How to turn off those numbers?

[jasong]

Anyone know how I can turn off those darn red numbers in the sidebar? They're distracting and don't add anything useful for me.

I don't see a preference, and I'm not sure one is forthcoming.

[cyleigh]

Anyone know how I can turn off those darn red numbers in the sidebar? They're distracting and don't add anything useful for me.

I don't see a preference, and I'm not sure one is forthcoming.

Yeah, numbers were a bit of a shock! It certainly made me knuckle down and get some of them done though - nothing like having a big red number there to really make you work.

I can see myself using the numbers, but it would be nice to turn them off, what would be even better would be the ability to have them on/off in particular perspectives like filter settings.

Good work on the styles though - I like them :)

Edit: The global preference for 'soon' is somewhat annoying - simply because 'soon' can vary depending on the task/project and is not global. It would be better to set the 'soon-ness' of a project the way we set the review period.

[wgn]

Styles is an interesting idea, and the numbers in the sidebar can be of use. But. As someone who is increasingly frustrated by the tendency towards form over function, with the OF greying of actions that have not been allocated a Context or Due date, I now cannot see them without putting my face up against the monitor. By all means put next actions or whatever in red, but do not discriminate against those of us whose eyes are failing, and who have difficulty seeing grey or "beige" type on the screen.

By the way, I already change the OF font size in Notes, (to 12 point) just so I can read them more easily. I look forward to being able to change the Action items font sizes also.

[Craig]

I look forward to being able to change the Action items font sizes also.

?? Can't you already do this - for example via the Fonts panel (Cmd-T) or just boosting the size with Cmd-+?

[Ethan Schoonover]

Red numbers are the equivalent of DANGER: ROCKS FALLING AHEAD signs when you're driving. If you have overdue tasks, we want them to really stand out and hit you over the head. Like a rock, sort of. Hmm. I'm mixing my metaphors I think.

Anyhow, they are *highly* visible intentionally. I'd recommend triaging those projects. If they aren't really overdue, then it's time to fix their dates. If they are overdue but not really "in play" anymore, just set their status to "dropped". If they are none of the above... then they are really top, critical items (anything that has a hard landscape date associated with it is so) and should be addressed before anything else.

I'll bet dollars to donuts that once you've triaged like that, you'll find many of those red items will be gone, your projects will be in better state, and you'll have better focus on your work.

I'm guessing you don't want us to add the giant flashing light and klaxon? ;-)

[cyleigh]

Red numbers are the equivalent of DANGER: ROCKS FALLING AHEAD signs when you're driving. If you have overdue tasks, we want them to really stand out and hit you over the head. Like a rock, sort of. Hmm. I'm mixing my metaphors I think.

Anyhow, they are *highly* visible intentionally. I'd recommend triaging those projects. If they aren't really overdue, then it's time to fix their dates. If they are overdue but not really "in play" anymore, just set their status to "dropped". If they are none of the above... then they are really top, critical items (anything that has a hard landscape date associated with it is so) and should be addressed before anything else.

I'll bet dollars to donuts that once you've triaged like that, you'll find many of those red items will be gone, your projects will be in better state, and you'll have better focus on your work.

I'm guessing you don't want us to add the giant flashing light and klaxon? ;-)

I see your point Ethan, as I said, I got a lot of little things done today that were 'overdue', I would keep the numbers if there was a preference.

However, I don't like the way they are displayed/counted; I think that they should only be displayed next to the project that the overdue items are in - and not all the parent folders as well. Eg/ I have a folder called 'Home', in it is a folder called 'Life Control' which has a project 'Change voting address'. This project has an overdue due date, so its three actions are overdue. Thus, because I have one overdue action I have three big marks saying that I have 3 things being overdue - at a quick glance I can't tell from the interface that it is the 'voting' project that is overdue; because of the nature of the list I first look at home, then 'life control' and then find which project is overdue.

Oh, and it would be great to be able to only repeat items on 'work' days - at the moment I have some daily repeating tasks that I get to just click off for the weekend but from now on they are going to Scream at me through great big numbers.

[dhm2006]

Red numbers are the equivalent of DANGER: ROCKS FALLING AHEAD signs when you're driving. If you have overdue tasks, we want them to really stand out and hit you over the head. Like a rock, sort of. Hmm. I'm mixing my metaphors I think.


I like the numbers. The red was startling at first, and it clashes with the purple used for next actions, but it great information to have at a glance.

I wonder if the colors for the numbers will be user-definable. I suppose I could change the color for next actions instead. Hmmm...

[BwanaZulia]

Those numbers help me big time as one of my stuggles with OF was the right visability into what needed to be done NOW and perspectives were not cutting it.

BZ

[Helo]

Just downloaded the latest build and saw the numbers! Love them. A very helpful way of bringing my deadlines into SHARP focus. Please keep this feature, even if you have to make it as a preference for some.

I don't know if this is canonical GTD, but it certainly is very helpful.

[brooce]

Now, if you could just block the launching of browsers and games until we clear the red items, we'd be in great shape...

[Tim Wood]

The number rendering is a little more refined as of this morning (not sure when the build will go out, but it should be soon). There are still definitely some visual glitches, so mail in bug reports if you see anything.

Stuff we already know about:

- the numbers get clipped if you have a scroller in the sidebar
- expanded contexts don't show any number even if they have a locally assigned overdue task (getting rid of the number on expanded rows was an experiment from this morning to lower the number of numbers displayed).

[ksrhee]

I too like having the numbers displayed. If you don't like to see the red #'s displayed in the sidebar, then get the stuff done on time. Then you will never see those numbers in red. Sorry to be blunt. I also like I can assign # of days for the warning bells to go off as far as displaying #'s are concerned.

[Chris]

Does anyone else see weirdness with the vertical scroll bar in the sidebar since the numbers have appeared? If I make the vertical height of my OF window just barely smaller than the height of my list of projects, then I can make the scroll bar appear and disappear by scrolling with the middle button of my mighty mouse. OF seems unsure of whether a scrollbar is necessary and alternatively puts it in and takes it out, reflowing the contents of the window as it does so.

[Baurryman]

Those numbers help me big time as one of my stuggles with OF was the right visability into what needed to be done NOW and perspectives were not cutting it.

BZ

Ditto! I finished several items just to lower the count.

[RobTrew]

Red numbers are the equivalent of DANGER: ROCKS FALLING AHEAD signs when you're driving. If you have overdue tasks, we want them to really stand out and hit you over the head.

Anyhow, they are *highly* visible intentionally.

Well ... This is weak graphic design - the geeks getting over-excited and taking over from the designers.

It's pretty clear from various comments that the red is visually grating to a degree that people find gratuitous, and Schoonover's rationalization teeters on the edge of being patronising.

Fine to make them visible, but the minimum effective difference is (as ever) all you need. A more saturated level of the background color would give just as much signal for much less noise.

Phrases like "we want them to really stand out and hit you over the head" are symptomatic of things going slightly off the rails ... Hit yourself over the head if you wish, but let others make their own choices.

[curt.clifton]

I like the more muted badges that showed up today. While jarring in the initial incarnation, they've already proved effective. A colleague came by this afternoon with just "one more little thing" for me to do. I pointed at the sea of red and orange numbers, told him what they meant, and he decided that the "one more little thing" didn't need to be done after all. Thanks!

[Tim Wood]

So you want a 'Burninate!' hot key to make all your projects red on demand, Curt? =)

[jasong]

I don't want any numbers on my folders.

None.

Zero.

I don't need to know that I have 32 items in my inbox. GTD tells you to process at your speed. I don't need the guilt trip of not processing fast enough by OmniFocus' timeframe. I process at my own speed.

Get rid of them or give me a preference to do so.

Blunt enough?

[jasong]

I'm not usually that blunt on this forum, but between Ethan's and ksrhee's comments, and the apparent lack of a preference to stop this behavior, I'm extremely frustrated. One of the reasons GTD, and OF, worked for me is because I didn't feel like I was getting hit over the head with "priorities" and "due dates" and "unprocessed counts".

In Mail when I see 32 unread messages, it means I have actions to take care of. In OmniFocus when I see 32 unprocessed items, it means nothing. It's useless information for me, and does nothing but raise my stress level.

These badges make me feel like I'm supposed to be doing something about them RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE and thats just bull.

[tastiger]

I too like having the numbers displayed. If you don't like to see the red #'s displayed in the sidebar, then get the stuff done on time. Then you will never see those numbers in red. Sorry to be blunt. I also like I can assign # of days for the warning bells to go off as far as displaying #'s are concerned.

I like them too. Just today it has helped me tackle and complete about a dozen overlooked items. I also like the sense of satisfaction in trying to get them down to zero.

I like that I can focus on overdue items and then take action.

[ksrhee]

In Mail when I see 32 unread messages, it means I have actions to take care of. In OmniFocus when I see 32 unprocessed items, it means nothing. It's useless information for me, and does nothing but raise my stress level.

These badges make me feel like I'm supposed to be doing something about them RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE and thats just bull.

I understand that we all have our preferences, but what you said above doesn't make any sense to me at all. Of course, if you got stuff that are overdue, you should be doing them right now! Why are you letting those things sit on your OF. Otherwise, how are you going to GTD. If I got 32 items showing up in red, then I would want someone to hit me over my head and say, "either you change your expectation or better get things done."

[jasong]

I understand that we all have our preferences, but what you said above doesn't make any sense to me at all. Of course, if you got stuff that are overdue, you should be doing them right now! Why are you letting those things sit on your OF. Otherwise, how are you going to GTD. If I got 32 items showing up in red, then I would want someone to hit me over my head and say, "either you change your expectation or better get things done."

Yeah, that seems to be the feeling of just about everyone in this thread but me.

Six months of using this tool, and now this new feature. It's verging on the edge of being a deal-breaker.

* I have to scroll through my list of projects, contexts and actions to even see these numbers/find the actions.

* I see them for "all" actions, even if I'm just looking at my "available" actions

* They show up on contexts that don't have soon/overdue items

* The Inbox, which I process on my own time, mocks me with unprocessed items.

I see the value of knowing you have overdue items; this isn't the way I would suggest. A filter, a perspective, a smart mailbox that can be configured... that's what I would suggest.

[ksrhee]

Yeah, that seems to be the feeling of just about everyone in this thread but me.

Six months of using this tool, and now this new feature. It's verging on the edge of being a deal-breaker.

* I have to scroll through my list of projects, contexts and actions to even see these numbers/find the actions.

* I see them for "all" actions, even if I'm just looking at my "available" actions

* They show up on contexts that don't have soon/overdue items

* The Inbox, which I process on my own time, mocks me with unprocessed items.

I see the value of knowing you have overdue items; this isn't the way I would suggest. A filter, a perspective, a smart mailbox that can be configured... that's what I would suggest.

This is not what I am seeing in my OF. Items that don't have due dates that are overdue do not show up at all in the counter. When I expand the projects, I can easily see the overdue items and/or current due items given their styles.

[curt.clifton]

jasong,

The "summing up" of overdue items changed after the initial addition of the badges, perhaps that will address some of your concerns. I also removed a bunch of artificial due dates that I had set on items, which dramatically reduced the amount of noise in the interface for me (and made me feel better too).

I share your concern about the item count for the Inbox. The inbox is where I throw things during the day so I can keep my "mind like water". I empty my OF inbox (and paper and email inboxes as well) at least once a day. Again, this emptying is also necessary so that I can trust my system. However, seeing that item count on the inbox is a temptation for me to procrastinate from doing and spend time processing.

Another issue, submitted as formal feedback: I have items with start and due dates set to the same day, like "Do Weekly Review". These items are showing up in my "Soon" counts, even though I should not have started them yet. I would prefer that items with future start times not be included in the badge counts.

[Craig]

I share your concern about the item count for the Inbox. The inbox is where I throw things during the day so I can keep my "mind like water". I empty my OF inbox (and paper and email inboxes as well) at least once a day. Again, this emptying is also necessary so that I can trust my system. However, seeing that item count on the inbox is a temptation for me to procrastinate from doing and spend time processing.
One could argue, I suppose, that your "doing" should occur in Context Mode (where there's no inbox) rather than in Planning Mode anyway...
Another issue, submitted as formal feedback: I have items with start and due dates set to the same day, like "Do Weekly Review". These items are showing up in my "Soon" counts, even though I should not have started them yet. I would prefer that items with future start times not be included in the badge counts.
I second that suggestion!

[curt.clifton]

One could argue, I suppose, that your "doing" should occur in Context Mode (where there's no inbox) rather than in Planning Mode anyway...

That's partly true, though I often use Planning mode when I'm chugging through actions in a single project. I suppose I could be focusing on the project to do that. My typical use is to select an action from Context Mode, hit Cmd-Opt-R to switch to Planning Mode, then work on actions within the project there. I don't bother reaching for the mouse to focus the project.

Hmm, that brings up a feature request. Focus on Selected Project should work on the current project when an action is selected, much as it does for Mark Reviewed.

[Tim Wood]

I'm not usually that blunt on this forum, but between Ethan's and ksrhee's comments, and the apparent lack of a preference to stop this behavior, I'm extremely frustrated. One of the reasons GTD, and OF, worked for me is because I didn't feel like I was getting hit over the head with "priorities" and "due dates" and "unprocessed counts".

In Mail when I see 32 unread messages, it means I have actions to take care of. In OmniFocus when I see 32 unprocessed items, it means nothing. It's useless information for me, and does nothing but raise my stress level.

These badges make me feel like I'm supposed to be doing something about them RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE and thats just bull.

Breathe in. Breathe out. It'll be OK!

The interface mockups we have right now do include a checkbox for turning this off in the sidebar.

The first step here was to get them implemented at all. A preference with no implemented feature to control wouldn't be useful.

For now, I've added a hidden default you can toggle to turn them off. In Terminal:

defaults write com.omnigroup.OmniFocus ShowSidebarCounters -bool NO

This will show up in builds 94399 or higher. Enjoy!

[SpiralOcean]

Love the numbers!

It lets me know what items:
need to be completed
or
due date needs to be changed

However... there seems to be a bug with the counting?

I have a context called
Process collection boxes
items in there are set to repeat every day.
Things like...
process email inbox to empty
process OF inbox to empty
process physical inbox to empty.

I use the Due Date grouping so I am only focused on those items due today.

I have two items due today, and 11 due tomorrow... but the counter is showing 13 items?

[eronel]

Could it be counting the enclosing item? I have noticed that if I group items and assign a due date to the group, then the counter includes the group in the count, even though it's not a task per se.

[SpiralOcean]

In thinking about this more... I think you just changed my life!

For the first time I may get things done before they are due!
And for the first time, I may start using the start date!
Suweet!

There is still a bug in this.
I changed all my due dates to three days in advance.
I change my start dates to today...
And there is still a number 11 in my Process Collection Buckets?

I can't find where that number is coming from?

[SpiralOcean]

Another bug... some of my contexts have children contexts.
Some of the parent contexts total the children context numbers... but one of them is not showing a number, although there are numbers in the children.

[SpiralOcean]

Could it be counting the enclosing item? I have noticed that if I group items and assign a due date to the group, then the counter includes the group in the count, even though it's not a task per se.

Good idea. I don't have any children for those items. And the parent is not a repeating. I can't find any more due actions around those items where that number may be picking up from?

[SpiralOcean]

Good idea. I don't have any children for those items. And the parent is not a repeating. I can't find any more due actions around those items where that number may be picking up from?

I figured it out!

I was focused on a folder... and the other items were from my work folder.

In my opinion this should be corrected... I don't want to see my work overdue items when I am at home. :-)

I'll put in a feedback request.
If this is something you agree with, please do the same.

[steve]

Just a vote of confidence for omni— I love the direction you are going with the numbers.

[anna]

I figured it out!
In my opinion this should be corrected... I don't want to see my work overdue items when I am at home. :-)



This is *extremely* important. I can learn to love the numbers, but not if all my overdue home items are cluttering my day at work and vice versa. I *hate* that.

[Tim Wood]

I was focused on a folder... and the other items were from my work folder.

In my opinion this should be corrected... I don't want to see my work overdue items when I am at home. :-)

Silly me... I didn't consider this when implementing it. Your idea makes perfect sense; I've written it up as <bug://42985>.

[SpiralOcean]

Silly me... I didn't consider this when implementing it. Your idea makes perfect sense; I've written it up as <bug://42985>.

High five! <spiralocean does the jig for joy>

Thank you Tim!

[Ken Case]

Focus on Selected Project should work on the current project when an action is selected, much as it does for Mark Reviewed.

And now it does! (In build 94417 or later, that is.)

[curt.clifton]

Sweet! Thanks, Ken.

[cyleigh]

I like these numbers now - removing the counts on an expanded folder was a stroke of genius UI design. I agree with (Curt I think?) that something isn't due soon if the start date is in the future - I can't do anything about those actions yet so don't freak me out by making me think I'm going to miss a due date.

[Lutin]

So you want a 'Burninate!' hot key to make all your projects red on demand, Curt? =)

Then add some smoke at the top on the window, like the app Disco ;-)

[Craig]

And now it does! (In build 94417 or later, that is.)

feature request:
I like how we can now focus on a project from Context view. I would like also to be able to focus on a project and switch to planning mode at once - a kind of combination of "Focus" and "Show in Planning Mode." May I suggest that holding option while hitting Focus do that?

[also sent via Send Feedback]

(I know that this can be achieved with scripting, including Alex Brown's (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=5443), but I think it makes sense to hardwire it as an option-key alternate for Focus.)