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EnglishWhat Is a Plain-Text To-Do List? How TaskPaper Works
Updated
A plain-text to-do list is a task list stored in an ordinary text file, so you can open and edit it in any text editor. TaskPaper is a Mac app built on that idea: it looks and behaves like a plain text editor, but adds outliner features such as folding, focusing, filtering, and saved searches. It suits people who want portable, future-proof list files and keyboard-driven editing, and who don't need a rigid productivity system imposed on them. It is Mac-only, and the developer describes it as finished software with no major new features expected.
How TaskPaper turns text into a structured list
You type lists as plain text, and each line is auto-formatted into one of three elements based on how it starts:
- Projects — written as
Project: - Tasks — written as
- Task - Notes — plain lines without the task or project marker
- Tags — written inline as
@tag, and usable for filtering
Because the structure lives in the text itself, the file stays readable and editable outside TaskPaper. The developer states that TaskPaper files are future proof: you can edit them in any text editor or open them in other TaskPaper-compatible apps built by other developers.
A simple example
Work:
- Draft the weekly update @today
- Review pull requests
Notes from the standup go here as a plain line
- Send invoice @due(2025-06-01)
Home:
- Book dentist appointment
- Water the plants @weekend
Each line is interpreted on the fly: Work: and Home: become projects, lines starting with - become tasks, the indented plain line becomes a note, and @today, @due(...), and @weekend become tags you can filter on.
Taming large lists: fold, focus, filter, search
The outliner layer is what separates TaskPaper from a bare text file. According to the site, you can:
- Fold sections to hide detail and shrink a long list visually.
- Focus on one project or area so the rest drops out of view.
- Filter by
@tag, type, or content. - Save searches so a frequently used filter is one step away.
The practical effect: a list of hundreds of lines can be reduced to the handful of items relevant right now, without deleting or restructuring anything. Dates are also managed in plain text, so scheduling stays part of the file rather than a separate database.
Editing and navigation
TaskPaper is designed to be keyboard friendly, with fast keyboard navigation and commands, plus palettes for jumping around quickly. Supporting features listed on the site include drag-and-drop reorganization, date and time management in plain text, import/export with Reminders.app (including Siri), LESS/CSS stylesheets for theming, an extensive JavaScript API for scripting, and Dark Mode.
Who it fits, and who it doesn't
| Consideration | What the site supports |
|---|---|
| Platform | Mac only |
| File format | Plain text, editable anywhere, compatible with other TaskPaper apps |
| Structure | Basic list elements (projects, tasks, notes, tags) with no enforced system |
| Power features | Folding, focusing, filtering, saved searches, scripting, themes |
| Development status | Described as finished software; no big new features expected; source available to license holders |
| Pricing | A "Buy Now" path exists via Paddle; the site does not state a price here |
Choose TaskPaper if you want plain-text portability plus outliner power and prefer to define your own workflow. Look elsewhere if you need a cross-platform app, a built-in methodology like GTD, or software under active feature development. The developer points rich-text users toward a separate app, Bike Outliner, and notes that TaskPaper has been in development since 2006.