Adding tasks

Okay you've started the program and you're ready to start adding some tasks. To add a task, simply type a + followed by the task you want to add. The example below shows how to add this task.

>>>+ Learn how to use this program

You must separate the command from the rest of the text with a space.

ie. Enter + Learn and not +Learn.

You will now see that the bottom of the screen shows the task that we have just added.

>>>+ Learn how to use this program

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[00] Learn how to use this program

Priority: 05

Context: @Anywhere

Created: [2006-08-10]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note the number at the start of the task in square brackets; [00]. This is the task number 0. Many commands need the number of the task to be entered and this is where you find it.

The listing above shows a colour screen. Not all terminals support colour and the default is with colour switched off so your screen may look a little different. If you want to use colour check the Using colour section.

If you read the help, you may have noticed that many commands have different ways of achieving the same thing. The help file shows the add command as ADD/A/+. This means that any of the forms, ADD, A or + can be used. Also the commands are not case sensitive.

So all of the following entries achieve the same thing.

>>>+ Learn how to use this program

>>>add Learn how to use this program

>>>ADD Learn how to use this program

>>>A Learn how to use this program

There is another trick to add a task. Any line you enter that is not recognised as a command and is longer than 10 characters will also be added as a task. So the following will also work

>>>Learn how to use this program

You do need to be careful using this technique because if the first word is recognised as a command you might not get the result you expected. Imagine you typed the following:

A stitch in time saves nine

The actual task that is created would be stitch in time saves nine because the A would have been interpreted as a command. Until you get to grips with the program, you are probably better using the + format or always starting your task with a context. (Contexts are explained in Adding a context)

Tasks are normally added to the end of the list. If you want to add a task to the top, just use the IMMEDIATE, I or ++ command. This is used in exactly the same way as the normal add command but with it placed at the top.

e.g.

>>>++ Put this task at the top

It is important to remember that although you can try to add the task to the top, the tasks' priorities still take precedence.

from version 1.60

The immediate command also sets the @Date context to today. This forces the task to marked as something to do now.