Projects and Checklists

Use projects and checklists to break work into smaller steps. Each step is a sub-task. Projects let you schedule steps separately; checklists keep them on one schedule.

Tasks and Sub-Tasks

A sub-task belongs to one project or checklist in the same list. A normal task cannot hold sub-tasks, and a sub-task cannot contain another level of sub-tasks.

Use a project for a goal such as preparing a workshop, where booking the room and writing the slides have different deadlines. Use a checklist for a set of items such as packing for the workshop, where the checklist has one deadline.

Projects

A project holds tasks with their own dates, alerts, tags, priority, location, action, and notes. Its children can appear individually in Today, search results, and other Focus Lists when they match those views.

The project's own start date controls the visibility of the project. It does not replace each child's start date. For example, a project with no start date can stay visible while a child with a future start remains hidden.

Creating a Project

1. Tap + to create a task.
2. Open the type and priority controls beside the title.
3. Choose the project icon, then enter the name and other details.
4. Tap Save.

To convert an existing task, touch and hold its task row and choose Convert > Project.

Project View

Tap a project to open Project View, which shows its sub-tasks. Tap + inside that view to add a child to the project. Touch and hold + to add several children through Quick Add.

Tap the project's header to edit the parent itself. Use Back to return to the surrounding list.

Project View also opens checklists. It lets you work with one parent's contents while keeping them in the same underlying list.

Checklists

A checklist holds items that share the parent's dates, duration, and repeat schedule. An item can have notes, tags, a star, and other details, but its date and repeat controls are unavailable. Set the schedule on the checklist itself.

Checklists work well for packing, shopping, and repeatable procedures. Complete items as you go, then complete the checklist when the whole job is done.

Creating a Checklist

Create a task with +, open the type controls beside the title, and choose the checklist icon. Enter the title and tap Save.

To convert an existing task, touch and hold its row and choose Convert > Checklist. Tap the checklist to open its items, then use + to add more.

Converting Between Types

Touch and hold a task row and choose Convert, then Normal Task, Project, or Checklist. You can also use the type controls in the editor for a parent task.

• Converting a normal task to a project or checklist lets it hold sub-tasks.
• Converting a project or checklist to a normal task moves its children out as separate tasks in the same list. 2Do asks before this conversion.
• Converting a project to a checklist removes the children's separate scheduling, because checklist items use the parent's schedule.

Choose the type before adding many dates to the children. A project is the right choice when those dates need to remain independent.

Moving and Copying

Touch and hold a task and choose Move to place it in a list, section, project, or checklist. The destination picker shows the available hierarchy.

To make another copy of a parent and its children, touch and hold it and choose Copy > Duplicate Task. This is useful for a packing list or a procedure you want to reuse.

For a routine that should return after each completion, set a repeat rule on the parent instead. See Repeating Tasks.

Behavior in Focus Lists

Project children use their own dates when matching Today or a date search. Checklist items use the checklist's schedule instead of matching those date rules separately. A star or tag can still make an item relevant to another view.

If a matching child appears separately while its parent is also visible, open Settings > Appearance and review Show sub-tasks separately. Turning it off hides the separate result when the parent is already shown; the child remains inside its parent.

See Focus Lists and Search for the views that can include project children and checklist items.