T4: Task Tree Time Totaler

A plugin for the Obsidian note-taking app that calculates hierarchical task time estimate sums.

Example

Suppose you have the following task tree, with time estimates on the subtasks composing each task:

- [ ] [] Task
    - [ ] [] sub1
        - [ ] [3h] subsub1
        - [ ] [1h] subsub2
    - [ ] [] sub2
        - [ ] [2.5h] subsub3

Problem: you want a sum of the estimates for sub1 and sub2, and ofc for just a few like the above this is easy -- but it's tedious and error-prone to do this as your task-set grows.

Solution: Running this plugin on your task document computes the result for you, for all tasks containing subtasks, to any depth of hierarchy, and upserts the sums:

- [ ] [6.50h] Task
    - [ ] [4h] sub1
        - [ ] [3h] subsub1
        - [ ] [1h] subsub2
    - [ ] [2.50h] sub2
        - [ ] [2.50h] subsub3

Features

Variable unit summation

Handles varying time units, summing in the smallest available unit (minutes), and for each task reporting the sum in the coarsest unit used among a task's subtasks, like this:

- [ ] [1.48w] Task w/ mixed subtask units
    - [ ] [8.50h] Subtask1
        - [ ] [8h] Subsubtask1
        - [ ] [30m] Subsubtask1
    - [ ] [2.25d] Subtask2
        - [ ] [2d] Subsubtask1
        - [ ] [6h] Subsubtask2
    - [ ] [1.11w] Subtask3
        - [ ] [1w] Subsubtask1
        - [ ] [18h] Subsubtask2

Available units (all in calendar-time except where specified):

If no unit is defined, then for unit-accounting purposes a unit of minutes is assumed.

Usage

Task Formatting

Since this plugin works by regex-matching task lines, tasks must be defined as seen above.

The general format is: any_indentation - checkbox sum_field task_desc

Which in Markdown is more specifically: - [ ] [] some task/subtask description

Execution

NOTE: Every update overwrites any existing sum! Anything you type into the sum field will be overwritten.

1. Open a doc containing tasks and subtasks.
2. Click the "Update Task Time Sums" button on the ribbon on the left side of Obsidian.

Potential to-dos

1. Maintain cursor position after click.
2. Configurable task format: enable user-defined task format.
3. Configurable decimal-handling: enable adjustable decimal digits.
4. Configurable business time-unit times: e.g. for 4-day workweek, bw = 4 days instead of 5.
5. Multiple estimates, multiple sums: enables per-task estimate distribution.
   • Example: doing Three-Point Method estimation ((best-case + 4 * likeliest-case + worst-case)/6), subtasks A [1h,2h,4h] and B [2h,6h,12h] gives task-level sums [3h,8h,16h].
6. Actual/Completed duration summation: e.g. completed subtasks having a format like - [x] [2.0h] ([4.67h]) Completed subsubtask1 would have their parenthetical durations summed.
7. Estimate-consumed percentage: elapsed duration / estimated duration.
8. Unit tests.