User Manual

Version 1.0 • Last updated: 2025-11-14

Getting Started

  1. Install The Lisstinator from your app store.
  2. Create a list: Tap New List and choose type: Todo, Bucket, or Memo.
  3. Add tasks, appointments, bucket lists and memos: Give each a title; optionally add notes, importance, and a deadline.

Tasks, Appointments, Memos and Buckets

All lists types are basically a list of items. All items can be swiped right to delete or left to complete. When an item is deleted, it's gone for good. When an item is 'completed' it appears in the list's 'completed' page (accessed by pressing the small list icon at the top right of the screen). A long press on an item in any list will produce a standard 'multi-select' where you can select multiple items to be deleted or completed (except repeating appointments which can't be selected this way).

To do lists

Track daily 'to do' tasks and appointments with optional deadlines. A 'to do' list is automatically sorted so the most urgent tasks and appointments always appear at the top; set a task deadline or appointment time and it will rise up the list as the deadline approaches. If you set 'time to complete' for a task, it will position the task in the list to give you time to do it. You can set 'alarm' notifications as the deadline approaches. When you've completed a task or appointment, check the 'done' checkbox to the right of the task tp move it to the 'completed' list.

Memo lists

A memo list is used to store simple reminders - car reg. number, your wifi code, emergency phone numbers, key codes, your National Insurance number, books you want to read, tv programmes you want to watch, authors whose books you must remember not to buy again because you hated their last book; things like that. Items in a memo list can be sorted by dragging them up and down and you can set entries to 'bold' to use as subtitles.

Bucket lists

A bucket list, like a to-do list, is sorted on the priorities you assign to each item, but there's no deadline, 'time to complete' or alarms. Use it for long tem goals or aims.

Alerts and Notifications

  • For a task or appointment, you can (in the task edit window) ask to be notified at and/or before the scheduled deadline / appointment time.
    • If you do, then when that time is reached, the lisstinator will issue a 'notification'. The ways these work (or don't work) is different for each platform:
      On an android device, a notification and accompanying sound (if specified in settings) should be issued at the specified time whatever you are doing on the phone.
      On an iOS device (iphone or ipad), a notification and accompanying sound (if specified in settings) should be issued at the specified time, but only if the lisstinator is NOT running (i.e. in the foreground) at the time.
      On Mac, Windows and Linux, notifications are not currently supported.
  • Repeating tasks support monthly/yearly rules; edit recurrence via popup.

Settings

The settings page is in the app's hamburger menu, top left.
  • Notifications
    • For a task or appointment, you can set a time (or times) when the device will issue a notification - usually consisting of a pop-up window and an 'alert' sound. But for this to work, the app must request the device to allow it to access the notifications system. Android: On android, we need two different permissions. One xxx is requested when the app is first run The other usually requires you press this button, then enable the permission in the apps settings program. The exact details vary between manuafactures devices and operating system versions, xxx iOS: Permissions are requested
  • 'Done' animation
    • When you mark a task, appointment or memo as 'done', you may feeel the need to celebrate. If it annoys you, just select 'None'.
  • 'Deleted animation
    • When you delete a task, appointment, or memo or bucket, you may feeel the need to celebrate. If it annoys you, just select 'None'.
  • Task sound
    • The sound which will accompany an alert (notification) for a task. If it annoys you, just select 'None'.
  • Appointment sound
    • The sound which will accompany an alert (notification) for am appointment. If it annoys you, just select 'None'.
  • Backup lists
    • Saves a copy of all your lists and contents to a 'json' file. This file can be 'imported' into a lisstinator on the same or a different device. It's a good idea to save a backup once in a while to make sure your lists aren't lost if your device is lost or damaged. Simply installing an update to the lisstinator _should_ retain the data, but things can go wrong so it's also wise to make a backup before upgrading the app to a later version just in case. If you delete the app from your device, all the data will be deleted too, so again, backup first.
  • Restore lists
    • Restores a previously made backup. Any lists already in the device wil be deleted when the import overwrites them so again, backup first if there's anything you want to keep.
    NB Backups are straightforward unencrypted JSON files, so with a bit of nouse and a text editor it's quite possible to combine two backup files as long as they are the same version.)
  • Export completed to ics
    • Exports your lists to an iCalendar '.ics' file. These can be read by all popular calendar apps. Only 'done' items are exported,and wil appear in your calendar app on the date they were marked 'done'. You can use this feature to keep a permanent record of what you've been up to.
  • Remove old tasks
    • If you use the Lisstinator for a long time, you may have hundreds or even thousands of tasks. That's not a problem, but it may start to slow down the app or become a 'clutter' problem for you. Use this to delete old completed tasks. Anything older than your specified data will be permanently deleted from the app. So once again, probably a good idea to make a backup or an iCalendar export first.

Install, Uninstall and Update

Once installed, you will set some preferences in settings and start adding lists and tasks etc.

All your data will survive an app update. I.e. if you update the app, the updated version will still have your preferences and data just the same. However, if you uninstall the app, your preferences and data will be gone for good and you will be starting again from scratch.

So, if you do decide to uninstall the app for any reason, you are strongly advised to use 'backup lists' in the settings page to make a backup of your data, which can then be restorerd into the app once it's reinstalled.

Data & privacy policy

We don't have access to any of your data at any point and we dont do any tracking etc. The app has no telemetry (i.e. it doesn't send any data to us or anyone else) and your lists and tasks etc are all stored on your device, so unless you deliberately share them, no-one else will see them.

FAQ

  • Help and support?
    • Email us at: info@thelisstinator.com. Please include the following if you want us to look at a specific problem or you think you've found a bug:
    • Device type: (android, iphone, ipad, windows, linux)
    • Device os version: (operating system version)
    • Exactly what it is you're trying to do, how you're trying to do it and what's going wrong.
  • Is the Lisstinator free?
    • Yes, and there are no ads either.
  • No notifications?
    • Ensure permissions are granted in system settings.
  • No (or very quiet) sound accompanying notifications on iphone?
    • The actual notification volume is controlled by your iPhone’s Ringer & Alerts volume in Settings → Sounds & Haptics, and can also be affected by an active 'Focus' mode.