#1

Based on the different plugins for tasks (e.g. Slated, Workbench and Review) I’ve been thinking about my idea for a tasks plugin - mostly modeled on the idea to move tasks from a note to a list of tasks. Same idea as Things where you can easily move tasks from the Inbox into a project. Here’s some ideas.

Steps

  1. Select block in current file (doesn’t matter if it’s a task, text or something else)
  2. Press hotkey or select command “Link as task” from command palette
  3. Show modal: “Where to link block to?”. Start typing and autocomplete the selected file and heading (just as with the modal for block references)
  4. Suggest alternative name for the task to be used in the link (e.g. if the item is a large block of text). If nothing is typed, default to the text of the block (stripped from task/list prefixes if that setting is set)
  5. Create a block id (if it doesn’t already exist)
  6. Link to the block id in the selected file

Settings

  • Strip “-[ ]” (task formatting) from the start of lines in the selected block (so you don’t end up with tasks in other file)
  • Don’t strip “- [x]” formatting (if you want to automatically mark tasks as done in the source file and e.g. include them in Done in your tasks)
  • Always move to block “NAME” in tasks (don’t show subheadings in model, only file name)
  • Always move to predefined file (like Workbench)

Combing the Workbench, Review and Slated plugin could be a good start. Open for ideas and suggestions @ryanjamurphy @tallguyjenks @tgrosinger @ton

7 Likes
How do you handle tasks in Obsidian?
#2

Hi @mdbraber

I am also interested in this type of reflection because the more the months go by and the more I feel the need to manage my tasks in obsidian. Currently, I simply have a “todo” file that contains nothing more than a search block of all the existing tasks in my vault. I keep it in a sidebar.

```query
"- [ ]" -file:todo
```

The advantage of this solution is that you don’t have to move the tasks. They remain in the original day’s note or any other file. On the other hand the default of this formula is that it can conflict with the use of Day Planner which assumes a format - [ ] for the events of the day… and therefore they all appear in the search. That said, it would be enough to refine the search command, which I didn’t do because I don’t use Day Planner anymore.

#3

Slated has some of what you’re asking there. For example, you can move a task from any file into any daily (and possibly soon weekly) note. The original task will be marked as moved (- [>] original task example) and will have a block ID added as well as bidirectional links.

This is not quite as flexible as what you’re asking for I think, but it’s pretty close. An additional advantage of marking that task as moved is that - [>] is not recognized as a task anymore. With Slated installed it will render nicely in preview mode though.

1 Like
#4

Yes this feature is very useful. Thanks @tgrosinger for that. But it would be ideal if all the unfinished tasks of a given day were automatically moved to the next days. Having to do it “by hand” often results (at least for me) in forgetting a task at some point.

#5

Take a look at this command :slightly_smiling_face:

move-incomplete
move-incomplete1230×752 988 KB

3 Likes
#6

Hey,

Thanks for this. But if I don’t make a mistake it allows me to apply the move of the tasks only in the note you are in. Not in all the notes… Isn’t it?

#7

Okay I answer to myself. That’s what I thought. You have to be in a note and do this command to apply to that note alone. That’s already great! But I tend not to put only the tasks in the “dailies notes”. That’s why I use the search function mentioned above. If we could extend this Slated feature to all the notes… that would be wonderful!

#8

That’s correct. Moving all uncompleted tasks from previous daily notes automatically seemed too risky.

Slated is pretty focused around daily notes. You can move tasks individually or all incomplete tasks from non-daily notes, but only to other daily notes. I think task management outside of daily notes will likely fall to other plugins.

#9

I understand it and it makes sense. Thank you for your answers.

#10

Thanks for this simple solution. I was able to pickup a lot of items that had “fallen through the cracks” with this Query approach. I use daily Notes but like you use the - [ ] throughout all my notes.

1 Like