Sync Services support!
 

Hello fellow OmniFocus users,

Just to let you know that I sent a feature request to OmniGroup support to request support for (Snow) Leopard Sync Services.

For the unaware: [URL="http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/cocoa/Conceptual/SyncServices/SyncServices.html"]Sync Services[/URL] is the standard way in (Snow) Leopard to synchronize data between applications, services and alike.

In the pre-iPhone days, sync between the calendar on your mobile phone and iCal happened this way: iCal syncs it's entries via SyncServices to the central Sync Services truth database. The iSync application on your system allows for devices like BlueTooth enabled mobile phones to register as a client with this truth database to synchronize with the calendar entries.

OmniFocus already integrates with Sync Services to integrate with iCal. In this case, OmniFocus exports objects of type "com.apple.calendars.Calendar" and "com.apple.calendars.Task", the object types provided by iCal.

My request is actually for OmniFocus to sync it's data in an OmniFocus specific [URL="http://developer.apple.com/mac/library/documentation/cocoa/Conceptual/SyncServices/Articles/SchemaDesign.html#//apple_ref/doc/uid/TP40001153-CJBEHAAG"]sync schema[/URL] that other clients can use to read and exchange data with other clients. Other clients can include Android devices, Evernote clients, ...

If you want to support this request, I propose that you send feedback to OmniGroup about this request via [I]Help >> Send Feedback...[/I] in OmniFocus.

Greetings,

Ringo

Some sync services may not fully support projects and checklists. Currently the only two sync services that fully support projects and preserve their relationship with the subtasks are:

* Appigo Sync
* Toodledo Pro Account

If you choose not to sync with one of these options, you will still be able to use projects and checklists in Todo. However, your sync service may not display or sync them properly as projects.

An additional benefit of using one of the sync services named above comes in if you ever have to reset Todo's tasks. When you synchronize a fresh copy of your tasks from the sync service, the project and subtasks relationships will all be preserved if you use one of the supported sync services. Otherwise, subtasks will synchronize back as standard tasks.

I've replied to a lot of sync requests lately, and I'll reply to this one too. I love OmniFocus, but their syncing alternatives need some major revamping. I sincerely hope this is something they plan to work on in an upcoming major release. OmniFocus is a perfect way for me to create tasks and organize my time, but I often have a need to look at my todo list without access to a Mac, and the iPhone client is rather slow.

I recently installed a free sync client which keeps Outlook on my Windows box in sync with Toodledo. If there was a reliable way to sync OmniFocus with Toodledo as well, I would find myself with the Time Management Trifecta :)

Sandman, if you're seeing unacceptable sync performance from the iPhone app, contact the [EMAIL="omnifocus-iphone@omnigroup.com"]support ninjas[/EMAIL] and we'll be happy to help.