Bulk and quick edit let you update common task fields from the WordPress task list without opening the full task editor. They are useful for cleanup changes, date updates, completion updates, and manager review work across one or many tasks.
How This Fits In OrbitalWP
This feature lives on the task list. OrbitalWP adds a Task Fields section to WordPress quick edit and bulk edit so task-specific fields can be changed alongside the normal list-table editing workflow.
The fields available here are connected to the same task permissions, custom field labels, approval rules, closed-task behavior, and notification settings used elsewhere in OrbitalWP.
Where To Find It
In WordPress admin, open Orbital and choose All Tasks. Quick edit appears as a row action for individual tasks when your account can edit that task. Bulk edit is available from the task list after selecting one or more tasks.
In both places, look for the Task Fields section. That section contains OrbitalWP’s quick-editable task fields.
Before You Start
- You need task edit access before quick edit or bulk edit can save changes to a task.
- Read-only users may be able to view tasks without seeing edit controls.
- Approval Status and Closed require approval authority and apply to parent tasks, not subtasks.
- If Lock Approved Tasks is enabled under Approved Task Protection, approved tasks may block edits until approval status is
changed by someone with approval authority. - Field labels and option labels can be customized in OrbitalWP, so your site may use different labels for fields such as Priority,
Completed, or Approval Status.
What You Can Do
- Change Priority.
- Set or clear Start Date.
- Set or clear Due Date.
- Change Completed.
- Change Approval Status when you have approval access and the task is a parent task.
- Mark a parent task closed or open when you have approval access.
- Apply the same allowed field changes to multiple selected tasks with bulk edit.
Basic Workflow
- Open Orbital > All Tasks.
- Use filters such as All Priorities, All Approval Status, or All Due Dates if you need to narrow the list.
- For one task, open the row’s quick edit action and update the fields in Task Fields.
- For multiple tasks, select the tasks, open bulk edit, and choose the fields you want to apply.
- Leave a field set to No Change when you do not want bulk edit to change that field.
- Save the edit and review the list to confirm the visible fields changed as expected.
Important Controls And Settings
- No Change leaves a select field unchanged, especially during bulk edits.
- Clear start date removes the task’s start date.
- Clear due date removes the task’s due date.
- Mark as Closed closes a parent task when allowed. In bulk edit, Closed Status also includes Mark as Open.
- If the due date is earlier than the start date, OrbitalWP shows a warning asking you to adjust your dates.
- Clear Filters appears on the task list when supported filters are active.
What Affects What You See
The task list is filtered by your permissions. You may see all tasks, only tasks you own, assigned tasks, tasks granted through task-specific access, or no edit controls at all.
Row actions also depend on access. A user with read access may see View, while a user with edit access may also see editing actions. Bulk edit can include selected tasks with different permissions, so a change may apply to some selected tasks and leave others unchanged.
Subtasks affect workflow fields. Approval Status and Closed are parent-task fields, so they are disabled or ignored for subtasks.
Deeper Notes
Approval changes can affect completion. Marking a parent task approved also marks that parent task completed. Rejecting a completed parent task can reset completion so the work can be revised.
A parent task cannot be closed until its subtasks are closed. If you try to close a parent task and it stays open, check the subtasks first.
Bulk edits that change notifiable fields are handled as bulk notification activity. Instead of sending one email per changed task, OrbitalWP can send one Bulk Edit Summary email per eligible recipient when email notifications and that notification type are enabled.
Common Problems
- I cannot see Quick Edit. Your account may have read access without edit access, or the task may be locked by approval protection. Ask an administrator to check your task permissions and task-specific overrides.
- A bulk edit changed only some tasks. Bulk edit checks each selected task separately. Tasks you cannot edit, subtasks with parent-only fields, approved locked tasks, or parent tasks with open subtasks may remain unchanged.
- Approval Status or Closed is disabled. Those fields require approval authority and are not used for subtasks.
- A date change will not save. Check that the start date is not after the due date, and use the clear-date checkboxes when you want to remove a date instead of replacing it.
- I did not receive one email per changed task. Bulk edits may be summarized through Bulk Edit Summary. Email delivery also depends on Enable Email Notifications, the notification type settings, recipient read access, self-notification settings, and mute settings.
- A task is missing from the list. Check the active list view, filters, and your task permissions. If filters are active, use Clear Filters and try again.