Tasks and Lists¶

This is the part Quiet Outline and the core Outline plugin don't do: task lists (- [ ] / - [x]) and ordinary bullet/numbered lists show up as tree nodes too, when Show tasks and lists is on.

Where a list ends up¶

A list under a heading — its root (top-level) item becomes a child of that heading, and any items nested inside that list, in the note itself, nest the same way inside the tree. An item three bullets deep in the note is three levels deep in the tree.
A list at the top of a file — above any heading, or in a file with no headings at all — its root item nests directly under the file itself, exactly as if the file were standing in for a heading.

# Project

- [ ] Kick off meeting
  - [ ] Book the room

## Backlog

- Nice to have
  - Not urgent

produces:

Project
├── ☐ Kick off meeting
│   └── ☐ Book the room
└── Backlog
    └── Nice to have
        └── Not urgent

Both Kick off meeting (a task, nested under the file's root heading Project) and Nice to have (a plain bullet, nested under Backlog) land exactly where they visually sit in the note.

Tasks vs. plain list items¶

An item is treated as a task if it uses the - [ ] / - [x] checkbox syntax; anything else is a plain list item. Tasks show a checkbox reflecting their state — - [x] / - [X] is checked and shown struck-through, - [ ] is unchecked, and any other single character (a custom checkbox status from a theme or plugin) is shown as neither by default, since it isn't necessarily "done" — see Compatibility for how that character's actual meaning is picked up when something defines one. Both plain lists and tasks render the same way otherwise, and both nest and navigate identically.

What text is shown¶

The list item's own text, with its bullet/number marker and (for tasks) its checkbox syntax stripped. Only the item's first line is used as its label — the tree isn't a full rendering of the note, just enough to identify and jump to the right line.

Turning this off¶

If you only want headings, turn Show tasks and lists off in Settings — the tree falls back to headings-only, matching the behavior of the core Outline plugin and Quiet Outline.