To-Do List (Java Swing)

A lightweight, fast, and friendly desktop to‑do list app built with Java Swing. It focuses on clarity and productivity with rich task details, powerful filtering/search, and handy import/export options.

Features

• Add tasks with title, description, priority, and due date (date picker)
• Toggle complete (click or Space) and rename (double‑click)
• Bulk edit (set priority and due date for multiple tasks)
• Filters (All / Active / Completed) and live search
• Advanced query syntax: tag:work, priority:HIGH, priority>=HIGH, due<2025-01-01, due>2025-01-01, plain text
• Sorting: Added, Title, Due Soon, Priority
• Quick Add parser: Title words #tag1 #tag2 @YYYY-MM-DD !high|!urgent|!low
• Drag & drop reordering in the list
• Context menu: set priority, set due date, delete
• Undo/Redo scaffold (implemented for add/delete)
• Export visible tasks to Markdown; copy to clipboard
• Import/Export JSON; archive completed tasks to JSON
• Persistent storage (tasks.txt) with backward compatibility
• Status bar with counts and a simple Help/About menu

Requirements

• Java JDK 8 or newer (JDK 11+ recommended)

Build & Run

• macOS/Linux:

  find src -name '*.java' -print0 | xargs -0 javac
  java -cp src todo.Main

• Windows (PowerShell):

  Get-ChildItem -Recurse src -Filter *.java | ForEach-Object FullName | javac -@
  java -cp src todo.Main

If you see Error: Could not find or load main class Main, make sure you run java -cp src todo.Main (note the todo package).

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Add Task: Ctrl/Cmd+N
• Delete Selected: Delete
• Toggle Complete: Space
• Undo / Redo: Ctrl/Cmd+Z / Ctrl/Cmd+Y
• Focus Search: Ctrl/Cmd+F
• Edit Task: Double‑click a task

Filters & Query Syntax

Type queries in the search box; combine terms with spaces:

• Tag: tag:work
• Priority equals: priority:HIGH
• Priority at least: priority>=HIGH (values: LOW, NORMAL, HIGH, URGENT)
• Due before/after: due<2025-01-01, due>2025-01-01
• Text search: any other words match title and description

Presets are available under View (Today, Overdue, High Priority).

Data & Persistence

Tasks are stored by default in tasks.txt at the project (working) folder using a robust line format with UTF‑8 Base64 encoding.

• v2 line format:

  v2|completed(0/1)|priority|dueMillis|createdMillis|base64(title)|base64(note)
  

• Legacy v1 (0|<base64-title>) is still read and automatically upgraded on save.

You can also import/export JSON from the File menu.

Import/Export

• Export visible tasks to Markdown (File → Export Visible as Markdown…)
• Copy visible tasks as Markdown to clipboard
• Import/Export JSON
• Archive completed tasks to a JSON file (and remove them from the list)

Project Structure

src/
  todo/
    Main.java               # Entrypoint
    MainFrame.java          # App window: menus, toolbar, list, actions
    export/Exporter.java    # Markdown export
    model/
      Task.java             # Task model (title, description, priority, due, tags, subtasks)
      Priority.java         # Priority enum
      RecurrenceRule.java   # Minimal recurrence (DAILY/WEEKLY/MONTHLY)
    reminder/ReminderScheduler.java # 9am on due date reminder
    storage/TaskStorage.java# Load/save (line format + JSON), archive, migrate
    ui/
      TaskCellRenderer.java # Task “card” renderer (title + description + meta)
      EditTaskDialog.java   # Full task editor dialog
    undo/
      Command.java          # Command interface
      UndoManager.java      # Simple undo/redo stack (add/delete wired)
    util/
      DateUtil.java         # Date parse/format helpers
      UiUtil.java           # UI helpers (colors, blending, icons)
  tasks.txt                 # App data (created at runtime; git-ignored)

Development Notes

• Keep UI responsive (EDT‑friendly code) and prefer updating the backing model via DefaultListModel#set to trigger repaints.
• Filtering and sorting live in FilteredSortedListModel and never mutate the source data.
• Persistence is defensive: failures print to stderr without crashing the app.

Troubleshooting

• Class not found: Use java -cp src todo.Main (package qualified).
• Compile errors on Timer: Ensure JDK is installed and the code is compiled as shown above.
• Nothing saves: Confirm you have write permissions in the working folder for tasks.txt.

Roadmap Ideas

• Full undo/redo for edits, bulk changes, and reorders (Command pattern is in place)
• Tag editor UI and tag “chips” under titles
• Recurrence UI and auto‑schedule next instance
• Debounced save to reduce disk writes during bulk operations

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PRs and suggestions welcome.