ToDoList has a number of built-in fields for every task. The following is not a complete list nor an indepth look at each field. The intent here is to provide an introduction to the kinds of fields (also called task attributes or columns) that you will commonly use. The Task Attributes page documents all available fields.

• Title: This is simply the name of the task. When a new task is created the Title is entered. This can be changed at any time. The task appears on the left side of the grid.
• ID: This is a task number which is permanently assigned to a task. It cannot be modified.
• Start Date: Defaults to 'today' but can be set to any date in the future or past.
• Last Mod Date/Time: Automatically updated whenever the task is changed.

As you select each task (a row in the grid) the Edit Field area of the main window will change to display fields in editable controls. The task Title is the only field which can be changed in the grid. Almost all other fields are modified with the edit controls outside of the grid. (Icons are an exception.)

You can change the fields that you see in the grid and in the edit area by right-clicking the column-header, and selecting Task Attribute Visibility.


In the editor which gets displayed you will find that you can display a field in the grid and not have it editable, and you can have a field that is editable without the data showing in the grid. For details on this, see Task Attribute Visibility.

The fields that you select can be set as the default for all tasklists, or just for the currently selected list. For example, a list of things to do around the house might not have a cost or estimated time, but lists you maintain for your clients might.

Each field has a type.

Date fields can be changed with a calendar drop-down.

The Time Estimate field has a numeric value and units. A valid time estimate might be 3 hours or 4 days.

The Priority value is edited as a drop-down list. For this control, custom values are not allowed - this is a Static Droplist.

The Status field is also selected from a drop-down list. The values are user-configurable in Preferences - this is a Dynamic Droplist. With those values is an option to allow entering a new status value from the task editing area. (_Prior to v7 the value was always editable but that was fixed in v7._) In other words, you don't need to go to Preferences to create a new status value, but if you want a status value to be available in other tastlists, then the value should be set in Preferences.

The Recurrence field is very complex. A special form displays for setting the many values for this one field. An entire page will be dedicated to Recurrence.

The Cost field allows a numeric monetary value to be applied to each task. (There is no currency type specified here like Euros or Dollars.)

Files can be linked to each task. The File Link field allows for selection of a file, and files are then displayed in a dropdown list. (_Prior to v7 only a single file could be set._)

The Comments field is a large area, separate from the block of Edit Fields. There is a drop down list here to allow selection of Simple Text comments, or to allow notes to be written in a Rich Text format. A page will be dedicated to Comments.

In summary: All of these fields and more apply to each task. You can decide which fields you want to see, and which ones can be edited. For some you can set the available values through Preferences, others are fixed. You are encouraged to open the Task Attribute Visibility selector to see what fields are available. Try using the fields in a test tasklist to see how they work. Decide for yourself which fields apply to your efforts, and try setting some fields for use in specific lists while not in others.