OmniFocus for iPhone and Outlook Windows
 

I want to use OmniFocus on my iPhone but am concerned about not being able to sync my data on my PC using and Outlook or OmniFocus on my PC Desktop. Will ths work? Thank you.

OmniFocus for iPhone and Outlook Windows
 

I want to use OmniFocus on my iPhone but am concerned about not being able to sync my data on my PC using and Outlook or OmniFocus on my PC Desktop. Will ths work? Thank you.

You can use OmniFocus on your iPhone without owning a Mac. You will only be able to view your data on your iPhone. There is no way to sync with any application on Windows.

There are also a few features that are not available (yet?) in OmniFocus on the iPhone, including:
1) configuring repeating actions and projects
2) reorganizing existing projects into folders. (You would have to delete the project and create a new one inside the folder.)

Obviously...
 

Obviously we can use the program on the iphone, otherwise it would be utterly useless. So the only way I can use this, outside of the iphone micro-interface, is by buying a mac, right?
Wish I had read that on the application description...anywhere. I wouldn't have spent the money. A task list manager that will only sync with a MAC - worthless.

[QUOTE=cyberian;67116]Wish I had read that on the application description...anywhere. I wouldn't have spent the money. A task list manager that will only sync with a MAC - worthless.[/QUOTE]

Sorry that OmniFocus is not working out as you expected, but there are PC users posting here that find value using OmniFocus only on the iPhone. Just curious, but did you expect OmniFocus iPhone to sync to any and every task list manager on any and all operating systems? There are a large number of iPhone apps available that have multi-platform companion desktop applications, but one still needs to do a little research to see what does, and does not, work with one's chosen desktop OS.

Omnifocus as OmniFLOP
 

[QUOTE=Greg Jones;67128]did you expect OmniFocus iPhone to sync to any and every task list manager on any and all operating systems? [/QUOTE]

Not "and and every task list manager on any and all" OSs, but the hyperbole was mildly amusing.

I was expecting an application that contained any of this:
1.) Task list that could be exported to a sync-able format
2.) DB that could be synced with one of the OTHER MAJOR operating systems, namely Window$ or linux.
3.) Recommendations for a 3rd party conduit capable of syncing the data, not the "get a MAC" response.

For an application that runs $19.99 - only to run on an iphone, and only syncs with a MAC. I was expecting more to the application, or less to the price tag.

Even windows developers aren't THAT narrow-minded.

Not hyperbole at all, just asking what your expectations were. Technically OmniFocus for the iPhone doesn't sync to any operating system, not even the Mac OS. However, it does sync to OmniFocus on the Mac, and even Mac owners contemplating purchasing an iPhone app should perform the due diligence to determine what other applications or 3rd party conduits might be needed to make the data usable on the desktop.

As to Windows developers not being that narrow minded, now that's hyperbole. I'm pretty confident that the percentage of Windows Mobile developers that also offer a sync solution for Mac users is far, far fewer than the percentage of iPhone developers that offer a Windows solution.

[QUOTE=cyberian;67116]Obviously we can use the program on the iphone, otherwise it would be utterly useless. So the only way I can use this, outside of the iphone micro-interface, is by buying a mac, right?
Wish I had read that on the application description...anywhere. I wouldn't have spent the money. A task list manager that will only sync with a MAC - worthless.[/QUOTE]
If I went to a Microsoft site (or any other vendor that offers products for more than one OS) and contemplated purchasing a piece of software, I'd be reading very carefully to make sure it supported my intended platform before clicking the Spend button. Third paragraph in the description on the iTunes store page includes this text:
[indent]
...and synchronizes with your Mac via MobileMe or WebDAV servers."
[/indent]
and in the fifth paragraph:[indent]
OmniFocus synchronizes wirelessly with OmniFocus for Mac, either locally over Wi-Fi (with pushed updates) or remotely through the cloud (using MobileMe or a WebDAV server).
[/indent]
No, it does not say "will not work on a Windows PC or a Linux PC" anywhere. Feel free to post a picture of a box for a typical piece of Windows software that specifically says "will not work on a Mac" :)

Outlook Tasks Syncing
 

No desire to get into the mac/pc debate here and I agree that it's pretty unrealistic to expect omnifocus to sync to all platforms and calendaring/todo products.

That being said... I use mac, windows and iphone and my company is (like many) a PC outfit that makes heavy use of Exchange and Outlook. Because of this, it would make my life tremendously easier if I could at minimum have a method (doesn't even have to be automagic) to sync OmniFocus with my outlook tasks. In our scenario, tasks get assigned to me via outlook and I'd like to get them into omnifocus where I can make them work better for me (I'm sure if you've ever used the tasks area of outlook, you're aware that it's pretty abysmal, lol). I have OmniFocus on my Mac and would purchase the OmniFocus for iphone as well if there was a way to do syncing with outlook tasks.

Given that Outlook/Exchange are so heavily prevalent and many mac and/or iphone users still have to interact with them, any hope of a syncing method just for Outlook tasks?

Thanks.

I brought this same issue up on [URL="http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthread.php?t=14828"]another thread,[/URL] and it is precisely why I no longer use Omnifocus on my Mac or iPhone (despite all the $$ I paid for both!)

But I do think both sides of this argument have good points.

One one hand, it is a common business strategy for commercial software companies to restrict compatibility and force customers to buy their own stuff, so it's always a good idea to investigate a commercial product's interoperability before purchasing it.

On the other hand, the way we use software and the internet has drastically changed in the past few years. We're evolving into a network-centric world of cloud computing, enterprise architectures, and mobile applications. It's becoming very evident that flexible software with open-source APIs and maximum interoperability (like Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc) are beating out their "stove-piped" competitors. We are approaching a point where one should [I]expect[/I] interoperability from a product, or at least expect it to have a "web version".

I think Omnifocus is hands-down the best GTD software application out there. But I use Toodledo now, simply because a) I can access it anywhere, and b) it syncs very well with MS Outlook on my office PC, and c) there are many iPhone to-do apps for Toodledo that I can choose from. Total cost for all this? $0. But if Toodledo did charge a price, I'd have no problem paying because it works everywhere I need it.

Omni Group has publicly stated on these forums that they are Apple-biased, and the fact that they have not responded to our concerns suggests that their lack of interoperability is intentional. After all, how hard is it to publish a simple API or generic XML interface?

I'm really hoping that OmniFocus will one day decide to play nice and publish an API or at least restore that OF-TD script. It would be futile to develop a 3rd-party API unless you had time to maintain it so it doesn't break with each Omnifocus update. So until Omni Group changes their business strategy, I'm working just fine with Toodledo.

Sorry for any confusion in this thread - we collectively browse the forums as we're able, but we can't guarantee that we'll be able to respond in every thread.

We certainly aren't holding back on Outlook/Entourage/Exchange support out of spite; we may have other tools that we prefer to use, but our primary goal is to make customers happy by any means necessary. :-)

Taking a look at the development database, we have feature requests open on better support for Outlook/Entourage/Exchange, but there are other requests in there that have more votes attached to them. In general, requests with more votes get attacked first.

If folks want to help this change get bumped up in the request list, sending email to the [EMAIL="omnifocus-iphone@omnigroup.com"]support ninjas[/EMAIL] would be most helpful. Appreciate the help!

Thanks Brian -- sounds like we should try to rally some votes to get an Outlook or Toodledo sync feature bumped up in priority!

XML is XML
 

I am not going to pretend to know much about OMNIfocus or XML, but what I do know is that mobileme syncing of projects in the iphone app results in a series of XML files corresponding to the projects in your iPhone app.

At the end of the day, XML is XML, right?

theoretically, I know it wouldn't be the most glamorous method, but how hard would it be for a savvy windows programmer to reverse engineer an OMNIfocus XML file and write a program that could read and write based upon the defined [I]fields?[/I] of that XML file? You could then use a web-dav file transfer client or build one into the application to the program.

Until this happens or something else changes (like I get rid of this crappy dell and finally get a real computer...a mac) I'll continue to use the app-less nirvanahq.com which right now is the closest thing to meeting my needs.
[url]http://lifehacker.com[/url] gave out the beta-tester code: LIFEHACK, if you are interested in trying it.

I would love it if the two were able to work together, they together cover a lot of the same ground but still have critical differences and neither alone at this moment meets my objectively simple GTD needs (simple GTD use i.e. contexts, tags et al. with an ability to be accessible to me everywhere by either cache or sever connectivity.

I am not looking to scam Omni out of any money, but I too agree with the windows camp looking for OF options other than my phone.

I have been reviewing this thread for a while
Frankly the inability to sync with Outlook is the only reason that I have not purchased for my Iphone and Ipad. I have the same dilemma as others, at work a PC and Outlook are the standard. I continue to look for a solution for getting things done and keep coming back here and then leave without purchasing realizing the circle of data is not complete without an Outlook sync option. I may end up getting a lesser solution in regard to functionality since there is not even a hint of a date, but a hint that the gap is noticed...

I am responsible for the productivity of our company's 30 associates. 75% of the firm uses iOS in some form and they are always asking me about task management tools. We are (for better and worse) very Outlook and Microsoft CRM-centered. Would definitely be recommending OF as an option if it would sync to Outlook tasks like Todo for iPhone and Todo for iPad does. Will send an email to the "ninjas" per the previous request.

The lack of Outlook sync is the only thing holding me back. I'm not about to invest money and time into a product that locks my information into a proprietary format that can't be transferred. I can't imagine how many others are in the same boat.

Lest anyone get the wrong impression, all of our applications were specifically designed to preserve your ability to access your data. They store their data in a format called XML.

XML's an [URL="http://www.w3.org/XML/"]open standard[/URL]. We don't own it and never could. It's also a format that's designed to make data accessible and human-readable whenever possible. It's about as un-proprietary as you can get. An XML file is just plain text; all the OmniFocus-specific stuff is just sequences of extra characters wrapped around your content that tells OmniFocus how to process it.

OmniFocus' use of XML is one of the reasons why a service like [URL="http://www.spootnik.net/"]Spootnik[/URL] can exist. The author of that service didn't get any special help from us; presumably, he looked at his OmniFocus database, figured out how it worked, and then hooked that up to [URL="http://basecamphq.com/"]Basecamp[/URL].

By contrast, until very recently Microsoft was [I]notorious[/I] for having all their apps use file formats that weren't documented or accessible to third parties. They started changing that, but only after getting hit over the head with several anti-trust lawsuits...

That said, Gareth, I totally hear and understand the underlying concern/desire. Outlook is pretty ubiquitous among some circles; that's a good reason to want OmniFocus to talk to it. Ubiquity doesn't make it any less proprietary, though. :-)

I agree with Brian. Microsoft uses /binary/ files for Outlook, Word, etc. That's about as proprietary as you can get. OmniFocus' data is all XML. You can browse it with a text editor if you like. Totally open and transparent.

You're making it yourselves a bit too easy... Imho
 

I like the Omnifocus ipad app. It is very expensive but i like it.

Nevertheless ootb interoperability and a OS/device independent way to manage my items is missing. (not speaking of outlook yet).

This and exactly this (in combination with the high price of the app which causes that I really have very high expectations towards omigroup) will most certainly result in the fact that i will migrate away from omnifocus to a more interopaerable, open (web and OS/device independent solution).

I think technically the basis is there to provide a service like toddledo and not just apps that backup on a remote server. But then it's really the decision of providing a service vs apps with backup 'only'.

Hi all I have been thinking of ways to export my tasks from outlook and I can do this relatively easily. I can even export ids and as a validated XML file. I'm now at the stage where I import them into OF and this is where I'm stuck. I cant seem to find an option to import the XML file plus if I try as text it may end up creating duplicates. Anyone want to help me out or has a script I can butcher?

Thanks

a1ehouse

Sync Omnifocus with Outlook,Let's not make this a Windows vs Mac discussion
 

I have been reviewing this thread because, though I own other OMNI products, I cannot use Omnifocus because there is no way to easily sync my tasks generated in Outlook with Omnifocus. And I have seen the counter-productive debate of Windows vs. Mac. But this doesn't need to b e about Windows vs Mac or XML vs other standards.

As others have pointed out, there are a number of tools now which can sync with Toodledo. Yes, I know Toodledo is not an industry standard. But it as become the most common tool used by ToDo based apps on iOS devices. Furthermore there are already tools for sync'ing Outlook with Toodledo.

So rather than trying to sync with Windows. Sync with Toodledo. Then we can use other tools (one is even free) to get our Outlook tasks (often generated by emails and converted to tasks using Outlook plug-ins) into Toodledo and from there into OmniFocus.

Sync'ing with Toodledo cannot be that hard. Many others have done it. Is it internet based. You would need to deal with the complexities of Exchange or Outlook.