Integrate tasks with task managers

[jvankempen 26]

How easy would life get when you finish your notes in Evernote with some tasks and instead of them staying locked up in the minimal internal task manager, they get send to your full-blown task manager (todoist, Trello etc). I'm surprised to find this integration is not available either directly or through a tool like IFTTT. It seems the API is entirely missing.

I don't think Evernote is planing to concur that market, so an integration would make Evernote even more valuable within the ecosystem.

[Gruik 10]

Same need.

I have todoist to handle my tasks

I have Evernote to handle my notes

When I am creating task in Evernote, I want them to be created in Todoist as well.

[Mr R 24]

Pleexy has a great integration to turn Evernote’s checkboxes into tasks in Todoist, with a great two-way sync. Evernote - please make it possible for programs like Pleexy to integrate with their programs with your new Tasks.

[Rob Bernabé 8]

Agree completely here @jvankempen.  The updates to Evernote recently have been great overall for me personally, but the only thing its missing is integration with task managers.  I came to this forum for the same reason: to see if there was an API for the new Tasks feature.  Disappointed to see it doesn't exist.

@RobertJLee I use RTM and its integration is for "Reminders" _not_ the new Tasks.  Since there's no API for this (yet?), there can't be an integration with anything.

[BaxterG 7]

Count me in for this as well -- would be great to add to the API for Zapier. Reminders are there, and yes, it works well, but that is to remind related to the note, not a true task. I know the task feature is great and glad it is finally here, especially with the calendar integration for adding action items/ tasks in the meeting notes. But I need to route them to the task manager and can not currently without adding them to the API. 

[DenitaS 3]

I echo Patricius and Pink Elephant's comments above.

I subscribe to Pleexy to coordinate my tasks and notes because we're a MS campus and I don't love MS notes functions. Pleexy makes it possible for me to sync MS To Do with my Evernote. I have used Evernote for years and really love it - and would like to keep using it. As technology progresses, it's logical to have Evernote tasks sync with other systems. Otherwise, other options for task management start looking better, and Evernote will be left behind. Having tasks included in the API would keep Evernote as my tool of choice for years to come.

[DarrenE 8]

I must admit the lack of the API for the new tasks in Evernote is holding me back from using the tasks functionality.

My main tasks list is in Todoist which is connected to my other online services via Pleexy for automaton. Having tasks exist in Evernote as an island is not an option so I'm not using that functionality at the moment. But I can see when new Evernote tasks would be useful, if only those tasks could also be replicated so I don't lose track of them in my main task manager.

Providing API access for tasks automation would be a smart move by Evernote to retain users. Here's hoping.

[WhiteTigre 0]

Actually, Pleexy and other integration tools already integrate with Evernote checkboxes via their API, so it's not about "opening" it, it's just a matter of adding Tasks to the ALREADY open API.

This way, I can take my notes in Evernote and send my actionable items to my task manager.

Edited July 20, 2022 by Jorgenrrique
I just wanted to add a bit more context.

[Alxa 480]

Voted this up as well. As Evernote is running an interesting additional approach to add tasks to rich notes, opening up the API would be very nice to enhance real task management with rich note taking of Evernote. Would highly appreciate it.

[WilliamAEN 3]

Yes, I recently signed up for a paid professional plan again with this new feature after being away for years, but was rather disappointed to find this missing from the API. 

A Tasks API is really important to me (and my renewal).

Thank you Evernote team for reading and considering.

[Nik2165 3]

I would absolutely love if the new Tasks were part of the API and therefore available to automation solutions like Zapier. It would really help my workflow between Evernote and my project management system. (in my case ClickUp, but the API would make it available to any task manager)

I like the Tasks in Evernote, but I kinda feel like I'm doing double work using them, because I still need to add them to the project management software. Please, please consider this one! Seems like a logical next step to the new task feature.

[Jon/t 1,289]

2 hours ago, Nik2165 said:

I would absolutely love if the new Tasks were part of the API and therefore available to automation solutions like Zapier. It would really help my workflow between Evernote and my project management system. (in my case ClickUp, but the API would make it available to any task manager)

I like the Tasks in Evernote, but I kinda feel like I'm doing double work using them, because I still need to add them to the project management software. Please, please consider this one! Seems like a logical next step to the new task feature.

Same. I read somewhere (can't find it) that they're working on email tasks into the system like you can do with notes.

Waiting for this together with recurring tasks as my CRM, invoice & project management software all create tasks for me automatically in Todoist.

[MissCelestial 2]

On 7/20/2022 at 8:02 AM, PinkElephant said:

The main idea behind EN tasks is to make notes actionable. This is something a task manager can hardly do.

I agree that a task manager alone can't make notes actionable. But I would suggest that Evernote paired with a task manager can.

As others on the string have said, I take meeting notes in EN (love the new calendar integration for this), but when I have 2 or 3 meetings back to back or 5 or 6 meetings in a day, I don't have time to go through all of my notes and pull out the tasks from each one.

Pleexy provides the ability to automatically pull all of my tasks, across notes, into my task manager (into specific projects) so that I can incorporate those tasks in with the rest of my to dos. Plus Pleexy has the ability to keep the task status (done or not done) in sync between my task manager and EN. That way if I complete the task in my task manager, it shows as done the next time I review the meeting notes.

Yes, I could create the tasks in my task manager and then link back to the note, but in this world of technology, why not have the computer do the work?

[PinkElephant 8,111]

There is no need to build a complex integration through the API. Most task managers can store and open links pointing to a web resource.

Create a link to a note, copy it and paste it into the task in your task manager. Ready, Done, Integrated.

[RJLUK 307]

Try Remember the milk its been going 17 years and has two way integration with evernote reminders. I have used it for years. Yes it even works with the "new" evernote.

[DTLow 5,736]

On 12/1/2021 at 5:46 AM, jvankempen said:

instead of them staying locked up in the minimal internal task manager

I added my vote   
I don't use a task manager service; I just want the data to be available    
I use a spreadsheet for a Gantt view of my sorted task list

[RJLUK 307]

11 hours ago, Rob Bernabé said:

bertJLee I use RTM and its integration is for "Reminders" _not_ the new Tasks.  Since there's no API for this (yet?), there can't be an integration with anything.

Correct - and they become "tasks" in RTM which may be edited from within RTM to some degree.

[Rob Bernabé 8]

Does anyone know if there is there a general product roadmap page, so we can get an idea when the Tasks API will even become available?

[agsteele 2,949]

Nothing published in terms of road map.

[Kayla1995 0]

Came here looking for this. Sad that it doesn't exist. Even if it's just bare bones sync tasks back and forth and all you get is either completed or not completed syncing, just SOMETHING. Also the calendar thing in evernote is super cool but I find it to be buggy in that sometimes it doesn't show all my events on the first load. 

[Patricius 6]

I like PinkElephant's approach a lot:

Quote

There is no need to build a complex integration through the API. Most task managers can store and open links pointing to a web resource. ... Create a link to a note, copy it and paste it into the task in your task manager. Ready, Done, Integrated.

Say I'm noodling in an EN note about how to have an efficient task app like Todoist NOT gain its own conceptual, textual weight which distracts from or competes with Evernote, but joins Evernote's substance and weight to itself. Nimbleness and focused weightiness. The excitement of EN tasks feature is that its tasks are able to be rooted in a context of thought and problem-solving coming to us in-house. But EN cannot be as nimble as TD and can't give us recurring tasks, etc. The solution, which many of us have already resorted to, is to integrate. I copy the web link from the EN note I'm working in, and I type a Todoist task like this (TD puts the descriptive text into square brackets and the URL into parentheses):

Quote

["Work on integrating EN notes with important actionable implications into TD tasks that can pop right back into EN to continue the inquiry]( ... EN note URL ...)

The result is a Todoist with real weight coming from the heartland of our inquiry in EN, and an EN with a real nimbleness borrowed from Todoist. Maybe the best of both worlds will have to come from integration rather than bending singular apps out of their proper shape.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Just tried it again today: You can play with the link types you paste into the todo manager (I am using Things 3, Apple ecosystem only).

When inserting an applink, the embedded note opens in the app. With a weblink, EN opens the note in a browser.

On iOS there is a bug that causes Safari (and other browsers) to crash when the web client is used. So if you use this trick on iOS devices, it currently is better to put applinks into the external  Task Manager.

[agsteele 2,949]

I imagine that the API will get attention at some point in the future but there is no promise and I don't see that being high on the agenda.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

• All users = 100%
• Users who use tasks somehow = 50%*                    (*) unfounded example values
• Users who use Tasks seriously = 20%*
• Users who want extended Tasks functions = 5%*
• Users who want to use the API to work out their own Tasks functions = 1%*
• Users who will use the API, Pleexy and Todoist to this end = 0,01%*

Pick the position on the backlog for your request !

Very narrow demands are very unlikely to be realized. We have some quite general feature requests pending since long. I would not expect to see anything like this in the next years - just my 5ct, however.

Contact to EN PM can be made through the feedback function build into the clients.

[Christian Obkirchner 1]

This would be a great feature, if you would make available new tasks available through your public API. In Evernote you have an overview of all your tasks and in a task manager like Todoist, you can manage them. IMHO a win-win situation for all users.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

EN is in general not build around tasks. I think every task manager is fully able to give you the overview you want (or you should switch the task manager).

The main idea behind EN tasks is to make notes actionable. This is something a task manager can hardly do.

Since task managers all have their own way of doing things, I doubt it would really be easy to just open the API, and let tasks flow left and right. This could create problems when tasks are created, managed or deleted, and the result is moving through an API unfiltered.

A limited, controlled approach maybe - to contact EN about it, use the feedback function in the clients.

[agsteele 2,949]

2 hours ago, Jorgenrrique said:

it's just a matter of adding Tasks to the ALREADY open API.

The EN API will probably be updated at some point in the future but waiting for it to happen is likely to be a painful activity. It certainly isn't a trivial matter.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Think it from a helicopter view: There are herds in the plains, each one moving on its own. One will release a new version, another will restructure the back end, the next one switches from an own cloud to the big ones (like iCloud), or back, etc. In task managers there is no clear market leader, and every app runs significantly different approaches.

Linking all that together is IMHO not a solution, it is a nightmare.

But go ahead and propose it to EN - this is what the feedback function is meant for.

[Jon/t 1,289]

My own 2p on this... notes are indeed actionable with a task(s) added but tasks are also standalone without any note needed. I like this.

I have a lot of business automations setup as It saves me so much time and being able to create tasks via the API or email would be a huge plus. Pretty sure the email option is coming from what folks have said.

I have a number of use cases:

My invoice software creates over 200 recurring invoices every year and it would be nice to connect my Invoice software with EN so a task is created for me to check and send an invoice.

My CRM could create lead follow ups for 7/14 & 21 days after a lead is generated.

When I receive a payment via Stripe a task could be created 3 days later to check the bank to see if money has arrived.

Right now I have a DIY thing going on. Instead of creating a task these systems create a note via email that's tagged #Flow (I use Zoho Flow for automations). I then need to check Evernote Home a few times a day to see if a new Flow Note has been created. I then manually create the task.

Would be great to have it all automated.

Much more business process is becoming automated and with connectors like Zoho Flow and Zapier becoming more popular I think it's a 'must' at some point for Evernote to update the API.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Thanks for explaining your use cases.

Just a small correction: In EN every task needs to rest in a note. If no note is assigned, a note is used that is created for exactly this necessity with the first Task. It is a container for all tasks that do not have another note as their „home base“.

[WhiteTigre 0]

14 hours ago, MissCelestial said:

13 hours ago, PinkElephant said:

Think it from a helicopter view: There are herds in the plains, each one moving on its own. One will release a new version, another will restructure the back end, the next one switches from an own cloud to the big ones (like iCloud), or back, etc. In task managers there is no clear market leader, and every app runs significantly different approaches.

Linking all that together is IMHO not a solution, it is a nightmare.

But go ahead and propose it to EN - this is what the feedback function is meant for.

This is where Pleexy comes in. The Evernote team would just have to add Tasks to the already open API, and that's about it.

Pleexy and other integration tools provide a way of integrating with different task managers, and they already do so.

Following the helicopter view metaphor, add a lot of jeeps in land, driving the herds... an integration tools would be the radios that provide the contact between the helicopter and the jeeps, and the API would basically be the instructions the helicopter gives.

[WhiteTigre 0]

 

On 7/20/2022 at 5:28 PM, agsteele said:

The EN API will probably be updated at some point in the future but waiting for it to happen is likely to be a painful activity. It certainly isn't a trivial matter.

Why do you say that it certainly isn't it a trivial matter?

They already have the tasks working, and they already have an open API.

It is just a matter of adding the parameters to the calls and responses.

It is, in fact, trivial. The hard part has been done already, which was building the feature.

[agsteele 2,949]

We can debate the nature of triviality but that isn't likely to be very useful so we can, I hope, agree to differ.

Whatever, the Evernote API isn't going to be updated in the very near future. Probably not until the various application updates slow down.

[Boot17 1,450]

"It is, in fact, trivial. The hard part has been done already, which was building the feature."

https://discussion.evernote.com/forums/topic/139984-integrate-tasks-with-task-managers/#comment-660347

"There is plenty of other issues like this. Like how hard it is to share a note as a text message, pdf or email, instead of as a link to a Evernote. It would be so easy to make it better and perfect the workflow."

https://discussion.evernote.com/forums/topic/122159-allow-sharing-to-evernote-without-opening-up-evernote-screen-as-with-google-keep-or-zoho-notebook/#comment-552228

"This just seems like a very easy change, and I find it odd that these settings are ignored"

https://discussion.evernote.com/forums/topic/142417-needed-penultimate-capabilities/#comment-658427

" I just solved the problem in a line of code."

https://discussion.evernote.com/forums/topic/138198-numbered-list-and-sub-list-labels/?do=findComment&comment=634671

"I've been messaging support for more than one year now about it and I keep getting promises, but they're never implemented. (Even though they would be totally easy to do)"

https://discussion.evernote.com/forums/topic/141433-please-give-us-old-and-good-evernote-back/?do=findComment&comment=658965

"this simple function (and I am a soft dev so yes, it's simple)"

https://discussion.evernote.com/forums/topic/141103-toggle-list/#comment-644077

 

These are but just a few examples of hundreds in these forums.

What's actually easy is to just say something is easy even when a user has no real idea of it all (even if they work in IT or are one of tens of millions of programmers).

[Jon/t 1,289]

27 minutes ago, Boot17 said:

What's actually easy is to just say something is easy even when a user has no real idea of it all (even if they work in IT or are one of tens of millions of programmers).

It's just drag & drop isn't it 😂

Putting my sensible head on I would imagine the new sync tech will come first then API sometime later to take advantage of any new functionality.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

The fun after doing it the „easy“ way will be  forum posts like

… deleted without notification … task locked, can’t edit … disappeared from XYZ view …

Followed by … no QA … not thoroughly tested … how could it be released …

The most amazing is: These posts will be from the same users that are today founding the easy-peasy-party.

[Hari_S 2]

It would be awesome if we can get this!

[Friemelkubus 1]

Any chance this will become a feature in the near future? It just seems like something which can be very powerfull. Currently using tasks but quick to lose overview. So being able to port that to another app would be wonderful.

 

(As for it being easy I'm not touching that with a 10-ft pole.)

[TroyC 24]

When Evernote built its current API, it was actually quite unique.  It was a Thrift API (not REST).  It was the methods they were usually internally to the company and not some subset created for developers to access (see list).   That was 10 years ago and it is now part of the mountain of technical debt that Evernote is trying to clear.  Along with the front end stuff people love/hate, there is a backend mountain to climb.  Ian talked about part of it during one of the Behind the Scenes talks.  

I don't expect APIs to be released until they reach relative feature stability.  They somehow manage to keep the existing API functioning when I know the database structure behind the new Evernote must look much different which is why the new stuff isn't supported.  Releasing a new API once a new database structure is landed, probably is relatively trivial.  Transitioning the billions of requests on the existing one to the new one without pain for hundreds of companies and millions of users, that's a different story entirely.

 

 

 

[WhiteTigre 0]

Are y'all done whining?

Tasks still haven't been made available for other to integrate with, and the Evernote team says nothing about it. I don't understand why there's people here defending it like it was your baby... Unless they're being paid to do so?

Evernote communication is being done towards us users managing our tasks from Evernote per se, which is never going to happen because EverNOTE is a NOTE taking app, not a task manager. They're just trying to take some market share from other task managers, and that's a business decision that is truncating the experience for us, users who care about productivity - probably a minority.

As users, we should be asking Evernote to release features that make our life easier, not attacking other users who're asking for the Evernote team to improve the product.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Let's put it this way: You are great ("a stable genius", somebody said about himself), all the others lack your insight or are overly sensible.

This does not take us anywhere, but maybe makes you stop dropping posts that only contain offence against other forum users. You brought it far by - how many, oh, yes, 4 posts in this forum, up to now.

Back to lurking ...

[WhiteTigre 0]

Thanks for acknowledging my "stable genius" status - it's always good to be recognised.

Now, can you please tell your bosses at Evernote to please give their users at least an ETA or some sort of communication about when are tasks going to be available to be integrated with a real task manager?

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Poor you - you report to bosses ? How bossy is this.

You can easily recognise EN staff by - surprise - "Staff" placed on their forum badge.

All others are users, and we use the most advanced tools to find out what EN management will do next:

 

 

[agsteele 2,949]

6 hours ago, WhiteTigre said:

Thanks for acknowledging my "stable genius" status - it's always good to be recognised.

Now, can you please tell your bosses at Evernote to please give their users at least an ETA or some sort of communication about when are tasks going to be available to be integrated with a real task manager?

I'm not staff either but I can guarantee that there are no plans to integrate Evernote Tasks with another task manager. 

[Hari_S 2]

Commenting and upvoting! Since it is still not available after almost 1 year....

[PinkElephant 8,111]

LOL  “…. after almost 1 year.“

For acclimatization I would like to ask you to look for some threads here in the forum with high 3 digit number of votes, most of them startet around 2010. Ah yes, all still running strong …

Personally I don’t think we will ever see such a feature. Why „integrate with task manager“ when a) a task manager got integrated into EN and b) there is by no means a standard among task managers. The market segment is pretty fragmented between a large number of projects, sharing nothing than the name. Not a good field for any sort of „integration“. And don’t tell me they just need to integrate with the one YOU YOURSELF have accidentally picked.

[WhiteTigre 0]

13 hours ago, Hari_S said:

Commenting and upvoting! Since it is still not available after almost 1 year....

Hari, it's actually been 1 year and almost 5 months since the early access release (https://evernote.com/blog/evernote-announces-tasks-feature/)... but hey, who's counting?

[karstenreisdorf 0]

I totally agree. I'm not going to use tasks if they aren't synced to Todoist, which is kinda sad.

[Lantor 0]

Hi there.

It's been a bit more than 6 months since the last post so just wondering if anything changed?

Does Evernote have API for Tasks? Or perhaps it's in the roadmap?

[fliptop 0]

Please integrate Tasks API with Plexxy!

[JimmyPhones 0]

Tasks API with pleexy please. 

[Szczenka 5]

Another +1 for APIs for Tasks.
I'm using Akiflow to capture all my to-dos (including starred emails, slacks, Jira, Asana, or whatever app I need to use temporarily for work) — in one Inbox. The only major app I can't connect with Akiflow is Evernote due to a lack of APIs. And that's a huge problem for me as since 2009, it's been my main personal productivity workhorse.

[Daniela Mancilla 0]

Same here. I'd like to see my Todoist's Today Summary in my Evernote's home page, instead of having tasks created in one ecosystem or the other. Make it possible, guys. Thanks!

[vadminas 0]

+1

[Alex1235246 0]

Integrating Evernote with your task manager sounds like a dream. I've been in your shoes, wishing for a seamless flow between note-taking and task management. Have you considered exploring document management with workflow solutions? It might just be the missing link you're looking for. I remember when I stumbled upon it, suddenly everything clicked into place. Tasks flowed effortlessly from notes to my task manager, boosting productivity and keeping me on track.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

EN Tasks are build to make notes actionable, to build exactly the workflows you are asking for,

Since no standard exist for task managers, I wouldn’t expect any integration.

[janndk 495]

A simple two-way sync with google tasks etc would be a good start.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

… would be a good start - for Google.

Why do we need to shovel even more personal data to this data hoarder ? If there is an ugly business model behind a nice face, it’s Google (OK, with fierce competition by Meta and Amazon for the top position).

[janndk 495]

36 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

… would be a good start - for Google.

Why do we need to shovel even more personal data to this data hoarder ? If there is an ugly business model behind a nice face, it’s Google (OK, with fierce competition by Meta and Amazon for the top position).

Wow. Calm down 😅 Google tasks is part of google calendar, which can already get connected to Evernote. When tasks connection is missing, part of the calendar is also missing.

[PinkElephant 8,111]

Know what will be the day when I calm down ?

It will be the day when Google asks me if I allow them to take my data, and offer a reasonable refund. Currently they are stealing them, and pocket it all.

But we all know that before that hell freezes over (and probably Apple starts to charge reasonable prices for storage upgrades).