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I'm new to Omni Focus, and I'm a bit klutzy when it comes to learning software programs, so bear with me. The OF Help guide says that when I click on "Show Perspectives" there should be a list of default perspectives that I can use. However, when I open the "Show Perspectives" window there is nothing listed. I'm having trouble with the whole perspectives thing anyway. I see the buttons near the top of my screen that say, "Ungrouped", "Unsorted", "Any Status", "Duration", etc., but when I try to use them to, for example, sort by Project Name, nothing happens. I really want to use OF to sort my ToDo items by date, project, context, and other variables, but I can't figure out how to do it. Also, can somebody explain to me about sequential and parallel actions? When something is sequential, does that mean that actions only show up on the list after you complete the prior item in the sequence? Thank you.
 
Happy to help, Jay!

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymack View Post
The OF Help guide says that when I click on "Show Perspectives" there should be a list of default perspectives that I can use. However, when I open the "Show Perspectives" window there is nothing listed.
This sounds like a place where the documentation is either unclear or wrong; if you'll let me know where it says this, I'll write it up as a bug.

"Show Perspectives" brings up a window where you can create new perspectives (or edit ones you've created), but the built-in ones don't appear in that window. If you click on the Perspectives menu, the 'Remaining Items', 'Due Items', 'Completed Items', and 'All Items' entries in the menu are the built-in perspectives that we provide.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymack View Post
I'm having trouble with the whole perspectives thing anyway. I see the buttons near the top of my screen that say, "Ungrouped", "Unsorted", "Any Status", "Duration", etc., but when I try to use them to, for example, sort by Project Name, nothing happens.
It sounds like you're talking about the view bar here. A perspective is really just a set of view bar settings that you've saved and can bring up all at once.

It sounds like you're changing those view bar settings in Project View - in that view, they will sort your projects against each others, but the items within each project won't be sorted. (OmniFocus assumes that actions in a project are an ordered list, with the things you care about the most, or want to have happen first, at the top of the project.)

If you switch to context view, though, actions will sort in the manner you're looking for, though; in that view, OmniFocus doesn't worry about your projects at all.

Pro Tip: you can click on a project in the sidebar of Project view, then select View -> Focus on <That Project> from the menu bar, switch to contact view, and then do your sort. You can see everything sorted in context view, without actually affecting anything in the other view.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymack View Post
Also, can somebody explain to me about sequential and parallel actions? When something is sequential, does that mean that actions only show up on the list after you complete the prior item in the sequence?
Yep, that's exactly correct. In a sequential project, the second item won't become available until the first item is complete, and so forth. In a parallel project, any items that have a start date in the past will become available, regardless of what position they occupy within the project.

Does any of that help?
 
Brian:

My error on the Perspectives Window. I just checked the Help guide again, and it doesn't specifically say that the Show Perspectives window should have the default perspectives listed.

Thanks for your help. I have another question about sequential projects. Is there any way to see the whole list of actions, even though it's sequential? For example, what if you wanted to add another task to the list? Could you make the whole list visible so you can add to it?

Thanks.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaymack View Post
Thanks for your help. I have another question about sequential projects. Is there any way to see the whole list of actions, even though it's sequential? For example, what if you wanted to add another task to the list? Could you make the whole list visible so you can add to it?
Different Brian here...

Yes, you can do that. In Planning mode, show the View Bar if it is not already visible. In the third pop-up menu from the right (the one with a little checked box next to it), choose "Show Actions with Status Remaining."

If you want to see completed actions too, then choose "any status."
 
 


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