* How to use a To Do list

[Baboon281]

I have created a To Do tab in FH and I am wondering how people use their to do list. I wish to record web sites and places I have visited and things I still need to do. Any thoughts, ideas or recommendations for what people have found works would be appreciated. Thanks

[tatewise]

I presume you have followed the advice in how_to:create_work_in_progress_or_research_to_do_lists|> Create Work In Progress or Research To Do Lists.
That illustrates how to use labelled Notes to record anything you want, and use Queries and Reports to list them.

On the Home page use a Search for "To Do list" to find Forum discussions, etc.

[Baboon281]

Thanks for the info. The question I intended to pose was how people actually record what they have done or not done within a To Do list tab, what works and what doesn’t.

[E Wilcock]

I too find this complicated. Some people use another ap. such as evernote or one note to list books or documents they should consult at a particular archive. I do this but one can make similar lists in fh by using a text search to find any phrase such as "to find 1871". You can then put them in a named list with that title.

I find the Named Lists in fh are brilliant. In fh yesterday I copied all the people on a Named list to a new (duplicate) Named list to check them all on a particular census and use that census info to check further. I sorted them into alphabetical order by name, worked down the list and remembered to remove them from that named list after I had found them and dealt with them.

Named lists are a great convenience in fh, one can see them instantly alongside the list of people. And can have lots of named lists. And copy people from one list to another.

Currently working on a big study, I also use paper and pencil. A large spiral bound notebook that one is allowed to take into archives. I dont list the people I hope to look for (fh has those) but I do list the document and image references and the names of people I come across by chance or who are of unusual interest. My father kept a chronological paper record of his research from 1929 onward and having that record of one's research can be very useful.

fh does not seem to be strong on research tools. I came from TMG where there was a research log and RM has To do lists. But the truth is that although I had those facilities, I never used them. Whereas I use the fh Named Lists all the time.

This is just one person's way with fh but I hope it is useful.

[Baboon281]

Thanks for the post they were the type of views I was looking for. Does anybody else have thoughts.

[BEJ]

I too created (downloaded) the To Do tab and attribute. Frankly, I don't understand how it was intended to be used: the tab only displays one To Do fact and does not allow entry of To Do facts; the columns in the query result are not wide enough to contain enough information useful to me; etc. .

Does anyone have any additional recommendations about keeping a research log within fh6? I'd like to keep track of the following regarding individuals, with the ability to create a report that can be printed for any individuals or research questions I choose.

• Research question
  Date of task
  Location of task (library, URL, etc.)
  Source descripton
  Acton taken
  Results Summary

I've looked through the FHUG and haven't seen anything like this, so I'm prepared to hear that it is beyond the scope of Family Historian.

[tatewise]

Did you see how_to:create_work_in_progress_or_research_to_do_lists|> Create Work In Progress or Research To Do Lists as advised in fhugdownloads:contents:fact_set_to_do_lists|> Fact Set ~ To Do Lists?

That shows how to fill in the To Do Attribute and To Do tab with labelled Note paragraphs.
You can use whatever labels you like, but the more complex the details the more customisation you may need.

As you found, if you have too much information then a Query with its Column and screen-width limits may be unsuitable.
You can increase the width of any Column by dragging the Column Header separators, but that may still not be enough.

However, a Report as illustrated will list whatever you enter in the To Do attribute Note field.
It can be produced for any selection of Individuals, and that can involve a Query that selects for example a Research question.
e.g. Query Row filter:
Add if =GetLabelledText(%INDI._ATTR-TO_DO.NOTE2%,"Research question:") matches ["Research question"]
If need more advice about setting up such a Query then please ask.

It looks like you wish to create a Research Log rather than just a To Do list.
Once an entry in a To Do list has been researched, all the details will reside in a Source Record, and the To Do list entry deleted, whereas a Research Log will grow indefinitely.

With that in mind, a Named List dedicated as a Research Log may be a better option.
Each record in the list can be any type of record not just Individual records.
Notes can be added to each entry in the Name List to hold whatever details you wish.
That can be reported using Publish > Miscellaneous Reports > List Report but there are no filter options.
So you may need a separate Named List for each Research question.

Let me have a look to see if there are any ways that details from a Named List can be filtered by a Query and appear in any other type of Report.

[BEJ]

Thanks, Mike Tate. Yes, I entered information in the notes as described. I was able to generate the quieies and report. The only way I could get the column width to suit me was to export the query result into Excel and wrap text. The Tab option does not allow entry of information, however. I have downloaded and installed it several times to no avail. Either I totally don’t understand it’s function or there’s a glitch. I did try troubleshooting it using the edit function.

As you suggest, I’m looking for a different tool. I wish to have a record of research questions asked and answered for individuals. I look forward to learning if you come up with any additional suggestions that would allow a filtered Named List. Thanks again.

[tatewise]

You say the To Do tab option does not allow entry of information.
I imagine it is all greyed out, unlike the how_to:create_work_in_progress_or_research_to_do_lists#create_custom_tab|> Create Custom Tab screenshot that has white boxes.
I suspect you have not added the To Do Fact Set FHF File from fhugdownloads:contents:fact_set_to_do_lists|> Fact Set ~ To Do Lists without which the Tab will not work as it has no To Do attribute fact to work with.
That To Do attribute fact is essential to the entire operation of all the associated features, which is why it is introduced first.
Please do experiment with this approach to ensure it cannot be made suitable for your requirements.

So far my investigation of using Named Lists appears to need a Plugin to be written to allow them to be used in the way you have requested. Still looking...

[Gowermick]

I do use the Todo tab, and at its very simplest, it is free-format text containing notes of what needs to be done, and is a useful tool. I can’t understand the complaint that one cannot enter more than one thing!

Sure, it is only one note, but that note can contain a list of things to do, and can be as long as you make it.

The option to add keywords such as Birth: Death: is not obligatory, and to my mind made it seem more complicated than it really. Just write your Todo’s on the new tab as they arise, no need for keywords if you don’t want them. Instead of searching for Todo’s that contain the keyword, one can simply search and list all Todo’s.

[BEJ]

OK. I think I figured out my confusion. While I can enter any number of To Do lists for an individual using the To Do Attribute, the To Do Tab is intended to work with only ONE To Do list per individual. (The Tab fields are white, not grey and accept text.) Right?

I was trying to create a new To Do fact for each research question I have. Only one of the questions/facts would display in the Tab—-which, I gather, is the intent.

[tatewise]

Yes, that is correct.
It is the labels in the Note that identify each To Do task.
Having a separate To Do attribute fact for each task might be workable, but needs a more complex set of customisations.
Multiple instance of the same fact (as for example Census Events) is always more difficult to handle.
BTW: You are not the first to have tried multiple To Do instances, so maybe there should be a warning against that.

You could define the To Do tab to support multiple instances of To Do attribute facts
Similar to many of the fhugdownloads:propertybox|> Downloads and Links ~ Property Box tabs.
Then any Queries would also have to accommodate multiple instances of To Do facts.
Customising Reports to include only the tasks you want becomes almost impossible.

I think the solution would require a separate custom attribute for each task / research question.

[BEJ]

FYI, here's an example of what the Individual To Do List Report looks like with multiple To Do instances for two individuals. It could, perhaps, be useful . . .

Screenshot 2018-10-25 19.58.10.png (119.47 KiB) Viewed 13102 times

[tatewise]

Yes, some features such as Reports will support multiple To Do facts, but the To Do tab, and the Queries as provided do not. However, they could probably be customised to suit your needs. It is difficult to provide preconfigure solutions for everyone's purposes, but they do provide a starting point.

Note that it is NOT possible to filter the Report you illustrated such that it only lists specific Research Questions.
You get all To Do facts or none. That is not what you requested earlier.

[wianb]

Just to be different (and because I find them easier to use) I use Clooz to record all documents - Census, birth, death, marriage
certificates etc. To Do Lists and Research Logs live in Excel and any other scribbles, notes etc go into OneNote.

[BEJ]

Mike Tate - Right. The report I posted is not functionally useful to me. I offered it for consideration because “it might, perhaps, be useful. . . “ to someone.

Great forum. Thanks, again, for everyone’s input.

[tmwgray]

Following instructions on the list I have managed to create a To Do List which produces a report of BMD I need to find for all individuals that have an entry in the Facts.
I have also a To Do Tasks which lets me select either Births, Marriages or Death seperately for all individuals.
Both these reports are very long to print out.
Q. Is there a way to create a report only for an individual that would contain the To Do Items relating to them?
Intention would be to only create and print reports for individuals that I want to research and to take to Registrar Office.
Appreciate any advice.

TMWgray

[tatewise]

Since those are Queries, the way to restrict the Individuals that are listed is to add a Rows tab filter.

The most convenient way to identify a group of Individuals is to add them to a Named List.
So let us create that list.
In the Records Window use Lists > Named Lists Pane to show the Named Lists on the right.
Now use Lists > New Named List and give the New Named List the name To Do.

Select the Individual Records on the left that you are interested in so they are highlighted.
Make sure the To Do list is also selected.
Use the F4 keyboard key or Lists > Add to Selected Named List to add those records to the list.
You can add further records to the list by repeating that process.
You can remove records from the list by selecting them in the To Do list and pressing the Delete key or using Edit > Delete.

Now in the Query add the Rows tab filter:
Condition: Exclude unless
Expression: =IsInList(GetRecord(%FACT%),"To Do")
Operator: is true

When you run the Query only Individuals in the To Do named list are included, and only if they have a To Do fact.

[Baboon281]

Since submitting this post I have uploaded to do and research logs and have tried to get to grip with them unfortunately I just dont seem to be able to use them, not the fault of the programme just me and my method of working. A simple question, how do I delete them and remove the tabs from the property box as I do not need them and I will use alternative methods to track my research.

[LornaCraig]

To remove a tab from the Property Box click the gear wheel icon above the Property Box then select Customize Data Entry. Next select the To Do tab and click More Tab Tasks.. then Delete tab.

deleting tab.JPG (30.25 KiB) Viewed 9897 times

[tatewise]

To delete all the To Do facts use View > Standard Queries > All Facts.
Click on the Fact Type column header to sort into order and bring all To Do facts together.
Select all the Event/Attribute column cells for those To Do facts and hit Delete key, or use Edit > Delete.

In Tools > Fact Types select the To Do Attribute and click Delete button.

There may also be some Custom Queries and Report Types that can be deleted.