Doggone-it… so many crappy things about stuff that's disabled in context mode. And so many ugly things about project mode and not being able to hide things :-(
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So Task->Duplicate only works in project mode? | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
Member
2011-09-06, 11:49 AM
Doggone-it… so many crappy things about stuff that's disabled in context mode. And so many ugly things about project mode and not being able to hide things :-(
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Member
2011-09-06, 12:27 PM
You can duplicate a task in context mode, but it requires a work-around. If you option-drag a task to the same, or another, context in the Sidebar, the task will be duplicated. I've never understood myself why the Duplicate command doesn't work.
Post 2
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Member
2011-09-06, 12:33 PM
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I sorta figure duplicate doesn't work for the same reason sorting doesn't work :-/ I'm sure Rob Trew has a script which will do this (basically, a check-in which generates a follow-up task in 1-2 week's time) but I'm not loaded with scripts and it sure would be easy and fast for me to just do this manually. There just so much UI friction in OmniFocus sometimes. And don't get me started on the split view in a task on the iPhone, or I might never get stopped. Functionality is great, scalability is great, UI and usability are poor :-(
Post 3
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Member
2011-09-06, 02:06 PM
This has come up before. It'll probably come up again.
If you duplicate (or create) a task in project mode, you can immediately see where it went and put it where you want it. Not so in context mode. Maybe you always want your duplicate task tucked in right behind the original, but I can't think of the last time where that was what I wanted to do with a duplicate. If you're in a restrictive view (next or available actions only in a sequential project, for example) the newly created action might not even appear (it doesn't in project mode). If you are going to modify the duplicate (changing the context, for example), it may get whisked off elsewhere in the display unless you are using a combination of view settings that makes context mode look similar to project mode. Given all of that, and the ease of right-click Focus in New Window where you can see what you are doing and don't have to disturb the current view, color me unconvinced that there's a far better way to do this. One might take the absence of the ability to paste into a context view in OmniFocus for iPad as an indication that they aren't actively moving to change this, either. Sounds like you might want something like Curt Clifton's Complete and Await Reply script if you are doing this frequently.
Post 4
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Member
2011-09-14, 10:11 AM
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I need help in understanding why an action would get whisked away if you duplicate it and you are still in the same view you were currently seeing the action. Wouldn't it have all the same values and still be visible? Maybe there is a better way then duplicating an action for for what I need it for. I am really just trying to duplicate an action that has a weekly or monthly repeating value and get back to it in a few days later. I don't want to just change the start day because when I complete the action, in the following week it will show up on the day I forwarded it to. I don't want to leave the original start date and keep seeing it the next few days as an available or next action and have to remind myself that I can't do that today. So after duplicating the action I forward it and take off the repeat value, then mark the original repeating action as done (so it shows up on the same day next week) and then delete it (since it really wasn't done that day). It would be nice to applescript all of those things in one step but the duplicating part has me the most hung up. Is there no way for a script to check it's own context and project and then duplicate like "Delegated" or "Complete and Await Reply" does? Last edited by skillet; 2011-09-14 at 10:15 AM..
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Member
2011-09-14, 12:20 PM
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I think flagging is the most mentioned method for setting up an equivalent of an "action right now" list. Just sharing what seems to be a tangential thought process that I had as I considered how to stop playing within OF to shift around my work loads and instead use OF to stay on top of what I am doing. Otherwise, I would imagine an AppleScript can be found or made to move tasks around as you want. HTH -- JJW
Post 6
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Member
2011-09-14, 12:54 PM
Thanks JJW for your comments, I posted all of that in hopes I can get help on a script or a better way to overcome this conveluted methode because you are right it is games with OF I am playing.
If I understand you correctly adding a standard tag like the day of the week to the comments or anything other than using the start date for the actions I view as actionable. Currently I use flags for things I really should do for the day, like help someone out, practice goals I have etc., but that are not actually due that day. Repeating actions often don't fit into that category, so I couldn't flag them according to that method. Anyway sorry if I have pulled this thread too far off topic. Duplicating an action with an AppleScript is still a dream of mine.
Post 7
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Member
2011-09-14, 02:54 PM
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That said, I think it wouldn't be too hard to make a script that marked the item as complete (so the next one would be generated), then changed the original to be incomplete and non-repeating. But what do we do about the date? Does the script prompt for the new date, or just assign one, or leave that to the user? I'll give you three guesses as to which option is easiest to code :-) If you were to create such a script, it might look something like this: Code:
-- Reschedule Repeating Task -- Solves issue of a repeating task that needs the current instance rescheduled without -- disturbing the scheduling of future instances. Current instance is marked complete to -- generate the next instance, then set not to repeat and optionally rescheduled. -- if pOffertoReschedule is true, prompt user for rescheduling, otherwise leave dates unmolested property pOffertoReschedule : true on run tell application "OmniFocus" tell front document tell document window 1 set oTrees to selected trees of content set lngTrees to count of oTrees if (lngTrees > 0) then if (lngTrees = 1) then set oTask to value of (first item of oTrees) if (repetition of oTask is not missing value) then my RescheduleRepeatingTask(oTask) else display alert quote & name of oTask & quote & " is not a repeating task, ignoring" end if else display alert "Select only one row!" end if else display alert "No content selected!" end if end tell end tell end tell end run on RescheduleRepeatingTask(oTask) using terms from application "OmniFocus" set completed of oTask to true -- cause OmniFocus to duplicate task set repetition of oTask to missing value -- clear repeat set canReschedule to false if (pOffertoReschedule is true) then display dialog "Reschedule by how many days?" buttons {"Cancel", "OK"} ¬ default button 2 default answer "1" set rescheduleDays to (text returned of the result) as integer -- attempt to move start and due dates back by rescheduleDays try tell oTask to set {theStartDate, theDueDate} to {start date, due date} set {newStartDate, newDueDate} to {theStartDate, theDueDate} if (theDueDate is not missing value) then set newDueDate to (theDueDate + (days * rescheduleDays)) set canReschedule to true end if if (theStartDate is not missing value) then set newStartDate to (theStartDate + (days * rescheduleDays)) set canReschedule to true end if if (canReschedule) then tell oTask to set {start date, due date} to {newStartDate, newDueDate} else display alert "No start or due date for existing task, duplicated but not rescheduled" end if on error display alert "Failed to reschedule existing task" end try end if set completed of oTask to false -- reactivate original task end using terms from end RescheduleRepeatingTask
Post 8
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Member
2011-09-14, 03:33 PM
whpalmer4 (Bill) you are such a HUGE help, this answers many questions! I plan on spending a long time digesting this one and learning all I can from it.
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What is the "o" for in oTask? Is it for "on"? I gather "p" is a note that it's a property.
Post 9
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Member
2011-09-14, 04:26 PM
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Nah, I inherited it from Rob's code fragment, you'd have to ask him. Output? Original? I don't like to have names that are too similar to predefined names, and prefer not to rely on remembering rules (not a "language lawyer"!) about picky details. Is "Task" different than "task" in Applescript? In all cases? No such worries with "oTask"! I think I've probably read more of Rob's Applescript than anyone else's, so some of his style may have rubbed off on me, especially the part about writing scripts for others instead of focusing on one's own work at times :-)
Post 10
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