Due date column disappearing

[milonga]

Hello!

I've been using Omnifocus for a couple of months now, and in the recent builds I've been experiencing the following problem:

Every now and then, the 'Due Date' column, dissapears and I have to add it again from the view menu, I cannot reproduce exactly when this happens, but it's happening every single day, and it's a bit annoying.

Has anyone else had this issue?

[Craig]

As far as I can tell, column settings are now saved with perspectives, so your columns will look like however they were set up the last time you saved the last perspective you selected - I think...

[milonga]

Yeah, but I'm not in any particular perspective, as a matter of fact, I'm not a big user of perspective either

[recenelloa]

I have the same exact problem.

[DaddyCat]

I also have that problem and also find it annoying

[pvonk]

I suspect that the recent change (which columns are in view assigned to perspectives) resulted in a "default" widow being opened without the start and due dates. This is the window you first saw after installing the build.

Try this - add the columns you want (in both modes), then quit OF without closing the window. Then open OF - are the columns still there?

[milonga]

Thanks pvonk,

I have now added the due column to all perspectives and the columns are still there.

The problem happened without any perspective switch anyway, so I will keep you guys posted throughout the day if it happens again.

Cheers

[Tinchohs]

I suspect that the recent change (which columns are in view assigned to perspectives) resulted in a "default" widow being opened without the start and due dates. This is the window you first saw after installing the build.

Try this - add the columns you want (in both modes), then quit OF without closing the window. Then open OF - are the columns still there?

I think the bug kicks-in if you actually use a perspective. I tried what you suggested and worked fine. But right after I change from a perspective, I loose the 'due date' column again. I think it's a bug...

[bksnbriefs]

I am having the same problem ... and the viewing due date columns for all perspectives and then restarting does not work for me.

I hope this gets fixed soon.

[curt.clifton]

I am having the same problem ... and the viewing due date columns for all perspectives and then restarting does not work for me.

I hope this gets fixed soon.

You have to turn on the due date columns in the perspective and then use the camera button in the perspectives window to save the change being very careful to select the correct perspective in the window lest you overwrite a different (says the voice of experience).

[Random Browser]

This is extremely cumbersome, and hopefully a temporary bug. Why not just put this in preferences?

[curt.clifton]

Columns widths were just in preferences. But since all printing is controlled by perspectives, column choices and widths (or at least non-standard choices and widths) need to be part of each perspective. It would be nice if there was some way to indicate when I meant to change the default settings for all perspectives vs. perspective-specific settings. Any thoughts on that?

[pjb]

I would rather have the columns appear by default and then save perspectives without them as needed since I find that I'm always playing with the menu bar to get them back.

[joelande]

I am finding there is no way (yet) to make the date columns stick permanently in the "default" views (no perspective selected).

[Tinchohs]

I would rather have the columns appear by default and then save perspectives without them as needed since I find that I'm always playing with the menu bar to get them back.

I most definitely second this motion. Otherwise if you liekt osee the dates, the only way to navigate is using the perspectives. Every time you switch to Contexct or Planning view, you loose them.

Thanks.

[CNY]

I agree: either put start/due date columns in general preferences or add them to the default view. It is counterintuitive to have to click "view" every time one opens the program. (Btw, I use perspectives, but still find this annoying, because my first view of the day is always the default.)

[SMTLC]

I have been using OF since fairly early in Alpha and really like(d?) it, but this, along with a few other very recent changes, has me thinking about going back to iGTD and I certainly won't pay for OF until I see how this pans out. I really hope this is a bug and not intended functionality. 2 weeks ago I was certain that OF was the right GTD app for me, now, not so much.

[Ken Case]

It's absolutely a bug; unfortunately, it's one we've had trouble reproducing.

We're still trying to reproduce it on our own—but if any of you can give us steps we can follow to reproduce the problem, that would make it easier for us to find and fix!

(We're also looking at alternate approaches that would allow more explicit control over the default column layout.)

[Tinchohs]

It's absolutely a bug; unfortunately, it's one we've had trouble reproducing.

We're still trying to reproduce it on our own—but if any of you can give us steps we can follow to reproduce the problem, that would make it easier for us to find and fix!

(We're also looking at alternate approaches that would allow more explicit control over the default column layout.)

What I have been able to notice is that if I add the 'due date' column and dont'use perpectives, and simply shift going from context to planning, I have no issue and the columns reamin in place. The moment I invoque a perspective, what ever setting I had in the 'normal view'get lost.

Hope this helps! Martin.

[Tim Wood]

Ah! When you invoke the perspective, does that perspective have the columns turned off? I can reproduce the bug in that case.

Right now we are thinking that it might just be better to add a 'Save View Settings for New Windows' menu item under the View or Perspectives menu and let the user explicitly save this. Doing this automatically seems to be causing more problems than it solves.

[Tim Wood]

I've fixed the case I noted above; 96276. I know of one other case; if you clear the perspective on a window, we don't currently restore its view state to the global state. A further view state change to that window will then clobber the global. That's up for fixing soon, but this should make things better.

If anyone can still reproduce this problem, please let us know with as detailed steps as possible.

[Tinchohs]

Ah! When you invoke the perspective, does that perspective have the columns turned off? I can reproduce the bug in that case.

Right now we are thinking that it might just be better to add a 'Save View Settings for New Windows' menu item under the View or Perspectives menu and let the user explicitly save this. Doing this automatically seems to be causing more problems than it solves.

No... actually the perspectives in my case do have the 'due date' field.

Here is exactly what I do:
(1) I am in planning mode without due date.
(2) Add the due date column.
(3) Go to context view (using the menu bar of cmd+1)[due date column remains].
(4) Go back to planning mode (using the menu bar of cmd+1)[due date column remains].
(5) Go to a perspective (using the keyboard shortcut opt+f1)[the perspective does have a due date column saved and it shows when I switch to the saved view].
(6) Switch back to planning mode (using cmd+1). Now I lost the due dates column that were there just on step 4.

This is in my machine and scenario, reproducible every single time. Thanks! Very appreciate it!

[joelande]

Right now we are thinking that it might just be better to add a 'Save View Settings for New Windows' menu item under the View or Perspectives menu and let the user explicitly save this. Doing this automatically seems to be causing more problems than it solves.
Why not just have a simple preference for the date columns that would then be applied in the normal views (and then of course leave Perspectives as they are).

[Tinchohs]

Why not just have a simple preference for the date columns that would then be applied in the normal views (and then of course leave Perspectives as they are).

For me this would be a simple, effective and straight forward approach.

[sfkeydel]

Another vote for an explicit preference (wasn't this in one of the earlier builds?).

[Ken Case]

We don't want to add a preference if it can be made to just work (as, say, resizing a window remembers that size for future windows without requiring that you configure a preference somewhere). Hopefully this latest change in build 96276 does that; can you let us know if you're still seeing problems (as opposed to just remembering your frustration with earlier builds)?

Thanks!