Add support for customisable TODO keywords

The more I think about this, the more I would like something like the original suggestion posted by @benhamilton. I would like separate sequences for different kinds of checklists. For instance, for books I would like something along the lines of: “TOREAD, READING, FINISHED” simply to distinguish it from my ordinary task list. It is possible to add keywords and then filter based on that, but this would be much easier, since only books would use these terms…

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I Would like something really simple

  • Custom todos as kind of allias to current TODO DOING DONE states
  • They might should be customisable by custom CSS

For example I really need keyword CANCELLED, it may be treated as a variant od DONE, but with possible of adding custom CSS by user of theme maker in some settings

EDIT: CANCELLED somehow work for me, at least in theme I am using :slight_smile:

Here is an overview of what is currently possible

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Considering there is presently a single TODO workflow, I had a similar thought but I would redefine it as allowing custom workflows—and making workflows a primitive. The more I pondered, the more I saw the similarity of my request and this one. And once workflows/keywords are a primitive, visually alternating between outlines and Kanban boards is a more convenient reach whether by plugin or built-in feature.

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I’ve have finally achieved almost this requirement I’ve had using Obsidian and a plugin called Apply Patterns, which uses RegEx to search/replace text (in my case, hashtags). Details here: Gallery of patterns? · Discussion #43 · jglev/obsidian-apply-patterns-plugin · GitHub

Is there a plugin for Logseq that I use could to do the same?

While there are some variations in the details, the reality is there are at least 3 feature requests which could be merged:

  1. This one.
  2. Introduce custom workflows as a primitive to replace TODOs
  3. NOW / NEXT / LATER tasks workflow

I mention this just to make it easy for admins to close the lot, since I see this is marked as “on-roadmap.”

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I created a plugin that attempts to address this feature request. Let me know how it goes and whether it can be improved further.

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I really like the sequence idea.

However, I wonder if there is a more generic use that could also be applied to Properties too?

Allow a user to define a set of sequence that are maybe “ordered” or just “lists”.

Then use those in other places in logseq.
“tasks”,
property-name-value-lists (only allowed values for the property),
property-name-value-suggestions (optional suggestions),
etc…

Agree with the above, I’d like a customisable TODO keyword which allowed me to insert a plain checkbox for simple checklists (like https://www.reddit.com/r/logseq/comments/rw4hnx/how_to_insert_a_plain_checkbox/)

1 Like

Would certainly like to see these ideas incorporated into Logseq.

This might be a bit too much, but I’d also like to see some ability to link parent TODO items to child TODO items, such that the parent items becomes an Objective and-or measure of progress

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Would be nice to know if there’s any plan for supporting this, or if there’s anything blocking it. @tienson

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Try TODO Master plugin for a progressbar that updates accordingly to TODOs in children blocks

This has been tagged as on-roadmap since at least March 2022, and has gathered 150 votes. But when I look at the roadmap here: Trello or at the GitHub issues here: Issues · logseq/logseq · GitHub I’m not finding any items or issue that seems to relate to this.

Am I missing it? if so could someone please point me to the appropriate item/issue?

I’m still VERY keen to see this achieved using Logseq. Using org-mode sequences that we can modify for our own personal workflows would be very powerful and useful. And at 150 votes, I’m confident it would be useful to more than just myself.

Thanks,
Ben.

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Interesting that this is not prioritized more, considering that built-in task management tends to be mentioned as one of the top advantages logseq has over Obsidian. Why not focus on the strongest parts?

As a side note how well does this Trello board corresponds with dev plans? Not just this, but most of top-voted suggestions from this board are not included, not even in long term. Are these in even more distantier future or is that board incomplete?

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I’ve been moving back and forward between Logseq and Obsidian, and one thing really stops me from committing to Logseq,… this feature request.

What’s fundamental to both is that my data is locally stored and I can work with no internet connection, and that data is in a format I can utilise elsewhere. Task Management is a key activity for knowledge workers, and for me it’s crucial.

Earlier in this very thread, here, Aryan, shares a Logseq plugin that comes some of the distance, but doesn’t fully close this loop for me. It may be enough for others, but I suspect there is a substantial number of others here that really want their own workflows, in their phraseology, to be easily implemented in Logseq.

My feeling is that this should be in the product out of the box. Much the same as every other person wanting their feature native to the product :wink: But I recognise that my priorities and needs may not be the same as those who get to control what is given time and effort.

All the knowledge workers I know have more than one distinct workflow. The two workflows I described at the outset of this thread, are (almost) still the same.

(setq org-todo-keywords
      '((sequence "BACKLOG" "TODO" "INPROGRESS" "PENDING" "ONHOLD" "|" "CANCELLED" "DONE")
        (sequence "REPORT" "BUG" "KNOWNCAUSE" "|" "NOTFIXING" "FIXED")))

Using block properties kinda works, and if there was a plugin (perhaps there is?) that would allow me to manage tasks using block properties, then that might remove the final amount of friction here for me.

It could be a plugin that:

  • uses a block property status (or similar)
  • we’d need someplace to specify the workflow sequences
  • the order of statuses in each sequence
  • for each workflow, which statuses are ‘open’ statuses, which are ‘closed’ statuses
  • set a keyboard shortcut that would cycle the statuses for the current task, through the values in the sequence for the workflow in use (happy to keep statuses globally unique as this keeps it easier for humans to both know where in a workflow a thing is, and which workflow it is in)
  • ideally a shift-<keyboard_shortcut>` would cycle in statuses in reverse order (or separately definable)
  • bonus would be to track total time in each status (I’ve not need to keep an audit of when it switched back and forth

Thusly, if there isn’t going to be any communication from the developers, either via this thread, the roadmap, or via git issues, then are there any plugin developers interested in discussing this further?

Specifically, I’m curious to know how much time/effort you’d feel is involved in achieving the above.

3 Likes

Screenshot of how I’d see block properties utilised

I love Logseq TODOs but they could be better. There are two nomenclatures for the same thing: TODO/DOING/DONE and LATER/NOW/DONE. Thus the app supports a single workflow. Why not allow multiple workflows (state machines) to be defined within the config.edn?

Kanban/Trello boards (e.g. workflows) can be almost anything you can imagine. Logseq already supports workflows, it’s just that it only supports a single basic one. Why not allow customizable workflows? Folks are wanting to tweak the basic TODO workflow anyway.

{
  :workflows: [
    {:name :TASK :incomplete [:TODO, :DOING] :complete [:DONE] :cancel [:CANCELED]}
    {:name :ARTICLE :incomplete [:IDEA, :DRAFTING, :EDITING, :PROOFING, :DEFERED] :complete [:PUBLISHED] :cancel [:DISCARDED]}
  ]
}

If the same term is used in multiple workflows no matter. When adding a new block using a term it will automatically assume the first workflow which uses the term. Then a keystroke allows the user to visually cycle through the workflows sharing the term to disambiguate. In that case, a hidden piece of metadata (like the collapsed block state) can track the select workflow. Hopefully shrewd users will avoid reusing terms, but it may be unavoidable at times. (All terms are stored in the marker slot of block objects.)

The incomplete and complete states allow the task to be checked off in normal fashion. It could make sense to have only a single complete state but I don’t think it would be bad to be able to cycle between different possible end states. And having the cancel category is useful for showing an aborted workflow, just as Logseq already renders CANCELED tasks differently from completed ones.

While, obviously in a state machine it is possible to define valid transitions, I’m not going there. I think that cycling to the next desired state is good enough. And keystrokes (something?) could provide a means of jumping to the complete and cancel categories.

The benefit of having custom workflows is it solves the Kanban primitive problem. There are currently Kanban plugins but they are grafted into pages. Having workflows become the primitive would allow one to toggle the current screen between outline and board views much in the same way that Microsoft Planner and ClickUp and countless other tools do. And with Logseq as frequently used for GTD as it is for PKM, it’s not a far reach to say “it belongs.”

Making this configurable means your average user might never upgrade from ordinary to-dos into varied workflows. Everything would work exactly as it already does for such users.

4 Likes

Just resurfacing this feature request as we approach 200 votes. Unsure what the level of effort is on this, but it seems like a heavily-sought-after feature (to allow custom workflows).

Native support (as opposed to plugin) hugely benefits mobile users as well.

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Hello everyone,

I wanted to share an exciting update with you all. Your feedback and discussions on customizable workflow state markers have been incredibly insightful, and I’m thrilled to announce that I’m now in the early stages of designing this feature!

As we continue to build the database version of Logseq, we believe it’s the perfect opportunity to start work on this much-requested feature. Our aim is to create a more versatile and personalizable task management experience for all of you.

The feature will allow users to create, rename, and manage their task states, and also customize their appearance. It’s still in the design phase, but our goal is to provide a seamless, intuitive way to manage and customize your workflows directly in Logseq’s settings.

Your ideas, use cases, and opinions are invaluable in shaping this development, and I want to keep this conversation going. As I progress with the designs, I will be sharing updates and requesting your feedback to ensure we’re creating a feature that genuinely enhances your Logseq experience. This will probably most likely happen in the Discord #design channel as it’s my preferred medium for quick input.

Thank you for your continued support, patience, and most importantly, your input. Stay tuned for more updates on this feature soon! :rocket:

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To be honest, I’d given up. But this is very good news to hear.