[Feature Suggestion] Serial sub TODOs

[ekr1]

Today, if a TODO has unresolved sub-TODOs, all of them are shown in the list. It would be great if we could set it up so that for such a set of "child" TODOs, only the first unresolved TODO is listed. I had this in a GTD app in the stone age of PalmOS 3 devices (before the internet was available for the general public ;) ), and it is incredibly elegant and powerful.

Example:

• Parent
  • Child1
  • Child2
  • Child3

In this example, only Child2 would show up in the list of current TODOs. Both the Parent and Child3 would not be shown.

This means that in a GTD-style workflow, I now only am bothered by Child2, and I know for a fact that I can work on Child2 without further prerequisites (or if I ever see an unworkable TODO in the list, I know that I have to refine it).

This should be recursive, i.e.

• Parent
  • Child1
  • Child2
    • Subchild1
    • Subchild2
  • Child3

Now, only Subchild2 would be visible. Not the Parent, Child2 nor Child3.

If and when all children of an unresolved TODO are themselves resolved, the parent should show up:

• Parent
  • Child1
  • Child2
  • Child3

Now (and only now), the Parent should be shown in the list.

Aside from a global on/off setting, this could very well be a per-TODO toggle; maybe like this:

• Parent #serial
  • Child1
  • Child2 #parallel
    • Subchild1
    • Subchild2
    • Subchild3
  • Child3

In this example, Parent, Child2 and Child3 would be invisible, but Subchild1-3 would all be seen in the list (i.e., today's behaviour).