How to use the Today window Tasks panel
The Tasks panel in the Today window displays Tasks which have been set to show in
your Today window, have not been completed, and are due to be shown today.
Setting a Task to appear in the Today window
Any Task can be set to appear in the Today window of any user who is allowed to
see the Task List that the Task is in. This means that not only can you set your
own Tasks to appear in your Today window, but you can also allocate Tasks to your
co-workers if needed.
To add a Task to your Today window, first open the Tasks window. On the left side
is the list of Task Lists, and on the right side is the list of Tasks. If you don't
already have a Task List, you will need to create one. Instructions on how to do
this can be found in 'How to share Task Lists'.
Once you've decided on which Task List you want to create the Task in, or have made
yourself a new Task List, right click on it in the left list and select "New Task"
(the second option) in the context menu.
Enter a brief description for the Task in the "Task" field at the top of the window.
This will appear both in the Tasks window, and also in the Today window once you've
set the Task to appear there. Now click the "Display in Today window" checkbox in
the "Today" panel at the bottom of the dialog, and ensure there's a check in it.
Once the "Display in Today window" checkbox is checked, the "Date" and "User" fields
in the "Today" panel will become enabled (they'll stop being "greyed out").
Now that the Date and User fields are enabled, select the user in whose Today window
you want the Task to appear in the User drop-down list. By default, this value is
set to be the user you are currently logged on as, and so let's leave it as it is
for now. In future, if you want to assign tasks to appear in other user's Today
windows, simply select them using this drop-down list.
If you've followed the instructions above, you should end up with a window looking
roughly like this. In this example, the "Admin" user is selected in the User drop-down
list, because that's the user I'm currently logged on as.
If you look at the Date field, you'll notice that the checkbox isn't greyed
out, but the actual date itself is. When is field is in this state - with no check
in the checkbox, and the date greyed out - the Task will appear in the selected
user's Today window immediately. This is the default setting. However, you may want
to set the Task to appear in the future. To do this, click the checkbox in the Date
field. The date itself will then cease to be greyed out, and you'll be able to either
type in a new date, or click the drop-down arrow and select the date on which you
want the Task to appear. For the purposes of this demonstration, it's best to leave
this checkbox unchecked.
Now click the "OK" button and go back to the "Today" window.
The Tasks panel, at the bottom of the Today window, will now contain the Task entered.
An alternative method
It is also possible to create Tasks directly from the Today window. To do this,
right click in the Tasks panel and select "New", then select the Task List you wish
to add the Task to in "Select Task List" dialog. The "New Task" dialog (as shown
earlier) will now appear, with the "Display in Today window" checkbox already checked.
Removing a Task from the Today window
Having added Tasks to the Today window, it's obviously necessary to be able to remove
them later, either because the Task is no longer valid, because it's complete, or
because you wish to do it later rather than sooner.There are three methods of accomplishing
this.
The simplest is to delete the Task. Either delete the Task in the Tasks window,
or right-click on the Task in the Today window and select "Delete". This will remove
the Task from the Today window, and will also remove the Task from your Task Lists.
This will obviously leave you with no record of the Task's existance, and so is
clearly not suitable for all situations.
If you have completed the Task, and wish to retain a record of it, double-click
on the Task in the Today window (or in the Tasks window), and either move the "Percentage
Complete" slider to it's rightmost position, or place a check in the "Completed"
checkbox, then press "OK". This will mark the Task as "Complete", and because completed
Tasks are not shown in the Today window, it will disappear from it. However, the
Task will remain in your Task List, marked as complete, so you have a record of
it's completion.
The final method is simply uncheck the Task's "Show in Today window" checkbox. To
do this, double-click the Task in the Today window (or in the Tasks window), and
click on the "Show in Today window" checkbox, then click "OK". This will remove
the Task from your Today window without marking the Task as complete.