# Dates <span class="related-pages">#feature/dates</span> ## When to work on a task This section explains the different types of date that you can add to task lines, in order to tell Tasks when you wish/need to do the work. You don't have to use all available dates. Maybe due dates are sufficient for you. Don't over-engineer your task management. > [!info] > Instead of adding an emoji and a date manually, you can use the `Tasks: Create or edit` command when creating or editing a task. When you use the command, you can also set dates like "Monday", "tomorrow", or "next week" and Tasks will automatically save the date in the correct format. You can find out more in [[Create or edit Task|‘Create or edit Task’ Modal]]. > [!info] > If you prefer to type, it is now very easy to add emojis and other information for your tasks using [[Auto-Suggest|Intelligent Auto-Suggest]]. <!-- NEW_TASK_FIELD_EDIT_REQUIRED --> --- ### Due date Tasks can have dates by when they must be done: due dates. In order to specify the due date of a task, you must append the "due date signifier 📅" followed by the date it is due to the end of the task. The date must be in the format `YYYY-MM-DD`, meaning `Year-Month-Day` with leading zeros. For example: `📅 2021-04-09` means the task is due on the 9th of April, 2021. ```markdown - [ ] take out the trash 📅 2021-04-09 ``` Related instructions for use in Tasks query blocks: - [[Filters#Due Date]] - [[Sorting#Due Date]] - [[Grouping#Due Date]] - Accessible as [[Task Properties#Values for Dates in Tasks|task property]] `task.due` --- ### Scheduled date Tasks can have dates on which you plan to work on them: scheduled dates. Scheduled dates are different from due dates as you can schedule to finish a task before it is due. Scheduled dates use an hourglass emoji: ⏳. ```markdown - [ ] take out the trash ⏳ 2021-04-09 ``` See [[Use Filename as Default Date]] for how to optionally make Tasks use any dates in file names as the scheduled date for all undated tasks in that file. > [!released] 'Use Filename as Default Date' was introduced in Tasks 1.18.0. Related instructions for use in Tasks query blocks: - [[Filters#Scheduled Date]] - [[Sorting#Scheduled Date]] - [[Grouping#Scheduled Date]] - Accessible as [[Task Properties#Values for Dates in Tasks|task property]] `task.scheduled` --- ### Start date It can happen that you cannot work on a task before a certain date. Or you want to hide a task until a certain date. In that case you can use start dates. Start dates use a departing airplane emoji: 🛫 ```markdown - [ ] take out the trash 🛫 2021-04-09 ``` When [[Filters#Start Date|filtering]] queries by start date, the result will include tasks without a start date. This way, you can use the start date as a filter to filter out any tasks that you cannot yet work on. Such filter could be: ````markdown ```tasks starts before tomorrow ``` ```` Related instructions for use in Tasks query blocks: - [[Filters#Start Date]] - [[Sorting#Start Date]] - [[Grouping#Start Date]] - Accessible as [[Task Properties#Values for Dates in Tasks|task property]] `task.start` ## Track task histories This section explains the types of dates that Tasks can add for you automatically. ### Date-tracking settings The date types in this section are optional.  Image of the default settings for tracking task histories. ### Created date > [!released] Created date was introduced in Tasks 2.0.0. If you enable 'Set created date on every added task' in settings (and restart Obsidian), the Tasks plugin will help you track when your tasks were created. See the [[#Date-tracking settings|screenshot]] above. Created dates use a heavy plus emoji: ➕. ```markdown - [ ] take out the trash ➕ 2021-04-09 ``` Related instructions for use in Tasks query blocks: - [[Filters#Created Date]] - [[Sorting#Created Date]] - [[Grouping#Created Date]] - Accessible as [[Task Properties#Values for Dates in Tasks|task property]] `task.created` #### Adding Created date to tasks The following Tasks facilities add created dates to tasks... ... automatically, if created date is enabled: - [[Create or edit Task|‘Create or edit Task’ Modal]], when it creates a brand new task - When you complete a [[Recurring Tasks|recurring task]], the new task's created date will show the date it was added. ... upon request, and always enabled: - Via the `➕ created today` option in [[Auto-Suggest]]. - Note that this is a long way down the list of suggestions, so you may need to start typing a couple of characters from `created` or `today` to see it. ### Done date Unless you disable 'Set done date on every completed task' in settings (and restart Obsidian), the Tasks plugin will help you track when your tasks were completed. See the [[#Date-tracking settings|screenshot]] above. Done dates use a white check-mark emoji: ✅. ```markdown - [x] take out the trash ✅ 2021-04-09 ``` Related instructions for use in Tasks query blocks: - [[Filters#Done Date]] - [[Sorting#Done Date]] - [[Grouping#Done Date]] - Accessible as [[Task Properties#Values for Dates in Tasks|task property]] `task.done` ### Cancelled date > [!released] > Cancelled date was introduced in Tasks 5.5.0. Unless you disable 'Set cancelled date on every cancelled task' in settings (and restart Obsidian), the Tasks plugin will help you track when your tasks were cancelled. See the [[#Date-tracking settings|screenshot]] above. Cancelled dates use a red cross-mark emoji: ❌. ```markdown - [-] take out the trash ❌ 2021-04-09 ``` Related instructions for use in Tasks query blocks: - [[Filters#Cancelled Date]] - [[Sorting#Cancelled Date]] - [[Grouping#Cancelled Date]] - Accessible as [[Task Properties#Values for Dates in Tasks|task property]] `task.cancelled` ## Finding mistakes in dates on task lines Tasks does not automatically report any problem tasks that have invalid dates, such as on the 32nd day of a month. These task will silently not be found by date-based searches. However, it is possible to search for any tasks with invalid dates in your vault: see [[Filters#Finding Tasks with Invalid Dates|Finding Tasks with Invalid Dates]]. > [!warning] The date values on task lines must be calendar or absolute dates, referring to a specific year, month and day. Text such as `📅 today` is not understood by the Tasks plugin, and will not be found in searches. ## Limitations of task date support ### Date format is not configurable - The date format on task lines is not yet configurable. - The only format recognised is `YYYY-MM-DD`, for example `2024-09-17`. - It is not possible to customise the format of date values on task lines. - It is also not possible to format dates as links, such as `[[2024-09-17]]`. - We are tracking this in [discussion #69](https://github.com/obsidian-tasks-group/obsidian-tasks/discussions/69). ### Dates cannot include times - It is not yet possible to include times on task lines to indicate when they *should* be acted on. - Nor is it possible to record the time when tasks were created, completed or cancelled. - We are tracking this in discussions [#607](https://github.com/obsidian-tasks-group/obsidian-tasks/discussions/607) and [#668](https://github.com/obsidian-tasks-group/obsidian-tasks/discussions/668). ### Time-tracking, productivity tracking, pomodoros, notifications and similar out-of-scope - The following are out-of-scope for the Tasks plugin: time-tracking, productivity tracking, pomodoros, notifications and similar. - We recorded this in [discussion #2721](https://github.com/obsidian-tasks-group/obsidian-tasks/discussions/2721).