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-   -   How to turn iCal birthdays into OF tasks? (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=29224)

contracate 2013-04-21 01:25 PM

How to turn iCal birthdays into OF tasks?
 
I've searched the web high and low for a way to turn a birthday reminder in iCal into an OF task, so I can remember to buy a card, find a gift, etc.

Syncing seems all oriented toward getting OF tasks into iCal. I need to sync the other way around.

Surely there's a way to do this???

wilsonng 2013-04-27 01:32 AM

I don't think it possible. The only workflow that works for me is to do a weekly review and see what is coming up in the next few days.

OF1 for the Mac doesn't have a forecast view but OF2 preview does. It appears that the OF2 workflow would be to click on the forecast perspective and see that someone's birthday is coming up. Then you'd enter a new task to pick up a gift.

OF for iPad does have the forecast perspective so you should be able to see someone's birthday if it is coming up in the next 5 days.

If you only have OF1, you'll have to do a daily review. Launch iCal and see someone's birthday coming up in the next few days or the next month. Then enter a task to pick up a gift in OF1.

I'd probably set a repeating OmniFocus task set with a start date about one week before and due the day of the birthday. Set the repeat to yearly. Then you'll only have to do this once.

Maybe it's time to go through your birthday calendar and create a parallel project called "Gift Reminders" or "Special Dates." Then you can enter everyone's birthday as a repeating yearly task.

If you set this repeating task once for each important person in your life, then you'll never have to worry about it in the future.

I do the same thing for my anniversary. Saved my butt the last few years...

Dale 2013-04-27 06:27 PM

1 Attachment(s)
[QUOTE=contracate;122872]I've searched the web high and low for a way to turn a birthday reminder in iCal into an OF task, so I can remember to buy a card, find a gift, etc.

Syncing seems all oriented toward getting OF tasks into iCal. I need to sync the other way around.

Surely there's a way to do this???[/QUOTE]

I would suggest using OmniFocus Mail Drop for this type of functionality.
[LIST=1][*]Sign up for the OmniFocus Mail Drop [url]https://manage.sync.omnigroup.com[/url]
[*]Add your personal OmniFocus Mail Drop email address to [B]your[/B] contact card.
[*]For each of the individual you want to receive a reminder in OmniFocus for set an alarm type of email to your OmniFocus Mail Drop email address at the preferred time prior to the day of the individuals birthday. (e.g. 1 week)[/LIST]
Works for me. FYI — notes are pulled across, but I received an error with an attached .txt file in the calendar item.

[IMG]http://forums.omnigroup.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2809&stc=1&d=1367115834[/IMG]

stphnlwlsh 2013-05-08 05:09 AM

[QUOTE=Dale;123246]I would suggest using OmniFocus Mail Drop for this type of functionality.
[/QUOTE]

Following in suit with this, I think you could do this with Automator to get your ENTIRE birthday calendar in. Get your Omnifocus Maildrop email ready, and then create an Automator action to get all birthdays on the Birthdays calendar. Tell automator to send an email to your secret email address with the calendar event title.

Haven't tested this, but it's a thought.

contracate 2013-05-27 05:51 PM

Thanks, Stphnlwlsh, this is exactly the functionality I want (I don't want to manage a zillion birthdays separately; if a birthday is in my calendar, I want to remember it). I'd like a reminder for each birthday a couple of weeks ahead of time. I almost have this working... but not quite. Here's what I have in Automator:

File > New > iCal Alarm

Actions > Contacts > Filter Address Book Items
Find people where all of the following are true: Birthday is exactly 14 days from now

Actions > Get Contact Information > check First Name, Last Name, Birthday; check Combine Names

Actions > Mail > New Mail Message
Set To: to Omnifocus maildrop address

Actions: > Mail > Send Outgoing Messages

The mail goes through to OF just fine, except that the name and birthday from the Get Contact Information action don't get passed through to the message (either the subject line or the body). What am I missing?

(Once I have this script working I'll set up a workflow to run it every day)


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