The Hit List for Mac
User Manual

Copyright © 2016 Karelia Software LLC. All rights reserved.

www.karelia.com

# The Hit List Basics

#### What is The Hit List?

The Hit List is a simple, yet sophisticated application to manage the daily chaos of your modern life. Based on the simple concept of making lists, The Hit List lets you plan, forget, then act when the time is right.

# Collect Tasks

#### Repeating tasks

Examples of repeating tasks

Type | Examples
--- | ---
Daily | Every day Every single day Daily
Every n days | Every 2 days Every two days 2d
On days of the week | Every week on Mondays Every mon Every week on Monday and Tuesday Every mon & tue Mondays or Tuesdays Every Monday through Thursday Every Monday to Thursday mon to thu
Every n days of the week | Every other Monday On Mondays every other week Every third Saturday Every three weeks on Saturdays Every 3rd sat Every 2w on wed, thu, and fri
Every n months | Every other month 2m
On specific days of the month | Every month on the 1st On each first of the month Monthly on the first Every month on the 1st of the month 1 Every month on the 5th and the 20th day On the 5th and 20th of the month 5, 20 Every month on the 1st through the 6th Monthly on the first through the sixth On the 1st through the 6th of every month
On nth day of the week of the month | On every second Monday of the month Monthly on every 2nd Monday Every month on second Mondays 2nd mon of the month
Yearly | Every year on January first On January 1st of every year jan 1 Every last sun of October through April Every oct through apr on the last Sunday
Last day of the month | Every last day of the month last day

# Optimize The Hit List for Your Work Style

## Preferences

#### General preferences

Preference | Explanation
--- | ---
Play sounds | Play sound effects when completing a task or hiding tasks
Predict tags when editing task title | The Hit List learns how you tag tasks and can suggest a tag when you create new tasks.
Complete parent task when all-subtasks are completed | When you complete the last subtask, mark the parent task as completed.
Timer window stays on top of other windows | Make the timer window always stay on top of other windows.
Enable card animations | When you're in the card view mode, certain actions trigger an animation. You can enable or disable those animations with this preference.
Enable Spotlight indexing | On Mac OS X 10.6 or higher, you can enable Spotlight indexing.
Dock action count | Show number of incomplete tasks in the Inbox, the Today list, or both, in the Dock icon badge.
Reset... | Reset all preferences back to the initial defaults.

#### Sync Service preferences

The following buttons are available when you sign into your sync account.

Preference | Explanation
--- | ---
Manage Account... | Open The Hit List Sync Service account in your web browser.
Perform Full Sync... | Send all tasks and download all existing tasks from sync service.
Sign Out | After signing out of your sync account, you will have to sign back in to sync again.
Purchase or Extend Subscription... | Purchase a subscription if you have not purchased yet, or extend your subscription if you already have an active subscription.

#### Reminders sync preferences

Preference | Explanation
--- | ---
Sync with system reminders | Enable or disable syncing with system reminders.
Reminders lists | Select a Reminders list to choose which tags or lists should be synced there. You can temporarily disable syncing on the Reminders list by ticking off the checkbox in front of it. A task cannot be synced to more than one Reminders list. Thus, if more than one Reminders list matches a task, it will be synced to the one higher in the list. You can rearrange the order of the Reminders lists through drag and drop.
Sync with | Choose which tags or lists should be synced with the selected Reminders list.

#### Shortcut preferences

Preference | Explanation
--- | ---
Quick Entry window | Click to choose a keyboard shortcut for the Quick Entry window.
Quick Entry with context | When the Quick Entry window is opened via the shortcut set here, the information from the foreground application is used to create the task.
Configure System Service… | Opens the Keyboard System Preferences window where you can enable or disable the system service and change its global keyboard shortcut. Once the window is open, you might have to click on "Keyboard Shortcuts" then "Services" to be able to configure the system service.
Close tab | Choose the keyboard shortcut that closes the current tab.

#### Update preferences

Preference | Explanation
--- | ---
Check for updates at startup | Enable or disable checking for updates at startup.
Check Now | Check immediately if there are any updates available.
Send anonymous system profile information | The system profile information includes details such your CPU type, operating system version, type of Mac, amount of RAM installed, and more. This information is sent at most once per week.

#### Registration preferences

Preference | Explanation
--- | ---
Name | Name the person to whom the license is registered
License Key | If you don't know what your license key is, you can find it in the order receipt that was emailed to you at the time of purchase.
Purchase License... | Click to purchase a license using the in-app store.
Find My License Key... | If you have lost your license key, click to visit our web store where you can tell us your email address to have your order receipt emailed to you again.

#### Keyboard shortcuts

You can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly accomplish many tasks in The Hit List. To find the shortcuts for common commands, look in the The Hit List menus, or use the table below as a reference. Many items in The Hit List (for example, tasks and column headings) also have contextual menus. To see a contextual menu, press the Control key and click the item. To perform an action, press the shortcut keys indicated below.

Action | Shortcut
--- | ---
The Hit List menu shortcuts
Preferences… | Command-Comma | ⌘,
Hide The Hit List | Command-H | ⌘H
Hide Others | Command-Option-H | ⌥⌘H
Quit The Hit List | Command-Q | ⌘Q
File menu shortcuts
New Task | Command-N | ⌘N
New Task Below | Return | ↩
New Sub-Task | Shift-Return | ⇧↩
New List | Command-Shift-N | ⇧⌘N
New Folder | Command-Control-N | ⌃⌘N
New Smart Folder… | Command-Option-N | ⌥⌘N
New Tab | Command-T | ⌘T
Close Window | Command-W | ⌘W
Close All | Command-Option-W | ⌥⌘W
Archive List | Command-K | ⌘K
Sync | Command-Option-S | ⌥⌘S
Page Setup… | Command-Shift-P | ⇧⌘P
Print… | Command-P | ⌘P
Edit menu shortcuts
Undo | Command-Z | ⌘Z
Redo | Command-Shift-Z | ⇧⌘Z
Cut | Command-X | ⌘X
Copy | Command-C | ⌘C
Copy with Notes | Command-Option-C | ⌥⌘C
Copy as Link | Command-Shift-Option-C | ⌥⇧⌘C
Paste | Command-V | ⌘V
Paste and Match Style | Command-Shift-Option-V | ⌥⇧⌘V
Select All | Command-A | ⌘A
Select None | Command-Shift-A | ⇧⌘A
Select menu shortcuts
Up | K | K
Down | J | J
Left | H | H
Right | L | L
Font menu shortcuts
Show Fonts | Command-Shift-T | ⇧⌘T
Bold | Command-B | ⌘B
Italic | Command-I | ⌘I
Underline | Command-U | ⌘U
Bigger | Command-Plus | ⌘+
Smaller | Command-Minus | ⌘-
Show Colors | Command-Shift-C | ⇧⌘C
Copy Style | Command-Option-C | ⌥⌘C
Paste Style | Command-Option-V | ⌥⌘V
Find menu shortcuts
Search | Command-F | ⌘F
Find… | Command-Option-F | ⌥⌘F
Find Next | Command-G | ⌘G
Find Previous | Command-Shift-G | ⇧⌘G
Use Selection for Find | Command-E | ⌘E
Jump to Selection | Command-J | ⌘J
Spelling and Grammar menu shortcuts
Show Spelling… | Command-Colon | ⌘:
Check Spelling | Command-Semicolon | ⌘;
Special Characters… | Command-Option-T | ⌥⌘T
View menu shortcuts
Go Back | Command-Left Bracket | ⌘[
Go Forward | Command-Right Bracket | ⌘]
Go To menu shortcuts
Inbox | Command-Option-1 | ⌥⌘1
Today | Command-Option-2 | ⌥⌘2
Upcoming | Command-Option-3 | ⌥⌘3
Group Above | Command-Option-Left Bracket | ⌥⌘[
Group Below | Command-Option-Right Bracket | ⌥⌘]
Outline | Command-1 | ⌘1
Card | Command-2 | ⌘2
Lists | Command-3 | ⌘3
Tags | Command-4 | ⌘4
Outline menu shortcuts
Collapse | Command-Control-Left Arrow | ⌃⌘←
Expand | Command-Control-Right Arrow | ⌃⌘→
Expand All | Command-Control-Down Arrow | ⌃⌘↓
Collapse All | Command-Control-Up Arrow | ⌃⌘↑
Columns menu shortcuts
Start Date | Command-8 | ⌘8
Due Date | Command-9 | ⌘9
Estimated Time | Command-0 | ⌘0
Show Go To Bar | G | G
Show Hints Bar | ? | ?
Show Filter Bar | R | R
Hide Sidebar | Command-Shift-L | ⇧⌘L
Show Task Information | Command-Shift-I | ⇧⌘I
Expand Notes | Command-Shift-Quote | ⇧⌘'
Show All Completed Tasks | Command-Shift-H | ⇧⌘H
Show Number of Actions | Command-Shift-U | ⇧⌘U
Enter Full Screen | Command-Control-F | ⌃⌘F
Task menu shortcuts
Mark as Cancelled | X | X
Start Today | T | T
Due Today | Shift-T | ⇧T
File to List | F | F
Begin Timing | B | B
Stop Timing | Command-Period | ⌘.
Move menu shortcuts
Up | W | W
Up 5 Rows | Shift-W | ⇧W
To Top | Option-W | ⌥W
Down | S | S
Down 5 Rows | Shift-S | ⇧S
To Bottom | Option-S | ⌥S
Left | A | A
Right | D | D
Tag | Slash | /
Tag Context | @ | @
Edit Note | Command-Quote | ⌘'
Priority menu shortcuts
1 | 1 | 1
2 | 2 | 2
3 | 3 | 3
4 | 4 | 4
5 | 5 | 5
6 | 6 | 6
7 | 7 | 7
8 | 8 | 8
9 | 9 | 9
None | 0 | 0
Raise Priority | ' | '
Lower Priority | ; | ;
Estimated Time menu shortcuts
Add 1 Hour | Period | .
Add 30 Minutes | Shift-Period | ⇧.
Subtract 1 Hour | Comma | ,
Subtract 30 Minutes | Shift-Comma | ⇧,
Due Date menu shortcuts
Add a Day | Right Bracket | ]
Add a Week | Shift-Right Bracket | ⇧]
Subtract a Day | Left Bracket | [
Subtract a Week | Shift-Left Bracket | ⇧[
Start Date menu shortcuts
Add a Day | Equals | =
Add a Week | Shift-Equals | ⇧=
Subtract a Day | Minus | -
Subtract a Week | Shift-Minus | ⇧-
Repeat… | Command-R | ⌘R
Open Link | V | V
Open Link in Background | Shift-V | ⇧V
Show in List | Command-L | ⌘L
Hide Completed Tasks | Backtick | `
Window menu shortcuts
Minimize | Command-M | ⌘M
Minimize All | Command-Option-M | ⌥⌘M
Select Next Tab | Command-Shift-Right Bracket | ⇧⌘]
Select Previous Tab | Command-Shift-Left Bracket | ⇧⌘[
Help menu shortcuts
The Hit List Help | Command-? | ⌘?

#### Custom URL scheme

The Hit List supports a custom URL scheme for controlling some aspects of the application.

##### Look up by UID

`thehitlist:///UID`

Every group and task in The Hit List is internally given a unique ID. Clients that know such an ID can request the group or task be opened. On the Mac, you can get this kind of URL for a task by choosing “Copy as Link” in the Edit menu.

Availability: Mac

##### Look up lists or folders by name

`thehitlist:///path/to/group`

The route to a list is specified as a path in the URL, using the name of each group. Some examples:

URL | Explanation
--- | ---
`thehitlist:///Inbox` | Opens the Inbox
`thehitlist:///Bucket%20List` | Opens a list or folder named “Bucket List”
`thehitlist:///Projects/Shed` | Opens a list or folder named “Shed”, inside of the folder “Projects”

Names are handled case-insensitively, so you can specify either `inbox` or `Inbox`, for example. Non-URL path characters — such as spaces — need to be percent encoded. See “Bucket List” above, for example.

Availability: Mac

##### Create tasks

`thehitlist:///folder/list/tasks?method=POST&title=Reach+88mph`

As above, the URL path specifies which list the task should be created in. The URL query begins at the `?` character. The query is composed of a series of parameter names and values separated by ‘`&`’ symbols. A ‘`=`’ character is used to separate parameter name and value.

Spaces are accepted as either a ‘`+`’ symbol for convenience, or as the full `%20` sequence. Consequently, if you require an actual ‘`+`’ character, it must be encoded as `%2B`.

Parameter names are case-insensitive. Parameters may appear in any order. Unrecognized parameter names or values are ignored. The result of duplicate parameter names is undefined. If the specified list does not exist, the request goes ignored.

Parameter | Explanation | Availability
--- | --- | ---
`title` | Title of the new task. As when typing in a task, `/` or `@` may be used to specify a tag. | Mac and iOS
`notes` | Notes to include in the task | Mac and iOS
`url` | The URL to include in the task notes | Mac and iOS
`urlTitle` | The name of the link for the URL | Mac
`startDate`, `dueDate` | Dates can be specified using the shorthand values that The Hit List application understands. For example, “6/4”, “June 4, 2010”, “4” (4th of the next month), “wed”, “4d” (in four days), “today”, “t” (today), and so on and so on. If you add a task to the Today group, the start date gets automatically set to today. | Mac and iOS, although iOS only supports a limited range of date formats
`estimatedTime` | Example values are 30m, 0.5h 1d, and so on | Mac and iOS. Time estimates aren’t visible in the iOS app, but they will show up when synced back to a Mac.
`priority` | Priority can range from 0 to 9 where 0 is no priority. In the iOS app, priorities 1 & 2 are red, 3 & 4 yellow, 5 grey, 6 & 7 blue, and 8 & 9 green. | Mac and iOS
`index` | An index value of `n` will insert to that index in the list. Index of `-1` is a special case where it will add to the end of the list. The default is 0. | Mac

###### Examples

`thehitlist:///inbox/tasks?method=POST`

Creates an empty task in the Inbox.

`thehitlist:///Bucket%20List?method=POST&title=Swim+with+dolphins&notes=Perhaps+in+Mexico?`

Creates a task named “Swim with dolphins” in “Bucket List”. Notes are filled in with “Perhaps in Mexico?”

`thehitlist:///inbox/tasks?method=POST&title=+@work`

Creates a task tagged with @work. On iOS, the leading space places the text insertion point at the start of the title, ready to type. You can specify a trailing space instead to automatically start typing after the tag.

`thehitlist:///inbox/tasks?method=POST&title=Buy+Mike+a+present&dueDate=2015-06-24`

Creates a task with the due date 24 June 2015.