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SimpleTODO FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1 - What is SimpleTODO?
SimpleTODO is a tool for people that have too many things to keep track of using traditional methods. SimpleTODO means you can get stuff out of your head and into somewhere where they won't be forgotten or ignored. If you seem to spend your whole working day just trying to remember everything that you're supposed to do rather than actually doing it or if you just need to keep track of a long term project then SimpleTODO is what you need. 2.1 - Can I have another copy of SimpleTODO that uses a second list? Yes. All you need to do is copy the shortcut to SimpleTODO, and then edit it (Right-click and 'Properties' on Windows). In the box where the path to the target executable file is specified (e.g. 'C:\Program Files\SimpleTODO\stodo.exe') add ' -file C:\mytodolist' on the end of the path, where 'C:\mytodolist' is the path to your list.
So, for example, the entire target path would be: When you launch the new shortcut, SimpleTODO will open a new todolist at the location specified. 2.2 - What keyboard shortcuts does SimpleTODO accept?
SimpleTODO accepts the following keyboard shortcuts to make organising your tasks easier and quicker:
2.3 - Can I have SimpleTODO show me documents or links with a custom application? (not Explorer)
Yes. The file '.simpletodo' in the SimpleTODO install directory (usually 'C:\Program Files\SimpleTODO') can be edited with a standard text editor such as notepad. In this file there is a sample application which you can copy (everything from the 'App ' tag to the '/App .' tag, including the tags themselves) and edit.
2.4 - What happens if a todo list is corrupted or breaks?
SimpleTODO has a specially designed method of writing files atomically to the filesystem. This means that when SimpleTODO writes a file, it keeps the old file around until it is certain that the current one has been written correctly and is valid. It is therefore extremely unlikely that a todo file will become corrupted unless some other means of corruption occurs. To counter this problem even further SimpleTODO keeps a backup history 5 saves old which should be more than enough to guarantee the safety of the todo list. If you're still not sure why not use Moog Software SimpleBackup to take backups on another computer. 2.5 - How do I restore a backup todo list? In most cases SimpleTODO will recognise that the list has become corrupted and automatically load the previous list but in rare cases where this is not possible you should look in the todolist directory (see below) and take a copy of them all. Once you have a copy, take one of the files called '.todolist.bakX' and copy it into the original location as '.todolist'. Then open SimpleTODO and check to see that everything is in order. 2.6 - Where are the todolists stored? The default todolist (per user) is stored in your user home directory . In Windows, this is usually 'C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME' , where 'USERNAME' is your Windows logon name (e.g. Adminstrator). In Linux this is usually '/home/USERNAME' where 'USERNAME' is your logon name (e.g. root). If you have created a shortcut to a second todolist using the information specified earlier in this FAQ, you can find the todolist in the directory you specified. In all cases the todolist file will be called '.todolist'. 3.1 - Why doesn't SimpleTODO have feature X?
A common flaw in organiser tools is that it takes more time to organise your tasks than it would to just do the tasks. As such, most organisers are, in practice, reduced to little more than a list of bullet point headings describing tasks that need to be done. SimpleTODO is designed to combat this problem by being be as simple and quick to use as possible. SimpleTODO is free of clutter, complexity and unnecessary features which take more time to use than they save . 3.2 - Why can't I collapse parts of the tree?
Commonly, if you have a tree of items in a tool you are able to collapse the children of a parent item so navigate the tree more easily. SimpleTODO deliberately does not allow this. If you are able to collapse whole trees of items then what inevitably happens is that you tend to miss important items that need taking care of soon or that time is running out for. Keeping all items visible all of the time means your eye can skim over and quickly pick out important items by their colouring . 3.3 - How can I set deadline dates?
A common theme throughout the design of SimpleTODO is that it is both simple and very fast to use. If someone is using SimpleTODO then they may be very busy and if they are then they probably don't have time to figure out the date when every task that they have to do has to be done by . When people refer to dates they very rarely say such and such job needs to be done on the 15th of May or some other very specific date, yet many organiser and tracking tools require the user to enter the date in this way. More likely people will refer to 'this friday' or 'next tuesday' to specify a deadline. SimpleTODO has an intelligent date parsing system which allows you to enter dates in a more human manner. The following are examples of deadlines that SimpleTODO will accept
So if you know a task has to be done by next friday, you can simply enter 'fri x2' - no need to figure out the date and then waste time and effort painstakingly entering in 'Friday 22nd May 12:15pm'.
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