catches me regularly.

As I said seven months ago, this UI issue is far and away the most pressing thing facing RTM in terms of needed fixes. Any UI that creates sufficient confusion that many users alter, complete, or delete tasks inadevrtantly is ultimately intolerable.

+1

I'm a newbie (been registered for a while, but really starting using RTM this week) and I've lost several tasks somehow - I think because I deleted one task, not realizing I had multiple items checked. Very frustrating. I made the mistake of building an important list in a task note that has now disappeared ... argh.

Solutions? I don't understand "+1," what am I missing there?

+1 just means someone agrees with the Original Post, so is adding their weight of opinion behind this particular suggestion.

in the spirit of which +1 from me too!

+1

+1

+1

I agree this is a major problem too.
wernight's solution for this problem (posted on April 30) seems the best one.

Closing in on 10 months on this thread alone...

There are many places in RTM where I understand the feature set it essentially carved in stone, but in this matter I really think it essential that the underlying UI confusion be addressed to ensure no more users lose data inadvertently.

Erg, I meant to type 20, not 10.

I am very disappointed to see that this is not being addressed. If there is not a way to deselect all tasks quickly I will quit using RTM -it's that inconvenient and I would have thought a very basic requirement. The way it works now is far too error prone as others above have said - very easy to accidentally delete and this has gotten me in trouble twice already.

This is absolutely the interaction pattern in RTM's web interface that most needs fixing.

In the default single edit mode, clicks on titles should select ONLY the clicked task. Multiple select is accomplished via checkboxes.

Please prioritize this!

+1

+1. If it helps, I won't upgrade to pro until this is addressed.

+1

@we.kanes

Haha, I'm totally with you. My brain is so used to hitting 't' to create, finishing the task with enter, and immediately hitting 'n.' I get that you won't mess anything up unless you've turned multi-edit on, but it's still an aesthetic annoyance.

In other words, +1.

+1 -- this issue is such an annoyance to me that I would consider switching products because of it.

This has been solved. If you choose to have the Smart Add turned on you get the single select if you click on the task name.