MakeTimeFlow Help

Task Import and Export

2 min read

Export and import your tasks in bulk via Settings > Tasks as Text. This is useful for backing up your tasks, making bulk edits, or migrating data.

Line Format

Each task is a single line:

- [status] Title @bucket duration xN priority type:T start:DATE due:DATE followup:ID id:ID

All fields after the title are optional. The - prefix is required.

Status Markers

Status markers appear right after the - prefix:

  • [x] — completed
  • [/] — started (in progress)
  • [-] — cancelled
  • [ ] — not started (default, can be omitted)
- [x] Ship feature done:2025-01-15 id:100
- [/] Write documentation id:101
- [-] Cancelled idea id:102
- Buy groceries id:103

Hierarchy

Indentation (2 spaces per level) creates parent-child relationships:

- Launch Product id:100
  - Design mockups id:101
  - Build prototype id:102
    - Set up dev environment id:103

Notes

Notes appear after a ---notes--- separator at the bottom of the export. Each note block is identified by task ID using a footnote-style format:

- Q1 Planning @today 2h p1 id:100
- Implement auth @next 4h x2 id:200

---notes---
[^100]: Q1 Planning
Key decisions:
- Focus on auth and performance
- Ship by end of February

[^200]: Implement auth
Using JWT with refresh tokens.

When notes are not included in the export, tasks with notes show a [has notes] indicator instead.

Task IDs

Each task includes an id: tag that uniquely identifies it:

- Buy groceries id:456

When you re-import text, task IDs ensure the right task gets updated rather than creating duplicates. Don’t change or remove IDs if you want edits to match existing tasks.

Followup Chains

When a task is a followup to another, the connection is tracked with followup:ID:

- Review draft followup:123 id:456

This means task 456 is a followup to task 123, helping you trace multi-step work.

Complete Example

- [x] Q1 Planning @today 2h p1 done:2025-01-15 id:100
  - [x] Draft goals document 30m done:2025-01-10 id:101
  - [/] Review with team 1h start:2025-01-20 id:102
- Implement auth system @next 4h x2 followup:100 id:200
  - Write tests 2h id:201
  - Deploy to staging 30m id:202
- [w] Waiting for client feedback @next followup:200 id:300

---notes---
[^100]: Q1 Planning
Key decisions:
- Focus on auth and performance
- Ship by end of February

[^200]: Implement auth system
Using JWT with refresh tokens.

See Also