[endoftheQ]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

In my experiments, it appeared that simply having the iPhone mail app be the first to download the message (didn't have to read it) was enough to cause the rule not to run on the desktop.

Interesting, whpalmer4. That wasn't my experience. However, it may have simply been that our desktops were consistently downloading before the iPhones.

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

Also, the iPhone mail app doesn't forward plain text messages as plain text :(

I wish I'd requested help before I agonised over my failure to get forwarded emails processed!

As previously stated, I really do think Omni has a duty to implement Send to OmniFocus themselves, especially as they actively encourage other App developers to do so!

[policarpo]

Here's my solution for your very issue (it does require syncing from the desktop though):

http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthre...ight=policarpo

Hope that helps.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by endoftheQ

I
As previously stated, I really do think Omni has a duty to implement Send to OmniFocus themselves, especially as they actively encourage other App developers to do so!

I'm not sure I follow you — how are they supposed to change the Mail app (or any other) to inject content into OmniFocus?

[endoftheQ]

Originally Posted by policarpo

Here's my solution for your very issue (it does require syncing from the desktop though):

http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthre...ight=policarpo

Hope that helps.

policarpo, you have created an awesome delegation blueprint, but as you admit, it does require manipulation through OmniFocus on a desktop. I'm chasing the dream of delegating or sharing actions from my iPhone/iPad!

[policarpo]

@endoftheQ

Thanks. That dream was discussed here:
http://forums.omnigroup.com/showthre...ight=policarpo

I've sent all this stuff to OmniGroup, so I hope something syncs in @ some point. :)

[endoftheQ]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

I'm not sure I follow you — how are they supposed to change the Mail app (or any other) to inject content into OmniFocus?

Apologies whpalmer4. I know that I have difficulties in expressing my posts in a technically literate way.

I use several Apps that can send their content to another App, either the same App on another user's iPhone or a different App on the same iPhone. Ken has outlined what is required, so other Apps can be programed to send into OmniFocus on the iPhone. But OmniFocus doesn't have this ability itself. i.e. I cannot send from within OmniFocus (to another OmniFocus user) an action.

If I'm not making myself clear, again my apologies.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by endoftheQ

Apologies whpalmer4. I know that I have difficulties in expressing my posts in a technically literate way.

I use several Apps that can send their content to another App, either the same App on another user's iPhone or a different App on the same iPhone. Ken has outlined what is required, so other Apps can be programed to send into OmniFocus on the iPhone. But OmniFocus doesn't have this ability itself. i.e. I cannot send from within OmniFocus (to another OmniFocus user) an action.

If I'm not making myself clear, again my apologies.

Ah, okay, you want something completely different than what I thought you wanted. I thought you were looking for a way to take an email you'd received and convert it into an OmniFocus action while at large with your iPhone. That requires some help from Apple, because other applications can't just pull things out of the mail (put things in, yes). If you want OmniFocus to be able to generate an email that has enough information for another copy of OmniFocus to be able to construct an action (essentially, very slow sync by email!) that should be feasible without Apple's involvement, although once again, getting that email into OmniFocus on the far end is a bit tricky if there isn't a Mac running the desktop software to do the heavy lifting.

I just saw Curt's message and didn't read back to the beginning of the thread, so my apologies for not coming at this in the right direction.

[JohnJ80]

Originally Posted by endoftheQ

JohnJ80,

Thank you for taking the time-and-trouble to respond.

I have examined other To Do/GTD products but none offer the industrial strength that OmniFocus has as its core feature. That doesn't stop me getting a touch of the green-eyed monsters at some of the import/export options that other Apps and their desktop equivalents currently offer.

I'd like to ask if you'd be willing to share your script with other users? Just for myself, although I'm guessing it would be true for most of my colleagues, it would be genuinely appreciated.

Thanks.

Sure. Here it is:

tell front document of application "OmniFocus"
-- get the window the user is using
set |w| to first document window whose index is 1
-- find out where we are and if there's anything we can do

set theItems to selected trees of content of |w|

-- Detect common failure modes and explain

if ((count of theItems) is 0) then
display alert ¬
"Select an action to " & toolName message "You have not selected an action"
return
end if

if ((count of theItems) is greater than 1) then
display alert ¬
"Select just one action to " & toolName message "You have selected more than one item, please select just one"
return
end if

set selectedItem to value of item 1 of theItems

if ((class of selectedItem) is inbox task) then
display alert ¬
"Sorry, action not supported" message "Actions in inbox do not reveal their projects in version " & toolVersion & " of " & toolName
return
end if


if ((class of selectedItem) is not task) then
display alert ¬
"Select an action to email." & "You have selected something that isn't a single action"
return
end if

try
set _dueDate to (get due date of selectedItem as date)
on error
set _dueDate to "None"
end try


try
set _note to (get note of selectedItem)
on error
set _note to ""
end try


try
set _project to the name of (get containing project of selectedItem)
on error
set _project to "None"
end try

try
set _context to the name of (get context of selectedItem)
on error
set _contexct to "None"
end try


try
set _subject to the name of selectedItem
on error
set _subject to "No Subject"
end try



set _body to "Action Item: " & _subject & return
set _body to _body & "Date Due: " & _dueDate & return
set _body to _body & "Project: " & _project & return
set _body to _body & "Context: " & _context & return

set note of selectedItem to ((current date) as string) & " " & "sent followup up email " & return & _note


end tell


tell application "Mail"
set _signature to content of signature 1
set _body to _body & return & _signature
set _id to (get id of (make new outgoing message with properties {subject:"Followup on Action Request:" & _subject, content:_body}))
activate
set win_index to (get index of front window)
set visible of outgoing message 1 to true
end tell

Some of this has been shamelessly copied from other scripts. I apologize for not keeping the author's information available. I also accept no responsiblity that this will work properly, as described or not do heinous damage to your system (in other words, you are on your own with this).

I set this up so it is in the Applecripts menu for Omnifocus. It creates an email with the subject "Followup on Action Request:" I use this to capture the response from a subordinate in a smart mailbox in mail.

I then also have another script that gets the last sent email from my sent items, creates a link which I can then paste into the note field. Clicking this link takes me to the email that was sent.

J.

[curt.clifton]

Originally Posted by endoftheQ

I use several Apps that can send their content to another App, either the same App on another user's iPhone or a different App on the same iPhone. Ken has outlined what is required, so other Apps can be programed to send into OmniFocus on the iPhone. But OmniFocus doesn't have this ability itself. i.e. I cannot send from within OmniFocus (to another OmniFocus user) an action.

Apologies in advance for being circumspect, but it seems OF iPad will have the ability within the app to send a task to another OF user who can then tap a link in the message and add the task to their OF database. If that makes it into OF iPad, then I would guess we'll eventually see it in OF iPhone and desktop.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

Apologies in advance for being circumspect, but it seems OF iPad will have the ability within the app to send a task to another OF user who can then tap a link in the message and add the task to their OF database. If that makes it into OF iPad, then I would guess we'll eventually see it in OF iPhone and desktop.

Curt's right — I was still stuck on the how to get an arbitrary email into OmniFocus concept when I answered. For a message created by OmniFocus, which can be encoded as a moderately complex omnifocus:// URL (like the ones used for sending sync settings to the iPhone on setup via email), you would just have to tap on the link in the Mail app, OmniFocus would be invoked, and you'd be off to the races. Getting an arbitrary email with no control over formatting and so on in is much harder, but probably not needed. It might even be possible to send along attachments via the URL route, encoding them in base64, although it wouldn't surprise me at all to discover that Mail falls down at handling them at a smaller size than would be convenient.