I know this is not a new topic for discussion, and I have seen many posts regarding this issue. I was so excited to think that the last major update had solved this problem only to find that they added this feature for everything BUT list items!

It has been talked about, requested and, from what I’ve read, promised as a feature. I know these things take time, but all I would like is a clear answer from 37Signals on what is the status of this feature. Just let us know if it’s something you’re working on. Wether it can be done and if so, if and maybe when we should expect it.

I love Backpack but the lack of this feature is really killing it for me.

Please keep us informed.

Thanks.

Hi Luis,

As policy we don’t comment on future features, ideas, or releases and haven’t made any specific promises about the feature you’re referencing.

Ryan

Ryan,

Thanks for the quick reply. I appreciate your answer and understand your policy, I just wish there was a way to know if I’m waiting for something that will never come. It’s been very frustrating waiting for that feature in particular and would just like to be informed.

Luis

We never promised or discussed the feature you are talking about, so I’m not sure why you are waiting for it. You can see there are many feature requests in our forums. We hear them all and they go into our decision making process as we roll toward the future.

We hope you find Backpack useful today, and we do our best to keep making it better.

Ryan

Ryan,

while I have to admit that 37s probably never promised that feature coming (I can’t remember having read about it, and I’ve read next to everything here), I’d like to affirm that this feature is of extreme importance, especially if you try to use Backpack GTD-style, with pages representing your inbox, several contexts, multiple projects and one or more “catch-all” lists. This means having to move single list items between different pages regularly.
I tried to put more than one of those lists on one page just to avoid this problem, but this only got that page completely out of control due to the number of items on the page.

Alex

alxwz, we are aware of the request, but we don’t comment on future features one way or the other. Thanks for letting us know what you’d like, it’s been noted.

I back alxwz on this (and the whole squad of users who have requested this feature)

This will transform Backpack, literally.

I concur with MMessier and alxwz on this.

+1

The reason this one is interesting to me is:

• I have one page (my main page called “Actions”) that I use to keep all my general outstanding tasks (which is anything other than team projects in which case I use Basecamp, or sales activities for which I use Highrise)
• I have my Action page open at all times and frequently add things when I think of them. I use my BlackBerry to email task items to my Actions page whenever I think of them but am away from my computer. Together this makes it very easy to never forget to do something but also means I have a lot of items on my Action page!
• While the task is live I drag it to whatever list make sense on the Actions page – could be “2 minute items”, “Today”, “Tonight”, “Later”, “Expenses to Claim”, etc.
• When I am finished the task, I want to keep a record of it being done. The journal is of limited value in this regard because after 100 (or so) items it drops off the bottom ones; and it isn’t ordered in any way. So I move the item to a relevant page, place it in a relevant list on that page then tick it as complete.

I’m interested to hear of any workaround suggestions people may have for the move part. At the moment I highlight and copy the text of the item, navigate to the page where it will go, add a new task to the the relevant list and paste it in there, then tick it as complete, then go back to the Actions page and delete it. If there is Textile in the task then I have to edit the task first before I can copy the text.

Another option I have tried is to create a new list, drag the item to it, then drag the entire list to the relevant page, then drag the item to the correct list then delete the (now empty) new list.

Either way it is a fair amount of work.

Incidentally I have no problem with the 37Signals team not commenting on upcoming features. But if you guys are using any little smart tricks in your use of your own products that might give me some ideas, I’d sure appreciate hearing them!

Keep up all the good work, looking forward to whatever new features are released in 2009!

I’ve been wanting this for a while, and tried a demo of Things (Mac) to see if it has it. Lo and behold, it does. Using Things confirms that my organizational style works much better with the freedom to drag and drop a single item from a list onto another page. Still, I’d rather keep using Backpack. This isn’t a threat to leave or anything like that. I just want to echo what others have said and, having used that feature elsewhere, say: Please, 37signals, add this feature to your already amazing service. Thanks for reading this far.