Applying a list filter

If you have a lot of tasks, you will soon realise that a simple list becomes too cumbersome. To make the tasks easier to view, you can add a filter to the list command. A filter simply restricts the list to either a date, project, context or minimum priority. To filter the list, just use the list command but add either the date, project, context or priority to the end of the command. So if we try the list command with and without filters we can see how the output changes:

>>>LIST

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

[00] @Date 2006-08-10 Take the cat to the vet #5 @Anywhere [2006-08-01]

[01] Learn how to use this program #9 @Computer [2006-08-13]

[02] Buy ceramic tiles for the bathroom #5 @Anywhere Projects: Bathroom,

[2006-08-13]

[03] Visit the 43 folders website #5 @Computer [2006-08-13]

[04] Buy a new bath and taps #5 @Home Projects: Bathroom, [2006-08-13]

[05] @Date 2006-12-19 Buy birthday card for Joe #5 @Anywhere [2006-08-13]

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

>>>LIST :pbathroom

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

Filter = :pbathroom

[02] Buy ceramic tiles for the bathroom #5 @Anywhere Projects: Bathroom,

[2006-08-13]

[04] Buy a new bath and taps #5 @Home Projects: Bathroom, [2006-08-13]

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

>>>LIST @c

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

Filter = @c

[01] Learn how to use this program #9 @Computer [2006-08-13]

[03] Visit the 43 folders website #5 @Computer [2006-08-13]

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

>>>LIST :d2006-12-19

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

Filter = :D2006-12-19

[05] @Date 2006-12-19 Buy birthday card for Joe #5 @Anywhere [2006-08-13]

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

>>>LIST #8

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

[00] @Date 2006-08-10 Take the cat to the vet #5 @Anywhere [2006-08-01]

[01] Learn how to use this program #9 @Computer [2006-08-13]

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

Note how the filter is always displayed in the output so you can see that the list is not necessarily complete.

The priority filter is slightly different to the other filters in that in it matches any task with an equal or higher priority. In the example above, note that the overdue task, even though its original priority was only #5, was still matched by the filter of priority #8. This is because the priority of overdue tasks is automatically increased by 11.

If you enter more than one term in your filter, then both terms must be matched. So you can enter:

>>>LIST @c @w

This will match items with a context of @Computer and @Work.

from version 1.58

You can also filter tasks that contain specific text by including them in the filter. For example:

>>>LIST

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

[00] @Date 2006-08-10 Take the cat to the vet #5 @Anywhere [2006-08-01]

[01] Learn how to use this program #9 @Computer [2006-08-13]

[02] Buy ceramic tiles for the bathroom #5 @Anywhere Projects: Bathroom,

[2006-08-13]

[03] Visit the 43 folders website #5 @Computer [2006-08-13]

[04] Buy a new bath and taps #5 @Home Projects: Bathroom, [2006-08-13]

[05] @Date 2006-12-19 Buy birthday card for Joe #5 @Anywhere [2006-08-13]

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

>>>LIST buy tiles

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

Filter = buy tiles

[02] Buy ceramic tiles for the bathroom #5 @Anywhere Projects: Bathroom,

[2006-08-13]

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

Note that the filter will match parts of words and is case insensitive. So, for example,

>>>LIST art

would find art, ART or party.

from version 1.59

If you precede any filter term with the - character, then only tasks that do not match the filter will be shown.

So:

>>>LIST @c

would show all tasks with a context of @Computer, whereas:

>>>LIST -@c

would show all tasks that do not have a context of @Computer

from version 1.84

You can also match tasks that contain either words by including the term OR. See More complex filters.