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Search results for "Posted by Ummagumma"
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 22, 2016 in: Feature suggestion: Show # of tasks in Folders etc.
Score: 0
In Web application, when I click on the Folders icon in the sidebar on the left, I get a list of my folders in the collapsible side menu. I have to click on each folder to see what tasks are in it.
It would be extremely helpful if TD reported the # of tasks next to the folder name. E.g. instead of the current way Folder A Folder B Folder C it did this Folder A (12) Folder B (-) Folder C(2) Tags, contexts, etc. should work the same way. |
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Ummagumma |
This will work if you use Informant. It uses it's own sync to Toodledo.
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 21, 2016 in: Request: Treat Star as top-level Status
Score: 0
Posted by alexandremrj_2:
Hello e20.09g, I would recommend something simpler, and instead of using "Next Action" for all tasks, use "Active", and leave the "Next Action" status to all of those that are very important (the starred ones), because you can have Next Action items appear in your hotlist with your due tasks and so have a simple list with all the tasks that are very important to you. Well this is also a good approach, but it has a few drawbacks for me: 1) In any mobile app that supports Star feature, it's far quicker and easier to star an item than to change it's status. E.g. in Informant, it takes 2 taps to add a star (open task - click a star icon) and 4 taps to change Action type. In Toodledo app, it's 1 tap vs 3. I really don't like setups that slow me down and make me use more time managing my task list than working on tasks themselves. It's fun when you have spare time, but extremely frustrating when you're under the gun to meet the deadline & have much on your plate. 2) It's very easy to star a task when emailing it to Toodledo, far less typing than setting an Action. 3) When I work on multiple complex projects at the same time, plus have several meetings during the day, it's easy to get lost in the multitude of tasks all of which beg attention. The way that I fixed this is to utilize Informant's Focus view that basically lets you concentrate on appointments and tasks that are important today. I created two tiers of tasks that I show on today - the top tier is the tasks I will work on today (using the Star feature) and the second tier is the tasks that are Next Action. Each is limited to no more than 3-4 items, otherwise it gets all cluttered. (It's possible to use Informant's Smart Filter feature, but I've had some problems with it) So basically my daily view looks like this (each item separated by a header): Meetings Starred tasks (3-4) Next action tasks (3-4) Due today tasks (usually empty or 1-3) Starts today Overdue tasks (usually empty, if there's anything in it I am forced to review that task) Since Informant only supports showing Next Action in the Focus view, I can't use Active tasks in it and will lose one of my headers. This message was edited Jun 21, 2016. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 20, 2016 in: Request: Treat Star as top-level Status
Score: 0
Nope, that's not what I meant.
First, to achieve this I would have to sort by Star first and by Status second. This will break the Status grouping. What I am referring to is an option to permanently treat Starred tasks as having the highest status. E.g. if I have Next Action Task 1 Task 2 Planned Task 3 Task 4 And I star Task 3, the grouped status view should become Starred Task 3 Next Action Task 1 Task 2 Planned Task 4 To me, this is more logical than the current way which would show them like this Next Action Task 1 Task 2 Planned * Task 3 Task 4 which is difficult to keep track of starred tasks if you have them beyond the edge of the screen. To me, a Star is a way to quickly assign topmost status to a task without screwing around with changing status. This is how Informant works, btw, and it makes perfect logical sense. This message was edited Jun 20, 2016. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 20, 2016 in: Request: Treat Star as top-level Status
Score: 0
The Star is typically used to designate a task to be done today / very next.
So logically, when grouping by status, I'd like to see Starred tasks above all others. At least as an option. |
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Ummagumma |
What functionality do you expect of your task manager ?
For me, I absolutely need the following: 1) Tasks showing in calendar views, and the ability to show in-progress tasks as well as due / overdue ones. I have many meetings & lots on my plate & I don't want to be switching between two apps all the time or I know I will miss something. 2) Start date support. I work on multiple projects all having long duration tasks and deadlines that are set in stone. I need any given task to start showing on my calendar xx days ahead of time - early enough that I will not miss the deadline if I have to spend 2-3 days working on it along with other things. And I don't want it clogging my views before that. 3) A "Today" feature - the ability to pick any task - regardless of it's due date - and make it show on today in my calendar, or on the top of the list in my task view (without changing it's due date of course). This is what Toodledo's Star feature is for. 4) The ability to access my calendar and tasks from any mobile device and any computer that I use, without having to use the web interface on mobile. So far, Informant + Toodledo is the only combination that meets all of these criteria (and then some). Even though some Informant bugs drive me nuts. But no other calendar or task service even comes close. Sunrise was showing some promise but MS had effectively killed it. So, what do you need ? All of the pretty interface in the world means nothing if you can't use it effectively. This message was edited Jun 17, 2016. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 15, 2016 in: Time for a price change Part 2
Score: 0
The last post in the original thread was,
"boydston01 Posted: Dec 01, 2015 Well, that's $2.50/month for one of the most robust tasks apps around. I think of the price question as whole: Is the whole package worth $2.50 a month? " So, I was going to try the Gold subscription and reply but with the rush to have projects finished before the end of the year, forgot about it and now the original thread is locked. Having tried TD Gold for 2 weeks, I will not be subscribing to the paid account. While I consider TD to be the best task tracking system, the Gold features left me underwhelmed. Here's why: 1) File attachments. This would be the most important reason for me to subscribe. However, it's only working in the web browser, effectively rendering this feature useless to me since I work from my iPad or Phone 50% of time. Ideally, I should be able to see the attachments in the mobile version, and download them on demand. 2) Outlines. This module has some promise, however in it's current incarnation it works "backwards" for me. The best way to use outlines for me would be as a starting tool to brainstorm a project, so being able to create TD tasks from within the outline is essential for it to become a useful tool for me. But the way it's implemented is exactly the opposite - I can't create tasks from outline, but I can attach an outline to the task, which is simply just another way to do subtasks. And this link won't even transfer to the mobile device, at least for now. 3) Alerts... this could be useful if I primarily used the web version of TD, but with most use being on the mobile side, it's not essential since I simply assign alerts to the tasks in Informant. 3) Subtasks. This is higly subjective, but I prefer creating individual folders for medium sized projects (3-5 tasks or more) or putting small subtasks in the body of the note for the main task. I would not pay just to get this feature, tbh. Is TD a great system ? Absolutely. But it's not the only good task management system. And Outlook, if set up right, has all of it's features and then some. If I had to pay $30 a year to keep using it, I'd seriously consider acquiring a couple gSyncit licenses instead, and getting a wider overall flexibility based around Outlook + Informant combo. Now, if you need a team collaboration tool, then TD subscription makes far more sense. And then it's probably going to be covered by the company, anyway. But in our organization, everything is centered around Outlook. This message was edited Jun 15, 2016. |
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Ummagumma |
Folder links is a great feature, but it's missing in two areas :
1) The link should open in Toodledo on mobile devices, not in web browser 2) Ability to create links from mobile versions Any chance of us seeing this ? |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 13, 2016 in: Display of notes in task list - issue
Score: 0
If I have space indentation in the note inside the task list, e.g.
Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 The list is "flattened" when in Task detail Item 1 Item 2 Item 3 I have to click inside Notes field & enter the edit dialog to see the indentation. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 12, 2016 in: Today's Toodledo Tip: Saved Searches on iOS
Score: 3
Yes, desperately need Saved Searches in Android !
For now I am using Pocket Informant's "Smart Filter" feature but it's such a pain to set up I only relegate it to the most important searches. Being able to quickly set up a search on web & have it synced to mobile would make it work so much nicer.. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 10, 2016 in: Checklist in Tasks notes section
Score: 1
Posted by Salgud:
Posted by e20.09g: Only if you use Toodledo mobile. Actually, TD for iOS doesn't have indented subtasks. AFAIK, only the online version does. (Never used TD for Android, but I'm assuming it doesn't because iOS version doesn't) However one of my main requirement is to have my tasks showing on my calendar, so that I could manage all of my timed events for that day, whether meetings or tasks. This is also the main reason for the use of Start date. If I had to use a separate program for my tasks, Wunderlist would start looking mighty attractive. And when syncing to calendars, these indented Toodledo tasks are being treated like regular tasks. I.e. they show up in the task list (indented if using PI), they show up in the searches, custom filters etc. The idea of a checklist inside the task is to hide these tasks from all the searches and lists, and only see them when opening the main task. Which at this point TD can't do. I'd say TD isn't the best software to use if you want to tie tasks to a calendar. The calendar feature is very limited. I just went to check my TD calendar, since I haven't even looked at it in months. Right now, it's telling me that all my tasks are done, which is definitely NOT what my task list is showing, and there are quite a few tasks with Start and Due dates. It probably atrophied from lack of use. ;) TD is actually intended as a GTD app, and GTD doesn't even recognize tasks with dates as tasks, but considers them appointments (like that report you're writing that has a due date. That's really an appointment :) So tying tasks to the calendar is not TD's intent, although they have deviated enough from GTD to have start and due dates to accommodate the rest of us. I think it a bit unfair to criticize TD for not functioning with a calendar very well, because it's not really intended to function with one at all. I pushed for years to get them to integrate it with a calendar, but I guess Jeff doesn't want to stray that far from GTD, or maybe he just doesn't want to add another thousand tasks to his TD fix list. Who knows? In any case, this is why I started using PI as my personal task manager a year or so ago. It would have been my work task manager as well, but didn't have a desktop version. It does all the things we're talking about here, and even more. As you probably know, it ties your task list, calendar, contacts and notes all in one very user friendly app. One icon replaced four on my iPhone home screen. And it can create a checklist inside a task! But enough of the praises for PI. TD has served me well and long, and these forums are great sources of support. I hope you find what you're looking for, but I doubt you'll get the kind of calendar connection you're seeking for the foreseeable future with TD. I am using PI as well, both on my iPad and Android phone. As a matter of fact, I've been using it since around 2005 or so. However, as I said, the dated subtasks still show in PI calendar views and searches. This is why I so much prefer the Wunderlist approach. However WL doesn't support the start date in tasks and it doesn't really sync to any decent calendar program. The "task is an appointment" approach is too rigid. The task is not an appointment. Both are timed events that have somewhat different actions associated with them, and require slightly different display and edit method . The best approximation of a task is the floating appointment the way it was implemented in Palm, but even that is not perfect since it doesn't have due dates or overdue flags. PI is perfect in how it integrates Tasks with Meetings, and desktop Outlook is very good also. When I look at the calendar, I want to see all of the timed events tied to today. It may be a meeting, or a task that is due, or a task that I must work on today to get it done on time. These are all timed and belong to a certain date or series of dates. For some reason neither of the major mobile OS developers "get" this (although I suspect it's more due to not wanting to spend the resources necessary to develop a workable solution, since most users won't care. MS certainly "gets" this concept very well in desktop Outlook). There are ways of course to present your tasks as all day calendar events, but then you can't really edit your tasks from a calendar view and it makes it very cluttered. So anyway.... I wish TD developers took the [ ] / [x] approach to creating the checklists inside their tasks, but this would take a major redesign of the task dialog and I just don't see it happening. I don't think I will be subscribing to the premium membership when my trial expires, since TBH I find it rather underwhelming. I had big hopes for the file attachments but it seems they don't sync to mobile, and I have major issues attaching anything from my work (must be a firewall problem). Oh well... TD is far from perfect, but it's the best compromise of any service that I've tried so far. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 09, 2016 in: Checklist in Tasks notes section
Score: 0
Posted by Salgud:
Posted by e20.09g: Using Subtasks is not the same, especially if you sync TD to any devices, these subtasks show up as regular tasks which is exactly what using checklists inside the body of the task helps avoid. They only show up as regular tasks if you don't keep them (subtasks) indented (online). Only if you use Toodledo mobile. However one of my main requirement is to have my tasks showing on my calendar, so that I could manage all of my timed events for that day, whether meetings or tasks. This is also the main reason for the use of Start date. If I had to use a separate program for my tasks, Wunderlist would start looking mighty attractive. And when syncing to calendars, these indented Toodledo tasks are being treated like regular tasks. I.e. they show up in the task list (indented if using PI), they show up in the searches, custom filters etc. The idea of a checklist inside the task is to hide these tasks from all the searches and lists, and only see them when opening the main task. Which at this point TD can't do. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 09, 2016 in: Checklist in Tasks notes section
Score: 2
Using Subtasks is not the same, especially if you sync TD to any devices, these subtasks show up as regular tasks which is exactly what using checklists inside the body of the task helps avoid.
Wunderlist has it implemented very nicely. A program that I used on iPad before I switched back to TD (Calengoo) also did it rather elegantly, although for some reason this could only be used in calendar entries. They allowed checkboxes inside the notes field, which used simple text tags [ ] for unchecked and [x] for checked. So any checkbox added in the program would show up as [ ] text in online calendar (e.g. Google Cal) and any line of text added online or in Outlook that started with [ ] would be converted to a checkbox in Calengoo. Very nice and clean. Unfortunately, doesn't sync to Toodledo. |
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Ummagumma |
But this doesn't happen when I look at all my tasks, including the Tag view. So I have to select individual tags on the left to see the items that also have other tags ?
I.e. if I have Task 1 with tags " Project1, Work" it won't show up either under Project 1 or Work when looking at ALL of my tasks, but will show up if I click on the Project 1 or Work tag in the Tags view. It's a bit backwards, but I guess it is what it is... Thanks for the explanation. |
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Ummagumma |
If I assign two tags to an item, I expect it to show in the list for each of these tags.
Instead, TD treats that tag combination as a separate tag and shows this task under it's own header. E.g. if I assign tags "Project 1", "Purchase" to an item, I would expect that item to show in my list of tasks for Project 1, and also in my list of items that need to be purchased. Instead it won't show under any of these tags, but rather under a separate "Project 1, Purchase" header. Which defeats the purpose of tagging items. I know this is probably by design, but this goes against the accepted practices and to me, it's a bug. |
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Ummagumma |
There are three ways to do this.
First, if you're working on a large project and need to do some serious resource scheduling, especially for a team of people, use MS Project or a compatible app. This does require a steep learning curve and some time investment in making your file work. But, there's simply no better tool. Second, you can use the "Length" field in Toodledo to figure out how much time each task will take you to complete if you only worked on that one task, then come up with some kind of saved search to only see the tasks for a week. Your calendar app should give you a pretty good idea on how much time you are going to spend in meetings that week, plus you need to allocate some percentage of your time to all the other things like breaks, lunches, unforeseen events etc. If the total exceeds your available worktime that week, you have a problem. Third, just go by your instincts. Worked fine for me so far. The best task management system is the one that requires the least amount of maintenance / user input to function well. Pick the one that works for you with least amount of effort. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 03, 2016 in: Add "Status" to the Hide / Show menu
Score: 0
Thanks, but I don't want "Planning" tasks ;) They are typically far enough that they just clutter my list in daily work.
For the immediate daily work planning, I need to see the tasks that are Next Action or Active only. Basically my list goes as this : Starred - immediate (work on this today) Next Action Active ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- the tasks below this line are hidden from daily "working" views and only appear in periodic "planning" views ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- Planned Someday Postponed This is easily done with saved searches, of course. But since there's a drop down menu I thought it would nicely fit there as well. This message was edited Jun 03, 2016. |
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Ummagumma |
It's disappointing that Toodledo app on Android doesn't support saved searches.
I am using Pocket Informant so I can get them using PI's Smart Groups but this means doing double work - in TD and in PI - plus PI's Smart Group setup process is pretty laborous... This message was edited Jun 03, 2016. |
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 03, 2016 in: Is there a way to re-arrange tabs on the left of screen ?
Score: 0
E.g. I want to move searches all the way to the top, and calendar / people all the way to the bottom.
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Ummagumma |
Posted Jun 03, 2016 in: Add "Status" to the Hide / Show menu
Score: 0
Currently, the "Eye" dropdown allows to hide / show tasks based on Context, Tag or Priority.
It really need to include Status as well. E.g. I want to see only the Next Action and Active items. This can be done via Saved Searches but it really begs to be added to the Eye. |