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Project management tool:

I use Omnioutliner as a project management tool in creating, updating information to and delivering coach tours around Europe (on a preset/ arranged tour completion template I created) .

My biggest gripe is that you cannot in OO3 easily allow other users in the project team to access and manipulate the data either by syncing with it or by placing it in a network/web space for all to access accordingly in real time. Such a simple move, but a radical transformation. It would require a file master/owner to be able to set relevant access features (read, write, delete as a starter).

Jason (?) notes it as a tertiary feature in part 3?:


"Tertiary Features:

1. sync to Address Book- this feature would be great to use with the pop-up column type I described above when assigning tasks.
2. sync to iCal- for obvious reasons
3. able to network with other users on a network- this would be huge for our office
4. Export to OmniPlan"

For me this is a primary function for omnioutliner. If one person can use why can't several people access it?
 
Hodge1- I listed networking abiltiy as a tertiary feature only because there are the primary features I need right away for my organization. Also, because the feedback I have received from OmniGroup (as well as in the forums) says that it is a difficult feature to implement. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see this feature too, it's just that there are a couple other things I would like to see first.

As a side note, I have been looking at the recent patent applications Apple has made regarding the new finder in Leopard, and I would like to add something else to the list: I think that it would be great if OO could be searchable using Spotlight- the main text of the outline is searchable according to the columns (as the metadata). For instance, I could have a bunch of tasks w/ due dates, and any other piece of information you wanted to attach, assigned to particular people (all assigned through the columns) with smart folders set up in the finder that would accumulate the search results. I hope that this makes sense. This would hopefully put all tasks from Mail and OO together in one folder.

Again, I find it interesting that there are many people looking for the same feature sets in a number of different programs. I love the way OO works and I really hope that OmniGroup is the first ones to make this all-inclusive PM/ task mangagement solution.

Someone at OmniGroup, please give me some hope that you are listening and that you will be able to make all of my wildest dreams (software-wise that is) come true.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Len Case
I don't want to speak about future plans--but it might be a good idea for you to brainstorm here about what you would like from a theoretical OO 4.0...
Two features that IMHO are a must:

1) Search results showing in the main window, so I can compare parts of the entries, e.g. film database with columns for year, director, actor. I could search under Actor and see with which directors he has worked.

2) The table function is a main attraction. But I have to keep a separate documents for every set of columns I create.
So instead of having my data in one document, I have to have a dozen or more ? Not very efficient, I think.

With these two functions added, I wouldn't even try to look for another outliner.
 
I have a couple (6) of features I'd like to see in OOP 4.0.

1) smart (curly) quotes (option to use or not)

2) have an option for the return key to create a new row and position the cursor in the same column you were just editing. To clarify, I frequently want to enter text into the 3rd column, row after row (creating new rows and leaving the outline column blank) but when I hit return, it puts my cursor into column number one, then I have to manually move it over into the 3rd column. A pain when you have to do it repetitively. I'm not suggesting that you make this the default, because for most purposes, you want it to go to column 1 when you create a row. But the option would be great.

3) ability to hide columns on screen. I frequently use many columns and their number complicates things when I only want to use one or two columns. It's a problem because I'll be entering text into one or two columns, and suddenly hit a wrong arrow key or something and find myself way on the other side of the document and then I have to scroll way back to where I was, which interrupts my flow of thought and makes it have a "I'm lost in my document" feel. Hiding columns would make my life a lot easier.

4) have multiple user-defined presets in the omnioutliner section of the page setup. Sometimes (on that many column document from suggestion 2 above) I need to print either these columns in this format, or these other columns in a different format, and if I had presets, I wouldn't have to try and figure out what settings I used last time.

5) ability to select text from multiple cells within a column, to copy and paste into a word processor (the would be separated into paragraphs).

6) Split-panes (vert. & horiz.) would be excellent too.

If there are current solutions to any of these, and someone's feeling charitable, please let me know,

#2, #3, #5 are necessities to me.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by abh19
6) Split-panes (vert. & horiz.) would be excellent too.
If I think this is what you mean, I personally would prefer the way OmniGraffle does it of having the ability to open two or more windows of the same document at the same time so that you can view and work on different sections at the same time. A split-pane version of this as an option would be useful too. FWIW. the reason why two windows is a good option is because you can put one on one screen and the other on a second screen if you have it.
 
Simple, dumb and hence incredibly well suited to my brain....highlighting.

Smart, useful and fun would be wiki-style links, either to subsections or other docs or actual lines....

Ditto to the column hiding.

Ditto to the search pane (love VoodooPads...)

Smart Folders sounds like it's great, but I don't really use OOP as an Info Gathering type tool. It excels at making documents I think. But it might be a nice option....
 
Cloning!!!

Also ... get out your ancient copy of More, and look at anything from the outline section that you haven't implemented yet.

OOPro is great -- but More was genius.
 
And another -- the ability to number items non-contiguously:

1
2
(no number)
3

Current behavior is
1
2
(no number)
4


And I'm still not happy with the print engine, though it's far better than it used to be.
 
I have an example for Smart Folders (Photoshoped)

Suppose I'm listing years from 1997-2006, and in each year i added rows of bullets in them, i then (tag) some notes in year 2003,2001..etc as a (places i went to) tag, then by adding a "smart row" it automatically looks for the tag (places i went to) and then displays them,




after that i see (places i went to) items and each row has the year next to it (trees name) being in a column for instance





I think this feature could make this app really powerful, especially if the tags could be customized the same way as smart folders, so for instance a smart folder could be linked to web bookmarks that are added in the notes, or a smart folder for picture attachments, i think this could make the notes much more organized,

And that would open a lot of possibilities, say for instance a tag could be done for tutorials, or to buy items, top-priority tasks, GTD..etc

Working on a large OmniOutliner file with dozens of notes makes it really difficult to get the info i want

I don't know if thats doable or not, but just an idea

BTW, I've posted this as a reply in another topic, I've decided to post it again to get more attention.

Thanks in advance

Mr.Projects
 
One feature I'd love to see is database support, perhaps via an ODBC layer or direct support of MySQL.

Practical Example: Using this notional OO4 client to maintain a task list that is otherwise maintained on a web server. If OO pulled its data from a database rather than a local flat file, it would be possible for me to write an online interface that allowed clients to add to the list, approve or reject specific tasks, etc., while keeping everything in sync locally.

This might sound esoteric, but the implications of this are pretty powerful and aren't limited to a task list, although that's the app I would write today if I could.

Cheers,
Steve
 
 


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