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Multiple Mac's / iPhone / OmniFocus - Possible solution Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
I have been putting some time into creating a workflow for me that ties together the three main areas of GTD management and Inboxes using OF. I have come up with an initial solution that requires a little help from the OG Ninja's.

I run a commercial recording studio in sydney and as such tend to always be on call for clients for bookings and management. I have three main areas that I access my GTD data.

Work: In the studio, a macbook, connected to a LAN with XServer, as well as the internet behind a large corporate firewall. VPN is available and used often.

Home: iMac for all home duties.

iPhone: being able to have my iCal bookings and client address data with me is vital as my brain is way to small to remember times of sessions etc. I consider the iPhone to be my main collection inbox, and the main reference for Next Actions depending on my current context.


My iGTD setup has been to use my iPod as a drive, and the iGTD database resides on here. This method has been almost foolproof, and not one syncing issue. I have a script that copies the database to my external server as a backup in case i either forget my iPod at work or lose it.

The physical structure of the building that the studios are in means that often there is no WIFI or GPRS access - so a local copy of my data on the iPhone is essential.

So my proposed solution is this:

Custom OmniFocus database paths -Keeps multiple Macs in sync
NEW FEATURE: OmniFocus allows me to choose the path for its database. This will allow me to keep the OF database on my iPhone with the help of this small utility from ECAMM. By setting the backup path to my external server, I have access to the data in case I forget the phone at work, or lose it.

Export to static WebTree
NEW FEATURE: OmniFocus adds an export option that creates a 1 page version of the OF Next Action Tree. This could be coded so it mimics the current dynamic version of the webserver in OF, but uses simple CSS to hide an show relevant data. This WebTree version would then be encoded into a Data URI and added to our Safari Bookmarks to then be sync'ed to our iPhones. You can do this with this small utility

I would add new tasks in my iPhone via Mail.app and use Curt's Mail scripts to catch the mails and send them to OmniFocus.

I have done some simple tests of this system and it shows great promise, I can script the exported data to a text file, then encode that to an URI in Safari. However, I need help from the Ninja's to allow a custom path for the database. (or could I hack a SymLink from in the terminal - would prefer to not do this though)

What do others think about this? It appears to be a possible solution (It has worked for me with iGTD and a stinky Windows Mobile PDA for a while now). Most importantly, it does not rely on a Hacked iPhone.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tdc View Post
Custom OmniFocus database paths -Keeps multiple Macs in sync
NEW FEATURE: OmniFocus allows me to choose the path for its database. This will allow me to keep the OF database on my iPhone with the help of this small utility from ECAMM. By setting the backup path to my external server, I have access to the data in case I forget the phone at work, or lose it.
...

However, I need help from the Ninja's to allow a custom path for the database. (or could I hack a SymLink from in the terminal - would prefer to not do this though)
The plan appears to have been, at one point, to allow users to choose the path for the OF database. I don't know where the Omni folks are on that. You apparently can hack a symlink from in the terminal.

See these comments from old threads:
From Omni --
http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost...81&postcount=2
http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost...12&postcount=8
http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost...1&postcount=16
From a Member --
http://forums.omnigroup.com/showpost...5&postcount=11

Last edited by dhm2006; 2007-09-28 at 03:29 AM..
 
Wow - I am not sure how I missed those in the searches. Will look into these posts dhm, many thanks.
 
Am so pleased to see the Omni team in support of the symlink - will implement it right away.
 
tdc,

I don't have an iPhone (hm … Sydney, iPhone?), but I use ChronoSync to keep identical copies of the OmniFocus database on my iMac and my iBook. I sync the folder in Application support

~/Library/Application Support/OmniFocus/

OmniFocus nags at me that the file is locked by my iMac when I open OF on the iBook, but I can dismiss the dialog and it works just fine. Since I sync a lot of other folders as well, this is a workflow that works for me. You may be able to do the same for your iPhone using a combination of iPhoneDrive and ChronoSync.

… iPhone, Sydney?

Best,
J
 
Hi Jottce,

I did try syncing apps, but for my purposes a physical method is working the best - either a tiny USB keyring or iPod/iPhone. This way I cant leave home or the office without it (can be rather forgetful at times). Am please to say that the Symlink method is working a treat now.

... iPhone, Sydney - yes, I grabbed one from the states and hacked it in 30mins. i thought i ought to before apple released the 1.1.1 update which was surely going to close it.
 
 


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