List Columns

 

ListPro provides many options that you can use to have the information you need in your lists.

 

Column Customization

 

ListPro lets you select exactly what columns your lists contain, and the order in which they appear. Use the List Properties window to configure the columns in your list.

 

ListPro predefines the following columns for every list:

 

You cannot delete any of the above columns from your list, but you can choose to hide or display them at any time. Hide a column by unchecking its box in the List Properties window. Information in these columns will always be available for display (by re-showing the column) even if the column is hidden.

 

You can also add your own columns, and can delete the columns you add. Information in columns that you delete will be deleted; you cannot get it back. However, if you just choose to hide a column you created, its information will become available again when you re-display that column. For more information about adding columns, see Creating and Editing Columns .

 

The List Properties Window also allows you to rename and reorder the columns in your list.

 

You can sort your list by any column currently being displayed by tapping that column’s header. You can also use the Sort By pick on the View menu to sort your list by any column, whether or not it is currently being displayed.

 

You won't be able to edit columns that are Autodate or calculated columns. You'll only be able to edit Linked columns in item view, as in list view clicking on them activates them.

 

The following sections describe some special properties of some of ListPro’s columns.

 

Ordered Lists

 

ListPro's ordered lists let you list items in order. To turn on the order numbers, open the List Properties window and check Show Item Number on the Settings tab. This is very useful for tasks that need to be done in a certain order. You can use this feature for any "how-to" types of lists. Combine order numbers with Notes for detailed instructions, or use them to be sure you don't forget an important step.

 

Note that while you might not display the order number on your list, all items do have an associated number (position). You can reposition items in a list (with the Arrow Keys or Move Items Up/Down menu picks) when no temporary sorting is in effect. Use the Remove Sorting pick on the View menu to remove temporary sorting.

 

If you’d like to automatically reposition all items using the current temporary sort order, select Reorder List from the Tools menu. Once the list has been reordered, the order numbers, if showing, will be in order from top to bottom. You will not be able to return to the original order by picking Remove Sorting, but you will be able to reposition individual items again. See Sorting Your Lists for more information.

 

Categories

 

Categories let you classify your items. Once you’ve entered a value for a Category, that value is easily selectable whenever you want to put another item on that list into that Category.

 

You'll often want to sort the items in your list in various ways -- categories let you do this. For example, you might keep your office supplies in several different cabinets in your office. You want the supplies on your list sorted by these locations, so that you can efficiently flag what you need. But then when you go to the office supply store, you'd like your list in the order you find the items in the store. Use Categories for one of these, and the original order for the other.

 

Other uses for categories include: types of music in a CD collection list, kind of restaurant in a restaurant list, day vs. overnight vs. overseas for a trip packing list, etc.

 

Sorting by categories lets you group items in very useful ways. Categories are saved per list, so each list can have the categories that will be most appropriate for that list.

 

When editing a Category field, a combo box provides a drop down list of all the current Category Values. You can either type a category in directly or choose an item from the list. When typing in a value, ListPro will search the list for a match after you’ve typed in two or more characters. The first match will automatically be entered into the field you’re typing into. If the match ListPro finds isn’t what you want, just keep typing. ListPro will keep looking for matches until you’ve typed enough to identify the right one. Or, if you don’t want any of the matches ListPro finds, just type in the entire category name. If ListPro puts anything extra in the field that you don’t want, press the Delete key to get rid of the excess.

 

Remember that Categories are not case-sensitive: Hardware is the same as HARDWARE or hardware.

 

Note that Categories do not have to be just one word. For example, if you have a list of items you need to pick up, and are using Category for where to get them, you might be able to get batteries at either a drugstore or a hardware store. You could make an additional Category column, or just put “drugs,hardware” in your main Category column. Then, if you Filter your list by either drugs or hardware, batteries will appear. Another option would be to instead add your own Category columns, and have separate columns for the different categories.

 

By default all new values entered for a Category are added to the list of Category Values for that Category. You can also edit each Category’s list of values if you want to add new values or delete values you don’t need. To do this, select Category Values from the Tools menu and you’ll see the Category Values window. Choose the Category whose list you want to edit from the Category drop down list. To add a new Category Value, enter the value into the New Value field and push the Add Value button. To delete an existing value, select the value in the list and push the Delete Value button.

 

Notes

 

ListPro's Notes let you add additional information to a list item. Use Notes for long instructions, or for details about an item. For example, on an office supply list, the note for a printer cartridge might contain the model number of the printer.

 

Remember that you can see and edit the Note for any item even if you don't have Notes displayed in the list, using either ListPro’s Notes Pane (select Show Notes Pane from the View menu), or the Item View window (just double-click the item).

 

Amounts and Units

 

ListPro's Amounts feature gives you a powerful numeric field. You can use Amounts to include any numeric information on items when you're setting up a list. The Amounts field lets you add up its information. Use Amounts for anything you might want to count: boxes you're shipping, dollars you're spending, bottles you're unpacking, ounces, cups, hours, minutes. At any time, you can display a total of the amounts you've entered. In addition, the sum of the amounts of all items currently being displayed is shown in the Status Bar.

 

To make it more useful, you can set up your list to ask for the amounts when you're "running" your list (checking items or flagging items for inclusion in a Shopping or Two-Step List ). For example, you can set up your list to ask you for an amount each time you check an item. This lets you easily track your spending while you're shopping, or time spent on each task of a project. Alternatively, you can set up your list to ask you for an amount each time you flag an item to be included on your Shopping (Two-Step) List. This lets you enter a quantity of items to be included on the final list. For example, when you flag "stamps", you're asked how many. Then, when you choose the Flag Tool to display your list, the number of stamps you need appears.

 

The Units field lets you total amounts by unit. This is useful if your amounts are in different units. For example, if you're using Amounts to track time on a project, you might sometimes enter minutes, and sometimes hours. If you use Units, your totals will make sense. Remember that you don't have to use the units to use Amounts.

 

Priorities

 

The Priority field lets you assign a priority number to each item. Priorities have an advantage over order numbers because several items can have the same priority number. You can sort the list by Priority to look at them in order of their importance.

 

User Defined Fields

 

In addition to the default fields that you get with every list, ListPro allows you to add your own fields. You can add a field using the Columns tab of the List Properties window. Just press the Add button to see the Add Column window. On the Add Column window, enter a name for the new field and select the new field’s type. You can choose any of the following field types:

 

See Creating and Editing Columns for more information about working with Column properties.