[Chris]

How do people access their different perspectives? Do you use the menu bar? Do you just keep the Perspectives window open at all times? Other?

Is it known how the interface for this will evolve? It seems to me that the Perspectives window is sort of awkward. Where would I keep it? I think I'd rather have a pop-out panel (forget exactly what those are called), or be able to embed the Perspectives window in the main window somehow.

[pjb]

I use command-number for Workspaces in OW and I'm hoping to be able to do the same in OF. Right now, I just keep the window open (since my Perspectives are in flux) but reach for the menu at times too.

[djbell]

You can hot-key 'em with Quicksilver using the Menu Item action (I do shift-command+1-9), but I think you have to recreate the Triggers every time you upgrade :(

[Craig]

(As I've said elsewhere,) I'm eagerly awaiting the ability to call up perspectives with Applescript. Then one of the first things I'll do is have them specifically be brought up by Automator routines. I've also said before (here) that it would be nice to be able to add perspectives to the Quicksilver catalogue.

As for now, I mostly use the menu bar.

[Chris]

I just sent the following to OF feedback, thought I would add it here for others to chew on:

Perspectives seem a bit broken to me. Here are some things I've noticed.

(1) They seem to save the window position and size. I find that very annoying. I don't want the window jumping around when I change perspective. It might make sense on a multi-window app, but not on a single-window app. Please, at least make this a preference. (Also, there are some redrawing glitches when the window moves.)

(2) They don't remember some things that seem critical, for example:

(a) which context is selected. I want to make a "Due Tomorrow" perspective that shows all the actions due tomorrow for all contexts. But if a context is already selected, then choosing "Due Tomorrow" doesn't unselect that context.

(b) which groups are expanded or collapsed. Again, in my "Due Tomorrow" perspective, I want all groups other than "Tommorow" collapsed, and I want "Tomorrow" expanded. This doesn't seem to work.

(3) The "Perspectives" toolbar icon would be much more useful if it were a drop-down menu (like the gear menu in the finder toolbar). The drop-down menu could hold the various Perspectives as well as the "Save Perspective" and "Show Perspective Window" menu items. Then I wouldn't need a separate "Save Perspective" toolbar icon.

(4) It's not clear what the right-hand side of the Perspectives Window is trying to tell me, or what it's for. I suppose that this isn't done yet? Will I be able to edit things in that pane? Maybe the Perspectives Window should really be an inspector or a sidebar?

[xmas]

Originally Posted by Chris

(4) It's not clear what the right-hand side of the Perspectives Window is trying to tell me, or what it's for. I suppose that this isn't done yet? Will I be able to edit things in that pane? Maybe the Perspectives Window should really be an inspector or a sidebar?

That right-hand side tells you what the View Bar, Mode, and Focus settings are for the selected Perspective.

[Chris]

Originally Posted by xmas

That right-hand side tells you what the View Bar, Mode, and Focus settings are for the selected Perspective.

Then it seems broken, because my "Due Tomorrow" Perspective only says that the View Mode is "Context"; everything else is blank (nothing indicated). Maybe this has changed in the last few days (I'm on v26.0.90883 right now) though.

Edit: I see; downloading the latest version and re-saving the Perspectives filled in this additional info.

[xmas]

Originally Posted by Chris

Then it seems broken, because my "Due Tomorrow" Perspective only says that the View Mode is "Context"; everything else is blank (nothing indicated). Maybe this has changed in the last few days (I'm on v26.0.90883 right now) though.

Edit: I see; downloading the latest version and re-saving the Perspectives filled in this additional info.

Yep, sorry for that. This feature is under active development, so your feedback is appreciated.

We'll be making some changes to perspectives, so be sure to keep comments coming when you see changes in the Message of the Day.

[curt.clifton]

Perspectives used to save selected contexts. That was lost in a recent build. I consider that a significant regression and have reported it.

What would be really cool is if you could choose which of the settings should be saved. I'm imagining that saving a perspective would be like the character style saving sheet in Pages. I click Save Perspective, I get a sheet with a place for the perspective name and a list of the settings that can be saved (like selected contexts/projects, focused projects/folders, each view bar setting, expand/collapse states, window position, open perspective in new window). Each setting would have a checkbox. When I later apply that perspective, only the settings that I checked would be applied.