Setting Due Date - No Effect
 

Hi,

If I create a task with today as the due date, shouldn't bubble to the top in the context view - Next?

Rich

[QUOTE=Hawkcode]Hi,

If I create a task with today as the due date, shouldn't bubble to the top in the context view - Next?

Rich[/QUOTE]

Only if you sort by due date in the view bar (AKA filter bar). You can also group your actions by due date if you want a quick way to see what is coming up and what you missed.

Not exactly,

If I create a task and it's at the end of a Project, and give it today for a task and no other tasks in project have a due date, I would think that switching to the context view should then force that task to top.

Even if I try and sort by that it doesn't show up. The project is set up to do one task at time. I think it should show what's due, don't you?

Rich

The default project type in OF is a sequential one, i.e. the tasks in it are meant to be completed in order. That's why setting the due date for the last task makes no difference to whether the task appears in context view or not. You can change it to a parallel project if you want to be able to move on all the tasks in the project simultaneously i.e. have them all appear as available actions in context view.

Have a look through the mini-manual, IIRC it explains how to switch between these two project types. Also, if you're not familiar with it, try reading a bit about Getting Things Done e.g. at 43folders.com: it's the system on which OF is largely based.

[QUOTE=Hawkcode]If I create a task and it's at the end of a Project, and give it today for a task and no other tasks in project have a due date, I would think that switching to the context view should then force that task to top.

Even if I try and sort by that it doesn't show up. The project is set up to do one task at time. I think it should show what's due, don't you?[/QUOTE]

Hm. If I take a sequential project that has no due dates, add a due date to the last action in the project, switch to Context view, and then sort by Due in the View bar, the action I just gave a due date to pops to the top. It doesn't if I keep the default sort by Project--which makes sense, because that sort keeps the order that tasks are entered in Project view. I don't want something forced to the top just because a month ago I happened to give it a due date of today; my priorities might have changed.

I find it more effective to group by due date if I need to concentrate on what is going to smack me in the face if I don't get it done. It took me a while to get used to different ways of grouping tasks or projects, but now that I am, I'm finding it quite helpful.

Addendum: after posting, I noticed that you had specified that the project was set up to do one task at a time. In that case, the behavior you describe is expected. Imagine this sequential project:

Road Trip[LIST][*] Get car fixed[*] Buy gas[*] Hit the road, due 7/28/07[/LIST]
Until I get the car fixed and gassed up, it don't matter what the due date is for hitting the road.

For a sequential project, you should give a due date to the whole project, not the last item.

[QUOTE=Hawkcode]Not exactly,

If I create a task and it's at the end of a Project, and give it today for a task and no other tasks in project have a due date, I would think that switching to the context view should then force that task to top.

Even if I try and sort by that it doesn't show up. The project is set up to do one task at time. I think it should show what's due, don't you?[/QUOTE]

Briefly, a one-task-at-a-time project is considered to be sequential. That is, each task is dependent on the one before it. If that isn't the case, then you should be using a parallel project, or some combination of nested subprojects.