Strikethrough text when a checkbox is checked, Sep 2020

[CotensorField 2]

Hello, this has been asked by Remo in link 8 months ago.

Quote

As a ToDoer in Evernote I'd love that the text following a checkbox would switch to strikethrough and switched color to, let's say, light gray, when the checkbox is checked. It would be very helpful to the people with To Do lists. 

Has this been implemented so far? If so, how to do it so that checkbox would switch to strikethrough?

[DTLow 5,736]

Checklist strikethrough has been implemented on the Web and IOS platforms

[CotensorField 2]

Hello. Is there any reason why not on the desktop app in Windows?

[HeBoIz 241]

"Checklist" is a new feature coming with the new editor which so far is only implemented in the web-version and in the freshly updated iOS version.

It probably won't come in the desktop app for Windows before rebuilding and delivering this completly new built from the scratch on a new code base.

But looking at the actual hot discussions about bugs and lots of so far not implemented former features and functions of the new iOS version we better should leave time for evernote to get this fully tested and completeted with all functions we relay on.

[PinkElephant 8,100]

Bets are open now: Will EN be the first company ever to deliver a bug-free Windows software ?

Stay tuned !

 

Question: What makes driving a submarine equal to using Windows software ?

Once you open the first window, the trouble starts ...

[aukirk 367]

This is definitely a core feature that will be available across all apps in the very near future... expect some bumps in the roll out of all the different versions based on what we have seen with iOS, but it is safe to say that checklist strikethrough will be in all versions of Evernote very shortly unless they completely fall on their face over the next few months and collapse as a company (which seems entirely unlikely)

[MikeRothLA 4]

Does anyone know if there is a way to turn OFF the strikethrough feature when checking boxes?

[DTLow 5,736]

8 minutes ago, MikeRothLA said:

Does anyone know if there is a way to turn OFF the strikethrough feature when checking boxes?

No, there is no option to disable strikethrough

Strikethrough only triggers on Checklists (Checkboxes in a list)

[stocky2605 401]

17 minutes ago, MikeRothLA said:

Does anyone know if there is a way to turn OFF the strikethrough feature when checking boxes?

just use a checkbox instead (strikethrough is a checklist feature)

 

[PinkElephant 8,100]

Hey, strikethrough is so COOL.

It makes working down your ToDo-lists a real daily highlight: Take that, nasty frog-job of the day ! Swooosh- gone

Checkboxes are good for designing active templates with options that need consideration and confirmation. You can position them freely, even more than one in a row of text, and they work independently from one another.

But for a real list, nothing beats the new checklist ! Bang, bang ....

[MikeRothLA 4]

8 minutes ago, stocky2605 said:

just use a checkbox instead (strikethrough is a checklist feature)

 

Ah, I did not realize there was a difference! So I see the checklist feature is under the "MORE" menu when composing a note.  I don't see where the checkbox option is?

[PinkElephant 8,100]

When in edit mode, click on the blue „+“ - symbol. A menu will pop up, there you find the checkbox as an item.

Checkboxes always stand alone. When you have one and click on enter, there will not be a new line with a checkbox added, only a new line. If you want to create a list with checkboxes (instead of a checklist), create the list first, then select it, go to the blue +, and select checkbox.

Against what one would expect (overwrite all selected stuff with one new checkbox) it will add a checkbox in front of each line of text. But again: If you add another line to the existing ones, the new line will come without a checkbox.

[stocky2605 401]

32 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

When in edit mode, click on the blue „+“ - symbol. A menu will pop up, there you find the checkbox as an item.

Checkboxes always stand alone. When you have one and click on enter, there will not be a new line with a checkbox added, only a new line. If you want to create a list with checkboxes (instead of a checklist), create the list first, then select it, go to the blue +, and select checkbox.

Against what one would expect (overwrite all selected stuff with one new checkbox) it will add a checkbox in front of each line of text. But again: If you add another line to the existing ones, the new line will come without a checkbox.

@PinkElephant just tried the checkbox - after hitting „enter“ I get a checklist item (!) and the new line starts with a checklist item, too (!) (on iPad)

[PinkElephant 8,100]

It is more complex than I thought:

This is how it looks after I typed some lines, selected them, opened the blue + menu and chose Checkbox:

Checkboxes ... just ticked 2 off to show

When I now hit „enter“, it autoconverts to a checklist, and adds another checklist row:

Checklist ... see it even copied the check status to the other format, from x to swash & strikeout.

Conclusion: Hey, EN listens to users, they red this from the forum ! Hey, EN does not listen to users, they just were not ready with the first release!

Whoever knows - I think they changed this, probably with v10.1. Very nice 👍 

But still you can format a list with Checkboxes - just avoid to hit Enter when the cursor is in that list.

Or get used to checklists and strikeout - I do !

[k9crp871 1]

I for one am not happy with the latest changes and this check (box)-(List) one is not helpful for me. I have a very looong list of check listed items from the old version and I do not want the strikethrough to happen. Not only that, but when I opened my note in the new version about 2/3rds of the list were checkboxes and the last 1/3rd were checklists (with the strikethrough). It took some time to track down the difference (box vs list) and a bit of trial and error to get the checkbox in front of every item  and get them "checked". However - when I press enter to add a new item it changes 1/3rd of my list back to to the checklist style and adds the strikethrough. I can get back out of it using the delete key. So I tried just moving down to the next line (no box no nothing) and hit return. Again 1/3rd of my list switched to checklist and the rest stayed checkbox. How about adding a checkbox and then hit enter? Still converted 1/3rd of my list to checklist (with strikethrough). I'm not about to redo the whole list (it's very looong) so am I stuck with having to go through physical gymnastics (enter/mouse/click/delete/enter/etc) every time I want to add to my list? No thanks Evernote - this update is not for me.

[AnthonyS 1]

On 9/25/2020 at 2:14 PM, PinkElephant said:

Bets are open now: Will EN be the first company ever to deliver a bug-free Windows software ?  Stay tuned !

And sadly the answer is....drum roll please....an epic fail.  The latest release of Strikethrough Checkboxes is an utter fail...at least on iPhone and Mac.  Sometimes my wife and I see the new strikethorugh version, sometimes the new one.  All our devices are updated to the latest version.  I even went so far as to create a COMPLETELY NEW note, and somehow, the old style non-strike through checkboxes will show up.  PLEASE FIX THIS ASAP.  Can't tell what to buy or not now.

[krphouston 5]

I for one don't like this new "feature". There should be an option to have it strikethrough or not.  I actually like to be able to easily read the text at all times and the strikethrough is not as easy on the eyes. I see above that some like it, but it's a thumbs down for me.

[PeteMacca 27]

This new strikethrough feature on checkboxes is a big fail. I have a long list of hundreds of items (some checked, some not) that I've been building over the years..., and now it looks like a dog's breakfast.

[PinkElephant 8,100]

Some like it, some don’t. Now I like it, and had to live without for more than 10 years - maybe it is now your turn ??? 😱

But seriously: If you don’t like the checklist strikeout, try to use checkboxes.

It easily converts any list with checkboxes to a checklist, including strikeout. But if you add a „space“ in front of the checkbox at the start of a line, it does not see it as a list any longer, and conserves the checkbox without converting it. Laborious, but currently the only workaround I know.

[PeteMacca 27]

3 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

It easily converts any list with checkboxes to a checklist, including strikeout. But if you add a „space“ in front of the checkbox at the start of a line, it does not see it as a list any longer, and conserves the checkbox without converting it. Laborious, but currently the only workaround I know.

I've not been able to convert my checklist back to a list with checkboxes - probably due to the bulleted list and indenting in which it is found. It'll just be easier to live with it.

If I was to create another list with checkboxes, I found you can use the "Shift-Enter" key combination at the end of each line. No need for a "space" before the checkbox.

[PinkElephant 8,100]

A conversion back does not work - the only way is to copy the whole list, insert it somewhere without formatting, copy it again, and insert it as a plain list back to the note. Then start to insert spaces and checkboxes.

Shift-Enter creates an invisible character called CR/LF, "carriage return - line feed", which goes back to the old typewriters. It is "less" than an Enter, which creates a new paragraph. If it works, why not. It will not work in many programs, because it is treated differently to an ENTER.

[Joe Cat 5]

I always felt strikethrough should be an option for any checkbox / list. It's something I never liked about Trello.

A lot of people track ToDo's as part of a permanent record - for example I'll list product features / bugs in a list, and want to check them off as done but still be able to read them easily.

To me, this should be obvious - I'd be surprised if it was a use-case that never came up. However, since the latest version of EV does not have Preferences implemented yet, maybe it's something we'll see as soon as it's out. 

I like the "green-box" formatting for checkboxes - it's clear that it's checked (in OneNote, the red checks are very small). However, (and I just noticed the example above) -  there's that bug in the Windows version whereby entering a new line converts all checkboxes to checklists, and you have to reformat them all manually.

[PeteMacca 27]

On 12/5/2020 at 3:04 PM, Joe Cat said:

I always felt strikethrough should be an option for any checkbox / list.

Joe, I agree. I would like to choose whether strikethrough is shown or not. By having the formatting of the boxes / list determined by what type of "carriage return" you use is not all that smart.

[Richard Wolf 12]

Thanks to this forum I have figured out why my lists had developed a case of the strikethroughs !

To add some additional motivation as to why both types of checked lists are important, let me provide a use case.

I keep a running shopping list of groceries, where the list contains all the groceries that I typically purchase and a check mark indicates that I need to purchase that grocery on my next trip. This simplifies my shopping in that I don't need to reformulate the list each time but simply go over my generic list to see what I need to purchase on my next visit. A strike-through is exactly the wrong indication of my intent in that the checked items are the items that need to be completed, not the ones that are already done.

Another example is my packing list for trips, where I have a generic packing list and a check mark indicates that I need to take an item on the specific trip in question. There are many similar use cases where you have a set of instructions, ingredients, steps, etc. that might be required and you wish to indicate which ones you will need for that instance.

I suppose I could start with a checklist where all the items are already checked off and hence indicated by a strikethrough and then un-check the items that I wish to purchase, but that would make the list of potential purchases extremely difficult to read.

I tried the work around of creating a list of items preceded by checkboxes, but I am having the same problem as others in that if I enter a carriage return to add a new item to the list, EverNote converts the list to a check-list. This seems like a bad bug that should have been caught before release.

Really, the best solution would be to allow the strikethrough for check-lists as an option.

[JR Stas 10]

On 12/8/2020 at 2:30 PM, Richard Wolf said:

Thanks to this forum I have figured out why my lists had developed a case of the strikethroughs !

To add some additional motivation as to why both types of checked lists are important, let me provide a use case.

I keep a running shopping list of groceries, where the list contains all the groceries that I typically purchase and a check mark indicates that I need to purchase that grocery on my next trip. This simplifies my shopping in that I don't need to reformulate the list each time but simply go over my generic list to see what I need to purchase on my next visit. A strike-through is exactly the wrong indication of my intent in that the checked items are the items that need to be completed, not the ones that are already done.

Another example is my packing list for trips, where I have a generic packing list and a check mark indicates that I need to take an item on the specific trip in question. There are many similar use cases where you have a set of instructions, ingredients, steps, etc. that might be required and you wish to indicate which ones you will need for that instance.

I suppose I could start with a checklist where all the items are already checked off and hence indicated by a strikethrough and then un-check the items that I wish to purchase, but that would make the list of potential purchases extremely difficult to read.

I tried the work around of creating a list of items preceded by checkboxes, but I am having the same problem as others in that if I enter a carriage return to add a new item to the list, EverNote converts the list to a check-list. This seems like a bad bug that should have been caught before release.

Really, the best solution would be to allow the strikethrough for check-lists as an option.

Plus 100 on this.  As a lawyer, I use and re-use generic lists ALL THE TIME and this behavior is absolutely horrible.  Why would the programmers make the assumption that their "NEW" idea is best for everyone?  I tried for an hour to get my list to remain NOT striked out without success.  Huge frustration!  Then I found my way here. This one change has made Evernote almost useless to me.  I created an account here just to post my frustration about this change. The suggestion that a workaround is to add a space before a checkbox to prevent it from becoming a checklist, may be useful to some but I don't have the time for that level of fiddling with all the list notes (sorry checkbox notes) I have.  Evernote, you REALLY need to think through your changes if you are going to change a feature this drastically.

[ellegriffin 5]

I agree. The automatic strikethrough on checkbox lists is really destroying my experience. This one change is causing me to look elsewhere for a place to store my notes as the only reason I use Evernote is to keep track of my "lists" (goals to achieve, places to visit, books to read, articles to write, restaurants to go to, etc). I want to still be able to read the goals I've accomplished or the books I've read so the strikethrough is turning my beautiful lists into long, crossed out, unreadable notes. I'll be moving away from Evernote!

[Richard Wolf 12]

Yes, this change has me looking at OneNote once again. I checked OneNote and it does not appear to handle checklists in the bizarre Evernote fashion. OneNote was already installed as part of my Office 365 subscription (also available as a free download).

[HeBoIz 241]

I guess you all may discuss this for ages without any effort.

EN decided to introduce checklists with v10 as a new special list environment with strikethrough feature like many other apps do and use, e.g. dropbox paper or tasks. For those who do not like this behavior or who need checkboxes for other purposes - like me in some cases - EN still offers checkboxes, which can be used inside paragraphs or at the beginning of a paragraph while proceeded with at least one char, for example a single space.

I am quite sure there is no one in the company who will change this decision and spend money and energy on taking back this feature, only for one part of the userbase, while other where asking for this.

Let´s better concentrate on other things to get this ready for use and to fix bigger problems...

[bbsb007 3]

I don't think everyone who isn't a fan of this new feature is asking EN to abandon it completely. Nor do I think everyone who has mentioned that this functionality isn't working for them should find a workaround or 'live with it'.

There is a large group of people who purchased the app for its original features and who now cannot use it for its intended purpose.

Surely EN can fix the bug, for example on iPhone, where adding an item to the list changes the entire formatting from a list of check boxes to a check list with strike throughs? 

If not I will definitely be asking for a refund and finding an app that works the way I need it to, rather than muddling through with something that doesn't function how I need it and wastes my time.

[Scart2013 2]

To all those who wish 'check box strikethrough' should be an option.......I agree!!!

Please fix this soon.

[torin1 1]

On 12/14/2020 at 11:18 AM, JR Stas said:

Plus 100 on this.  As a lawyer, I use and re-use generic lists ALL THE TIME and this behavior is absolutely horrible.  Why would the programmers make the assumption that their "NEW" idea is best for everyone?  I tried for an hour to get my list to remain NOT striked out without success.  Huge frustration!  Then I found my way here. This one change has made Evernote almost useless to me.  I created an account here just to post my frustration about this change. The suggestion that a workaround is to add a space before a checkbox to prevent it from becoming a checklist, may be useful to some but I don't have the time for that level of fiddling with all the list notes (sorry checkbox notes) I have.  Evernote, you REALLY need to think through your changes if you are going to change a feature this drastically.

Plus 100 from myself as well. The <cr> destroying what I thought were my checklists, but were apparently checkboxes that became checklists. I have taken to copy-pasting my old checkboxes since I didn't know about the (KLUDGY) workaround of having to go find a new checkbox format instead of building off my old check-box/lists...

[Traceur 0]

Quote

Yeah, this has gotten ugly. If I have a checkbox item and I wish to strikethrough it later, I can.  But if I with to remove the strikethrough for any reason, enter an item above it or below it, the strikethrough formatting follows and I can't highlight it to remove it.  It's not great.

 

[Jakob2015 1]

This was really messing with the document I've used for years to track tax documents, and whether or not they'd be given to my wife (ie, checked off).  However, I did find a solution that worked:

1. Uninstall Evernote
2. Install OneNote, which isn't so arrogant as to think it should striket hrough text it wasn't asked to strike through.

With this approach, I finished the tax document preparation quickly.  I recommend it for anyone else having problems.

[Scart2013 2]

OK, that's one solution that would work.......However......Over to you Evernote....!

[PeteMacca 27]

Sadly, there are only a few of us who feel the changes made to the behaviour of checkboxes was a dumb move.

[PinkElephant 8,100]

Andy many others that like the new feature, or are ignorant that it even exists.

[Scart2013 2]

So why ignore having the option to choose. Leaving aside technical and labour considerations, the option would surely be another string to the Evernote bow. 

[PeteMacca 27]

For a new list of checkboxes that doesn't go crazy when you hit enter, try this:

Simple list

-[]<space>1<enter>
        or
-<checkbox>1<enter>

Item list (indented)

<indent>-[]<space>item 1<enter>
        or
<indent>-<checkbox>item 1<enter>

Works with Windows and Android.

 

[Studge 1]

As I see it there are two strategies that Evernote might pursue if it doesn't want this automatic strikethrough "feature" to drive customers away. The first and most desirable would be to make the "feature" optional. Failing that, it should provide a decent workaround.

The checkbox workaround is ineffective because a <CR> at the end of a line beginning with a checkbox converts that and subsequent lines to the checklist format (with mandatory strikethrough). I thought I could defeat this problem by preceding each checkbox with a space, as suggested above. That seemed to work during my original creation of the note, but when I returned to it the next day the first <CR> I entered converted the entire note to the new Checklist format. 

Another workaround that should work, but does not, would be manual removal of strikethrough formatting. This should be possible in two quick and easy steps: (1) select the text to be un-struck, and (2) click the strikethrough symbol. To un-strike the whole note, one would (1) type CTRL-a to select all text; (2) click the strikethrough symbol to give that format to the entire note; (3) with the whole document still selected, click the strikethrough symbol again. This should remove all strikethrough formatting in the document. But because the mandatory strikethrough formatting in the new Checklist format cannot be manually removed, none of these steps have the desired effect.

 

[MichaelH 0]

Awful! I LIKE to see what I've checked off. If you wish to use strikethroughs, how hard is it to select the text and click the Strikethrough icon and let everyone else make there own decision and not have to resort to "workarounds." Sheesh.

 

[EC864 1]

Hi evernote,

This is completely maddening. I too have relied on checkbox lists for years for my laboratory notebook, ie. I use Evernote for work, and now all my notes from the last few YEARS are completely unreadable, and there's no quick fix to get them to be readable again. (There's no way I'd go through any note manually to change one type of list to another, there's simply too much and I don't have the time. And why should I waste my time correcting a badly implemented 'feature' by a company I pay to make a reliable product?)

To introduce a feature that completely changes a standard formatting feature that has worked in one way for years, to something completely different, makes no sense to me. Of course many people are frustrated. This feature not only changes NEW notes, it overwrites all the old ones. Can you imagine the frustration of your users if you had decided all bulleted lists were all now strikethrough? All text in italics? All bold text?

In addition as others have noted, the old shortcut of [] now also defaults to the strikethrough check list if you make a check list in a bullet list. This is my default bulleted list and I imagine the default for most people. In addition, it's the ONLY way to make a checkbox list where all you need to do is press enter and you get a new checkbox by default ie it's the only "useful" way not to have to tediously type [] in front of every entry. We don't type "- " for each line of a bulleted list, it would be maddening for us to do so, but for some reason users of checkboxes that don't strikethrough are now expected to do so, and also to forgo bulleting altogether too.

Changing this back or providing a good shortcut for a non-strikethrough bulleted list would be essential, but not enough, because historical notes cannot remain as notes of strikethrough garbage.

The way I see it now I have three options.

1. Never use checkboxes again. I can't do that, I rely on this too much to make sure I've done what I have planned.

2. Never update Evernote on devices on which I still have the old Evernote, where this feature worked fine!

3. Leave Evernote.

The fourth option is to await for an option to change the default checklist (and default checklist shortcut) back to one which didn't strikethrough as default.

But how long will we have to wait?

 

[PinkElephant 8,100]

… use legacy …

https://help.evernote.com/hc/en-us/articles/360052560314-Install-an-older-version-of-Evernote

Not a solution for eternity, but maybe long enough to make EN think again and stop converting existing checkboxes.

[Thomas Clark 1]

I agree--the checklist strikethrough is incredibly frustrating.  I have a long list of genealogy research documents I have ordered (and paid for) that I track, checking them off as I receive them.  It's very useful to be able to see what I have received so I don't re-order and pay again.  I now have a list with the bottom third struck through and the top with pleasant little green checks.  Try as I might, I can't get any workaround to actually work to turn a checklist into a checkbox, and by the way, this is an arbitrary differentiation and totally besides the point.  Seems to me there are two kinds of list makers in the world--those who line out when they've accomplished a thing, and those who tick the box.  Ticking the box and lining out the item is like wearing a belt and suspenders.  Please, please make strikethrough optional.

 

[PinkElephant 8,100]

In the old setup, there are only checkboxes for everything.

in the new one, checkboxes are an active design element, especially useful for templates. They are not to be used in lists.

Checklists are these items grouped  in a list that you tick off to show progress.

Currently there is no way out of this automatic reformatting. There is a workaround by adding a <space> in front of each checkbox.

To add your voice to those who don’t like it, you can use the feedback option in the client, or issue a support ticket.

[PeteMacca 27]

On 6/18/2021 at 8:49 PM, PinkElephant said:

There is a workaround by adding a <space> in front of each checkbox.

Funny thing this... When EV first introduced this change, a <space> worked for me. But after a week or two, and probably after another update, the <space> was striped out, changing checkboxes back to checklists. At the time, I noticed others here reported the same. So I switched to using a <->. Now the <space> is back. I'm getting whiplash!

[PinkElephant 8,100]

Just try a few options, and choose the one that sticks.

In general I would not work against the system. A trick that works today will maybe fail tomorrow. And then a lot of effort is wasted.

[PeteMacca 27]

1 hour ago, PinkElephant said:

A trick that works today will maybe fail tomorrow.

Or..., EV could a give us the option of choosing how our notes are formatted.

[casa26687 2]

So, I created a shopping list on my Win10 desktop years ago after switching to Evernote when Google Keep went web based.

Now suddenly, I can check the items I want to buy on my PC, but when I open the list on my phone, the items are checked, greyed out and struck-through - making my shopping list pretty worthless. The only 'option' I see is to change to the opposite of how I use my shopping list - checking the item I DON'T want to buy and unchecking what I want.

Congratulation to the users that wanted the feature (grey-out/strike-through when checked), but it appears (from this discussion and others) that it messed up a lot of others.

Looks like I'll be looking for another 'note' vendor unless Evernote makes grey-out/strike-through an optional feature.

[PeteMacca 27]

Casa, I didn't like the change either. I tried many workarounds and settled on one which is posted here: