Chapter 5. Tasks

Table of Contents

Task types and access
Personal Tasks
Public tasks
Shared tasks
Tasks - Views
List view
H Split view
Tasks hover
Creating tasks
Creating new tasks in the Tasks module
Creating new tasks from other modules
Entering data for a new task
Entering details for a new task
Selecting participants for a new task
Adding attachments to tasks
Saving your entries
Discard input
Editing tasks
Editing tasks via panel functions
Editing tasks by double-click or via the context menu
Changing task confirmations
Deleting tasks
Printing tasks
Printing individual tasks
Printing lists of tasks
Moving tasks
Moving tasks via panel functions
Moving tasks via drag-and-drop
Duplicating tasks
Marking tasks with flags
Marking tasks with flags
Changing flags of tasks
Removing flags from tasks
Searching for tasks
Resetting the display after a search

The Tasks module allows you to administer tasks - personal, public, and those shared by other users - as well as the corresponding data: start and due date, status, priority, participants and resources, etc. You can associate several attachments with your tasks and search for specific tasks using various criteria.

Figure 5.1. The Tasks Module

The Tasks Module

Task types and access

Open-Xchange Server allows you to administer individual tasks as well as periodically recurring tasks (as task series). The latter is helpful, for example, if you want to perform a specific task on a regular basis - as, for instance, a weekly data backup: instead of planning this task anew every week, you create this task once as a task series with appropriate parameters.

Since a task series is simply a special type of task, all of the following remarks apply equally to individual tasks as well as to task series, unless specifically stated otherwise. You can find further information about the usage of task series under the section called “Creating tasks” in this chapter.

Personal Tasks

When you open the Tasks module via the Tasks icon in the module bar, you always see your personal tasks (individual tasks and task series) from the Tasks folder. Alternatively, you can also open the Tasks folder directly via the folder tree by clicking on this folder in the folder tree.

If you have created additional task folders within your personal folders in order to effectively manage many tasks from different categories (see the example below), you can access these task folders only via the folder tree.

Figure 5.2. Personal task folders

Personal task folders

Creating additional folders

The flexible folder structure of Open-Xchange Server allows you to create further task folders in your personal folders as well as in public or other users' shared folders - provided you have appropriate access rights. This simplifies the management of multiple different tasks. Section the section called “Folder Management” of the Settings chapter in this user's guide describes how additional folders are created within your personal folders as well as in other users' shared or public folders.

Public tasks

The administrator as well as other users (provided they have suitable access rights) can create further public task folders for common use in the company. This improves teamwork and helps avoid duplication of data.

In order to access public task folders and their contents (tasks and task series), you expand the Public Folders entry in the folder tree and then click on the task folder that you would like to open. This activates the Tasks module and displays the tasks from the selected public tasks folder.

Figure 5.3. Public tasks folders

Public tasks folders

Opening folders via the folder tree

Since the folder tree always displays all personal folders and accessible shared folders of other users, you can quickly navigate from any folder or module of Open-Xchange Server to another folder.

Simply click on the desired folder in the folder tree: This activates the appropriate module for the selected folder - Email, Calendar, Contacts, Tasks or InfoStore - and displays the content of the selected folder.

Shared tasks

In addition to public tasks folders, all users can share their personal tasks folders with specific other users or user groups.

In order to access other users' shared tasks, expand the entry Shared Folders in the folder tree as well as the entry for the user whose tasks folder you would like to open. Afterward click on one of the tasks folders this user has shared with you. Similar to accessing public tasks folders, the Tasks module opens and displays the content of the selected tasks folder.

Figure 5.4. Shared tasks folders

Shared tasks folders

Public and shared tasks folders

Thanks to the flexible folder structure of Open-Xchange Server, you can access and/or manage tasks from public and/or other users' shared tasks folders in addition to your personal tasks. Depending on the access rights you have been granted, you can create, edit or delete tasks in public or other users' shared folders.

The section the section called “Public and Shared Folders” in the Settings chapter in this user's guide describes the difference between public and shared folders. It explains how public folders are created, how personal folders are shared, and how access rights are defined for other users.