ForumsNewsHabits Update: Alarms and Non-daily Schedules


Habits Update: Alarms and Non-daily Schedules
Author Message
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Today, we are happy to release two powerful new features for Habits. The first is "Schedules". This allows you to create habits that repeat on a schedule of your choosing. You can make everyday habits like before, but you can also make a habit for just the weekends, or just Tuesdays.





The second addition is "Alarms". Get reminders to help you remember to completed and log your habits. Alarms can be sent via email, Text, Twitter, our iOS app, or in your web browser.





Before we get a hundred requests for this: We are planning to create a way for a habit to repeat several times a week, but not always on the same day. For example: "Exercise twice a week (but on any day)". This will be coming in the next update.


This message was edited Nov 03, 2015.
Salgud

Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 2 Reference
Gee, someday maybe (dreaming here :) we could get this kind of improvement for scheduling repeating tasks!
Purveyor

Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Posted by Jake:
The second addition is "Alarms". Get reminders to help you remember to completed and log your habits. Alarms can be sent via email, Text, Twitter, our iOS app, or in your web browser.
I tested the reminders but I can't get them to work on the website or on my iPhone. I set a couple of reminders about 15 minutes in the future but there was no alarm at the designated time.
Do the alarms have to be set for the next day?

BTW, my task alarms work fine so it doesn't seem to be related to any of my settings.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Purveyor, I just confirmed that they worked on my account. Here are two things to check:

1) Try an email alarm and see if that works
2) For the "website/browser" based alarm, make sure that you have given Toodledo permission to present these alarms. Try the test alarm on the alarm setup page to make sure it works. You can also look at the website permissions in your web browser to see if you have accidentally denied Toodledo permission to present browser based alerts.
3) For iOS alarms, currently you must choose "Task alarms come from website" in the app's settings for this to work since the app hasn't yet been updated to send local habit alarms (this will come in a future update).
Purveyor

Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
The email alarm worked, but the iOS app did not. I selected "Task Alarms come from website". Do I have to sync for the alarms to work? In any case, I did sync immediately after setting the alarm on the website. And I have enabled Notification for the Toodledo app. As I mentioned previously, I am getting my Task alarms.

Also, how about allowing any time for Habit alarms, rather than just four options during the hour?

One more thing: I had stopped using Habits because there were no scheduling options besides daily and now that I've started using it again (and I am looking forward to using it, thanks) I find the button for choosing Habits (in the far top left corner) to be annoying. I don't like the location, the downward chevron for clicking, and the fact I have to click, move down to the bottom choice, and click again. Also, why is the dropdown menu so big? Responsive design is not really the answer.
Better to have the various functions available across the top of the screen


This message was edited Nov 03, 2015.
Brian_14

Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 1 Reference
Posted by Jake:
[quote]Today, we are happy to release two powerful new features for Habits. The first is "Schedules". This allows you to create habits that repeat on a schedule of your choosing. You can make everyday habits like before, but you can also make a habit for just the weekends, or just Tuesdays.[quote]

But I want my habit to be just on Thursdays ;)
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Nov 03, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Brian: Sorry, Thursdays are only for Subscribers :)
Brian_14

Posted: Nov 04, 2015
Score: -1 Reference
That's it--I quit!! Where's my Franklin Planner?
shelbyp

Posted: Nov 06, 2015
Score: 1 Reference
Many thanks for the non daily schedules! Brilliant! like purveyor I stopped dusing the Habits due to this key missing feature, I moved to another tool, I will be moving all my stuff back to toodledo for the habits now. Of the many proposed habits imprvements this was by far the most important to making it useable for a much more general set of habits.



Keep up the great work, I also like the design changes taking place!

shelby
Purveyor

Posted: Nov 06, 2015
Score: 1 Reference
Posted by Jake:
For iOS alarms, currently you must choose "Task alarms come from website" in the app's settings for this to work since the app hasn't yet been updated to send local habit alarms (this will come in a future update).
According the app, this is not the "recommended" option. In fact, when I select it, the alarms don't appear at the designated time, but at some time before or after. I'm not going to jeopardize the reliability of my Task alarms to get Habit alarms. I'll wait until the iOS app is updated.


This message was edited Nov 06, 2015.
Christoph Dollis

Posted: Nov 08, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Excellent update! Thank you so much for the new schedules in particular, and I think I might even use the alarms (try it, anyway!).

However that, a badge would be even better than alarms (both on the web version and iOS version). Because we may not do a "habit" at exactly the same time, or even close to that time, but want to do it, say, daily. The badge lets us know at a glance if any habits are remaining.

Any chance this is on your radar as something to do?

Ah, I see now that there's a badge from within Habits view. So that's the right idea, a few steps in the right direction from a good Habits capability to an even better one. Yet where the badge would be far more useful is if it could be seen in the Tasks view!

Similarly, in the iOS and Android mobile apps. It would also be a good option for "app badge icon" and even "favicon badge" for the website.


This message was edited Nov 08, 2015.
Sean D. Mack

Posted: Nov 09, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Yes, totally agree with Salgud here. Love the new additional flexibility with the schedule feature but not sure why you didn't just implement it in the same way as repeating tasks. I would like a way to schedule a task every other week, monthly, quarterly, etc.

Posted by Salgud:
Gee, someday maybe (dreaming here :) we could get this kind of improvement for scheduling repeating tasks!
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Nov 09, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Smack: You can already schedule a task for every other week, monthly, quarterly, etc. Here is some more info: http://www.toodledo.com/info/help.php#2

For Habits, we felt that something that happens less frequently than once a week, isn't really a habit. Its a task. So, we are currently requiring habits to occur at least once a week. If you have something you need to do less frequently, I think putting it into the task section would be more appropriate.
shelbyp

Posted: Nov 10, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Just a small point on the chain. I have now setup habits according to non-daily schedules but I see that the chain is still working daily. This is a minor point, but actually it is a bit confusing since it looks like the habit has not been performed since the chain is broken.

Minor point, perhaps would be better not to show the chain at all for these non-daily habits. The functioning of the chain will be harder to define when you generalize to habits which are say 2 times a week on arbitrary schedules (ie what is considered as a success for the chain? is it updated only once a week, which may be the way to go for these habits, but then raises consistency issues for the chains which are functioning differently for daily habits. )

food for thought ! :)


This message was edited Nov 10, 2015.
Jake

Toodledo Founder
Posted: Nov 10, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
The chain should work correctly for non-daily habits. It will only record a missing link if you fail to log a habit on a day that it is scheduled.

This message was edited Nov 10, 2015.
shelbyp

Posted: Nov 16, 2015
Score: 0 Reference
Jake: thanks for the reply, indeed he chain works as you say, I tested last week more carefully. Issue was on my side, I tend to tick off my habits the following day, not the day itself, so my chains were broken, this is why before they seemed to be working.

Anyway minor point,

I'm really enjoying this new feature and looking forward to the generalization to x# of occurences in a time period which I know is upcoming :)

shelby
You cannot reply yet

U Back to topic home

R Post a reply

To participate in these forums, you must be signed in.