I want to use my to-do list as a task log
June 4, 2012 1:31 PM Subscribe
I am looking for an online to-do list/task manager with one feature:
I want to be able to add a note when marking an item completed (or, ideally, at any time) and I want that note to be easily searchable. Basically, when I have a task like "order widgets," I want to be able to note things like the order number or the sales rep's name when I close the task, and I want to be able to easily refer to it later.
Full-text search is the minimum level of discoverability I need—ideally I'd also be able to look up completed tasks (and their accompanying notes) by date or by sub-list.
Remember the Milk and Basecamp both let you add notes to tasks, but the search box in both cases fails to search through the text of those notes, at least for completed tasks.
I would really prefer a hosted web application since I switch between Linux, Mac OS, and iOS regularly. A non-hosted web app would work too, if it's not too high-maintenance.
This is just for me, so I don't care if it has multiple users or other project management type features.
I want to be able to add a note when marking an item completed (or, ideally, at any time) and I want that note to be easily searchable. Basically, when I have a task like "order widgets," I want to be able to note things like the order number or the sales rep's name when I close the task, and I want to be able to easily refer to it later.
Full-text search is the minimum level of discoverability I need—ideally I'd also be able to look up completed tasks (and their accompanying notes) by date or by sub-list.
Remember the Milk and Basecamp both let you add notes to tasks, but the search box in both cases fails to search through the text of those notes, at least for completed tasks.
I would really prefer a hosted web application since I switch between Linux, Mac OS, and iOS regularly. A non-hosted web app would work too, if it's not too high-maintenance.
This is just for me, so I don't care if it has multiple users or other project management type features.
Wunderlist will do what you want. To test, I created a task, added some text in the note that had nothing to do with the task name, and then closed it as completed. I then went back and searched for the text in the note, and it found the completed task.
It's also available across all devices, plus a desktop add and a web app. I use it and am quite happy with it.
posted by ralan at 1:38 PM on June 4, 2012
It's also available across all devices, plus a desktop add and a web app. I use it and am quite happy with it.
posted by ralan at 1:38 PM on June 4, 2012
http://www.toodledo.com lets you search the text of a note.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 1:44 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by bottlebrushtree at 1:44 PM on June 4, 2012
Response by poster: I must be doing something differently. Using the search features of Wunderlist and toodledo, for me neither returns tasks where only the note matches the search text, regardless of the task state.
Free would be nice but isn't necessary.
posted by enn at 1:50 PM on June 4, 2012
Free would be nice but isn't necessary.
posted by enn at 1:50 PM on June 4, 2012
After some testing, it seems that this works fine on the desktop app (at least the one for Mac OS X), but it doesn't work on the web app. I don't see a search feature on the iPhone app. So, it works, sort of, but not across all platforms.
posted by ralan at 2:14 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by ralan at 2:14 PM on June 4, 2012
Response by poster: It looks like Flow's search doesn't search task comments either, only the tasks themselves.
posted by enn at 2:33 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by enn at 2:33 PM on June 4, 2012
Right you are. Huh. That's disappointing.
When I was looking for a collaborative to-do list, Asana was also in the running. Maybe check that out?
posted by supercres at 2:41 PM on June 4, 2012
When I was looking for a collaborative to-do list, Asana was also in the running. Maybe check that out?
posted by supercres at 2:41 PM on June 4, 2012
Try the search button for http://www.toodledo.com and select notes, the regular search box only searches todo names
posted by bottlebrushtree at 3:48 PM on June 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by bottlebrushtree at 3:48 PM on June 4, 2012 [1 favorite]
Astrid is collaborative, and I believe searchable? But I have only glanced at it so may be wrong...
posted by tel3path at 4:18 PM on June 4, 2012
posted by tel3path at 4:18 PM on June 4, 2012
Response by poster: Astrid's main search box seems also to only search task names, not comments.
After signing up for about a gazillion different to-do lists today, I finally found one with this feature—Nirvana. It doesn't let me find old to-do items by date, but it does have a nice (fast!) full-text search which includes both completed tasks and task notes.
posted by enn at 6:54 PM on June 4, 2012
After signing up for about a gazillion different to-do lists today, I finally found one with this feature—Nirvana. It doesn't let me find old to-do items by date, but it does have a nice (fast!) full-text search which includes both completed tasks and task notes.
posted by enn at 6:54 PM on June 4, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
It's not free, for whatever that's worth.
posted by supercres at 1:35 PM on June 4, 2012