[switters]

I'm trying to figure out the value of the "Focus" menu bar command.

When I click on the folder or project in the left-side window, it automatically displays only the contents of that folder or project in the content window. Clicking on Focus simply collapses the other folders or projects in the left-side window.

Is that all it does? I'm trying to figure out when this would be useful... maybe if I have a really long list of folders & projects? Perhaps I'm missing something?

switter- yes the Focus is for just like it sounds and you suspect, to 'focus' on one issue at a time. If you do not have a lot of tasks or are able to truly tune everything else out then you are lucky;) Me, I use Focus all the time to drill into my several hundred tasks and dozen projects down to one, and find it one of my favorite features, after 'Perspectives'.

[switters]

Dave,

I understand the value of the function you describe (focusing on a few tasks at the exclusion of hundreds of others); however, I don't get how "Focus" is different than simply clicking on the project you want to focus on in the project window?

Say I have a folder named "Work". If I click on that folder, the only projects/tasks that are displayed in the content window are the ones in the "Work" folder.

Now, say I click on "Work" and then click "Focus". The only thing that is different about this than just clicking on "Work", as far as I can tell, is that when I click "Focus" all of the folders in the project window collapse, thus hiding the other projects. Nothing else changes.

Again, am I missing something?

[eronel]

One difference is that the focus applies in both modes. So if you focus on a project and switch to context mode, only tasks from that project are shown.

[curt.clifton]

Originally Posted by switters

Now, say I click on "Work" and then click "Focus". The only thing that is different about this than just clicking on "Work", as far as I can tell, is that when I click "Focus" all of the folders in the project window collapse, thus hiding the other projects. Nothing else changes.

Lenore is spot on about the value of Focus. You get the same thing by double clicking, but in a new window. Focus is nice for those of us that prefer to keep OF in a single window.

Also, a small nit to pick: Collapse means something very specific in OF. It means to hide the children of the collapsed thing, typically by clicking on a disclosure triangle or using one of the View menu commands. Focus hides the other folders, rather than collapsing them. Sorry to be pedantic, but didn't want anyone to get confused about the term.

[Journey]

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

Also, a small nit to pick: Collapse means something very specific in OF. It means to hide the children of the collapsed thing, typically by clicking on a disclosure triangle or using one of the View menu commands. Focus hides the other folders, rather than collapsing them. Sorry to be pedantic, but didn't want anyone to get confused about the term.

That's not pedantic at all -- your description at the end is what helped me to understand the concept better.

[davisre]

The thing that's always a little confusing to me is how the focus feature plays with perspectives. I've defined a number of perspectives for the context view, and I'd love to be able to focus on some set of projects and then see my various perspectives limited to that set. (E.g. let's work on Projects A, B, and C. Now, what am I waiting for, what's due, what's next?)

But when I'm focused, as soon as I apply a perspective, the focus is blown away by whatever focus was saved in the perspective (which for me is no focus).

Maybe my work flow is too perspective-based. The reason I want to do this is that when I focus on a project and then flip to context view using the mode selector, I never know what I'm going to get. I have no idea what those view bar settings will be. So I don't focus very often.

I guess I could apply the perspective and <i>then</i> focus then flip to context view, apply a perspective, refocus, and so on. Complicated.

[sprugman]

Perspectives can save focus settings. They can also be set to save their settings for only one of the modes, or both.

(Sorry this isn't more fleshed out -- I'm a little pressed for time. HTH.)

[switters]

I'm starting to get how Focus and Perspectives interact, but it would be SUPER helpful if OmniGroup could do a video on this in the future.

[davisre]

Originally Posted by sprugman

Perspectives can save focus settings. They can also be set to save their settings for only one of the modes, or both.

Yes, the problem I'm describing stems from the fact that perspectives do save focus settings. Are you implying that there's a way to make them not save focus settings, and therefore not blow the focus away when I apply them?