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Next Task — Documentation

Installation

Next Task installs as one package zip that contains the component and its eight plugins (see the Overview). The plugins are enabled automatically during installation.

Next Task needs Joomla 4.4 or newer (Joomla 5 and 6 included) and PHP 8.1 or newer; the installer refuses older versions with a message.

Download

Download the latest pkg_nexttask-X.X.X.zip package from your NextSoftware account. Do not unzip it — Joomla installs the package archive directly.

Install

  1. Log in to your site's administrator.
  2. Go to System > Install > Extensions.
  3. Choose Upload Package File, drag in pkg_nexttask-X.X.X.zip, and wait for the "Installation of the package was successful" message.
  4. That is it. The package installs com_nexttask and its plugins, creates the database tables, enables the plugins and gives your Joomla groups their first roles (see Roles).

After installation you will find Components > Next Task in the administrator menu, with the Tasks and Manage sub-items.

Add the Front-End Menu Item

Regular users work in the front-end application, so add its menu item once:

  1. Go to Menus > Main Menu > + (or any site menu).
  2. Title the item (for example "My Tasks").
  3. Click Select next to Menu Item Type and pick Next Task > Next Task under the Components group.
  4. Set Access to Registered (or higher) and save.

Logged-in users now reach their tasks at that menu item. Guests are redirected to the login page.

Enable the Scheduled Tasks

Reminders, the daily digest and the maintenance run through Joomla's Scheduled Tasks:

  1. Go to System > Scheduled Tasks.
  2. Create a task with the routine Next Task: due-time reminders, running every 5 to 15 minutes.
  3. Create a task with Next Task: daily digest, running hourly.
  4. Create a task with Next Task: maintenance, running hourly or daily: it creates missed recurring occurrences, purges deleted tasks after 7 days and prunes old notifications.
  5. For reliable timing, enable Web Cron in the Scheduled Tasks options and point a real cron job at the secret URL; the Lazy Scheduler also works for busier sites.

All the details are in Reminders and scheduled tasks.

Setup Checklist

  • Install the package from System > Install > Extensions
  • Add a Next Task menu item, if people work on the site
  • Create the three Scheduled Tasks: reminders, daily digest and maintenance
  • Check who gets which role under Configuration > Roles
  • Add your first list, or load the demo data from Settings to look around

Upgrading

Install the new package zip over the old one — System > Install > Extensions, upload, done. The database schema is updated in place; lists, tasks, shares and preferences are preserved.

Uninstalling

Uninstall Next Task Package from System > Manage > Extensions. All child extensions, their database tables and the stored task data are removed together. Export anything you need (or run a privacy export for individual users) before uninstalling.

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