Todo List

This is a bash script that collects various todo list items scattered around the file system in different files and directories (from meetings, talks, various projects etc.) into a single master todo list. You can tick, untick or postpone items in the master todo list and these updates will be propagated back to the individual todo list items in the files from where they came. You can also remove items from the master todo list and they will not reappear later (the original files are not changed in this case). The items in the master todo list are ordered according to their associated deadlines. Keeping track of your todo list from the command line is then as simple as:

user@host:~$ todo 

1 - [x] Make todo list script (deadline: 19-01-20) 
2 - [ ] Add some features (deadline: 21-01-20) 
3 - [ ] Test new features (deadline: 22-01-20) 
4 - [ ] Adjust features (deadline: 25-01-20) 
5 - [x] Upload latest version (deadline: 27-01-20) 
6 - [ ] Book holiday flights (deadline: 04-07-20)

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Usage
• Maintaining todo list across multiple devices
• Features to be added

Getting Started

Steps marked with * are slightly different if you're setting up to maintain a todo list across multiple devices, so consult that section below as well.

Clone the repo like so:

git clone https://github.com/Matt-A-Bennett/todo-tool.git

* Now create the following file in the repo directory:

user@host:~$ cd /path/to/repo 
user@host:~$ touch dirs_to_search.txt

In dirs_to_search.txt, put one or more absolute paths (one path per line, no trailing slash) to directories that may contain .md files which may contain a todo list item that you wish to track.

For example:
/home/<user>/Documents/meeting_notes
/home/<user>/Documents/talks
/home/<user>/projects

* Put the following code in your .bashrc (and do not put a trailing slash!):

export TODO_PATH='/home/<user>/path/to/repo'

Lastly, add a wrapper function to your .bashrc to call the script and show the updated list:

todo () {
/path/to/repo/./todo.sh "$@"
cat -n ${TODO_PATH}/master_todo.md
}

Usage

To print your todo list, simply type 'todo' into the terminal (you'll have to first restart your terminal or source your .bashrc if you haven't done so since modifying your .bashrc file in the steps above):

user@host:~$ todo 

Any lines in any .md file (in those directories on the list in dirs_to_search.txt) that take the form of a 'todo list item' will be copied into master_todo.md. A 'todo list item' takes the following form (note the space between the [ ]):

- [ ] <task description here> (deadline: <dd-mm-yy>)

To modify existing items in your todo list, you have the following options:

usage: todo [-h] [-t int [int,int ...]] [-u int [int,int ...]] 
            [-p int [int,int ...]] [-d int [int,int ...]]

Function description: Collects various todo list items scattered around
different files and directories into a single master todo list.

optional arguments:
  -h, show this help message and exit
  -t int [int,int ...]  which items to tick (comma,separated)
  -u int [int,int ...]  which items to untick (comma,separated)
  -d int [int,int ...]  which items to delete (comma,separated)
  -p int [int,int ...]  which items to postpone (comma,separated)

usage examples:

1) tick task 2

   todo -t2

2) untick task 3 and delete task 4

   todo -u3 -d4

3) postpone tasks 4 and 6 (by one week)

   todo -p4,6

4) tick tasks 3, 4 and 5 and delete tasks 1 and 2

   todo -u3,4,5 -d1,2

For example, assume that todo outputs the following list:

     1  - [x] Make todo list script (deadline: 19-01-20)
     2  - [ ] Add some features (deadline: 21-01-20)
     3  - [ ] Test new features (deadline: 22-01-20)
     4  - [ ] Adjust features (deadline: 25-01-20)
     5  - [x] Upload latest version (deadline: 27-01-20)
     6  - [ ] Book holiday flights (deadline: 04-07-20)

Let's now assume that we created a new todo list item about making a phone call in some .md file in a directory that is listed in dirs_to_search.txt. Let's also assume that we have completed tasks 2 and 3, and that we realise that task 5 has not actually been completed yet and will take longer than expected, that we don't need to do task 4 anymore and that our holiday is cancelled. We can tick off tasks 2 and 3, and untick task 5 and postpone its deadline by one week, and remove tasks 4 and 6 from the list like so:

user@host:~$ todo -t3,4 -u5 -p5 -d4,6

The output will be:

     1  - [x] Make todo list script (deadline: 19-01-20)
     2  - [x] Add some features (deadline: 21-01-20)
     3  - [x] Test new features (deadline: 22-01-20)
     4  - [ ] Make a phone call (deadline: 27-01-20)
     5  - [ ] Upload latest version (deadline: 07-02-20)

Notice that the original tasks 2 and 3 have been ticked, task 5 has been unticked and has a later deadline, and a new task about making a phone call has been inserted into the list according to its deadline. Also what were formally tasks 4 and 6 have been removed.

Maintaining todo list across multiple devices

If you want to be able to make notes on a second machine and want a single master todo list which collects and integrates your todo list items across devices, this is possible without too much extra hassle in the following way:

First you must create a directory somewhere outside of the todo repo and in the same location on each machine. This directory and its contents should be synched regularly among your devices (e.g. with Google Drive, or by making a git repo). Personally I created a hidden directory inside a git repo I'd already been using for general work-related stuff and which I synch often. For example:

mkdir ~/Documents/my_work_repository/.todo_files

Next, in this newly created directory, create a 'dirs_to_search.txt' file like before with one or more absolute paths (one path per line, no trailing slash) to directories that may contain .md files which may contain a todo list item that you wish to track. It's no problem to have non-existent directories in this file (and this may well be the case if you have different directories that you want to search on your machines). In my case it would be:

user@host:~$ cd ~/Documents/my_work_repository/.todo_files 
user@host:~$ touch dirs_to_search.txt

Lastly, in your .bashrc, set the TODO_PATH to point to this newly created directory. In my case that would be:

export TODO_PATH='~/Documents/my_work_repository/.todo_files'

That's it! Now every time you run the todo command, the master todo list will accumulate and retain todo items found on any machine.

Features to be added

• Argument to increase/deadline of particular items by specified number of days (currently it defaults to postponing by one week)