User Guide

Popo is a desktop application for managing multiple types of task, and optimized for use via a Command Line Interface (CLI) while still having the benefits of a Graphical User Interface (GUI).

If you can type fast and need a personal assistant to keep track of lots of tasks, Popo task manager is here to help you!

• Quick Start
• Types of Tasks
• Features
• FAQ
• Command Summary

Quick Start

1. Ensure you have Java 11 or above installed.
2. Download the latest popo.jar here.
3. Copy the file to the folder you want to use as the home folder for Popo Task Manager.
4. Double-click the jar file to start the app. The GUI similar to the below should appear in a few seconds.
   (You may also specify your own data source file. Learn how to do so here.)

Types of Tasks

Todo

A normal task with only a name

Deadline

A task with a name and a deadline date component
(and an optional deadline time component)

Event

A task with a name and a location description

Duration

A task with a name and a time period

Period

A task with a name and a starting and ending date

Features

Notes about the command format:

• Words in between <> are the parameters to be supplied by the user.
  E.g. In todo <task_description, <task_description> is a parameter which can be used as
  todo read book.
• Items in square brackets are optional.
  E.g. deadline <task_description> /by dd/mm/yyyy [HHMM] can be used as
  deadline assignment /by 1/3/2021 2359 or simply as deadline assignment /by 1/3/2021.
• Extraneous parameters for commands will be ignored.
  E.g. list 123 will be interpreted as list.

Adding a ToDo task: todo

Adds a ToDo task to the task list.

Format: todo <task_description>
Examples:

• todo Go CNY shopping

Adding a Deadline task: deadline

Adds a Deadline task to the task list.

Format: deadline <task_description> /by dd/mm/yyyy [HHMM]
Examples:

• deadline Assignment 1 /by 31/1/2021
• deadline Assignment 1 /by 31/1/2021 1800
• deadline Assignment 2 /by 28/10/2021, 2359

Adding a Event task: event

Adds an Event task to the task list.

Format: event <task_description> /at <event_time>
Examples:

• event Project Meeting /at NUS SoC COM1-0210

Adding a Duration task: duration

Adds a Duration task to the task list.

Format 1: duration <task_description> /days <number>
Format 2: duration <task_description> /hours <number>
Format 3: duration <task_description> /minutes <number>
Examples:

• duration Read report /days 3
• duration Practice exam /hours 2
• duration Eat lunch /minutes 30

Adding a Period task: period

Adds a Period task to the task list.

Format: period <task_description> /start dd/mm/yyyy /end dd/mm/yyyy
Examples:

• period Collect certificate at NUS /start 1/3/2021 /end 31/3/2021

Listing all tasks: list

Shows the full list of tasks.

Format: list

Marking a task as completed: done

Marks the specified task in the task list as completed.

Format: done <task_number>

• Marks the task at the specified index as completed.
• The index refers to the index number of the task shown by the list command.

Examples:

• done 2

Deleting a task: delete

Deletes the specified task from the task list.

Format: delete <task_number>

• Deletes the task at the specified index.
• The index refers to the index number of the task shown by the list command.

Examples:

• delete 2

Finding a task by keyword: find

Finds all tasks whose names contain the given keyword(s).

Format: find <keyword>

• Only tasks with names containing the exact keyword(s) are returned.

Examples:

• find book
• find read book

Viewing help: help

Displays all available commands and their usages.

Format: help

Exiting the program: bye

Exits the program.

Format: bye

FAQ

Q: What is the default data source file?
A: From the base folder where you store the popo.jar file, the default data source file can be found at ./data/popo.txt.

Q: Is it possible to specify my own data source file? How do I specify my own data source file?
A: Yes. To specify your own data source file, you have to run the jar file in your terminal or command prompt with an additional argument indicating the file path of your own data source file. The easiest way is to cd into the base directory containing the popo.jar file, and run
java -jar popo.jar ./path/to/data/file/datasource.txt.
E.g. java -jar popo.jar ./mydata/mytasks.txt

Q: Do I have to pass in a specific date format? Which date formats are acceptable?
A: Yes. We only accept the date format dd/mm/yyyy currently.

Q: Why is an error showing when I try to open the program?
A: If an error message box similar to the below is showing when you try to boot up the program, the data source file may have been corrupted and the data cannot be parsed into the required format for the tasks.

Command Summary