Update Merlin 2 tasks using OmniFocus
 

Dear all

I would like to update my Merlin2 Project Tasks using a script that uses the action information contained in OmniFocus. I have used the wonderful script, written by Rob Trew, that copies a Merlin 2 project to OmniFocus -now I want to go the other way by applying updates to the originally copied project e.g. task completion information.

Does any one know if one exist or can create one -much appreciated. It seems pointless updating project information on OmniFocus and then having to apply those same changes to Merlin 2.

Simple exporting from OF to Merlin is easily scriptable,
but as soon as you start moving along the spectrum from export toward sync, complexity balloons and obstacles multiply.

Two simple things for a start:[LIST=1][*]Which is which ? Export from Merlin to OF would need to include an ID field, to allow for confidence that the right activity would subsequently be overwritten with new data. Hard to store that ID in an OF task without some kind of kludge.[*]Which is newer/correct ? Even if we know which OF task matches which Merlin activity, we still need to be confident that the update doesn't over-write post export modifications which we want to keep. Would a modification date suffice ? I'm not sure, from a very quick glance at Merlin, that activities have a modification date field/property - possibly I am missing something.[/LIST]
In short, not something which I am personally planning to undertake :-)

Might be worth talking to the writers of Merlin itself.

You could export from Merlin to OF, prepending the flat order field to the action name as the key to verifying you are updating the right item when going the other way, but I agree that if one wants to be able to update the Merlin document while the OF work is in progress, it rapidly becomes an intractable mess for a good Samaritan script-writer!

Thanks for your advice and suggestions. I agree it would get complicated if writing a full sync that handled post export project plan modifications. However, assuming the project plan was not modified and that you only wanted to mark the task as say completed, based on the omniFocus action completion status, how difficult would that be to do? The joys of considering coding for a proper sync would have to be labour of love...I just want the quick and dirty (but safe) single user solution. This could then be iteratively developed to include other fields and sync scenarios.

Yes, I'm sure you could do that if you need it.

As in the case of anything which risks corrupting/losing data if it goes wrong, it may be best if it's self-developed, and carefully tested with dummy data.

Studying the code in [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=15470"]this illustrative OF to Merlin script[/URL] should get you started, and I think you'll find it generally useful to become more fully acquainted with Applescript.