Checkbox vs. Checklist: forced indent

[Don Dz 165]

There is a new feature called the checklist, apparently it is just an indented list with checkboxes.  Not sure I care for it myself.

The problem is that if I try to add a plain checkbox to a note, then press enter, it automatically becomes a checklist.  Since they are presented as separate features, I am assuming this is a bug.

[AdmiralP 83]

It's a useful tool.

Takes some getting used to - if you find yourself with a checklist, you can remove it by going to the "More" dropdown and unclicking the Checklist option , you can then select the text you want to add a checkbox to...

Or at the end of your checkbox line press ctrl+enter - that doesn't create a checklist after the initial checkbox

Perhaps not wholly intuitive - rather than placing a checkbox at the start when you add some text, you need to add the checkbox after you've out your text in (I think(

BUT - it's a bug because it doesn't follow the same process as in the iOS or Android versions - see Stacey Harmon's video explanation of this new feature: https://www.harmonenterprises.com/blog/evernote-feature-training-checkboxes-checklists-ios10

 

[Mike P 2,643]

30 minutes ago, AdmiralP said:

Or at the end of your checkbox line press ctrl+enter - that doesn't create a checklist after the initial checkbox

That doesn't work for me but shift-enter does. I actually prefer the new checklist feature but it has been annoying me that if I do want a checkbox it too easily reverts to a check list. Thanks for the tip.

I also noticed that if you reject the change by pressing back space and then press enter again it leaves the checkbox as a checkbox.

[Lemayp 58]

There is a different in the output between checklist and checkbox.  When you "check" a given checklist entry, its text  will become all strighthrough.

The new default seem to have checklist created.

The "workaround" that I use to enter quickly  a checkbox (the former one supported that doesn`t strikethrough the text) consist in entering <space><[><]>, i.e <space> followed by the 2 [] characters. It works well for me and since then I am happy with checklist and checkbox.

[Don Dz 165]

5 hours ago, AdmiralP said:

if you find yourself with a checklist, you can remove it by going to the "More" dropdown and unclicking the Checklist option , you can then select the text you want to add a checkbox to...

That doesn't remove the indent from previous lines, and it removes the checkbox entirely from the current line.

  

5 hours ago, AdmiralP said:

Or at the end of your checkbox line press ctrl+enter - that doesn't create a checklist after the initial checkbox.

Doesn't do anything on my Win 10 computer in EN v. 10.2.4.

  

5 hours ago, AdmiralP said:

Perhaps not wholly intuitive - rather than placing a checkbox at the start when you add some text, you need to add the checkbox after you've out your text in (I think(

That's what I was doing in the first place, and it doesn't work either, if I add a number of lines with text,  manually add checkboxes to each line, then press enter, the whole thing gets indented.

Unless you mean adding it at the end of the line, which doesn't make sense to me personally.

  

5 hours ago, AdmiralP said:

BUT - it's a bug because it doesn't follow the same process as in the iOS or Android versions - see Stacey Harmon's video explanation of this new feature: https://www.harmonenterprises.com/blog/evernote-feature-training-checkboxes-checklists-ios10

It's a bug because there are two separate features forced to behave as one, and besides in the legacy version pressing enter created a checkboxed line with no indent.

No idea what the iOS version in a third party explainer would have to do with it  . . .

[Don Dz 165]

3 hours ago, Mike P said:

That doesn't work for me but shift-enter does.

if you reject the change by pressing back space and then press enter again it leaves the checkbox as a checkbox.

That works, but a checkbox is not entered on the next line as previously.

[Don Dz 165]

1 hour ago, Lemayp said:

When you "check" a given checklist entry, its text  will become all strighthrough.

I understand, it is a nice feature, and it is yet another evidence that the two functions are different.  Perhaps adding the option to not indent at all is the solution I hope to get from EN.  Unfortunately the strikethrough doesn't show in Android, it does on iOS, but too slow to use.

  

1 hour ago, Lemayp said:

The "workaround" that I use to enter quickly  a checkbox (the former one supported that doesn`t strikethrough the text) consist in entering <space><[><]>, i.e <space> followed by the 2 [] characters. It works well for me and since then I am happy with checklist and checkbox.

That solution leaves a space before every checkbox.  A script can easily automate the process and remove the space, but I think I'll wait until they fix this problem before looking at writing one.

 

[Mike P 2,643]

1 hour ago, Lemayp said:

The "workaround" that I use to enter quickly  a checkbox (the former one supported that doesn`t strikethrough the text) consist in entering <space><[><]>, i.e <space> followed by the 2 [] characters. It works well for me and since then I am happy with checklist and checkbox.

Nice hack, thanks. We should just make it clear to others that if you don't put the space in first you get a check list.

[renouj21 7]

The trouble with the space [] hack is that you can't hit return to get a checkbox on the next line, as you could before. Plus the old keyboard shortcut for a checkbox is no longer operable (ctrl+cmd+T)

[N Allen 15]

I don't know if it is a feature of the latest update, but while the space [] hack works while entering data in a regular bulleted list, the list is still converted to a checklist the next time I start up Evernote. It appears that Evernote is trying very hard to convert every instance of a check box to a checklist with its specific behavior (strikethrough when checked). This is very limiting. There are many cases where a checkbox does not imply done. It might identify the presence or absence of a feature.

[Mike P 2,643]

1 hour ago, N Allen said:

There are many cases where a checkbox does not imply done. It might identify the presence or absence of a feature.

Agreed

To be fair to EN it is only checkboxes at the beginning of a line it wants to convert to checklists. The space[] hack normally works but I agree that it doesn't in a bulletted list. Since responding to your other post I have found that if you use a character other than space before the checkbox that works even in a bulleted list. If you can really be bothered you can even make the text white but a better option is probably to choose as unobtrusive characrter as you can find!

 

[N Allen 15]

2 hours ago, Mike P said:

To be fair to EN it is only checkboxes at the beginning of a line it wants to convert to checklists.

Except that the beginning of a line is where checkboxes naturally go!

2 hours ago, Mike P said:

Since responding to your other post I have found that if you use a character other than space before the checkbox that works even in a bulleted list. If you can really be bothered you can even make the text white but a better option is probably to choose as unobtrusive characrter as you can find!

Yes, the vertical is probably the best option--until EN decides that it means something else! 😉

[Tim Tripp 5]

I”m so sick of this problem!  Although I use Evernote for a number of things, my checkboxes for showing lists are the most used feature.  Every time I edit them to add spaces, some version of the app removes them and turns my checkboxes back into checklists.  I’m about to cancel my paid account and find an app that doesn’t mess them up.

[AlanHB2 1]

On 11/6/2020 at 6:01 AM, Don Dz said:

There is a new feature called the checklist, apparently it is just an indented list with checkboxes.  Not sure I care for it myself.

The problem is that if I try to add a plain checkbox to a note, then press enter, it automatically becomes a checklist.  Since they are presented as separate features, I am assuming this is a bug.

Agree: [Evernote:] Why the change?

I have standard items on my shopping list. If I need something I check a box at home as something I want. When it's in my supermarket shopping basket, I uncheck the box.

Now, every alteration I make turns the item into a checklist😡NOT HAPPY!

[dantek 25]

How is this still not fixed Evernote?

I don't like the 'new' Checklists - ticking the box when an item is complete is enough for me - I don't see the need to strike the text through too.

Ok not everyone will agree - but I'd like the option to choose to use Checkboxes only if possible - maybe change the tickbox button in the toolbar to one with a drop down where you choose which one you want - and then remember that - or just have a global setting.

But there is still a bug here. If I do choose to add a Checkbox as I'd prefer to use those - then when I hit enter, it changes it back to a checklist. Why - when I've specifically pressed a button to get a Checkbox, would you think that I'd like it auto-changing back to a checklist? Ideally I'd like it to act like a bulleted list - ie. it creates a new line with a new checkbox - but I want it to stay as checkboxes - so the text doesn't get struck through.

[smilejack1 2]

I must say that I'm not too keen on loosing the old checkbox list, and EN more broadly is evolving away from the app I used to love and into an app which frequently annoys me.

[ScottM1234 20]

Chiming in here.. (my 2 cents):  EN: This is a BUG.  Please fix it.  Thank you!

Checklists - have strikethrough - great!

Checkboxes - Work as expected (legacy) - great!

But, PLEASE do not confuse these features by making decisions for us.  If I edit a checkbox line, DO NOT change it to a Checklist - We, the user can do that.

BUG BUG BUG BUG BUG!!!

[PinkElephant 8,117]

It still is a design decision, independently from you liking it or not. This is important because it means crying out „bug“ will not make a single finger start tapping on a keyboard. Those who decided it and had it coded that way know it works as intended.

IMHO it is a bad design decision, because it puts itself over user intentions, especially when older notes are automatically converted. So yes, I think this design setting should be reverted. I like both options, but I like to decide for myself.

[jensen_g 6]

Add me to the list of folks who are having continued problems with checkboxes being transformed into checklists which strikethrough completed items (unacceptable for my purposes). I have submitted tickets to Evernote over the past few months and it has fallen on deaf ears, nothing has been fixed and it is incredibly difficult to maintain basic lists of items if I do not want to use the "checklist" (strike through completed items) style. It's frustrating. 

[dantek 25]

On 12/19/2021 at 1:26 AM, jensen_g said:

Add me to the list of folks who are having continued problems with checkboxes being transformed into checklists which strikethrough completed items (unacceptable for my purposes). I have submitted tickets to Evernote over the past few months and it has fallen on deaf ears, nothing has been fixed and it is incredibly difficult to maintain basic lists of items if I do not want to use the "checklist" (strike through completed items) style. It's frustrating. 

Did you ever get a response from Evernote on this? Auto-changing one to the other makes no sense. I'd hope that Evernote do keep an eye on these forums to get a sense of what the users think of any changes - but if you're a full paying member then they should definitely be listening to you. I keep wondering if I upgraded to a paid member whether Evernote would take my feedback onboard - but sounds like not? 

Anyone else who finds this wrong/annoying please comment too!