Suggestion: Import tasks from a RTF file

[Luis Palomino]

Hi Daniel, Can you, please implement an option for import tasks from a RTF file, please? It is very necessary for migrate tasks from another software that I used to use. Thank you.

[.dan.g.]

No one else has ever asked for this and since it's only purpose would be for migration it's unlikely I'm going to spend the time. Sorry.

Perhaps if you can attach a sample RTF file showing the layout of the tasks I can make some other helpful suggestions.

[Luis Palomino]

Hi Dan, This is an example of file with tasks with RTF comments, ready to be imported to ToDoList. I grateful for your help.

[.dan.g.]

Cool. 

If it was me (and I accept that I am not you!) this is what I would probably do:

1. Accept that I was going to lose the RTF formatting (this may be hard for you)

2. Export all your tasks to 'TreePad' as a single file (this will remove rich text formatting)

3. Download the 'TreePad to CSV' converter (http://www.treepad.com/download/tp2csv.zip)

4. Export the TreePad file to CSV

5. Open the CSV in Notepad++ (https://notepad-plus-plus.org/download/v7.5.4.html) (this will also remove paragraph markers which we want)

6. 'CTRL+H' to open 'Find/Replace'

7. Enable 'Regular expression' at the bottom of the dialog

8. Replace "", with 2 spaces

9. Replace ",\s*" with a single | (pipe character)

10. Replace "$ with nothing (clear the Replace field)

11. Remove the remaining double quote (couldn't figure out how to do this without losing the indenting which we want to keep)

12. Open TDL and 'Tools > Import > Outline (.txt)'

This process takes me from:

to:

1. Observe the leading double-quote which I wasn't (easily) able to remove

2. Observe the loss of paragraphs in the CSV conversion

3. I'd be happy to do this for you just so you can see if the loss of formatting and paragraphs would still make it worth it... (abstractspoon(dot)todolist(at)gmail(dot)com)

Dan

[Luis Palomino]

Thank you Daniel for spent time searching a solution for my case. Unfortunately the black and cursive font format is very essential for me. I have too much of quotes on different topics that I have colected and formatted for many years. I don´t want to verify one by one and do the work again.  

I have an idea (suggestion): I see that when I copy all content of one exported topic (in the same format of "Example of tasks to import.docx".) and paste it totally into a commentary in ToDoList, it keeps the RTF format. May be we can use this for import.

If I insert a special symbol between quotes like this:

Title of the topic 1

Comment of the topic 1...

% 

Title of the topic 2

Comment of the topic 2...

% 

Title of the topic 3

Comment of the topic 3...

% 

...

And if were possible to create a plugin or command that initially split this task in two subtasks splitting the comment up and down from the first %. Then if it could take the second task and repeat the process, and then the third, and then, and then... until no find more %, we could have each topic be located in its own task. 

Finally the title of each task could be taken from the first line of the comment, and then this line could be removed.

Is it possible to do this or something similar?

[Luis Palomino]

Hi Daniel! Maybe I'm the first person in request this because ToDoList has not been used so far as a tool for writing articles or books. The writers are using another tools. But surely there are many writers who are looking for something better and when they find ToDoList I know that they will be happy to use this program for their work. It would be good to provide a easy way for them to migrate their notes from an RTF to this platform.  I think that it is a software has a good future because of its quality and the happy commitment with which it has been developed.:)