My Tasks - Part 2 - Sidebar

My Tasks - Sidebar Quick Access

Using My Tasks from the Sidebar

Operating My Tasks from the sidebar is really simple; all the user has to do is click the icon.

Clicking My Tasks expands the sidebar to reveal the user’s list of due and overdue tasks.

To access any one of these tasks simply click the item in the sidebar. If using a computer, when a user clicks a task, it is highlighted and the sidebar remains open while the system navigates to the relevant section (except for Tests and Assessments, which just open a pop-up window) and allows the user to complete the task in the main area. On mobile devices, the sidebar will collapse to provide more screen space but the behaviour is otherwise the same.

Once the task has been completed it is highlighted in green in the My Tasks sidebar.

Tasks highlighted in green…	…as they get completed

The completed tasks in the sidebar remain there until it is either refreshed using the refresh button at the top of the sidebar or it is closed and reopened, which forces it to refresh. On mobile devices, as the sidebar collapses automatically, these events happen behind the scenes.

Whilst open, the sidebar allows the user to simply navigate to the next task in the list and so on.

It is possible to have multiple tasks for the one document; these would be listed in the sidebar and also in the document’s General tab, where they can be completed.

Starring Tasks in the Sidebar

Every task row in the sidebar has a star icon that can be clicked to star (or unstar) that task. Starred tasks appear in their own collapsible Starred Tasks section at the top of the sidebar list, with a badge showing how many tasks are currently starred. Starring is kept in sync everywhere tasks appear — the sidebar, the full Tasks page, and the homepage tasks widget all show the same starred state.

Searching for Tasks in the Sidebar

Two filters are available to help find tasks - a search field and a Filter tasks toggle. A search term can be entered to locate a particular record but to trigger the search, the magnifying glass icon must be clicked or the keyboard ‘return’ key must be pressed. In addition, tasks can be filtered by type by clicking the Filter tasks toggle, which opens a panel of checkboxes — one per task type, each showing a count of matching tasks. Tick as many types as needed to narrow the list, and use Clear filters to reset back to showing all task types. The same panel also includes an Advanced Tasks Area link, which takes the user through to the full Tasks page for more detailed task management.

Next step:

The next article covers My Tasks - Global Menu Area

Previous step:

The previous article covers ‘My Tasks’ Introduction