// TODO: add page title
// TODO is a new app for Android that is equal parts To-do list keeper, text editor, and Markdown editor. It revolves around using plain text files for storage.
// TODO is a new app for Android that is equal parts To-do list keeper, text editor, and Markdown editor. It revolves around using plain text files for storage.
Back in 2020 I released a plain text to-do file format and syntax highlighter for Sublime Text. The idea is simple: you write your checkboxes in a text file, with whatever editor you want, and then check them off using a check-mark: 'v'. Syncing is your own responsibility: you can use Drive or Dropbox, or something more open like Syncthing. Either way – no vendor lock-in. The 'back-end' is just a text file.
Monkey In My Soup
// TODO app
The app is a perfect companion for mobile for two big reasons:
- File editors on Android are almost always either offer poor UX, or are unsuited for simple .txt file editing, or are locked to a certain cloud provider.
- Typing a 'v' between to brackets is easy on a desktop keyboard, not so much on a phone.
Features
- A complete list manager that does not bug you but lets you organize your tasks the way you want it. Works equally well for your daily tasks as for a shopping list as for the list of movies your friends have recommended but you're probably not going to watch.
- Plain text editor. With markdown syntax highlighting.
- Rich text markdown editor.
- Light mode and dark mode (Monokai theme).
- Tablet layout included
Download it now!
Get it here while it's hot. Currently only for Android.
FAQ
How does it work?
Download the app, and you have a file editor. You can use it to create or open .txt and .md files.
To get started on a To-do list, simply create a file and choose a place to store it. Personally, I use a folder in Resilio Sync so that it is automatically shared to my other devices. Similarly you might choose Synthing or even a USB stick.
Why plain text?
Competing spec todo.txt explains it better than I can:
Plain text is software and operating system agnostic. It's searchable, portable, lightweight, and easily manipulated. It's unstructured. It works when someone else's web server is down or your Outlook .PST file is corrupt. There's no exporting and importing, no databases or tags or flags or stars or prioritizing or insert company name here-induced rules on what you can and can't do with it.
To add onto this: it is compatible with any cloud solution, like Synthing, Dropbox or Git.
Why not todo.txt?
Todo.txt is nice, but it did not fit my needs. So I made something new.
I found it not easily readable at a glance. Each task is confined to one line, there are no sub-tasks; and all tasks, check-marks and timestamps are all over the place. I preferred something that looked like a bulleted list with check-boxes more than anything else, and I found prioritizing items by starting lines with (A) or (B) unclear and unpractical.
This new to-do approach targets the average, quick, daily to-do list rather than an issue tracker for projects. You list what you do today, without categorizing using tags, project names, due dates or priorities.
If you want to add priority to a task, simply move it to the top.
Why not Markdown?
Markdown's check-boxes only allow for two states: done, or not done, and has no room for 'sort ofs'. It also requires two more characters to add a checkbox: - [*]. Yuk! Do I have to justify this format? No, I just like my format okay, leave Britney alone!
Does the app have an AI assistant?
Haha. Haha. Ha.
Roadmap
There is no clear roadmap, as this is a side project that I am unable to put a lot of time into. Here are improvements I want to make:
- Iron out bugs
- Add toolbar buttons to make it easier to modify text style and markup.
- Undo/redo
- Open source and publish on FDroid
- Support iOS? iOS does not let apps access a shared file system, so files will have to be shared through iCloud. While this goes against the 'use your own backend' philosophy, I'm willing to work with what's available and work on this anyway.
Loving this app? Consider buying me a coffee or something?