share one project only with another computer?
 

I want to share one project with my assistant, but I don't want her to see other projects. Is that possible?

Nope.

Not really, no. The sync features are designed to share the entire document.

I presume you have two licenses for OmniFocus, so you could run entirely separate databases for you and your assistant, and just export the project in question from your database and import it into hers. Or do you need to both be tinkering with that shared project frequently?

Another option, if you both need to have access to common data, but you want to keep your own stuff separate: set up an alternate user on your Mac. Run OmniFocus there, set up to sync with your assistant via MobileMe. Only put the shared stuff in that database. Everything else, do in your own database, in your primary user, with no syncing set up. Shifting things between the two databases will not be terribly convenient, but neither will it be impossible.

Well, Lizard wins the succinctness competition, hands down :D

Succinct isn't always best. I'm probably becoming curmudgeonly. As you point out, there are some alternatives.

I use a project as my call list. So I want Both me and my assistant to be able to add calls and change their status. Exporting/importing won't be practical.

As always, the best way to influence Omni into building the widget you want is to tell them that you want it. Use the Help->Send Feedback command in OmniFocus to make your request officially known in the development database.

I do something similar using iCal, but I don't know if it'd help you. I set up a new calendar in iCal, and set OF to sync one context to that. I then sync my iCal and my assistant's using MobileMe. My assistant doesn't use OF, but if she did she could sync her copy with her copy of iCal to pick up that one calendar.

Obviously it's not perfect, the biggest issues being that it'll only transfer info that iCal supports, and that syncing iCal means both copies will be completely in sync - it's not possible to keep separate data in each copy while syncing one calendar.

It may me possible to do something using published and subscribed calendars, but I've never tried it.

thanks, that may help. One question: I created a "calls" calendar in iCal, then I synced it w/OF. However, the calls end up with a context and no project. For some reason, I don't see them when I select the "call" context; they only appear in the inbox.

Hmm yes I just tried that. I created a a task in iCal, in a calendar called "Mandy", called "test [New Shower]", and synced. It correctly gave it a project of "New Shower", and a context of "Mandy", but put it into my inbox rather than the project/context.

Then, as soon as I hit clean up, without editing it at all, it was removed from Inbox and filed correctly. I guess the logic is that anything coming into OF should come via the inbox so you have an oportunity to process it, but maybe this should respect the "immediately clean up Quick Entry items" setting in OF, which bypasses the inbox if an item already has a context and a project. It's essentially the same thing - just another form of Quick Entry.

I'm not sure really. I quite like the idea that if someone else has created an item, I'll be alerted to it when I look at my inbox, even if I don't need to edit it. I suspect the behaviour I want would vary depending on the nature of the incoming item or at least on its project/context, so the current behaviour may be the only safe one.

Mark

Thanks for letting me know how to assign a project in iCal. That is very helpful. Is there a way to tell OF to automatically sync with iCal, or can it only be done manually?

does this happen to you? I create a todo in iCal. I then sync it to OF. Then the todo in iCal goes away until I sync from OF again.

[QUOTE=rllewis@mac.com;45539]Thanks for letting me know how to assign a project in iCal. That is very helpful. Is there a way to tell OF to automatically sync with iCal, or can it only be done manually?[/QUOTE]

Manually only I'm afraid, but I'm going to have a go at writing a script that can run on a schedule to do it. Don't hold your breath though as I've never written a script in my life before! Doing an online course right now!

[QUOTE=rllewis@mac.com;45540]does this happen to you? I create a todo in iCal. I then sync it to OF. Then the todo in iCal goes away until I sync from OF again.[/QUOTE]

Hmm no, I've never seen that, though I have seen some other odd things from time to time. I'd check your settings for showing todos in iCal, though I don't know why anything should change just because you synced it.

[QUOTE=rllewis@mac.com;45539]Thanks for letting me know how to assign a project in iCal. That is very helpful.[/QUOTE]

No problem. I don't know if it'll work to create a new project, or if it only works if the project already exists in OF. If you get a chance to try, let me know the outcome please.

[QUOTE=MacBerry;45548]Manually only I'm afraid, but I'm going to have a go at writing a script that can run on a schedule to do it. Don't hold your breath though as I've never written a script in my life before! Doing an online course right now![/QUOTE]

The script would be

[CODE]
tell application "OmniFocus"
ical_synchronize
end tell
[/CODE]

except there's a bug right now which causes this to call the main synchronize instead. :(

Once we fix that bug, you could maybe use the iCal alarm trick [URL="http://www.xvsxp.com/power_user/schedule_tasks.php"]here[/URL] or something similar to handle the scheduling aspect.

please let us know when the bug is fixed. Thanks.

I tried this script, but it doesn't seem to do anything at all.

Oh right. You have to tell it what document to sync:

[CODE]
tell front document of application "OmniFocus"
ical_synchronize
end tell
[/CODE]

apple script editor changes "ical_synchronize" to "synchronize." is that the bug you were talking about?

Yes, that is a symptom of the bug I am talking about.

The fix for this just went out in a Sneaky Peek, though I'm not sure we've tested it internally yet.

[QUOTE=rllewis@mac.com;45459]I want to share one project with my assistant, but I don't want her to see other projects. Is that possible?[/QUOTE]
I guess if it were possible for OmniFocus users to share entire projects, instead of just individual tasks, that the internet would then probably go crazy with readers of Kourosh Dini's [I]Creating Flow with OmniFocus[/I] posting their version of the recipes for Chocolate Chip Cookies (p.117).

And that perhaps would only be the beginning... :)