combining planning view and context view
 

This is a feature I often want out of OF and want to see if I can generate some interest.

If you could be in context view, click on a context then select an action as per usual BUT then in a pane in the bottom right you could see the entire project for that action it could save buckets of time, give you more confidence in your system and mean you have a more up to date, correct list of your things to do.

It would mean you could-
1. continue working on the project immediately if you now feel enthusiastic about it.(I often get interested in something after completing a task and want to use that energy rather then moving onto an action that doesn't interest me but is in the same context)
2. do a review of it to make sure the following actions are going to work for you. (often just by doing an action it changes the following actions you may have planned)
3. by doing point 2 it could remove the need for the Review Perspective process, saving you time.
4. you would have on hand all the notes and attachments for the project rather then having to switch back to find information that may have been entered into another action or the project itself.

Thoughts?

I really like this idea, and especially for reasons 1 and 2. When I've finished an action and the project is fresh in my mind, I'm in the best position to note down the next step. Of course I can do that with the Quick Entry window, but I can't see what steps I've already outlined. I could pop open a new window in project mode, but there's actually a bit of a delay with that and there's another window cluttering up my small screen. Number 4 has also been an issue with me, and number 1 is the main reason I sometimes end up avoiding context mode.

Right click on action's row handle and select Focus in New Window, or option-double click on the action's row handle. Close the window when you are done with it. If you are hampered by a small screen, carving chunks out of your existing windows makes it harder to work, not easier! Also, the work needed to compute that additional display is approximately the same as doing the focus in new window, so I doubt this would escape any such delay — OF really needs some performance analysis and tuning, but it doesn't seem to be important to them.

I am no computer wizard but I think you are right when you point out processing another pane could be too much for OF. I still think this would make a better interface.
I dont think Screen size is an issue. In context view I only use the top third. You are really only looking at a couple of actions at a time and the rest of this pane is not used.
Also I think you would find a new pane in an existing window is neater then a the current system of a second window.
I use the focus in a new window all the time. its a big part of my workflow for all the reasons i mentioned before.

Maybe you only look at a few actions at a time, but that isn't true for me! With the exception of my agenda contexts for individuals, most of my contexts have at least a dozen available actions at any given time. I doubt I am alone in this regard. And often I am doing a display of multiple contexts (it is rare that I only can work in a single context as I'm probably going to have a phone or some sort of computing gadget with me) which means I'll have even more choices which would be hidden by a pane. By using Focus in New Window, I don't have to continually deselect actions to be able to see as much of the list at a glance. This issue is cut from the same cloth as the issue of whether or not the inspector is a good thing or not, I think. Unless you've got a really big expanse of screen relative to the number of actions to be displayed, it seems better to only show the additional information on request. I would be an unhappy camper if they switched to your proposed method without leaving the ability to keep the current behavior!

I don't see how this feature gets you a more up-to-date, correct list of what you have to do. Could you elaborate on that assertion?

By "more up to date/ correct" i mean that as far as I understand the review is meant to correct any errors in your lists. Having a project view there with your context view would let you see if the next actions are correct. Sometimes just the act of doing an action can change what you had planned should come next. (Assuming there is no performance issue for OF) showing the extra pane could eliminate the review process, or at least lesson the need for it greatly. The review process is great, but I find it hard to find the time for it.
RE contexts - I too have a long list of context actions. What I meant was I could easily get by with half the area put aside for context actions just by scrolling. The layout of the window would be much like apples mail application, which seems to work fine for a large amount of info.

This would drag my focus away from the tasks I'm working on onto other actions I probably don't want to, or can't do at that time. That's what Daily and weekly reviews are for IMO

This would replace the need for a daily/ weekly review. for me that would save heaps of time. time I could spend at the beach