Using the Task List Manager

Article
10/23/2006

The Task List Manager is an application that can be accessed by the _TASKLIST system variable (which by default references Tasklist.app). You can set this from the File Locations tab of the Options dialog box.

The Task List Manager keeps track of tasks stored in the Foxtasks table referenced by the _FOXTASK system variable (which by default references Foxtask.dbf). You can set this from the File Locations tab of the Options dialog box.

To launch the Task List Manager, from the Tools menu, choose the Task List menu item.

Types of tasks

The Task List Manager supports the following types of tasks:

**Shortcut **References a specific line of source code you might want to return to for further editing or viewing.
User-Defined Task Specifies a to-do or information item you might want to track. These are added manually.
Other Task A custom task. This type of task must be programmatically added by your application.

Working with tasks

To add a Shortcut task

In the Source editor select the specific line of code that you want to create as a Shortcut, and perform one of the following actions:
- From the Edit menu, select the Bookmarks ->Toggle Task List Shortcut menu item.
- Right-click and select the Add Task List Shortcut menu item.
- Press ALT+F2 to toggle the Task List Shortcut on/off.
- Holding the CTRL key down, double-click the Editor's Selection Margin.

To add a User-Defined task

Click the first line of the Task List Manager where it says Click here to add a new task. A cursor will appear in the Contents textbox where you can begin typing.
Enter the details of the task to perform in the Contents textbox.
When you have entered the task, hit Return, or click outside of the field. This adds the task to the next line where you can begin entering additional data.

You must add a custom or other task programmatically. Make sure the record added to Foxtask.dbf (_FOXTASK) has its Type field set to "O".

Editing and Deleting a task

There are several ways of editing a task. You can edit a task directly from the Task List. You also can edit tasks from the Task Properties dialog box.

You can set the Priority of the task by clicking on the dropdown in the first column (one whose header is an ! mark). You can sort by Priority by clicking on the column header. You can also enter a Due Date for a task.

To make edits using the Task Properties dialog box

Double-click the Task Type icon (does not apply to Shortcut tasks).
Right-click the task, and select the Open Task menu item.

This opens a dialog box that displays all fields (even those not shown in the main list).

Note Double-clicking a Shortcut task will open up the appropriate editor and go directly to that Shortcut.

To delete a task

Right-click the task, and select the Delete Task menu item.

**Note **Shortcut tasks also are deleted automatically when you remove the Shortcut from the editor directly.

Marking tasks as Read

You can mark a task as Read. When a task is Read, it no longer appears as Bold anymore. To mark a task as Read, do one of the following:

Right-click the task and select the Mark as Read menu item.
Double-click the Task Type icon to bring up the Task Properties dialog box and select the Read check box.

Note The Mark as Read menu item changes to Mark as Unread if the task is not bold.

Marking tasks as Complete

You can mark a task as Complete. When a task is Complete, it appears as strikethrough text. To mark a task as Complete, do one of the following:

Select the check box in the Task List (second column).
Right-click the task, and select the Mark as Complete menu item.
Double-click the Task Type icon to bring up the Task Properties dialog box, and select the Complete check box.

Adding files to User-Defined tasks

Shortcut tasks by their nature automatically have a file associated with them. You can add file associations to User-Defined or Other tasks as well, although it is not required. To add a file association, do one of the following:

Type the name of the file in the File Name field (and additional information required, such as line or method).
Double-click the Task Type icon to bring up the Task Properties dialog box, and enter the file name in appropriate field.

Opening files for editing

You can open a file for editing as follows:

Double-clicking the Task Type icon.
By right-clicking Shortcut tasks or User-Defined tasks with file associations and selecting the Open File <filename> menu item.

Editing custom fields

If you have custom fields available in your Task List Manager, you can edit them as follows:

Open the Task Properties dialog box, and select the Fields tab. The list of available custom fields will appear on this page.

Customizing the Task List Manager

You can customize the view of your Task List Manager in several ways:

**Sorting tasks **You can sort the task list by clicking on the column header of the field by which you want to sort. Clicking a column repeatedly toggles that field between ascending/descending order.
Filtering task types You can filter the types of tasks you want to display in the Task List by selecting specific task types from the Show Tasks submenu of the Task List context menu. The submenu contains options to display shortcuts, user-defined and other Tasks.
Choose fields for viewing You can choose which fields you want to view in the Task List by selecting the Column Chooser menu item from the Task List context menu. A Columns picker dialog box appears so you can add new fields using drag-and-drop directly to the Task List. To remove a field, right-click the column header and select the Remove This Column menu item.
Adding custom fields You can add custom fields to your Task List. Custom fields are stored in a separate table from your main _FOXTASK (Foxtask.dbf) table. This custom fields table must have a UniqueID field, so it can be linked to the field in the Foxtask table. You can edit Custom fields from the Fields tab of the Task Properties dialog box.

You can add a new or existing custom fields table in the Options dialog box. Access the Options dialog box from the Options menu item of the Task List context menu item. All custom fields appear in the Columns Chooser dialog box, so you can add them to or remove them from the Task List.