Using Custom Statuses with repeating tasks

[malevans]

I'm not sure if this is a bug, a feature request or I just haven't figured out how to make it work but I can't seem to get repeating tasks to maintain their custom status once completed.

My use case is:
I have a number of tasks that I undertake daily that I want to keep 'separate' from the rest of my tasks. I have set up a custom status called "Routine" and I filter these using 'status.name contains Routine'. That works find until I complete the task the first time. The original tasks is marked as completed but the status on the new instance of the task (e.g. tomorrow's task) takes on the default 'To-Do' status and I lose the ability to filter using status.name contains...

If anyone is able to tell me how to set this up to work, I am more than happy to admit defeat and acknowledge a superior intelligence!

[claremacrae]

Hi, I hope that the examples in this page might give some ideas about how do what you want.

https://publish.obsidian.md/tasks/Getting+Started/Statuses/Example+Statuses

If they don't, then please supply your data.json file from your Tasks plugin folder (you will have to compress it) - and also some sample tasks I can copy and paste.

This page will help you do that:

https://publish.obsidian.md/tasks/Support+and+Help/Report+a+Bug

[flatlines]

Hi @claremacrae,

I have exactly the same issue as @malevans.

The documentation doesn't cover this case as far as I can tell, unless the only solution is to create a faux "to-do" state for each of the custom status.names? I have the following set up:

- [G] => [x], name: '_Gardening', type: 'TODO'

When I create the following task:

- [G] water the garden 🔁 every day when done 🛫 2023-06-08

The task grouped correctly under _Gardening. However, once I mark that task as done, it reverts to:

- [ ] water the garden 🔁 every day when done 🛫 2023-06-09

I am guessing that this is because the repeat code creates a task that is set to the next status in the queue, i.e.

- [G] toggles -[x] whose next state is -[ ] (thereby unsetting G)

If I customise the settings and add a faux-close state, e.g.

- [G] => [g], name: '_Gardening', type: 'TODO'

- [g] => [G], name: '_GardeningDone', type: 'DONE'

The repeater code works. However, I have about 6 custom categories like this, so that's a lot of faux closed states.

Would there be an option to amend the recurring task creation code so that it reads the origin state (prior to closure) and replicates that? And/or create an option to customise (in the custom task panel) what status the default repeater code should set to?

[claremacrae]

I have exactly the same issue as @malevans.

I don't think we can know that, as there is not enough in that post to be sure what their settings are, for example.

I am guessing that this is because the repeat code creates a task that is set to the next status in the queue, i.e.

You don't need to guess. The documentation explains exactly how repeating tasks work with custom states.

You can call them Faux states if you want, but the way to control the behaviour of states is to add them to the settings.
There is a button in the Status Settings to make this very easy.

It's a powerful mechanism that you can control precisely, if you choose to spend just a few minutes setting your intent up in the settings.

And all of this is well documented.

If there is a specific bit of the docs that seems unclear, supply a link and say what exactly is unclear about it.

[flatlines]

I don't think we can know that, as there is not enough in that post to be sure what their settings are, for example.

You are correct, I am making an assumption.

If there is a specific bit of the docs that seems unclear, supply a link and say what exactly is unclear about it.

I do not see custom states mentioned here. It is not clear to me, from this section of the docs, that recurring tasks will switch between the predefined states set in Task Statuses in the Task settings.

Similarly, there is no mention of recurring tasks under the Custom Statuses section of the documentation.

The example statuses part of the documentation shows you how to cycle between different states on click. As a reader, I did not immediately infer from this that the recurring tasks code would simulate an on-click event.

It would be helpful if there was a section in the documentation that makes the relationship between recurring tasks and custom statuses more explicit.

You can call them Faux states if you want, but the way to control the behaviour of states is to add them to the settings.
There is a button in the Status Settings to make this very easy.

I have the impression that my terminology caused offense. That was not the intention.

I use the term "faux" only because, as an end user, the different custom states are semantically different to me. To clarify:

- [/] means in progress - this makes semantic sense. There isn't another signifier for "in progress" in my custom states.
- [s] means "savings" under some themes - per the above.

However, in the work around I deploy now:

- [g], - [x], - [c] etc. all mean DONE

The only difference is that they cycle between different signifiers.

if you choose to spend just a few minutes setting your intent up in the settings.

I have done so.

[claremacrae]

My apologies, I spent ages on the docs for statuses and I could have sworn that I had written up concretely how recurring tasks and done dates work with them, but this is all I can now find:

https://publish.obsidian.md/tasks/Getting+Started/Statuses/Status+Types#DONE

And I agree that is not very clear and is also not linked from the documentation on recurrences.

So yes, there is definitely scope for adding to that documentation.

I am not going to be able to update the docs immediately I am in the middle of a massive documentation effort for a major new feature.

• [s] means "savings" under some themes - per the above.

That is not a use of custom statuses that I have ever seen before, in several months of doing user support on them. Status doesn't feel like the right description for what is more of a "topic" or "subject" like savings.

I'm not trying to change your mind on that - it's up to you and Tasks is intentionally flexible - but you may get a better experience with your data overall if you were to consider using tags for that instead.

[flatlines]

I am not going to be able to update the docs immediately I am in the middle of a massive documentation effort for a major new feature.

That makes sense. No rush on my part. I have it working now :)

Also very excited to see what the new feature will be!

That is not a use of custom statuses that I have ever seen before, in several months of doing user support on them. Status doesn't feel like the right description for what is more of a "topic" or "subject" like savings.

Yes, I hear you. I use the statuses in a GTD-like context. I used to use tags for this, but I found that they would explode all across the vault (esp. on repeating tasks) which would then leave a paper trail. I also find something like:

#home/garden
- [ ] #home/garden water the plants every day

Far more difficult to parse visually than a task with a custom status and icon.

This is of course just a personal preference.

it's up to you and Tasks is intentionally flexible

Thank you for baking this flexibility directly into the design. I appreciate it.

[malevans]

Folks - sorry for being absent from this discussion and also for triggering it in the first place! :) I'm glad to see that I wasn't just being stupid and @flatlines has been seeing the same. I also have been looking at the custom statues to replicate the GTD methodology and in the meantime I have been using tags to control these but I try to strictly follow the use of only a single tag so I lose some flexibility in terms of assigning contexts if I also use a tag to control the repeating function. If I add multiple tags I end up with multiple instances of the same task displaying on my Daily Note and creating the mental overload I'm trying to avoid. My initial use case is to use the custom status "Daily" to extract tasks that I do daily into a separate section of my Daily Note. I can do this by using #daily but then I lose the ability to attach different contexts to my routine tasks (#home, #office etc.) without having my tag management get out of control. I haven't had the opportunity to spend time on setting up the 'faux' status as @flatlines mentioned. I had thought that may be a solution to the problem I was facing but thought I may have been missing something more obvious, hence my initial question. Feature Request! - I'd like the option to 'hide tags' if possible. My primary use is to bring all my tasks into the Daily Note and I have my tasks grouped by tag (à la GTD) so it isn't necessary for me to display the tags again in the task description itself. I hate unnecessary clutter 😁. [image: image.png] Finally thanks for the great work on this plugin as well as the continuing development work. It is much appreciated. Cheers

…

On Mon, Jun 12, 2023 at 6:49 PM flatlines ***@***.***> wrote: I am not going to be able to update the docs immediately I am in the middle of a massive documentation effort for a major new feature. That makes sense. No rush on my part. I have it working now :) Also very excited to see what the new feature will be! That is not a use of custom statuses that I have ever seen before, in several months of doing user support on them. Status doesn't feel like the right description for what is more of a "topic" or "subject" like savings. Yes, I hear you. I use the statuses in a GTD-like context. I used to use tags for this, but I found that they would explode all across the vault (esp. on repeating tasks) which would then leave a paper trail. I also find something like: #home/garden - [ ] #home/garden water the plants every day` Far more difficult to parse visually than a task with a custom status and icon. This is of course just a personal preference. it's up to you and Tasks is intentionally flexible Thank you for baking this flexibility directly into the design. I appreciate it. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#2023 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ACOXZNMWZZYLJCKTK4I7FY3XK3JY5ANCNFSM6AAAAAAY4F5RCU> . You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: <obsidian-tasks-group/obsidian-tasks/repo-discussions/2023/comments/6149982 @github.com>

-- Cheers Mal Evans 0404 542 054 <http://au.linkedin.com/in/malevans>

[claremacrae]

Folks - sorry for being absent from this discussion and also for triggering
it in the first place! :)

No need for an apology @malevans!

I also have been looking at the custom statues to
replicate the GTD methodology and in the meantime I have been using tags to
control these but I try to strictly follow the use of only a single tag so
I lose some flexibility in terms of assigning contexts if I also use a tag
to control the repeating function. If I add multiple tags I end up with
multiple instances of the same task displaying on my Daily Note and
creating the mental overload I'm trying to avoid.

There is now a way to prevent Tasks appearing in multiple groups, when you group by tag, using the group by function facility.

See the various examples in:
https://publish.obsidian.md/tasks/Queries/Grouping#Tags

So for example, I use these kinds of tags for my GTD contexts:

• #context/pc_clare
• #context/home
• #context/town

And when I want to group by only the #context/ tags, I use this:

group by function task.tags.filter( (tag) => tag.includes("#context/") )

Nested tags are really powerful in Obsidian and I recommend using them if you have related sets of information, like different contexts.

My initial use case is to use the custom status "Daily" to extract tasks
that I do daily into a separate section of my Daily Note. I can do this by
using #daily but then I lose the ability to attach different contexts to my
routine tasks (#home, #office etc.) without having my tag management get
out of control.

You actually do not lose the ability to attach different contexts. It's a limit you have imposed upon yourself, it's not a fundamental limit of Tasks or Obsidian.

Task statuses exist firstly to categorise tasks in to these types/categories:

• TODO
• IN_PROGRESS
• DONE
• CANCELLED
• NON_TASK

And secondly to manage the transition of tasks between those types.

https://publish.obsidian.md/tasks/Getting+Started/Statuses/Status+Types

Any attempts to use Tasks statuses for anything other than those 5 categories and transitioning between them will cause you lots of pain, of the sort described in this issue.

I haven't had the opportunity to spend time on setting up
the 'faux' status as @flatlines mentioned. I had thought that may be a
solution to the problem I was facing but thought I may have been missing
something more obvious, hence my initial question.

If using the Tasks plugin, simply do not set up statuses to represent permanent properties of a task, like categories.

It will not work, and because it goes so far against what statuses are designed for, it's not something that would ever be added to Tasks.

Feature Request! - I'd like the option to 'hide tags' if possible. My
primary use is to bring all my tasks into the Daily Note and I have my
tasks grouped by tag (à la GTD) so it isn't necessary for me to display the
tags again in the task description itself. I hate unnecessary clutter 😁.

As it happens, there is already a request for that. Otherwise, I would have encouraged you to create a separate request, so we try and keep each issue/discussion focussed on single topics.

[image: image.png]

That image isn't showing up - it's just text.

Finally thanks for the great work on this plugin as well as the continuing
development work. It is much appreciated.

You're very welcome!