Swift To-Do List has excellent support for recurring (repeating) tasks. This post will tell you about all the different possibilities of recurring tasks.

You can easily turn any task into a recurring task. All you have to do is to Edit the task, go to the Recurrence tab, and set up the recurrence pattern.

What is a recurring task?

A recurring task is repeating task. It is a task that needs to be done more than once, and it needs to be done periodically. It can have an ending date specified (check Ending on to set the date).

What happens when the task recurs?

Multiple things happen -

First, the recurrence Action for that particular task is executed. These actions are task-specific. You can select from these different actions for each of your recurring tasks:

• Set undone – When the task recurs, it will by simply unchecked (set as undone)
• Set undone and remind me – Same as the previous action, but a reminder window informing you about the fact that the task has just recurred will also be shown
• Duplicate – A new identical copy of the task will be created. The copy will be unchecked (set as undone). The original task will be left untouched, only the recurrence settings will be carried over to the new task and removed from the original task.
• Duplicate and remind me – Same as the previous action, but a reminder window informing you about the fact that the task has just recurred will be also shown
• Just remind me – When the task recurs, a reminder window will be shown.

Second thing that happens are actions based on recurrence settings that you can configure in the Options window. These actions are not task specific. These options apply to all recurring tasks.

Use File – Options, then go to the Recurrence tab. Here, you can configure what happens when a task recurs. For example, the Due Date of a task can be automatically set to the date of its next recurrence.

And finally, third thing that happens is that you can receive an email notification (in Professional edition only) that the task has just recurred. This is purely optional – if you want the email notification, check “ + Email me” in the Recurrence tab of the Add/Edit Task window.

What’s “Immediate” recurrence? (NEW SEPTEMBER 2014)

In version 9.10, the following option was added into the Options window, Recurrence tab (you can open the Options window using menu File – Options):

“Recur tasks immediately after I complete them”

This option is enabled by default for new users of Swift To-Do List. Existing users have it disabled by default.

With this option enabled, tasks will recur immediately when you complete them. This allows you to work with the next instance of the task immediately and gives you move overall flexibility.

Even with this option enabled, you will still receive recurrence reminders based on the original schedule at the appropriate time. Recurrence reminders are generated when you use recurrence action “Set task undone and remind me”, “Duplicate and remind me” or “Just remind me”.

With the immediate recurrence enabled, if you use the recurrence action “Duplicate” for any of your recurring tasks, the task will also recur based on the original schedule even if you won’t complete them in time. If you don’t want the task to recur unless you specifically complete it, then use the recurrence action “Set undone” instead.

How can I tell when a task is going to recur next?

Since version 7.33, you can use the recurrence Preview feature. In the Add Task or Edit Task window, go to the Recurrence tab, and click Preview. This will show you the next ten times and dates when the task is going to recur.

Another way is to use the Recurrence column. To display it, use the menu: Go to Manage – Columns, and in the Manage Columns window, check “Recurrence” to display the Recurrence column. The recurrence column displays the day when the task is going to recur next, and also the recurrence pattern for that particular task (None, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, hourly, etc).

How can I tell if a task is recurring?

You can either use the above mentioned recurrence column, or, you can also use the Flags column. The icon with green circular arrows symbolizes recurrence.

Can I disable recurrence for multiple tasks?

Yes. Select the tasks, then right-click them, and use Batch Edit – Disable Recurrence, as shown below:

Need repeating reminder? Use task recurrence!

One of the actions that you can choose from is “Just remind me“. This is perfect for repeating reminders. For example, you can create a task with hourly recurrence that will remind you every 1.5 hours to stretch, drink some water, etc.

What happens when I archive/delete recurring task?

When you delete (archive) a task, the task won’t recur anymore. If you restore it, it will start to recur again from the next closest recurrence date. (All recurrences that should have happened when it was archived will be skipped).

Any other questions? Post them in comments

Please post any other questions in comments, and I will expand this post promptly based on your input.

Related Posts:

• Preview task recurrence, recur tasks after completion, and more in Swift To-Do List 7.33
• How to create a recurring task and extra tips
• What’s new in 7.20: Email reminders, hourly recurrence, Task ID column and more!