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Need Help With Sorting By Due Dates Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
I bought OmniFocus for the iPhone and loved it so much I decided to buy the desktop version. Unfortunately the desktop version seems klunky and confusing comapred to the iPhone.

One issue I'm having trouble with is sorting by due date. I like how the iPhone version creates smart folders for "Due Soon" and "Overdue" actions. This great feature seems to be missing in the desktop version. Or am I missing something?

At the very least I'd like to be able to sort Actions by due date in the desktop version, but I can't figure out how to do that either.

I did figure out how to display the "due date" column. However, not only can I not sort it, but the column is too narrow. If I have a six-digit date (i.e. 10/14/08), the "8" gets bumped down one line because the column is too narrow to display all six digits. I was able to resize the column in Project Mode, but not in Context Mode.

Any help anyone could offer me would be greatly appreciated.
 
Have you used the Perspectives menu to change views?
You probably will also want to turn on the View Bar (View --> Show View Bar) to access the sorting, grouping, and filtering functions of OF. You might also be interested in the basics and perspectives videos from the OF homepage. Desktop OmniFocus is an extremely powerful application. It does a lot "out of the box", but even more as you learn about the power features.
__________________
Cheers,

Curt
 
Thanks. Using the View Bar I can sort by due date in Context Mode but not in Planning Mode. But I'll take a look at those videos and see if there's something I'm missing.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cedricstudio View Post
One issue I'm having trouble with is sorting by due date. I like how the iPhone version creates smart folders for "Due Soon" and "Overdue" actions. This great feature seems to be missing in the desktop version. Or am I missing something?
Yes, you can do it, although it isn't a built-in view like it is on the iPhone. First, go to your preferences, data pane, and set the appropriate value of time for "due soon". Then, make sure your view bar is visible (cmd-shift-V if not). In the Perspectives menu, select Due Items. Change the dohickey that says Available to Due Soon. Make any other adjustments you might like, then save it as a perspective for future use.

Quote:
At the very least I'd like to be able to sort Actions by due date in the desktop version, but I can't figure out how to do that either.

I did figure out how to display the "due date" column. However, not only can I not sort it, but the column is too narrow. If I have a six-digit date (i.e. 10/14/08), the "8" gets bumped down one line because the column is too narrow to display all six digits. I was able to resize the column in Project Mode, but not in Context Mode.
I don't know why you wouldn't be able to resize the column in one mode and not the other. Put your cursor on the divider in the column header and drag in the appropriate direction. I tried, but was unable to come up with a window configuration that wouldn't let me expand the due column large enough to hold a 6 digit date field on one line.

You don't sort in OmniFocus by clicking on the column headers, in case that is what you are trying. Bring up the view bar (cmd-shift-V) if it is not already present, and you'll get a series of controls running across the window just above the column headers. One of them controls sorting. Note that for sorting to sort by action instead of by project, you'll have to be in the context view. The sorting in project mode sorts the projects, not the individual actions. You can sort the actions inside the project in OF 1.1 and later by selecting them and using the Edit->Sort command, but this actually changes the data, not the display, which may not be what you wanted.

Check out the perspectives video on the OmniFocus product page; it gives a good tutorial on this stuff. It's in the resources section down near the bottom of the page.
 
You can sort projects by Due Date in Planning Mode, but OF won't split a project across due dates. It puts the whole project under the earliest due date of all of its actions.

Please send a request to Omni for automatic splitting of projects across due dates, so you could see which actions in the projects are due today, and which are due next Tuesday.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by popcornflix View Post
Please send a request to Omni for automatic splitting of projects across due dates, so you could see which actions in the projects are due today, and which are due next Tuesday.
Please don't! You can get the same functionality in Context Mode: show remaining actions, group and sort by due date. The Project column will tell you what project each action is in.

The whole point of Planning Mode is that it groups, sorts, and otherwise acts on projects, not actions. If you want to look at individual actions, in all their granularity, use Context Mode.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by brianogilvie View Post
You can get the same functionality in Context Mode
No, you can't.

I'm a top-down planner (TDP), not a GTD guy. Part of TDP is the idea of "chunking," which means grouping together related items so you don't have long lists that are difficult to remember. The idea is to break up a list into at least two chunks once it has more than a few items on it. Some people say seven items, some say five or nine. You can also chunk together related items to make your actions more purpose oriented.

You can't chunk in context mode. In order to manage action using chunking, you have to work in Planning Mode.

The OmniFolks have been kind enough to implement a number of top-down features already. I hope they continue to make it easier for TDP'ers to use OF.

Splitting projects across dates to accurately represent when each of the actions are due is not only helpful for top-down planning, it's a more accurate representation of the data.

It would look like this:



The OmniFolks are smart. I'm sure they would implement it as a preference toggle, so you could turn it off, and I could turn it on.

As I said, I encourage everyone to "Send Feedback" from the Help menu and ask for Project Splitting across dates.

(If you want to continue the conversation, send me a PM and let's not waste others' bandwidth.)


Keep smiling.

.:popcornFlix:.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by popcornflix View Post
(If you want to continue the conversation, send me a PM and let's not waste others' bandwidth.)
What? And subvert the whole point of the Internet? :-)

Seriously, though, a big benefit of these forums is getting several users in on the conversation. I'd hate to lose their input.
 
Just wanted to avoid a flame war. TDP vs. GTD can get as silly and tiresome as Mac vs. PC, IMHO.

Thankfully, the OmniFolks have made room for both approaches in OF.

=-D
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by popcornflix View Post
No, you can't.
I'm confused why focusing on a project, switching to context mode, and then grouping by due date doesn't give you what you want? You may not have an indented chunk for the project, but you can sort by project, which is pretty close.

-P
 
 


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