[mws]

Hi Curt,

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

Certainly. See the inspector.

haven't found it in the inspector but I will have a look as soon as I'm back at the Mac.

Coming from LifeBalance, I thought this was a show stopper also. My work around was to write a Verify Next Actions Exist script; it's on my software page. The script scans all your active projects and action groups looking for ones with no actions remaining. I run this script in my daily review to make sure everything is moving forward.

I've already found and installed this. Thank you! But in my short test it didn't identify empty (=subtasks finished) action groups just real projects (haven't yet investigated why). That's better than nothing, but just a workaround.

Another tip until OF 2.0 comes out: you can double click the dot next to an action in context mode to open a new planning mode window showing the action's project. I often use this to crank through several actions in a row on the same project, and to then make sure I have the next action identified for when I return to the project.

That's a good tip. But again just a workaround.

I find that the other powerful features of OF dwarf this minor inconvenience, but of course YMMV.

Maybe, maybe not. I'm still undecided.

I'm (also) a long-time LifeBalance User (Palm OS) but the desktop version is not after my fancy. Still the behavior of "action groups"/"projects" in context view in LifeBalance seems to be much more logical than OmniFocus'.

I think Omnigroup has nothing to loose (just time ;-))if they implement this feature. Users who don't need/want it can just let OmniFocus close projects and action-groups automatically. Others have to deal with them anyhow, so why not present them in context view. They are open tasks!

[mws]

Originally Posted by curt.clifton

Certainly. See the inspector.

Are you sure? Maybe it's the german translation but all I can find with context is "Standardkontext" (default context). My understanding is that this is the context for newly created child objects. But maybe it's the context for the project/action group itself also, or at least one could use/redefine it as such.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by mws

Are you sure? Maybe it's the german translation but all I can find with context is "Standardkontext" (default context). My understanding is that this is the context for newly created child objects. But maybe it's the context for the project/action group itself also, or at least one could use/redefine it as such.

If you promote an action to being an action group, the context of the action becomes the default context for new actions in the action group. However, if you delete those new actions, reducing the action group back to an action, it will have a context once again, which will be whatever you set initially, or the final value of the action group's default context if it was changed. You can both be correct :-)

[Ken Case]

Originally Posted by mws

Why not just let projects and action groups have a context and bring them up like a task as soon as all sub-tasks are finished. This would really solve a lot of issues at once.

Yes, exactly. This is what I intended to suggest in my previous post (which explained why we didn't do this in the past, and why it makes sense to do it now).

[mws]

If you implement this then OmniFocus is just "inspector as drawer", "more sophisticated repeat options" and "quick follow-up" away from perfection :-).

[curt.clifton]

Originally Posted by mws

I've already found and installed this. Thank you! But in my short test it didn't identify empty (=subtasks finished) action groups just real projects (haven't yet investigated why). That's better than nothing, but just a workaround.

It certainly does find action groups for which all children are completed. That's the main reason I still maintain it. OF has a built in Stalled Project filter for projects without actions.

[mws]

OK. I found the problem. It works in projects but not when there is an action group in a single-action list.

[curt.clifton]

Ah, right. I have code that allows the script to process action groups inside single action lists, but it _really_ slows down the script (to the point of seeming like the script is hung) so I haven't posted it.

[jjb]

Originally Posted by Rob Forsyth

where a "parent" action whose child items have all been completed behaves as an ordinary action reappearing on to-do lists. You then are automatically prompted to either mark it as complete or add further subtasks.

I would love this behavior, and have written in to OF to request just that -- if folks in this forum agree, write to OmniFocus! (help menu, feedback)

and thanks Ken for chiming in.