Creating Template Projects
 

Is there a way to copy and paste actions in projects that you're going to have to do over and over?

For instance, I'm a wedding photographer and so every time we book a new client we can create a client folder, but the actions that need to be completed are virtually the same for every client (create contract, send contract to client, book travel arrangements for wedding, sort through images, etc etc etc.) Is there a way to, in a sense, create a template of tasks that we can simply apply to every one of our new clients?

Sure, we'll have to manually assign the completion dates and so forth, but that would save a lot of time it seems like.....

Any ideas on how to do this or should I submit it to them as a requested feature?

Templates have been requested in the past - there are none now, and there's no indication that there will be any. But you never know.

I haven't tried to devise a system to implement this manually, I'll let others pipe in if they have any ideas.

Cool. Thanks for letting me know.

I think what would be best is rather than Omni trying to create the templates, it would be great if you could just create a project with a list of all the actions for that project and then save that as a template which you could then paste (or import, or whatever) over and over again.

It seems like that would be the simplest way to do it from Omni's programing standpoint anyway.

I get a lot of the benefits with a little hack -- I have a folder at the bottom of my library called "Templates". Inside it, I have projects like "Packing List" and "Christmas Gifts". These projects are all "On Hold", so their tasks don't show up in my "to do" perspectives. Every time I need to go on a trip or am ready to start thinking about another year of gift-giving, I right-click on the project, select "Duplicate" from the pop-up menu, then drag the copy up into my main list of projects. I take it off hold and start customizing it (delete "winter coat" if this is a summer trip to Los Angeles).

One thing this doesn't give you, that a template might, is relative dates -- if you set the project due date to Friday, the "pack toiletries" would be due Friday morning, "empty trash" would be due Thursday night, "arrange for dogsitter" might be due a week ahead.

One gotcha: if you're looking at the active "Packing List" project, and realize it doesn't say "toothbrush", you need to add it to both that project and the template.

You might be interested in my [URL="http://www.rose-hulman.edu/~clifton/software.html#PopTemp"]Populate Template Placeholders script[/URL]. This script takes projects like Lizard describes, then automatically[LIST][*] duplicates them,[*] adjusts all dates relative to a given due date, and[*] fills in "placeholder" text, like CustomerName, TripDestination, or GiftOccasion [/LIST]
I use this script for planning vacations, remembering to send gifts to friends and family on special occasions, planning conference trips, preparing and wrapping up courses that I'm teaching, among other things.

The zip file containing the script includes installation instructions and an example of how to use.

Curt... is it still working? I stopped using it durningone of the many thousands of upgrades.

Looks like it is time to give it another try.

BZ

[QUOTE=curt.clifton;30160]
The zip file containing the script includes installation instructions and an example of how to use.[/QUOTE]

Hey Curt! Thanks!

I downloaded it, but I couldn't find the folder to save the file in... ~/Library/Scripts/Applications/OmniFocus
that you described in the installation instructions

Has that location changed with either Leopard or a newer version of OF?

Cool idea!

[QUOTE=Lizard;30159]I get a lot of the benefits with a little hack -- I have a folder at the bottom of my library called "Templates". Inside it, I have projects like "Packing List" and "Christmas Gifts". These projects are all "On Hold", so their tasks don't show up in my "to do" perspectives. Every time I need to go on a trip or am ready to start thinking about another year of gift-giving, I right-click on the project, select "Duplicate" from the pop-up menu, then drag the copy up into my main list of projects. I take it off hold and start customizing it (delete "winter coat" if this is a summer trip to Los Angeles).

One thing this doesn't give you, that a template might, is relative dates -- if you set the project due date to Friday, the "pack toiletries" would be due Friday morning, "empty trash" would be due Thursday night, "arrange for dogsitter" might be due a week ahead.

One gotcha: if you're looking at the active "Packing List" project, and realize it doesn't say "toothbrush", you need to add it to both that project and the template.[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=Chris Humphreys;30168]Hey Curt! Thanks!

I downloaded it, but I couldn't find the folder to save the file in... ~/Library/Scripts/Applications/OmniFocus
that you described in the installation instructions

Has that location changed with either Leopard or a newer version of OF?[/QUOTE]

I don't think the location has changed. (I'm still on Tiger until the end of the academic year when I can afford some down time.)

You may have to create the folder (and its parent folders). I'll add that to the instructions that get pushed out with my next update, though that might be awhile.

[QUOTE=Lizard;30159]I get a lot of the benefits with a little hack -- I have a folder at the bottom of my library called "Templates". Inside it, I have projects like "Packing List" and "Christmas Gifts". These projects are all "On Hold", so their tasks don't show up in my "to do" perspectives. Every time I need to go on a trip or am ready to start thinking about another year of gift-giving, I right-click on the project, select "Duplicate" from the pop-up menu, then drag the copy up into my main list of projects. I take it off hold and start customizing it (delete "winter coat" if this is a summer trip to Los Angeles).
[/QUOTE]

Another way to do this, instead of toggling the "on hold" setting is to leave your template projects themselves Active but make your Templates folder inactive. Control-click (or right-click) the folder and uncheck "Active". This way you won't have to take the duplicate off of "hold," but it'll be a little harder to find your templates folder since you have to set the sidebar to show All Projects.