backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

I just tried to write am backend for this todolist format:
https://github.com/ginatrapani/todo.txt-cli/wiki/The-Todo.txt-Format

and after a few hours
with no real success I gave up.

I want to first have a very simple convertion of some tasks like that:

TODO foo
DONE bar

to:

foo
x bar

bonus would be to ignore headline levels for now

so:

* Tasks
** TODO foo
** DONE bar

would be ok too.


There is a nice opensource android App that uses this format:

https://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=task&fdid=nl.mpcjanssen.simpletask

so it would be nice to be able to easy have a list of your tasks with
you in a touchfriendly environment. I know there is mobileorg but the ui
is horrible and the projekt is more or less abandoned.

Maybe export/import backend is the wrong way to go, a sync or exchange
feature would be better so maybe org-agenda todo export/import ability
would be better? but for now a export alone would be an advancement.
dont know if import or export can update/replace lines?

maybe with some kind of taskid property?

maybe thats stupid and I should just fork such am tool to make it
understand org-mode format, but a automatic way to send stuff one way to
android would be a good starting step, to test if I use that feature
much.

exporting to todo.txt format seemed just to be the easiest way, heck I
even could write a macro to do that if nothing else is reasonable easy
to do.

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Rasmus]

Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:

> Maybe export/import backend is the wrong way to go, a sync or exchange
> feature would be better so maybe org-agenda todo export/import ability
> would be better? but for now a export alone would be an advancement.
> dont know if import or export can update/replace lines?

Maybe CalDav?  There's a tool on F-droid called Tasks (or maybe Task) that
can sync via DAVDroid to REPO..  Maybe org-caldav.el could be extended to
support the sync. tasks between Org and REPO.

Rasmus

-- 
C is for Cookie

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

> Rasmus <rasmus@gmx.us> writes:

> Maybe CalDav?  There's a tool on F-droid called Tasks (or maybe Task) that
> can sync via DAVDroid to REPO..  Maybe org-caldav.el could be extended to
> support the sync. tasks between Org and REPO.

> Rasmus

hmm then each task have to get assigned to a date I guess? Despite that
I kind of like that solution, the name of the app is tasks btw but
there are 2 with that name in f-droid, the right one has a green
background and is lisensed under apache2 lisense.

I am not shure which solution I like more yours or the other todo.txt
solution somebody else posted here I have a bit of overhead
with the owncloud server, but 2way sync should work at least I read
something like that on the org-caldav.el site.

So it should actually work, I am just not shure about if I need a
date. I seldom (have to) force me into setting deadlines. So most of the
time its only tasks that I do when I have time and I am in the mood.

I guess maybe to test I could sync the caldav file manuelly one way to
test how I like the app/usecase. and when I like it and it works
reasonable well I can setup owncloud.

If I can put it some fake dates or leave them out it seems that would be
the better solution if the app is good enough.

Thx for that great suggestion!

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Rasmus]

Hi,

Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:

> hmm then each task have to get assigned to a date I guess? Despite that
> I kind of like that solution, the name of the app is tasks btw but
> there are 2 with that name in f-droid, the right one has a green
> background and is lisensed under apache2 lisense.

It doesn't need a solution, but I think you need one of the "forked"
version since some tag is missing.  Maybe this one

        https://github.com/blaa/org-caldav

IOW, ideally some more effort should be put into properly supporting pure
task syncing...

> So it should actually work, I am just not shure about if I need a
> date. I seldom (have to) force me into setting deadlines. So most of the
> time its only tasks that I do when I have time and I am in the mood.

I think you don’t need a date, but don’t expect task syncing to work
effortlessly without some effort, though I had it working somewhat before
I reset my phone by accident.

> seems to work, kind of no error. but there are no entries into the
> calendar exported.
>
>
>   (require 'org-caldav)
>   (setq org-caldav-calendars '((:calendar-id "personal"
>                   :url "http://myserver/owncloud/remote.php/caldav/calendars/username"
>                   :files ("~/notes/organizer.org")
>                   :inbox "~/notes/from-smartphone.org")))
>

I use this, which might be old syntax?  I have OwnCloud v8.1.3.

(with-eval-after-load 'org-caldav
  (setq org-caldav-url "https://rasmus@domain.net/owncloud/remote.php/caldav/calendars/rasmus"
        org-caldav-calendar-id "defaultcalendar"
        org-caldav-inbox "~/documents/cal/inbox.org"
        org-caldav-files '("~/documents/cal/calendar.org"
                           "~/documents/cal/todo.org")
        org-icalendar-timezone "Europe/Berlin"))

;; Include DEADLINE and SCHEDULED:
(with-eval-after-load 'org-caldav
  (setq org-icalendar-include-todo t
        org-icalendar-use-deadline
        '(event-if-todo event-if-not-todo todo-due)
        org-icalendar-use-scheduled
        '(event-if-todo event-if-not-todo todo-start)
        org-icalendar-with-timestamps t))


Rasmus

-- 
Spil noget med Slayer!

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

Hi,

first thanks it at least does something now.

Rasmus <rasmus@gmx.us> writes:

> It doesn't need a solution, but I think you need one of the "forked"
> version since some tag is missing.  Maybe this one
>
>         https://github.com/blaa/org-caldav

for what exactly do you think do I need such fork? for syncing tasts
without a timestamp or do you think the normal org-caldav is broken in
general, cause it works for me now except it does not sync tasks without
deadline/shedule times.


>
> IOW, ideally some more effort should be put into properly supporting
>pure
> task syncing...
>
>
> I think you don’t need a date, but don’t expect task syncing to work
> effortlessly without some effort, though I had it working somewhat before
> I reset my phone by accident.

I cant even test that at the moment because it does not sync the tasks
without timestamps.


> I use this, which might be old syntax?  I have OwnCloud v8.1.3.

I think this is a more direct approach, my version seems to be a
alternative if you open the source files in first 20 lines or so there
is a comment that says so, but your solution works, I think the second
part makes it running, with include-todo and use-deadline.

But I have to test it more, I think I stumbled over a bug, because after
my settings it should not have ascced me about google incredients, when
I tried to org-caldav-delete-org-entries.

With your settings it just deletes my 3 deadline/sheduled things and
never ask me google incredients, so it seems to me a bug.

> (with-eval-after-load 'org-caldav
>   (setq org-caldav-url "https://rasmus@domain.net/owncloud/remote.php/caldav/calendars/rasmus"
>         org-caldav-calendar-id "defaultcalendar"
>         org-caldav-inbox "~/documents/cal/inbox.org"
>         org-caldav-files '("~/documents/cal/calendar.org"
>                            "~/documents/cal/todo.org")
>         org-icalendar-timezone "Europe/Berlin"))
>
> ;; Include DEADLINE and SCHEDULED:
> (with-eval-after-load 'org-caldav
>   (setq org-icalendar-include-todo t
>         org-icalendar-use-deadline
>         '(event-if-todo event-if-not-todo todo-due)
>         org-icalendar-use-scheduled
>         '(event-if-todo event-if-not-todo todo-start)
>         org-icalendar-with-timestamps t))

I think it makes sense that a kalendar can only sync appointments with
dates right? or do you think it can deal with todo items without any
dates? And if so, what part would you think I have to change.

Even if that would not be possible its nice to have this option now, to
shedule some appointments I guess, but it would not work as todolist
then.

thanks again so far!

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Rasmus]

Hi Stefan,

Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:

>> It doesn't need a solution, but I think you need one of the "forked"
>> version since some tag is missing.  Maybe this one
>>
>>         https://github.com/blaa/org-caldav
>
> for what exactly do you think do I need such fork? for syncing tasts
> without a timestamp or do you think the normal org-caldav is broken in
> general, cause it works for me now except it does not sync tasks without
> deadline/shedule times.

I think I needed it to get syncing to work when I created tasks on the
phone.  Much better is to write patches against the problems you observe
and have them merged :)

When you sync tasks, do they show up in the task program or only the
calendar?


>> I use this, which might be old syntax?  I have OwnCloud v8.1.3.
>
> I think this is a more direct approach, my version seems to be a
> alternative if you open the source files in first 20 lines or so there
> is a comment that says so, but your solution works, I think the second
> part makes it running, with include-todo and use-deadline.

Cool. 

> But I have to test it more, I think I stumbled over a bug, because after
> my settings it should not have ascced me about google incredients, when
> I tried to org-caldav-delete-org-entries.

The google thing sounds weird.  I thought org-caldav didn’t support the
google.

> With your settings it just deletes my 3 deadline/sheduled things and
> never ask me google incredients, so it seems to me a bug.

No idea.

>> (with-eval-after-load 'org-caldav
>>   (setq org-caldav-url "https://rasmus@domain.net/owncloud/remote.php/caldav/calendars/rasmus"
>>         org-caldav-calendar-id "defaultcalendar"
>>         org-caldav-inbox "~/documents/cal/inbox.org"
>>         org-caldav-files '("~/documents/cal/calendar.org"
>>                            "~/documents/cal/todo.org")
>>         org-icalendar-timezone "Europe/Berlin"))
>>
>> ;; Include DEADLINE and SCHEDULED:
>> (with-eval-after-load 'org-caldav
>>   (setq org-icalendar-include-todo t
>>         org-icalendar-use-deadline
>>         '(event-if-todo event-if-not-todo todo-due)
>>         org-icalendar-use-scheduled
>>         '(event-if-todo event-if-not-todo todo-start)
>>         org-icalendar-with-timestamps t))
>
> I think it makes sense that a kalendar can only sync appointments with
> dates right? or do you think it can deal with todo items without any
> dates? And if so, what part would you think I have to change.

CalDAV supports tasks.  I will try to set up my phone with Tasks again.
The problem would be to sync ’em.  I don’t know if things need to be
changed in ox-icalendar or in org-caldav.

It would be great to be able to view the planning and TODO aspect of Org
in "normal" mobile phone programs on the go.

Rasmus

-- 
Together we'll stand, divided we'll fall

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

Hi Rasmus,

Rasmus <rasmus@gmx.us> writes:
> When you sync tasks, do they show up in the task program or only the
> calendar?

I only see them in the sync complete dialog and in the owncloud browser
calendar interface, if ist does not sync normal tasks without timestamps
its not what I am searching at the moment so I did not test the android part.

> The google thing sounds weird.  I thought org-caldav didn’t support the
> google.

the google server settings are the default settings from org-caldav-xxxx
variables alles far alles I read it on the github site it should support
google, you have to read there further if the support is complete or
not, but chances are its complete when he makes them the default
settings :)


> No idea.

captured a task to report this bug/feature :)

> CalDAV supports tasks.  I will try to set up my phone with Tasks again.
> The problem would be to sync ’em.  I don’t know if things need to be
> changed in ox-icalendar or in org-caldav.

thx again the problem was more about the exporting from org. the android
creation push support is not so importent to me, or at least less
important. A readonly android solution would be good eenough for a first
step, I just want to see if its useful and I gain something from having
it, I guess so, but have to have some prototype to see if its useful.

> It would be great to be able to view the planning and TODO aspect of Org
> in "normal" mobile phone programs on the go.

I think so too. Org-caldav seems relativ solid, and caldav is a nice
standard, so seems a good way to go.

But I next most likely give the todo.txt thing a try, just to have
something working, and if its only to have a tasklist with the entry:

* TODO try to find out how to sync/export timeless tasks with org-caldav

:)

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

Rasmus <rasmus@gmx.us> writes:

> Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:
>
>> Maybe export/import backend is the wrong way to go, a sync or exchange
>> feature would be better so maybe org-agenda todo export/import ability
>> would be better? but for now a export alone would be an advancement.
>> dont know if import or export can update/replace lines?
>
> Maybe CalDav?  There's a tool on F-droid called Tasks (or maybe Task) that
> can sync via DAVDroid to REPO..  Maybe org-caldav.el could be extended to
> support the sync. tasks between Org and REPO.
>
> Rasmus

lol now I even fail into setting up org-caldav. installed it over the
package manager over melpa, installed owncloud onto my server.

seems to work, kind of no error. but there are no entries into the
calendar exported.


  (require 'org-caldav)
  (setq org-caldav-calendars '((:calendar-id "personal"
                  :url "http://myserver/owncloud/remote.php/caldav/calendars/username"
                  :files ("~/notes/organizer.org")
                  :inbox "~/notes/from-smartphone.org")))

when I try to org-caldav-delete-everything it starts to ask me about
google incredients, even I overwrite/shadowed that with the settings I
set.

I also made some one level todo headings set deadline and shedule
date. it adds this ids, but nothing lands on the server. great :)

hard to debug something you cant reset and that gives you no error.

Not to say that the github project page is not a big help in setting
that up I think that should be right what I configured there.

The user exists, it says somethnig like:

CalDAV Sync finished.
Nothing was done.

has it maybe be in the agenda listed filed or something.

Guess have to add a bugreport for this tomorow. At least I can use this
owncloud server too for the other suggested solution there I also need
to sync/send a file somehow.

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Danie Roux]

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On Sat, Jan 16, 2016 at 9:59 PM, Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de>
wrote:
> I just tried to write am backend for this todolist format:
> https://github.com/ginatrapani/todo.txt-cli/wiki/The-Todo.txt-Format

This is not ready for general use. Will probably eat your data. Use with
care:

https://github.com/danieroux/org-todotxt

- Any task in the todotxt file without an org-id cookie is declared to be
new and will be pulled into org-todotxt-inbox-for-pull
- Never touches any of your other Org files
- org-todotxt-create-agenda-function is then used to generated the agenda
that is then pushed into todotxt-file-name in org-todotxt-sync

It assumes the Org file to be the canonical one, and the org-todotxt file
to be a projection.

I've been using it for a week with:

- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nl.mpcjanssen.todotxtholo
-
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.phlam.android.clockworktomato

-- 
Danie

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Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

Danie Roux <lists@danieroux.com> writes:

> On Sat, Jan 16, 2016 at 9:59 PM, Stefan Huchler
> <stefan.huchler@mail.de> wrote:
>> I just tried to write am backend for this todolist format:
>> https://github.com/ginatrapani/todo.txt-cli/wiki/The-Todo.txt-Format
>
> This is not ready for general use. Will probably eat your data. Use
> with care:
>
> https://github.com/danieroux/org-todotxt

while: Symbol's function definition is void: if-let

it seems to have undocumented dependencies, google or github search
could not find me something when I search it.

I am not shure if thats tho only/main problem. the readme on the github
site seems pretty confusing, and I am not shure if can test it easier
but step by step... is if-let a macro or something you have in your
config, or do I do something wrong? :)

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Kyle Meyer]

Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:

> Danie Roux <lists@danieroux.com> writes:
>
>> On Sat, Jan 16, 2016 at 9:59 PM, Stefan Huchler
>> <stefan.huchler@mail.de> wrote:
>>> I just tried to write am backend for this todolist format:
>>> https://github.com/ginatrapani/todo.txt-cli/wiki/The-Todo.txt-Format
>>
>> This is not ready for general use. Will probably eat your data. Use
>> with care:
>>
>> https://github.com/danieroux/org-todotxt
>
> while: Symbol's function definition is void: if-let
>
> it seems to have undocumented dependencies, google or github search
> could not find me something when I search it.

if-let has been define in Emacs's subr-x.el since c08f8be (New if-let,
when-let, thread-first and thread-last macros., 2014-06-30).

-- 
Kyle

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Stefan Huchler]

Kyle Meyer <kyle@kyleam.com> writes:

> if-let has been define in Emacs's subr-x.el since c08f8be (New if-let,
> when-let, thread-first and thread-last macros., 2014-06-30).

is it then that your code will not run if you dont use this autohook
thing? or do I have to be in a orgfile that it works?

(load "~/git/org-todotxt/org-todotxt.el")

(defun spiderbit/org-todotxt-auto-push-all-agendas ()
  (interactive)
  ;; Sync in new tasks from this file and then push out
  (org-todotxt-sync "~/notes/test-todo.txt")

  ;; Just push out to this file, overwriting whatever was there every time.
  (org-todotxt-push "~/notes/test-todo.txt")
  (org-todotxt-pull "~/notes/test-todo.txt"))

;; Check the docstrings for these variables
(setq org-todotxt-auto-push-function
'spiderbit/org-todotxt-auto-push-all-agendas
      org-todotxt-auto-push-delay 1
      org-todotxt-auto-push-file-list '("~/notes/organizer.org")
      org-todotxt-inbox-for-pull "~/notes/inbox.org")

;; ;; Use settings above and install an auto-push hook
;; (org-todotxt-install-after-save-hook)


thats my code, organizer is a file from me where I have most of my
todos, the rest of the files I created as empty files now, because I was
not shure if that was the problem.

get errors like that:


spiderbit/org-todotxt-auto-push-all-agendas
call-interactively: Wrong number of arguments: (lambda (todotxt-file)
"Pulls in any new tasks from TODOTXT-FILE into
`org-todotxt-inbox-for-pull' and then overwrite it with the result of
`org-todotxt-create-agenda-function'.


New tasks are defined as any task without an org-id marker."
(interactive) (if org-todotxt-inbox-for-pull nil (error "Define the Org
file where new tasks should be pulled into in
`org-todotxt-inbox-for-pull")) (org-todotxt-pull todotxt-file)
(org-todotxt-push todotxt-file)), 0

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Kyle Meyer]

Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:

> Kyle Meyer <kyle@kyleam.com> writes:
>
>> if-let has been define in Emacs's subr-x.el since c08f8be (New if-let,
>> when-let, thread-first and thread-last macros., 2014-06-30).

Sorry, I know nothing about org-todotxt.el and haven't been following
this discussion.  I just knew where if-let was.

-- 
Kyle

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Tim O'Callaghan]

Coming late to this discussion - Its great to find out about
org-todotxt.el, I shall start playing with it straight away.

For what its worth, my setup uses the todo.txt command line app as a
capture tool, with the todo.txt kept in a Dropbox folder. On my phone
i use the outstanding Clockwork Tomato (a pomodoro timer), which can
read and write local todo.txt format files, and automatically
synchronise the changes with a todo.txt on Dropbox.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.phlam.android.clockworktomato

It was a feature request of mine a while back noted under ' Task
lists, editable from any text editor through Dropbox'. As it has
multiple profiles, it can sync with multiple todo.txt files, which is
handy for shared task lists etc.

I use CWT on my android phone to examine/modify my outstanding
todo.txt tasks, and to track time associated with them, mark them as
done etc. I also use it for habit tracking. It can export the task
logfiles too, but i have yet to use them for anything.

On 19 January 2016 at 07:20, Kyle Meyer <kyle@kyleam.com> wrote:
> Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> writes:
>
>> Kyle Meyer <kyle@kyleam.com> writes:
>>
>>> if-let has been define in Emacs's subr-x.el since c08f8be (New if-let,
>>> when-let, thread-first and thread-last macros., 2014-06-30).
>
> Sorry, I know nothing about org-todotxt.el and haven't been following
> this discussion.  I just knew where if-let was.
>
> --
> Kyle
>

Re: backend for todo.txt format (todotxt.com)

[Marcin Borkowski]

On 2016-01-16, at 20:59, Stefan Huchler <stefan.huchler@mail.de> wrote:

> I just tried to write am backend for this todolist format:
> https://github.com/ginatrapani/todo.txt-cli/wiki/The-Todo.txt-Format
>
> and after a few hours
> with no real success I gave up.

Would this help?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_gXtEXeGIY
https://github.com/mbork/ox-oddmuse

Hth,

-- 
Marcin Borkowski
http://octd.wmi.amu.edu.pl/en/Marcin_Borkowski
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Adam Mickiewicz University