Lists
Dynamic lists from tags
A dynamic list is defined by a tag filter. It has no contents of its own, and it is always current.
Why you'd care
An ordinary list requires you to put things into it. A dynamic list requires you to tag them, and then it fills itself, including with things you write months from now.
That is the difference between a list you maintain and one that maintains itself.
The 60-second version
Create a list and give it a tag filter instead of contents. Every thing carrying that tag appears in it, wherever it actually lives.
Going further
Nothing moves. A thing shown in a dynamic list still lives on the day or list you wrote it on. The dynamic list is a view, which is why the same thing can appear in several of them.
Match all or any. A filter on several tags can require every tag or just one. All narrows, any widens, and the default for new filters is set in Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Tag filter match.
Tag lists can be generated for you. Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Make lists for tags creates a list per tag automatically, which saves setting them up by hand if you want one for every tag.
Ordering is by the list, not the source. You can reorder a dynamic list without disturbing where the things actually live.
Settings that change this
- Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Tag filter match sets whether new filters match all tags or any.
- Settings Lists & <i>Things</i> Make lists for tags generates a list per tag.
Tips
- The best dynamic list is one tag you apply consistently, not three tags in a clever combination.
- If a dynamic list is empty, the tag is the problem, not the filter.