[Leila]

I really like the Review Perspective.

Here are the options I've selected:

1) My projects are of course, grouped by "Next Review."
2) The "Sort Projects by" field is "Due."
The way I understand this field is that the tasks within each project should be sorted by due date.
3) The "Show Actions with Status" field is set to "Remaining."
4) Tasks of any duration and any flag status are allowed to show.

For some reason, the sorting does not work on this report. I've tried changing it to other fields and none of them seem to work properly. I used to design computer systems years ago so I think I'm pretty good at seeing patterns and I cannot discern a pattern.

Any ideas why this might be?
Thanks,
Leila

[whpalmer4]

It's sorting projects, not the actions in the projects. If you want to sort actions, you need to be in context mode.

[Leila]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

It's sorting projects, not the actions in the projects. If you want to sort actions, you need to be in context mode.

Wow. Ok.
Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of strange?

When reviewing my projects and making plans for the next days or weeks, it seems "normal" or good to me to see my project laid out in date order. That way I can review the project and determine if there are things missing and add them - in addition to flagging tasks or changing dates as needed.

I definitely do not want to do my planning in context mode. For planning purposes, I prefer the project mode. Is there any way to sort by due date? This would be especially important on projects that have a lot of steps.

Thanks,
Leila

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by Leila

Wow. Ok.
Am I the only one who thinks this is kind of strange?

Possibly, yes, but let's see if we can talk you out of thinking that way :-)

The sort option in project/planning mode sorts projects. It would make no sense for it to be sorting actions at the same time as it is sorting projects. If I want to see my projects in order that they fall due, I don't want OF to also be reordering the actions in those projects! Remember, there are options other than due, such as start, next review, etc. and almost none of them would be suitable for reordering all the actions in all my projects just because I wanted to see the projects in a particular order.

If you want to destructively sort the actions in a project, you can do so by selecting them and then using the Edit->Sort or control/right-click and select sort from the contextual menu. The view bar simply reorganizes the view and has no impact on the data, as you can see by opening another window and watching what happens to the contents of one as you change the view bar settings in the other. The Edit->Sort command makes permanent changes to the data, just as if you had dragged the actions around in the project. If you change the due date on some action in the middle of the project, it doesn't move just because you changed the due date.

When reviewing my projects and making plans for the next days or weeks, it seems "normal" or good to me to see my project laid out in date order. That way I can review the project and determine if there are things missing and add them - in addition to flagging tasks or changing dates as needed.

The project is laid out in the order that you entered it. OmniFocus maintains that ordering unless you change it by dragging actions around or using the Edit->Sort sort. OmniFocus assumes that the order you arrange your actions in is significant, though you are free to disregard it, of course.

I definitely do not want to do my planning in context mode. For planning purposes, I prefer the project mode. Is there any way to sort by due date? This would be especially important on projects that have a lot of steps.

You can't really do your planning in context mode, if doing your planning involves rearranging actions, because context mode doesn't allow you to do so. To have OmniFocus rearrange actions on a permanent basis, you need to use Edit->Sort as described above, or drag things around by hand.

To recap: the view bar settings in both context and project mode merely rearrange the view, with the granularity as appropriate for the mode. For project mode, the granularity is the project, and for context mode, it is the action. No change is made to your database by fiddling with the view bar settings. To reorder the list so that OmniFocus will present the actions in a different order (assuming you were in the Next Action view exclusively, always taking the next one offered), you need to either use Edit->Sort or move the actions by hand in the project/planning outline. Doing so will change your database file.

[codycomposer]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

The sort option in project/planning mode sorts projects. It would make no sense for it to be sorting actions at the same time as it is sorting projects. If I want to see my projects in order that they fall due, I don't want OF to also be reordering the actions in those projects! Remember, there are options other than due, such as start, next review, etc. and almost none of them would be suitable for reordering all the actions in all my projects just because I wanted to see the projects in a particular order.

I disagree strongly with this statement. The user should be able to specify a default sort when viewing by project. The fact that I have to select all tasks with in a project EVERY TIME and choose Sort > By Date Due is a time waster.

I understand the point that there are many ways to sort, but I don't use them all, and I definitely sort by date due far more frequently than any other sort.

If OmniFocus assumes I want to do them in the order I write them down, why is there a Due field? It seems I should be able to set a default sort of "BY Date Due", and if I add a new task and set its due date before other tasks, OmniFocus should automatically rearrange tasks by date due.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Leila

Is there any way to sort by due date? This would be especially important on projects that have a lot of steps.

Yep! Select the actions you'd like to sort, then choose
Edit -> Sort -> By Date Due
From the menu bar.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by codycomposer

If OmniFocus assumes I want to do them in the order I write them down, why is there a Due field?

OmniFocus assumes that you're reviewing your projects and putting actions you care about at the top of your lists, using whatever criteria you find appropriate. Due date may be one of them.

The point of project view is to see relationships between actions and figure out how to get the project done. Context view shows you actions individually, so you can just concentrate on getting them done. An auto-sorted view of your actions is completely appropriate there.

We give you tools to sort your actions in project view, because it's something that computers are good at, and it can help you plan. It doesn't constitute planning by itself, though.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by codycomposer

I disagree strongly with this statement. The user should be able to specify a default sort when viewing by project. The fact that I have to select all tasks with in a project EVERY TIME and choose Sort > By Date Due is a time waster.

Sorry, that was a less than optimal choice of words on my part. By "in the order you wrote them down" I meant that you could write them down in any ordering you please, not literally chronological order in which you typed them in. You can write new actions in at any spot in the outline, after all...