(Archived) Feature: gang reset for checklist items?

[wrishel 3]

As near as I can tell this feature doesn't exist, and it blocks me from using Evernote for an important (and I believe common) business function (re-usable check lists).

For example every time I pack for a business trip I run through a check list of 60 items. I have been using SplashShopping which works ok, but I wish they would spend less time in glitz on more on fundamentals like getting Sync to work without losing data.

Ideally, Evernote would provide a command and accelerator that would go through a note and clear the check boxes on all items.

Secondary features that would be helpful

- organize checklists in outline form. Checking a higher level entry checks all the items below.

- lines including checklist items disappear when the item is checked, so the list of things left to do keeps getting shorter.

I have tried Egretlist but couldn't find the feature there. They advertise their product as having reusable check lists but I don't know how they can justify calling them reusable if you have to go through and clear every item one at a time.

The Egretlist UI is really flashy but for doing business work I prefer the prosaic and regular UI of Evernote. Glitz takes up real estate on an iPhone and distracts designers from thinking through use cases and how the product will meet one's needs. Of course that is a sweeping generality that isn't always true. Look at the iPhone and IPad themselves. Elegant and carefully thought through. But it certainly does seem to be true for a lot of apps in the app store.

[MartinPacker 2]

How about exporting a template checklist - unchecked - as a .enex file? Then import to create a new note. I'd suggest you test this - in particular avoiding overwriting existing notes - before you deploy it in Production.

Martin

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

Evernote is not a to do list. They have stated the only feature they will be adding along those lines is a due date.

There are many find to do lists out there, including Egretlist, which integrates with Evernote. (IE, importing your normal to do list as MartinPacker suggested above & then sync'ing with Egretlist.)

BTW, have you asked the Egretlist developer how to reuse a to do list?

[Pitamakan 2]

To me, this sounds exactly like the sort of task that scripting is intended for ... either Applescript, or whatever equivalent you Windows people have.

I confess, though, that I haven't looked at EN's Applescript support enough to see how viable it would be.

[MartinPacker 2]

@Pitamakan Us Linux / WINE people have BASH, of course. :-)

Martin

[jefito 5,589]

To me, this sounds exactly like the sort of task that scripting is intended for ... either Applescript, or whatever equivalent you Windows people have.

We used to have BAT files, now we have da-dada-daaaa.... Power Shell!! I think that someone on the forum has actually dome some PowerShell scripting, creating .enex files for import.

~Jeff

[wrishel 3]

In looking over Windows-scripting it appears that virtualy an scripting language could be used to obtain a note and transform it somehow (for example resetting the state of all the checkboxes in the note). On the client-side processing it doesn't look like one can update a note, only create a copy ... but it may be possible. If I did it this I would use Ruby, but that's a personal preference.

The Web API seems like it would support updating a note, but of course that wouldn't work if your laptop does not currently have access to the Internet, such as when you are in a client's office with a locked down network.

It doesn't appear that any external program can change the way Evernote renders a note, so some of the features that are really desirable (like having completed items disappear) aren't likely. Maybe some day Evernote will support more dynamic features in XHTML, but there are plenty of reasons for them to go very slowly down that road.

Because I value the other behaviors highly I will cease looking for a mechanism that is integrated with Evernote. Having been disappointed with SplashShopper (sync reliability) and Egretlist (functionality) I will move on to Illium's List Pro. I was disappointed to give it up when I went from PocketPC to Blackberry but it does seem to have arrived at the iPhone about the same time that I did.

[EdH 1,670]

I'd seriously go for this as well. If EN isn't meant to be a to-do list, then having checkboxes sure is an odd feature. I agree EN isn't a checklist app, but by having checkboxes in it, it lends itself to having lists in it once in a while.

[wrishel 3]

I gave up on this.

It is clear that Evernote views checklists as a third-party opportunity. However the third parties that were available back then were fairly sophomoric, more concerned with showing of "cool" use of graphics than understanding and getting convenient solutions for the bread-and-butter issues around checklists, such as having a workflow for those that you reuse many times and a workflow for those that are transient items, no longer of interest after they are checked.

The good news is that ListPro is shipping its product for iPhone. They understand extremely well the various usage scenarios, the difference between glitzy GUI gadgets and a careful thoughout GUI that is intuitive and supports the important workflows. They also understand smartphone/desktop synchronization fairly well. I don't have any financial interest in the company but I was a happy user in the Blackberry and am now a happy user in the iPhone.

I really wish that my checklists were integrated with Evernote. Unfortunately, that's the #2 priority. The #1 priority is having a workable application.

[BurgersNFries 2,407]

For lists, I used to love Listpro on my Palm TX. However, AFAIK, ListPro still does not use a "cloud". So if you make changes on your desktop & don't sync to your phone before leaving the office/home, you're out of luck. At least on the Palm TX, you could do a wifi (or cable) sync that would sync all apps. But when using these apps on an iPhone, you have to sync them all individually. So, for my part, I've left all those apps behind in favor of cloud apps.

[EdH 1,670]

The good news is that ListPro is shipping its product for iPhone.

I used to be a HUGE Listpro fan, but the lack of a cloud solution kills it for me. I have 3 PCs and a phone. Impossible to keep it in sync.

[Mark923 26]

I gave up on this.

It is clear that Evernote views checklists as a third-party opportunity. However the third parties that were available back then were fairly sophomoric, more concerned with showing of "cool" use of graphics than understanding and getting convenient solutions for the bread-and-butter issues around checklists, such as having a workflow for those that you reuse many times and a workflow for those that are transient items, no longer of interest after they are checked.

I agree wholeheartedly with you, Wrishel. I've been a big advocate for pushing for better checkboxes for Android/mobile, to make quick to do lists on the fly. I understand ENs stance on not focusing on the heavy duty, deadline driven project management, (I use Astrid) but when they discuss on their own blogs and tips about making simple packing checklists, they should follow up with enriching this a little more. After all, isn't Evernote supposed to help us REMEMBER EVERYTHING? I can't think of anything more brand-aligned with this tagline than making to do lists a bit better. There are so many discussions and suggestions from EN themselves about using their product for GTD and organization and efficiency, and yet they seemingly contradict themselves by downplaying their to do functionality priorities.

It doesn't make sense, it's a bit of brand schitzophrenia.

I'm not complaining, I LOVE Evernote, and use it pretty hardcore, but I really want to use Evernote for remembering everything, and a little more robust to do listing doesn't seem unreasonable.

[EdH 1,670]

This is a lame workaround, but it does work. I thought there was a "duplicate note" command but I have been unable to find it. Maybe it was in 3.x or maybe I am thinking about another app altogether.

Either way, make your list in EN as you want. Then right-click the note in List View and export it.

When you are ready to do the list, import the note and check the items off there. Downside (besides the steps you have to go through) is if you change the original list, you need to remember to export it again. Also, once imported, it goes into the Imported Notes notebook. If you aren't planning on deleting the list when done, you'll need to move the note to a sync'd notebook.

Upside is, if you want a record of when you completed the list each day/week/month, you will have that record unless you delete the list-notes when done.

All that said, I'd still prefer a way to rest a list.