Contexts

[aj2]

When I view my contexts, it only reveals the contexts that are connected to project actions; the contexts related to non-project actions to not show up.
Does anyone know how I can change it to show all contexts?

[eronel]

On the view bar, choose "All contexts" in the first lozenge. If you don't have the view bar showing, you can turn it on from the View menu.

[aj2]

Lenore: thanks for your response. I tried what you suggested, but it still only showed the contexts that are related to projects. All others, don't show up.

[eronel]

I guess I'm not understanding what you mean by contexts related to projects. What mode are you in, planning or context? Where are you looking to find the contexts, the sidebar or the dropdown menu for the context field? Can you post a picture?

[aj2]

If I add an action while I am in the "inbox" and add a context to it; but I don't link it to a project (it's a stand alone action inside the inbox), it won't show up in the sidebar when I switch to context mode. I don't see it under the context that I created for it.
The only context tasks that show up are the one's that have projects associated with them. Stand alone tasks do NOT show up.
Sorry, if this sounds confusing.

[ptone]

I'm thinking this is intended, but not sure - running into the same exact problem. I'm not sure OF is designed for projectless actions?

-P

[jasong]

Is the action still in you Inbox? If so, that correct behavior: until you've cleaned up, the action can't appear in your Contexts, and if you don't assign the action to a project or single-action bucket, you can't clean up the inbox. (You can set a default single-action bucket so that all non-project actions automatically get put into a single-action bucket and thus get cleaned up. I don't like that because it's too easy for an incomplete action to disappear on me.)

[eronel]

If I add an action while I am in the "inbox" and add a context to it; but I don't link it to a project (it's a stand alone action inside the inbox), it won't show up in the sidebar when I switch to context mode. I don't see it under the context that I created for it.
The only context tasks that show up are the one's that have projects associated with them. Stand alone tasks do NOT show up.
Sorry, if this sounds confusing.

OK, I'm with you now. The inbox is designed (a la GTD) for quickly jotting things down as they occur to you and then processing them into projects and contexts later. (In practice these two steps often blur together.) So when you process stuff in the inbox, you add projects and contexts to them. Then you do a "Clean up" to parcel them out to the main part of your outline. How those items are handled during clean up is specified in the "Data" section of OF preferences. Check those settings. Also, what list singleton actions should go to is handled there as well.

Hope that was clear and not too verbose. Am in a hurry.

[aj2]

Is the action still in you Inbox? If so, that correct behavior: until you've cleaned up, the action can't appear in your Contexts, and if you don't assign the action to a project or single-action bucket, you can't clean up the inbox. (You can set a default single-action bucket so that all non-project actions automatically get put into a single-action bucket and thus get cleaned up. I don't like that because it's too easy for an incomplete action to disappear on me.)
I'm using the GTD model by D.Allen. In that model, single-actions do not go under projects and you can assign contexts to them. I guess I was incorrectly putting those single-actions in the inbox. If that is the case, where do single-actions go where I can assign contexts to them?

[jasong]

Most of us are using the GTD model. In that model, the inbox is a holding pen for actions you haven't yet processed, as eronel mentioned.

OmniFocus has what it calls "single action projects" represented by a bucket icon; you can turn a project into a single action bucket by opening the inspector window and selecting "This is a list of single actions".

You can also choose a Default List of Single Actions under Preferences > Data.

[aj2]

jasong & eronel: Got it! thanks for taking the time.

[CraigS]

Most of us are using the GTD model. In that model, the inbox is a holding pen for actions you haven't yet processed, as eronel mentioned.

OmniFocus has what it calls "single action projects" represented by a bucket icon; you can turn a project into a single action bucket by opening the inspector window and selecting "This is a list of single actions".

You can also choose a Default List of Single Actions under Preferences > Data.

I find this extremely confusing. If a bucket is a "singleton" or a "single action project", then why doesn't it show up in context mode unless you make it an action under a project? This is not only true when it's in the Inbox, but also when it's in the Library. If you have a single task like "go to bank", and you set it up as a singleton with a context of "errands", it does not show up as an errand in context view. Am I missing something? This seems pretty basic. The only way it will show up as an errand is if you make it an entry on a list (e.g. Singleton is a project named "Go to Bank" with a task under it of "Go to Bank"). I don't get it. How do others handle simple entries like this? Others have suggested things like having a project specifically set aside for singletons, but that doesn't seem right to me on any organizational level.

[brianogilvie]

CraigS: A bucket is not, itself, a singleton. It contains single actions. So it no more shows up in context mode than your projects show up under context mode. Every action in one of your projects shows up in context mode (depending on your View Bar settings). Every action in a single-action list shows up in context mode (with the same caveat). But none of your projects shows up.

The salient difference between a project and a single-action list is that in the latter, all actions are next actions (since they are logically independent of one another) and they are colored blue by default, not purple or black, so that you can tell at a glance that they are single actions, unless you are color-blind.

As for the organizational level: this was hashed out several times on the forums. Search the forums for "singletons" and you'll get plenty of reading. Omni struck a balance between logic and usability: I think they struck the right one.