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Ask HN: Task list/to-do tools like Trello, but with checkboxes?

15 points by jamieweb ↗ HN
I've been trying to find a webapp task list/to-do list that is basically the same as Trello, but with checkboxes on the cards so that I can tick them off once complete.

In Trello I like the columns feature where each list is a column on my screen (one for each project), but once a card is completed there is no feature to tick it off. At the moment I'm just setting a green label which kind of solves it, but isn't the intended usage of the labels feature.

I've tried some of the Trello power-ups but can't find anything that does what I want.

What other web apps exist that can do this?

30 comments

[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 63.7 ms ] thread
mickduprez
why don't you create a '<Project-Name> Done' list and move the card/s to there? Once the project is finished you can archive the list.
jamieweb
Ideally I want to be able to see what I've completed and what's still to complete all within the same list, rather than moving them out.

Once a project is done I will archive the list, so that feature is fine.

goldie_
This is the 'right' way on a kanban board. The column indicates the status. A card should move from To Do, to Doing and then into the Done column when completed.
joeld42
Trello can have checkboxes on the cards (like for subtasks), but in the overview it summarizes them like "2/5 checked". It would be nice if it listed the whole checklist at least for short lists.
jamieweb
Yeah that's the problem I'm having - I want to be able to see all of the checkboxes without having to drill down into the card.
austhrow743
If you use the kanban view in airtable you can see all of the checkboxes on the overview of the card. You do however need to open the card to check them.

EDIT: nevermind. They hide fields on the overview of the card if theyre empty and unchecked counts as empty.

martin-adams
I know Trello has checklists but they are hidden away in the cards. We're working on something in this area for our startup https://zaro.io. Here's a wireframe of how we plan to approach subtasks (so it feels like checklists). https://imgur.com/NdmL3Z1

Each subtask is a full task so can be assigned, have deadlines if necessary, or just keep it simple.

Is that the type of approach you're looking for? Sorry I can't recommend something you can use today.

jamieweb
Thanks for the links - the Imgur image is exactly the sort of thing I'm looking for I think - ideally arranged in a board or columns layout like Trello.

Is this feature implemented yet or just at PoC stage?

martin-adams
Thanks, nice to know we're on the right track. This feature is in our current spring, so we're just starting the build for it. We're looking at around the end of Nov to have it ready by.

As for having it on a board with a column layout, we have that part in place which we launched in our beta.

https://zaro.io/updates/zaro-beta-launch/

baxtr
Hey, seems like you work on a decent product! What’s really annoying though: scrolling behavior on the site (on a mobile). Do you slow it down for a reason?
martin-adams
Thanks! We’re aware of that. It sure is annoying. We need to completely redo the page to update it with the current version of the app and link in the signup and login.
jameslk
If you just want to check all the boxes when a card is completed, you could use something like Butler to automate it (https://butlerfortrello.com). It won't help with showing the checkboxes on the cards though.

For example, I use this to ensure checkboxes are checked before a card can be moved into another column. Or to mark the due date as complete when all checkboxes are checked.

julienreszka
Just use markdown https://blog.github.com/2014-04-28-task-lists-in-all-markdow...

Why complicate with more software

jamieweb
I looked at this originally, as well as GitHub's Project Boards and GitLab's Issue Boards. I was hoping for a solution in one of these to save having to have another service to use and maintain.

The boards are not really designed for general todo-ing, and the task lists require editing the markdown file and committing to update it I believe?

ksec
Try https://www.notion.so/

Don't know about others, but out of a few dozens of tools I had looked into Notion was the only one that "clicked".

PeOe
I would recommend Zenkit (https://zenkit.com). The press expresses Zenkit as a "Trello-Killer". You have the Trello-like Kanban board but also a list view, calendar, mind map and table view.

If you have set up your board you can activate the checkboxes in the settings of this collection.

equalunique
You could also try labeling your Trello cards with "Complete", "In Progress" etc.

I believe the Trello philosophy is to instead use a "Completed" column on your board. You move the completed card over into the "Completed" column.

jamieweb
I'm doing that at the moment - it's a good-enough solution for now.

Is there a reason that the Trello philosophy is moving cards rather than ticking them off? Why not have both available?

kingkongjaffa
Cards describe the work to be done, not the status of the work