What are ‘Tags’ and how do I use them?
January 17, 2011 | 21 Comments
Tagging tasks is the very thing that makes http://getitdoneapp.com powerful. This is a great way to organize your tasks into categories. A task can have more than one tag. You can also filter by tags, which can help simplify your list. Auto-complete is built into all the tag fields so you can see all the tags you’ve ever created.
There are 2 ways you can tag your tasks:
1. The fastest way to tag your tasks is by clicking on the green “no tags” space to the right of your tasks and start typing. Don’t see that tag you want in the list? Keep typing and hit enter when you’re done. The new tag will automatically be added to your tag list.
Tagging a Task
2. Another way to tag tasks is to double click on any task and type in your tag names in the tag field. If you already have tags in your account, then we have auto-complete to make tagging even easier.
Tagging Tasks
Once you have tasks that are tagged, you should see all your tags at the top of your task window. If you click on one of these tags, all the tasks below it that do not have that tag will be hidden or filtered. If you click on the “no tag” tag, you will only see tasks that do not have a tag yet.
Click on the tag in the bar above to filter your task list by tag
JoAnne Birmingham 5 Mar 2010
I have numerous tags on one project and can’t see them all at the top of the task window. How do I access the tags that are not listed at top because of lack of space. Thank you for your help
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 5 Mar 2010
if your tags overflow the top bar there should be 2 arrows that show up next to the ‘quick add’ filed. these two arrows will scroll the tag bar form left to right.
Kirke 13 Oct 2010
I see you’ve heard this from other users, but I wish you’d revamp how you handle tags. Since I want to use mine for contexts (as has also been noted), I want them to be permanent and I want to be able to manage them like projects and people. Instead, if I want a context called “On Computer” and I create a tag called that for a particular task, the tag is only visible as long as the task is incomplete. As soon as the task is complete and moved to the trash, the tag disappears. This is nuts. Also, on my iPhone App I can only see three tags across the top and it doesn’t seem like I can scroll to see more. I know you folks on on v1.0 and probably working like mad to fit as much into the next release as possible, but please fix this issue of tags and/or contexts – it will increase the usability of your product tremendously and keep GTD purists singing your praises.
Kevin 1 Feb 2011
I’m currently on the 15-day trial and the product looks very promising.
Just a quick question about Tags in the android app. In the Inbox I have more than 5 different tags for the tasks listed there, but I can’t filter by all the tags because I can’t see all of them across the top. There doesn’t seem to be a way to scroll left or right.
Thanks.
Susan 13 Feb 2011
It would be great if you could have a ‘none’ for categories & areas. You have ‘all’, but when I’m sitting & adding several items at once to get them off my mind, later when I go online to manage the file, it would be nice if I could click ‘none’ & that way see what is still remaining to be put in an area. That is especially helpful, because online I can easily see what doesn’t have a tag, but since there is no fill-in bar in that same home list window for area, the only way to tell is to click on each item one at a time. It’s slow.
Mark Dixon 23 Feb 2011
I agree that if “tags” are to be used as “contexts”, they should be managed as a standard list from which I can select.
renier 10 May 2011
How do I add projects and tags to a task that I email in?
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 10 May 2011
currently this is not supported
renier lemmens 10 May 2011
Should consider that: remember the milk is more sophisticated that way.
Separate question: the ipad app does not support the ‘scheduled’ functionality and tab it seems. Plans to make ipad ad browser fully compatible?
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 10 May 2011
yes scheduled and ‘people’ are 2 features are high on our list of features to implement ont he mobile devices
Sandra 23 Aug 2011
Is there a way to correct or edit tag names?
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 24 Aug 2011
In the web app go into Edit->Edit tags (at the bottom of the screen) or in the mobile apps go into Settings->Edit tags
Joel 31 Oct 2011
hi, how can i delete unused tags?
thx,
J
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 31 Oct 2011
At the bottom of the screen press Edit->Edit Tags
Rachel 14 Mar 2012
Not having contexts is a deal breaker. It otherwise looks great.
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 15 Mar 2012
Tags can be used as context. It allows you to filter the list by context or create a smart group for that tag.
Kathy 1 Apr 2012
When I am using tags on Chrome I can’t find a list of tags to refresh my memory on the tags I have. Which is a feature on mobile. Am I missing something? Great application BTW. Interoperability between all my pieces of technology is amazing.
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 2 Apr 2012
In the version coming out soon you will be able to see the list of tags when clicking on the tab button in the task list.
sylvia mendez m 5 Apr 2012
you tell us HOW to use tags but you don’t really DEFINE what a tag is.
I think a tag is a label that I use to describe what that task belongs to.
so my task of do 3 of 10 PLRs gets tagged ‘grading 6333′… i know that means that this tasks corresponds with ‘grading 6333′ and i know that that means to me.
right?
Mike 'Get It Done' Staff 6 Apr 2012
Tags are a very flexible way to organize your tasks. \
Some people use tags as Priority with tags such as:
- URGENT
- LOW
- HIGH
- MEDIUM
Some people use tags such as these for context:
- @home
- @work
Some people use them as a label like you said.
And some people use them so that they can separate them into Smart Groups. We wanted tags to be flexible so that you can use them in some or all of these ways.
Sylvia mendez m 6 Apr 2012
thanks Mike for the response. i like that tags are flexible so that we use them as WE want to use them. thank you thank you