check boxes within an item

[wordmuse]

Hi,

If I create a todo list in a single item, it would be grand if I could put checkbox bullets next to each paragraph level text that I could then click to show which things on my list I've done.

I currently use the strikeout font attribute to mark the paragraphs, but (a) this interferes with the readability of the text and (b) it's more effort than I like.

It would be good if URP3 could make todo lists like this easier to use.

Not a huge priority, but consider it a nice-to-have.

Regards,
Bal

[quant]

Originally posted by wordmuse
Hi,

If I create a todo list in a single item, it would be grand if I could put checkbox bullets next to each paragraph level text that I could then click to show which things on my list I've done.

I currently use the strikeout font attribute to mark the paragraphs, but (a) this interferes with the readability of the text and (b) it's more effort than I like.

It would be good if URP3 could make todo lists like this easier to use.

Not a huge priority, but consider it a nice-to-have.

Regards,
Bal

"create a todo list in a single item"? That's comes into rft editor feature requests :)
What for are there flags? Why would you want a todo list inside an item, you'd loose all the search capabilities + you can assign further attributes to your todo items ...

[wordmuse]

you misunderstand or - more likely - I didn't communicate well enough...

OK - let me explain with a trivial but telling example: Imagine a grocery list. I wouldn't want to create that as any kind of hierarchy. Just a list. But next to each item, as I picked the item up, I'd click the checkbox and it would be understood as complete. I could print it off and give it to my son and tell him to go to the next store and pick up the remaining items. No messing with multiple items; just a single one.

yeah - I can do that now in Word - or OneNote - but it would be cool to have it here with URP, too.

So what besides grocery lists...? Let's see now...

- A simple todo list quickly typed
- A simple checklist of things that need to be done every month.
- How about this: I'm writing an instruction guide and inside the guide is a checklist of things that need to be accomplished. The printed version shows the checkboxes; the electronic version can be distributed virginally each month to each employee and they can complete the checklist electronically and email it back to me.

And that's just off the top of my head.

OK - maybe URP isn't the right tool for this. I just figured that as long as there was discussion about RTF editing, this would be a nice-to-have. Not a core RTF function, which is why I didn't put it in my entry on that discussion. Just a simple little thing... Well maybe it's simple - I don't really know. :)

Regards,
Bal

[quant]

I understood, just don't see the point of adding various rft features, Word has probably thousands on them ... if you want to use them, just open word :) or coudn't you just have checkbox stored in one item, and do copy/paste ...?

UR is not an editor, but standards are now high and seems that users expect UR to have these capabilities. Well, I'd much more prefer completely other features that would make UR stronger PIM (there are maybe 2-3 that can really compete with UR), rather than stronger editor (there and thousands out there).

[ashwken]

Just a thought, what if you used the underscore character(s) to preceed each item in your check list:

___ - Thing to do

___ - Next thing to do

Granted, it's not a checkbox, but gives you the same functionality and the "list" can be created in the Detail Pane of a single Item.

(Added)
The only other possibility would be to use the Windows CharMap program, but the "white box" available in the Ariel font is not very big, would probably need to open the WingDings font.

CharMap does allow you to copy the desire character to the Clipboard, and UR will accept it in the rtf editor from a CTRL-V, maybe in conjunction with a Template might give you what you want.

[janrif]

Originally posted by wordmuse
Imagine a grocery list. I wouldn't want to create that as any kind of hierarchy. Just a list. But next to each item, as I picked the item up, I'd click the checkbox and it would be understood as complete. I could print it off and give it to my son and tell him to go to the next store and pick up the remaining items. No messing with multiple items; just a single one. OK - maybe URP isn't the right tool for this. [/snip]
Well, yes & no. Probably 'no' if you want graphic boxes next to each line in a single document, boxes like those available w keywords -- a very nice touch, to be sure. But I tend to agree w Quant about priorities for URp.

At some point, IMO, no matter how open the architecture is within a program, the user's creativity emerges as s/he tries to force the program to do what the user wants it to do. To do that you have to first think inside the program, rather than outside the program.

So.... in the case of URp, I think one effective & probably obvious way to create something useful, albeit simple like a grocery list can be created URp style with some advantages over a simple list on a single sheet.

I'm sure you know how to do this but I'm going to go thru it anyway.

Were it me, I would do the following:

-> Create a folder call "Groceries"

-> Add a reminder attribute, recurring weekly for my shopping day

-> Create a text form for it that might include information like Grocery Store, Item Unit Price, maybe food type, i.e. veggie, meat, dairy, etc.

-> For every grocery item I would create a child of the Grocery folder & fill in the form information (above)

-> Just for kicks I might also give each item a keyword = "grocery" or "grocery list" or "food"

-> Since flags are available in the outline (no boxes), I might rename the flags as I saw fit to be useful, keeping in mind that each flag changes the font color as well.

-> Print out the items grid from the grocery list & work from that.

-> Each week if the prices went up or some alternate product appeared, keep track of it in the details page.

-> As each item is purchased, Flag it completed.

-> Those left over could be flagged as pending.

-> If I didn't want to print out all the items, I would pre-define a search in this folder for flag = pending which would only produce a list of items that hadn't been purchased.

Otherwise from the same list I could say:

"Here, son, buy those items that are blue (pick a color). Don't come home w/o them."

-> Finally I would dismiss the grocery list only to have it pop up automatically a week later. Select group & clear all flags. Print list & start again.

Doing it in a URp way gives me alternatives I wouldn't have w a single document list. While a bit of the front end (Ex: creating a form) might be slightly more time consuming, it's only done once.

- The grocery list never has to be retyped.
- All pending items are marked w one click.
- You can keep track of prices & other details
- If you want to alternate items from week to week, it would be easy to flag & print them that way, i.e. week 1, filter for "green" flagged items, week 2 filter for "purple" flagged items, etc.
- If you shop for grocereries in different stores, ie. produce @ the Farmer's Market & other goods @ the local grocery, the list could be divided that way, too

Anyway, that's thinking the URp way.

Alternatively, you can type your grocery list externally in excel or word & just sync the file to URp, rather than have the contents in URp

Just my .02.

[wordmuse]

OK - I'm going to let this one go. "You all win." :)

The underscore idea is certainly one I've worked with and done before.

If you have an opportunity, you can see what I'm talking about in OneNote. It is pretty nice.

Anyway - enough on something that for me would just be a "nice-to-have."

Regards,
Bal