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-   -   How do I mark a project as complete using keyboard (http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=5995)

SpiralOcean 2007-12-02 07:30 AM

How do I mark a project as complete using keyboard
 
Anyone know how to mark a project as complete using the keyboard?

AmberV 2007-12-02 11:48 AM

Just tap the spacebar with the task selected (not any of the edit fields, obviously).

davisre 2007-12-02 12:43 PM

[QUOTE=SpiralOcean;27207]Anyone know how to mark a project as complete using the keyboard?[/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, I don't believe there is currently a way to mark the project as completed from the keyboard. You have to right-click it or change its status in the inspector.

The space bar trick only works for tasks at the moment.

I'd like a check box or something in the content area, too. Right-clicking or changing a pop-up list in an inspector isn't a satisfying way to complete a project, for some reason, and it's obviously pretty hidden, as if marking a project as completed is an power feature. Ditto for the spacebar trick, even if it's made to work with projects.

FixedOn66 2007-12-03 10:09 AM

I, too, wish there was an easier way to mark a project complete. Why have repeating projects if it is so hard to complete a project?

I have weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly projects that I want repeated. The weekly one is the most frustrating. If I check off the two actions I would think OF could be smart enough to know the project is done and reschedule the next one for next week. But no. I have to fumble around in project view (no remaining actions to do a quick jump to the right spot) and mark the project complete. Too much work!

The repeating/completed projects needs to be rethought.

dbyler 2007-12-04 01:15 PM

A hackish solution but one that works well...
[LIST=1][*]Set up Quicksilver proxies to gain access to all your menu items (instructions [URL="http://theappleblog.com/2006/11/01/quicksilver-does-menus-too/"]here[/URL])[*]Set up a custom trigger for "Current application > Menubar items > Completed" (instructions on how to set up a trigger [URL="http://lifehacker.com/photogallery/QuicksilverPrefTour/1643938"]here[/URL])[*]Assign a hotkey and restrict operation to OmniFocus[/LIST]
A far more elegant solution would be to assign a custom hotkey in the Keyboard & Mouse Preference Pane, but I haven't found a way to assign a hotkey to submenus.

Note: in the current build, your project needs to be selected from the content window (not the sidebar) in order for the menu item to work. I've filed a bug report.

brianogilvie 2007-12-12 02:50 PM

[QUOTE=FixedOn66;27319]...If I check off the two actions I would think OF could be smart enough to know the project is done and reschedule the next one for next week. But no. I have to fumble around in project view (no remaining actions to do a quick jump to the right spot) and mark the project complete. Too much work![/QUOTE]

That scenario presumes you've defined ALL the actions required to complete your project. There was a long discussion a couple months ago on the forums in which several of us pointed out that we just don't plan that way. I might finish all the tasks I have specified for a project, but that could simply mean that in my next weekly review, I have to come up with at least one new next action for the project. If the project were automatically marked complete, I might be in deep trouble. For the GTD planning method, autocompletion is a very bad idea.

FixedOn66 2007-12-13 08:07 AM

We can all live in repeated peace!
 
[QUOTE=brianogilvie;28398]That scenario presumes you've defined ALL the actions required to complete your project. There was a long discussion a couple months ago on the forums in which several of us pointed out that we just don't plan that way. I might finish all the tasks I have specified for a project, but that could simply mean that in my next weekly review, I have to come up with at least one new next action for the project. If the project were automatically marked complete, I might be in deep trouble. For the GTD planning method, autocompletion is a very bad idea.[/QUOTE]

I agree... to a point. I have read GTD and I try to adhere to its methods. But if projects can't be fully planned then why have repeating projects?????? Do you want to repeat projects that aren't complete? I can't think of such a scenario.

Please note that I've asked for the OPTION to set the project to auto-complete after the last action is completed. So those who plan during the project progression can leave the option off and those of us who actually have repeating projects can have them repeat for us. As it is I am not able to use OF for about 25% of my job which is made up of repeating projects. That includes Payroll (weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual), Accounts Payable (monthly), Taxes (3-4 different business tax forms annually), Maintenance (various intervals for work and home), ETC!!!!!

It is much harder for me to work around these stupid repeating projects that don't repeat than it would be for those who plan during the project to always keep a "Determin Next [project name] Action" action at the end of your project. At least you would have a reminder that you need to do some planning. When I check off my last action in my "repeating" project it just disappears but doesn't repeat. I have to go look for it EVERY WEEK/MONTH/QUARTER, ETC.

I have to repeat. Think through the idea of Repeating Projects and how they are used compared to Repeating Actions. They are very user un-friendly.

brianogilvie 2007-12-13 12:15 PM

[QUOTE=FixedOn66;28484]When I check off my last action in my "repeating" project it just disappears but doesn't repeat. I have to go look for it EVERY WEEK/MONTH/QUARTER, ETC.[/QUOTE]

My projects don't disappear when I complete the last action in them. In my daily or weekly review, I notice them in the project list and either add another action or mark them complete. Once I mark a repeating project complete, the new version appears.

And yes, I do actually have repeating projects that aren't fully planned. One example: I am responsible for coordinating graduate foreign language reading examinations every semester. Usually I just have French, German, and Spanish exams to coordinate, but occasionally there's another which I have to add. I don't want to have those projects autocompleted and then realize, two months later, that I never heard back about the grade for someone's Latin exam. And sometimes I realize that a repeating project isn't fully planned even on the second or third go-around.

It seems to me that autocompletion takes an end run around a good daily or weekly review. While I'm not a strict GTD devoté, I do think that separating the planning and review processes from actually working on your plans is an important part of being productive.

(And speaking of being productive, time to leave this forum!)

FixedOn66 2007-12-13 12:48 PM

[QUOTE=brianogilvie;28511]M
It seems to me that autocompletion takes an end run around a good daily or weekly review. While I'm not a strict GTD devoté, I do think that separating the planning and review processes from actually working on your plans is an important part of being productive.[/QUOTE]

And I wish I was at that point but I'm not. After 48 years of bad habits I'm working on having a weekly review but its not there yet. And I'd rather not waste my time reviewing the Payroll project folder since it is all the same every [insert time frame].

I would also suspect that not everyone who uses OmniFocus will be purists and could use the flexibility I'm suggesting. I still say that a repeating project that does not repeat after all the actions are complete is NOT intuitive. I've used Macs for 13 years and this situation had me stumped for months. I still can't find a way to work around this in my system.

One more thing then _I_ need to get productive too... The weekly review might not help. If I have a weekly project that starts Mon and is due Wed and another that starts Thu and is due the following Tue what day must I do my weekly review? If on Monday it must be early to "reset" the Mon-Wed project but if the Thu-Tue project isn't done yet then I can't "reset" that project and it won't come up again on Thursday. I doubt I can come up with a day that would work so saying Weekly Review will solve this problem is short sighted (but is still a great planning style that I need to add to my habits).

curt.clifton 2007-12-13 03:18 PM

I set review intervals differently for different projects. My short duration, repeating projects get 1 or 2 day review intervals. My most important projects do also. Other projects get quite long review intervals (up into the months). I actually review my projects due for review every morning. Typically there are only 2 or 3 projects, of my 30 or 40 active ones, that are due for review. I still do a weekly review (most weeks) to identify open loops, but I found it easier to establish the review habit when it was in very small daily doses.

(My routine is: turn on the computer, get a cup of coffee, do daily review while ingesting coffee. The caffeine hits my bloodstream as I switch to Context mode, and the day is underway. :-)


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