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Final ProjectIntermediate•4-5 hours

Task Manager CLI Application

Build a complete command-line task management application with persistent storage!

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📋 Project Overview

This project combines everything you've learned about functions, data structures, file I/O, and error handling to create a practical task management system. You'll implement features like adding tasks, setting priorities and due dates, searching, and saving data to JSON files.

🎯 Learning Objectives

  • Design and implement a data structure for tasks
  • Create a menu-driven command-line interface
  • Implement CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete)
  • Work with JSON file storage for data persistence
  • Handle user input validation and errors
  • Implement search and filter functionality
  • Generate statistics and reports

✨ Features to Implement

CoreMust-Have Features

  • ✓Add new tasks with title and details
  • ✓View all tasks in formatted display
  • ✓Mark tasks as complete/incomplete
  • ✓Delete tasks by ID
  • ✓Save and load tasks from JSON file

EnhancedRecommended Features

  • ◉Set and display due dates
  • ◉Assign priority levels (High, Medium, Low)
  • ◉Search tasks by keyword
  • ◉View statistics (total, complete, pending)
  • ◉Edit existing task details

BonusChallenge Features

  • ⭐Add categories or tags to tasks
  • ⭐Show overdue tasks with warnings
  • ⭐Sort tasks by various criteria
  • ⭐Export tasks to CSV format
  • ⭐Add color-coded terminal output

🗂️ Data Structure

Example of how to structure your data:

{
    "id": 1,
    "title": "Complete Python course",
    "status": "incomplete",
    "priority": "high",
    "due_date": "2025-12-31",
    "created": "2025-12-12"
}

🛠️ Implementation Guide

1

Set Up Data Storage

30 min

Create functions to load and save tasks from/to JSON file. Handle file not found errors.

💡 Hints
  • Use json module for file operations
  • Check if file exists before loading
  • Return empty list if file doesn't exist
  • Use indent=4 for readable JSON
2

Create Add Task Function

30 min

Implement function to add new tasks with user input validation.

💡 Hints
  • Get input for title, priority, due date
  • Generate unique ID for each task
  • Validate priority input
  • Add timestamp for when task was created
3

Create View Tasks Function

30 min

Display all tasks in a formatted, readable way.

💡 Hints
  • Check if tasks list is empty first
  • Use formatted strings for alignment
  • Add visual indicators (✅, ⭕)
  • Show priority with colors or icons
4

Implement Complete/Delete

30 min

Add functions to mark tasks complete and delete tasks.

💡 Hints
  • Find task by ID
  • Update status or remove from list
  • Save changes to file
  • Handle invalid IDs gracefully
5

Add Search and Filters

45 min

Implement search by keyword and filter by priority/status.

💡 Hints
  • Use string methods for searching
  • Filter using list comprehensions
  • Display filtered results
  • Handle no results found
6

Create Main Menu Loop

30 min

Build the main program loop with menu options.

💡 Hints
  • Use while True loop
  • Display numbered menu options
  • Use if-elif for option selection
  • Add exit option to break loop

✅ Testing Checklist

Make sure all these work before considering your project complete:

☐Add multiple tasks successfully
☐View all tasks displays correctly
☐Mark task as complete works
☐Delete task removes it
☐Tasks persist after program restart
☐Search finds correct tasks
☐Invalid input is handled gracefully
☐Statistics are calculated correctly

📊 Project Info

Difficulty

Intermediate

Estimated Time

4-5 hours

Prerequisites

Modules 1-6

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💡 Tips for Success

  • ✓Start with core features first
  • ✓Test each function as you build
  • ✓Use meaningful variable names
  • ✓Handle errors gracefully
  • ✓Add comments for complex logic
  • ✓Take breaks when stuck