TaskPaper FAQ

Current to version 2.3.2 for Mac and 2.3.1 for iOS

TaskPaper for Mac:

The website's version of TaskPaper is not currently Developer ID-signed for 10.8 Mountain Lion, and here's why: An app signed with Apple's Developer ID (for the Gatekeeper feature in 10.8 Mountain Lion can cause that app to crash on 10.6 and lower even if it's otherwise compatible. Since TaskPaper can still run on 10.6 Snow Leopard, we need either a fix for this issue from Apple or a good workaround (which we haven't found yet). To open a downloaded copy of TaskPaper on 10.8 Mountain Lion, right-click (or control-click) TaskPaper.app, choose open, and allow it to run. You only have to do this the first time you launch it.

1. Where is my license key, it never showed up in my email inbox, or the Resend Licenses page says it doesn't recognize my email?

First, if you purchased TaskPaper from the Mac App Store, Apple's service handles the license. You won't need to enter a license key.
Second, please check your spam box.
Third, you may have selected 'keep my email confidential' when you purchased TaskPaper. This causes Google Wallet to create a randomized forwarding email as part of your license key account, not your actual email.
Fourth, if you can't find the license key email in your spam box, please contact me and we'll get it sorted out.
Please note: Licenses are not transferable between the website version and the App Store version.

2. Why isn't my license key working?

Please make sure that you're copying both the User Name and License Key 100% as it appears in your license email. The User Name must match exactly as it appears, including capitalization.

If you still can't get the license to make the OK button clickable, try a clean uninstall (with a tool like AppCleaner) and then re-install from a fresh download of TaskPaper.

3. My trial period ran out and now I can't open my TaskPaper lists. What can I do?

TaskPaper files are really just plain text files. You can open them using just about any normal text editor, such as TextEdit. TaskPaper's on-the-fly formatting won't be available, but your lists are available and ready to use. Your data is your data.

4. I'm running 10.5 Leopard and TaskPaper 2.2.3+ keeps crashing. Where can I download version 2.2.2 (10.5-compatible)?

Please see the Release Notes page, where you can find the download links. For more information on this issue, see this blog post.

5. Why isn't TaskPaper remembering my recent documents on Lion?

Check to make sure you have Lion's Resume feature turned on: System Preferences > General > enable "Restore windows when closing and re-opening apps". If you don't want to use the global setting, here are some third-party options:

To disable Resume on a case-by-case basis: RestoreMeNot
To enable Resume on a case-by-case basis: Resuminator

6. How do I set up Dropbox sync between the Mac and iOS versions of TaskPaper?

Make sure all your devices are looking at the same TaskPaper documents in the same location in Dropbox (and with the same Dropbox account for most setups). On your iOS device(s):

In TaskPaper, go to Settings (gear) > Dropbox
Point TaskPaper at the link folder you'd like to use
- Default folder path: /TaskPaper
Link to Dropbox Account.

On your Mac(s):

Make sure the Dropbox client is installed
Look for (or create) the 'TaskPaper' folder inside of Dropbox's folder

Default folder path: ~/Dropbox/TaskPaper

Just make sure your documents are in that folder and you're done!

TaskPaper for iOS:

7. Why isn't TaskPaper syncing with SimpleText anymore?

TaskPaper 2.0 has added Dropbox sync and dropped SimpleText.ws syncing. We have no intention of adding back SimpleText.ws sync as it simply wasn't doing the job like it should (and we're sorry about that).

8. Why doesn't the search syntax for descendants (+d) work?

Sorry, this is one of the discrepancies between the Mac and iOS versions. We're aware of it and it's on the list of things like this we need to make consistent. The +d and -a flags are marked for eventual deprecation in the Mac version, but there's no specific date for that.

9. How do I change the current item's type to Project, Task, or Note?

When the keyboard is onscreen and you're on a blank, new line: Tap the Return key to cycle through the item types (Project, Task, Note).

10. I don't or can't use Dropbox sync. How can I get my files out of TaskPaper?

Option 1: Use iOS Document Sharing when your device is connected (works for all iOS devices).
Option 2: You can email documents by tapping on the document's titlebar and then tapping 'Email' to use iOS Mail.

11. TaskPaper keeps crashing when I launch it. How do I fix this?

Option 1: Quit TaskPaper from the multitask tray (see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4211) and relaunch.
Option 2 (for sync issues): Turn on Airplane Mode and unlink from Dropbox. Turn off Airplane mode and relink to Dropbox.
Option 3: Delete TaskPaper and reinstall from iTunes. If you're not syncing with Dropbox, make sure you have backed up your documents using iOS File Sharing.
Option 4: Delete TaskPaper and reinstall directly from the App Store. As before, make sure your files are backed up elsewhere if you're not syncing with Dropbox.

Corner case: If TaskPaper continues to crash after you re-link from Dropbox, check your folder names. For a very small set of people, having periods in folder names seems to create a problem. It shouldn't, and we can't reproduce it yet. It might work for you, though, so please rename these folders on the Dropbox website or on your Mac/Windows computer.

12. When I open my document on my computer, why can't I see my accented characters and other special characters?

Set your text editor to open and save in UTF-8 encoding. In TextEdit for Mac, go to TextEdit menu --> Preferences --> Open and Save.

13. On my Windows PC, why is my document suddenly just a block of text? The paragraphs and linebreaks that I see in PlainText are missing.

You'll need to use a text editor, such as Wordpad or Notepad++, that understands UNIX-style linebreaks, not just Windows linebreaks.

14. How do I un-delete a file or folder?

If you're syncing with Dropbox, you can use their website to un-delete files and folders, or revert to previous versions (free accounts are limited to 30 days of file history, see this Dropbox page for more information). It's also possible that you can recover deleted documents by using iTunes device backups, but rolling back to a previously saved backup will have wider implications for your other data since the last backup.

15. I edited a TaskPaper file on a Windows PC, and now TaskPaper for iOS crashes when I open the file in it. How can I fix my file?

Re-save your file with UTF-8 plain text encoding and LF (UNIX-style) line endings (newlines). Notepad.exe cannot work with LF newlines, so please use Wordpad.exe instead. If that doesn't work, create a new file, paste in your text, and re-save as above. Sorry about this, we're still trying to see if we can fix it from our end to save you all that hassle.

16. I am getting alerts saying "Dropbox is unreachable." How do I fix this?

Sometimes force-quitting and then relaunching the app can fix this issue. Close the keyboard on your document to make sure it's saved. From the Home screen, force-quit the app from the multitasking tray and then relaunch.
It may also be a brief service issue with Dropbox's mobile API (which may not affect the official Dropbox app). In this case, it's a matter of waiting until it's working again on Dropbox's side.

17. How can I get the cut/copy/paste popover to display when I'm using an external Bluetooth keyboard?

Go to Settings (gear icon). Go to the Advanced section, and turn off the Extended Keyboard row.

18. Can I use a hardware keyboard's arrow keys to navigate between lines?

Not at this time. We're waiting for Apple to make more functionality available for hardware keyboards. Right now this is not supported.

All versions:

19. Can I import pictures, videos, or sounds into TaskPaper lists?

*.taskpaper files are in plain text (*.txt) format, and so they share the same advantages and limitations. While you can create drag-drop links to many files (TaskPaper for Mac), they won't display in the document itself.

20. How can I search for a particular set of criteria, such as @due(dates), all tasks that are not @done, only project or note items, etc?

TaskPaper for Mac: Help menu --> TaskPaper User's Guide, check out pages 13 - 17.
TaskPaper for iOS: Documents list view: Gear icon (Settings) -> Help -> Query Language.

21. How do I get alerts and recurring tasks in TaskPaper?

TaskPaper isn't designed to provide alerts or automatically recurring tasks, and this will probably not be a feature in the future. TaskPaper for Mac works well with AppleScript and also tools that work with plain text files, so be sure to check out the TaskPaper wiki (http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/wiki/TaskPaper) or roll your own awesome solution (Check out page 18 in the TaskPaper User's Guide).

22. Why can't I see my tasks when I focus on a project?

Please check to make sure that you're indenting your tasks properly so that TaskPaper can see them as sub-items of each project.

Correct formatting, with tab indentation:

Project 1:
	- Task 1
	- Task 2
	- Task 3

Incorrect formatting, without tab indentation:

Project 1:
- Task 1
- Task 2
- Task 3

Do a search for 'level = 0' to show all un-indented items. If all your tasks show up as well as the projects themselves, then this is definitely the issue.

23. How can I make sure the Mac and iOS versions sync properly using Dropbox?

TaskPaper for Mac: Always save your lists before editing them in another location. The built-in OS X Autosave doesn't work perfectly with Dropbox, so please use File > Save, Command+S, or quit TaskPaper entirely if you're going to be away for a bit.
TaskPaper for iOS: Wait until your lists have finished syncing before editing them (the sync spinner will run and then disappear). Avoid editing a document open on a Mac if it's unsaved or also being edited at the same time.

24. I used to use another sync service with TaskPaper, what was it?

The previous sync service for the iOS versions of TaskPaper (version 1.x) and WriteRoom (version 2.x) was SimpleText.ws which has been marked for deprecation as of October 31st, 2011. We are no longer updating the service and it may go offline permanently at any time after September 30th, 2012. If you still have documents in there, please back them up elsewhere and prepare for SimpleText.ws to shut down. Dropbox is the official sync service for the iOS versions of TaskPaper and WriteRoom.