BusyToDo User Guide
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Connecting to a Server
- List View
- Filters
- Detail View
- Alarms
- Location Alarms
- Notifications
- Settings
BusyToDo Introduction
BusyToDo is a To Do list manager for iOS that syncs To Dos with iCal and BusyCal wirelessly through MobileMe, iCloud, and iCal Server. Syncing is automatic and happens in real-time as you make changes on your Mac or iOS device.
If you use iCal or BusyCal on your Mac, and sync your iOS device via MobileMe, iCloud or iCal Server, BusyToDo is the ideal mobile companion.
Connecting to a Server
A MobileMe, iCloud or iCal Server account is required for using BusyToDo. The first time you launch BusyToDo you must enter your account login info.
Once you enter your login info, BusyToDo will connect to the server and start syncing your To Dos in iCal or BusyCal.
List View
The List View shows your To Dos sorted by Due Date, Priority, Calendar or Title.
Each row in the List View displays a Completed Checkbox, Title, Due Date, and icons representing the Priority, Alarm, Location Alarm, Recurrence, and Notes.
Filters
The Filters view allows you to specify the sorting and filtering options.
Sort Order
You can sort To Dos by Due Date, Priority, Calendar or Title.

To Dos are sub-sorted as follows:
| Primary Sort | Secondary Sort |
|---|---|
| Due Date | Priority, Title, Modification Date |
| Priority | Due Date, Title, Modification Date |
| Calendar | Due Date, Priority, Title, Modification Date |
| Title | Due Date, Priority, Modification Date |
Priority
You can filter To Dos by priority.
Due Date
You can filter To Dos by date range.
Completed
You can filter Completed To Dos by date range.
Undated
You can filter Undated To Dos.
Calendars
You can filter by calendar.
Detail View
Tapping a To Do in the List View displays the Detail View where you can view and edit its attributes.
Each To Do includes a Status Checkbox, Title, Due Date, Priority, Calendar, Location, URL, Repeat, Alarms, and Notes. Most of the attributes are optional. You can assign default attributes for New To Dos in Settings.
Due Date
A To Do can be assigned a specific due date or no due date.
Priority
A To Do can be assigned a priority of High, Medium, Low or None.
Calendar
A To Do must be assigned to a Calendar.
Repeat
You can create To Dos in BusyToDo that repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Or you can create To Dos with more sophisticated repeat intervals in BusyCal on Mac OS X and sync them with BusyToDo.
Note: Repeating To Dos created in BusyToDo (or the Reminders app on iOS 5) are read-only in iCal. If you want to edit repeating To Dos on your Mac, you may use BusyCal instead of iCal, which will allow you to create and edit repeating To Dos on your Mac.
Alarms
You can set one or more alarms for a To Do. The alarm will be displayed as an alert or banner, as specified in Notifications.
Typically, Alarms are set to trigger at a specific time (e.g. 8:00 AM) on the due date of the To Do, as specified in the New To Do Defaults. You can change the time and date for an alarm as follows.
Time
To set the time for the alarm, tap the Time button and select a time.
Due Date
Select On due date to set the alarm for the same date as the due date.
Relative Date
To set a relative date for the alarm (like 1 day before the due date), tap the "Several days before" button and select a relative date for the alarm. Relative alarms are recommended so that you change the due date of a To Do, and the relative alarm will be automatically adjusted to the new due date.
Absolute Date
To set an absolute date for an alarm, tap the "On date..." button and select a specific date for the alarm. Unlike Relative Alarm Dates, Absolute Alarm Dates will not change if the Due Date changes.
Location Alarms
Location alarms are displayed on an iPhone running iOS 5, when arriving or leaving the specified location. Location alarms can only be assigned to To Dos that are stored on iCloud calendars.
To create a location alarm, create a To Do on an iCloud calendar, then tap Alarm > At location, to open the Location view.
Then select an address (either your Current Location or an Address from your Contacts), and choose whether to be alerted when you arrive or leave that location.
The address will be displayed in the Location field and the Alarm field.
A Location icon will appear next to the To Do in the List View.
By default, Location alarms will trigger each time you arrive or leave a location. You may also set a specific date and time when you want to be reminded, regardless of whether or not you reach the location. Location alarms will continue triggering each time you reach a location until you complete the task or delete it.
Notifications
The alarms are displayed in the style chosen in Home > Settings > Notifications.
You can choose the following options:
- Notification Center — show BusyToDo Alarms in the Notification Center.
- Show — number of alarms to show in the Notification Center.
- Alert Style — the style of alert to display.
- Badge App Icon — shows the number of To Dos that are due today or past due.
- Sounds — play a sound when an alarm triggers.
- View in Lock Screen — display alarms when screen is locked.
Settings
Tap the gear icon on the lower right of the List View to display the Settings View.
New To Do Defaults
You can set defaults for new To Dos including a default Due Date, Calendar, Priority, and Alarm.
Accounts
You can sync with multiple MobileMe, iCloud or iCal Server accounts.
Add Account
To add an account, tap Add Account and enter the account information.
Edit Account
To edit an existing account, tap its name to display the Edit Accounts View where you may change the password or delete the account.
