Desktop Widgets Complete Guide

Desktop Widgets Overview

Desktop widgets display to-do lists / note lists / schedule lists / date countdowns directly on the Windows desktop — each desktop widget is an independent window, and each window can only display a single list (you cannot mix multiple lists in one window).

Key Concepts:

Desktop Widgets = 4 types: to-do, note, schedule, countdown
Desktop Weather = an independent desktop window (see Weather Widget)
Desktop Calendar = an independent desktop window (see the “Calendar Widget” section in this article)
Archive Mode = any desktop widget can enter “archive browsing” mode to view all completed/archived items (shared across all 4 types, see Archive and Export)

Widget Quantity:

You can have up to 20 desktop widgets (adjustable from 0–20)
The content of each widget is user-defined — to-do, note, schedule, or countdown
On first install, 1 widget is automatically created, prioritizing the to-do list (if no to-do list exists, it tries note → schedule → countdown in order)

Membership:

The toggles for Desktop Weather and Desktop Calendar are in the App Settings panel
New users get a 7-day free membership trial upon registration. All desktop widgets display normally while the membership is active
After membership expires, desktop widget windows show an upgrade prompt. Closing or hiding all desktop widgets automatically removes the prompt

General Window Properties

Property	Description
Default Position	Near the top-left corner of the screen (Left=10, Top=10)
Default Size	400 × 400 pixels
Minimum Size	300 × 400 pixels
Resize	8 directions (4 edges + 4 corners); automatically saved after resizing
Reposition	Drag the title bar to move; position is automatically remembered
Taskbar	Does not appear in the Windows taskbar
Auto-hide at Screen Edge	When enabled, the widget hides when the mouse leaves and reappears when approaching the edge strip
Auto-snap Alignment	When dragging a widget near the edge of other windows (within 80 pixels), it auto-aligns. Targets include desktop widgets, desktop weather, desktop calendar, and the main app schedule window

Title Bar

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ◀  List Name / Date   Archive   [Net] [Lock] [+] [Settings] │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────┘
    ①        ②       ③       ④  ⑤  ⑥   ⑦

#	Element	Description
①	List Switch Arrow	Slides out the “Switch List” menu on hover
②	List Title	To-do/Note = list name; Schedule = today’s date (e.g., “Wed 06-11”); Countdown = fixed “Date Countdown”
③	Archive Link	Appears on hover; click → enters archive browsing mode
④	Network Status Icon	Only shown when there’s a network error
⑤	Lock/Unlock Icon	Appears on hover; click to toggle lock state
⑥	+ Add Icon	Only on Schedule/Countdown widgets; appears on hover; click to open the quick input box
⑦	Settings Icon	Appears on hover; click to slide out the settings menu from the right

The 4 buttons on the right side of the title bar only appear when the mouse hovers over the widget and automatically hide when it moves away. In locked state, the + button does not appear, but the other 3 buttons remain visible.

Entry: Click the “List Switch Arrow” on the left side of the title bar.

The menu displays 4 list groups:

To-do Lists section: lists all to-do lists, with the current list checked. A + icon next to the section name navigates to “Add To-do List”
Note Lists section: lists all note lists, with the current list checked. A + icon next to the section name navigates to “Add Note List”
Schedule List section: 1 radio option; selecting it switches to schedule mode
Date Countdown List section: 1 radio option; selecting it switches to date countdown mode

After selecting an item, the widget switches immediately and the menu closes. Clicking the currently selected item again does not reload it.

Entry: Click the gear icon in the title bar.

Menu item visibility depends on the widget type:

Menu Item	To-do	Note	Schedule	Countdown
Data Sync	✓	✓	✓	✓
Widget Settings	✓	✓	✓	✓
List Settings	✓	✓	✓
Tag Settings	✓	✓	✓	✓
Manage To-do Lists	✓	✓	✓	✓
Manage Note Lists	✓	✓	✓	✓
Recurring Plans	✓	✓	✓	✓
Delete Current List	✓	✓
Add Desktop Widget	✓	✓	✓	✓
Close Desktop Widget	✓	✓	✓	✓
App Settings	✓	✓	✓	✓

Menu item functions:

Data Sync: Immediately triggers a data sync
Widget Settings: Slides out the widget settings panel from the bottom
List Settings: To-do/Note → opens the list management window; Schedule → opens the schedule settings window
Tag Settings: Navigates to tag management
Manage To-do/Note Lists: Navigates to the corresponding list type management view
Recurring Plans: Navigates to recurring plan management
Delete Current List: Only available for to-do/note. If only 1 list remains, deletion is not allowed
Add Desktop Widget: Opens 1 more widget (up to 20)
Close Desktop Widget: Removes the current widget from the desktop; the associated list is not deleted
App Settings: Navigates to App Settings

Entry: Settings menu → “Widget Settings”

4 settings, each configurable independently per widget, take effect immediately:

Setting	Options	Description
Auto-hide at Screen Edge	On / Off	Hides to the edge when the mouse leaves, reappears on approach
Background Color	Color Picker	Widget background color
Text Color	Color Picker	Text color (affects both title and list content)
List Font Size	Slider (14–20)	Font size for list items; the title is not affected

Data Sync

Manual: Settings menu → “Data Sync”
Automatic: Mouse enters the widget → auto-sync triggers after 1 second

Features

Displays all incomplete + completed to-dos from a to-do list directly on the desktop as a list.

View: Incomplete to-dos are grouped by “pinned > unpinned”, with pinned items at the top; each item shows content + target date countdown badge (if any)
Add: Click the blank area below the list → an editable empty row appears at the bottom → type text → auto-saves on blur
Complete To-do: Hover → “Complete” button on the right → strikethrough and moved to archive; you can also double-click to quickly complete
Pin/Unpin: Hover → “Pin” button on the right → pins to the top (orange dot); click again to unpin
View Details: Hover → “Details” button on the right → opens a detail window
Edit: Click the text multiple times to enter edit mode, or click the “Details” button
Delete: Hover → “Delete” button on the right → permanently deletes (irreversible)
Drag to Reorder: Hold the left-side dot of an unpinned, incomplete to-do and drag

What pinning does: Pinned to-dos always appear at the top and cannot be drag-reordered. Multiple items can be pinned in a single list.

Target Date Countdown Badge (bottom-right, dark gray background with orange text):

Target date > today: “X days left”
Target date = today: “Today”
Target date < today: “X days ago”

Display

List item layout:

●  To-do content                       [Complete] [Pin] [Details] [Delete]
                                      ┌──────────┐
                                      │ 5d left  │  ← countdown badge
                                      └──────────┘

Left-side 8×8 dot: orange when pinned, white when unpinned
Right-side 4 buttons (20×20 pixels): only appear on hover + when unlocked
Completed items: gray dot + gray strikethrough

Interactions

Action	Trigger	Notes
Mark Complete	Hover → “Complete” button / Double-click	Immediately turns gray + strikethrough
Uncomplete	Archive mode → hover archived item → “Restore”	Archive pool retains items long-term
Pin/Unpin	Hover → “Pin” button	Toggles orange dot
View Details	Hover → “Details” button	Opens detail window
Edit	Click text multiple times / “Details” button	—
Delete	Hover → “Delete” button	Permanently deletes
Drag to Reorder	Hold left-side dot and drag	Only unpinned, incomplete items can be dragged

Sorting Rules: Pinned > unpinned; pinned items sorted by pin time ascending; unpinned items sorted by creation time ascending by default; manual drag switches to manual order.

Settings

The to-do list widget has no independent extra settings — the general widget settings (background color/text color/font size/edge hide) and app settings (quantity/display mode/opacity/hotkeys) are sufficient.

Display Rules

Data Source: Global to-do dictionary; the widget only shows items belonging to the current list
Completed items are not shown in the main list by default (unless “items completed within 24h” is enabled, in which case they mix into the bottom)
Deleted items permanently disappear
Schedule/countdown type to-dos can be individually toggled on/off in list settings
Tag filter: only shows items matching at least 1 tag

Features

Displays all unarchived + archived notes from a note list on the desktop as a list.

Key Differences from To-dos:

Notes have no “complete” concept — only “unarchived” (active) and “archived” (filed away)
Notes have a title; to-dos do not
Note tags are displayed as “tag strips” below each item
Single-click a note to enter edit mode (double-clicking a to-do is “complete”, not “edit”)
View: Notes are grouped by “pinned > unpinned”, each item shows title + content + tags
Add: Click the blank area below the list → creates a new note and enters edit mode
Edit: Single-click a note → both title and content enter edit mode → auto-saves on blur
Archive: Hover → “Complete” button on the right → becomes archived
Pin/Unpin: Hover → “Pin” button on the right
Delete: Hover → “Delete” button on the right → permanently deletes

Display

List item layout:

●  Note Title (bold)
   Note content (multi-line, can wrap)
   🏷 Tag1  🏷 Tag2                     [Complete] [Pin] [Delete]

Left-side 8×8 dot: orange when pinned
Title is bold, up to 200 characters; content is multi-line, up to 10,000 characters
Tag strip: multiple tags displayed as small gray rounded rectangles
Right-side 3 buttons: only appear on hover + when unlocked
Archived items: gray dot + both title and content have gray strikethrough

Interactions

Action	Trigger	Notes
Edit (title + content)	Single-click a note	Auto-saves on blur
Archive	Hover → “Complete” button	Archive retains items long-term
Unarchive	Archive mode → “Restore” button	—
Pin/Unpin	Hover → “Pin” button	Toggles orange dot
Delete	Hover → “Delete” button	Permanently deletes
Drag to Reorder	Hold left-side dot and drag	Only unpinned, unarchived items can be dragged

Sorting Rules: Pinned > unpinned; unpinned items sorted by creation time ascending by default; manual drag switches to manual order.

Settings

The note list widget has no independent extra settings — general widget settings and app settings are sufficient.

Display Rules

Data Source: Global note dictionary; the widget only shows items belonging to the current list
Archived items are not shown by default (unless “items archived within 24h” is enabled, in which case they mix into the bottom)
Deleted items permanently disappear
Tag filter: only shows items matching at least 1 tag

Features

Displays schedules within a time range from the “Schedule List” directly on the desktop. Default time range is “7 days before today 00:00” to “30 days after today 00:00”.

Key Differences from the Other 3 Types:

Schedule is a built-in system list — users cannot create multiple; there is only 1
The title auto-scrolls at midnight daily, displaying the current date (e.g., “Wed 06-11”)
Cannot delete the schedule list
Has a + add button that pops up a quick input box from the widget bottom
No pinning — order is entirely determined by time
View: Shows all schedules within the default -7 to +30 day range
Add New Schedule: Hover → + button → quick input box → select date + type text + click √
Mark Complete: Hover → “Complete” button on the right
View Details: Hover → “Details” button on the right
Delete: Hover → “Delete” button on the right → permanently deletes

Schedule Time Display (left-side time column): All-day events show “All day”; events with start/end times show both; events without an end time show only the start time.

Display

Incomplete: schedule content displays normally, orange vertical line on the left
Completed: content has strikethrough (grayed out), orange vertical line also turns gray
Right-side 3 buttons: Complete/Restore, Details, Delete (no pin, no edit)
Title format: Day of week + space + MM-dd, auto-scrolls at midnight daily

Interactions

Action	Trigger	Notes
Add New Schedule	Hover → + button in title bar → quick input box	Select date + type text + click √
Mark Complete	Hover → “Complete” button	Immediately gets strikethrough
Uncomplete	Hover → “Restore” button	Returns to normal display
View Details	Hover → “Details” button	Opens detail window
Delete	Hover → “Delete” button	Permanently deletes

Sorting Rules: Today’s schedules always come first; within today, all-day events first + non-all-day events sorted by start time ascending; non-today items sorted by date ascending.

Settings

The schedule widget has no independent extra settings — general widget settings and app settings are sufficient.

Display Rules

The schedule list widget pulls data from 4 sources:

#	Data Source	What It Includes
1	To-do Data	”Schedule-type to-dos” (those with both start + end times)
2	Recurring Plan Data	User-created recurring to-dos expanded by time range
3	Third-party Schedules	Synchronized external calendar schedules
4	Third-party Events	Synchronized external calendar events

Features

Displays all “Date Countdown” type to-dos directly on the desktop — see at a glance how many days remain until each important date.

View: All “Date Countdown” to-dos sorted by proximity to the target date, nearest first
Add New Date Countdown: Hover → + button → quick input box → select target date + type name + click √
Mark Complete: Hover → “Complete” button on the right; you can also double-click to quickly complete
Pin/Unpin: Hover → “Pin” button on the right
View Details: Hover → “Details” button on the right
Delete: Hover → “Delete” button on the right → permanently deletes
No Drag Reordering: Order is entirely determined by the target date

Title: Fixed as “Date Countdown”, does not scroll.

Countdown Badge (bottom-right, dark gray background with orange text):

Distance to Target Date	Badge Display
≥ 2 days	”X days left”
Tomorrow	”1 day left”
Today	”Today”
Past	”X days ago”

Display

List item layout:

●  College Entrance Exam               [Complete] [Pin] [Details] [Delete]
                                      ┌──────────┐
                                      │ 5d left  │  ← countdown badge
                                      └──────────┘

Left-side 8×8 dot: orange when pinned
Bottom-right countdown badge: dark gray background with orange text
Right-side 4 buttons: only appear on hover + when unlocked

Interactions

Action	Trigger	Notes
Add New Date Countdown	Hover → + button in title bar → quick input box	Select date + type text + click √
Mark Complete	Hover → “Complete” button / Double-click	Turns gray + strikethrough
Uncomplete	Archive mode → “Restore” button	Archive pool retains items long-term
Pin/Unpin	Hover → “Pin” button	Toggles orange dot
View Details	Hover → “Details” button	Opens detail window
Delete	Hover → “Delete” button	Permanently deletes
Drag to Reorder	❌ Not supported	Order determined by target date

Sorting Rules: All countdown items sorted by target date ascending (nearest first); pinned items appear above all unpinned items.

Settings

The date countdown widget has no independent extra settings — general widget settings and app settings are sufficient.

Display Rules

Data Scope: Only shows “Date Countdown” type to-dos, cross-list — items from any list are displayed regardless of which list they belong to
An item must satisfy all 3 conditions to display: has a target date set, is incomplete, no list restriction
Holiday Insertion: The widget can optionally insert the nearest 3 upcoming public holidays into the list, selected by end date from nearest to farthest

Dimension	Date Countdown Widget	To-do List Widget
Display Scope	Only “Date Countdown” type to-dos	All regular to-dos under the current list
Sorting	By target date ascending	By creation time ascending
Drag to Reorder	❌	✓
Title	Fixed “Date Countdown”	Current list name
Add Button (+)	✓	❌

Features

The Desktop Calendar is an independent desktop window with three sections:

Schedule Area (Main): Calendar view with switchable Month/Week/Day views. All schedules (including those created by YYNote and events synced from third-party calendars) are displayed here
To-Plan Items (Left Side, Collapsible): Automatically aggregates all incomplete to-dos that have no schedule or date countdown assigned — essentially “to-dos that haven’t been given a time yet”
Third-party Calendar Sync: Supports 6 types (WeCom/DingTalk/Feishu/Microsoft/Exchange Email/CalDAV)

The Month view also overlays: Lunar calendar, Chinese public holidays (labeled “Work/Adjusted Off” or “Off”), and weather icons — all of which can be turned off in settings.

Display

Property	Description
Default Position	Near the top-left corner of the screen
Default Size	800 × 600 pixels
Minimum Size	600 × 600 pixels
Resize	8 directions, auto-saved
Drag	Grab the centered blank area at the top of the schedule area to move

View Switching: Month view (default, full-month calendar overview) / Week view (7 days) / Day view (single-day 24-hour timeline)

To-Plan Items Column (Left Side):

Title “To-Plan Items”
Top-right has 4 buttons: Network status / Lock / Add / Settings
A middle arrow button on the left side can collapse the entire column, allowing the schedule area to fill the space

Display in Different States:

State	Display
English interface	”Show Chinese Public Holidays” and “Show Lunar Calendar” settings auto-hide
Weather widget disabled	Month view cells do not show weather icons
Locked	A lock icon appears at the top of the To-Plan Items column; dragging and editing are disabled
Below Windows 10	Calendar is not forced to close; but the “Show Weather” toggle auto-hides

Interactions

Note: The Desktop Calendar has no right-click menu — the settings entry is the settings menu that slides out from within the To-Plan Items column.

Open/Close:

Open: App Settings → toggle “Calendar Widget” on; or use the “Desktop Calendar” step in the Setup Wizard
Close: Desktop Calendar → expand To-Plan Items → top-right settings icon → Settings menu → “Close Desktop Widget”

Add Schedule (3 ways):

Double-click a date cell (auto-fills the corresponding start/end times)
Click the + button at the top-right of To-Plan Items (creates a new blank schedule)
Right-click a date cell → “Add”

Edit/Delete/Change Color:

Edit: Double-click a schedule block, or right-click → Edit
Delete: Right-click → Delete
Change color: Right-click → choose from 8 colors
Drag to change time: Left-click and hold a schedule block, drag to a new time

To-Plan Items Actions:

View Details: Hover → click the # icon
Delete To-do: Hover → click the × icon
Drag to Assign as Schedule: Drag an item to a calendar date cell to assign a time
Create New To-do/Schedule: Click the + button at the top-right

Settings

Widget Panel (Entry: Desktop Calendar → expand [To-Plan Items] → top-right settings icon → “Widget Settings”):

Setting	Options	Description
Auto-hide at Screen Edge	On / Off	Hides when mouse leaves
Background Color	Color Picker	Desktop Calendar background color
Text Color	Color Picker	Text color
List Font Size	Slider (14–20)	Font size for the To-Plan Items column

Complete Settings Menu (slides out from within the To-Plan Items column):

Data Sync
Widget Settings → opens the widget panel
Calendar Settings → opens the “Calendar List” tab
Calendar Sync → opens the “Calendar Sync” tab
Lock Widget / Unlock Widget
Tag Settings
Manage To-do Lists
Manage Note Lists
Recurring Plans
Close Desktop Widget
App Settings

In Desktop Calendar mode, the following are not displayed: Update Weather, List Settings, Delete Current List, Add Desktop Widget.

Display Rules Summary

Data Scope Comparison

Widget	Data Scope	Cross-list?
To-do List	Filtered by current list; only shows to-dos under that list	❌ Current list only
Note List	Filtered by current list; only shows notes under that list	❌ Current list only
Schedule List	Merged from multiple sources: schedule-type to-dos + recurring plans + third-party schedules + third-party events	❌ Current board settings only
Date Countdown	”Date Countdown” type to-dos from all lists	✓ Cross-list
Archive Mode	All “completed” to-dos + all “archived” notes	✓ Cross-list

One-Line Summary

Widget	One-Line Description
To-do	All incomplete items + items completed within 24h under the list; pinned first, sorted by creation time ascending
Note	All unarchived notes + notes archived within 24h under the list; pinned first, sorted by creation time ascending
Schedule	Time periods (to-do + recurring + third-party) within -7 to +30 days; sorted by start time ascending
Countdown	Incomplete “Date Countdown” type to-dos from all lists + up to 3 nearest holidays; all sorted by target date ascending
Archive	All globally completed to-dos + archived notes; sorted by completion time descending

Desktop Widgets Complete Guide

Desktop Widgets Overview

General Window Properties

Title Bar

Switch List Menu (Slides Out from Widget Left Side)

Settings Menu (Slides Out from Widget Right Side)

Widget Settings Panel (Slides Out from Widget Bottom)

Data Sync

To-do List Widget

Features

Display

Interactions

Settings

Display Rules

Note List Widget

Features

Display

Interactions

Settings

Display Rules

Schedule List Widget

Features

Display

Interactions

Settings

Display Rules

Date Countdown Widget

Features

Display

Interactions

Settings

Display Rules

Differences from To-do List Widget

Calendar Widget

Features

Display

Interactions

Settings

Display Rules Summary

Data Scope Comparison

One-Line Summary