[peterlemer]

Originally Posted by xmas

Peter,

If you're using the 1.5 version of OmniFocus, you might try using the new default toolbar. There are buttons for Flagged and Due, to help you accomplish exactly what you're describing.

thanks xmas.

Am I right in saying that the Flagged button is special, in that it sorts Flagged by context, which is something I can't do using the Perspective tool?

Whereas the 'Due' button can be duplicated using the Perspectives tool?( In fact my 'due' perspective is identical to your button)

In my 'due ' list I am getting dateless items. Is there a logical reason for this?

peter

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by peterlemer

thanks xmas.

Am I right in saying that the Flagged button is special, in that it sorts Flagged by context, which is something I can't do using the Perspective tool?

No, it appears to be identical to going to Context mode, selecting Remaining Contexts, group by Context, sort by Due, Remaining actions, Any Duration, Flagged. It isn't sorting by context, it is grouping by context and sorting the actions in a given group by due date. The groups are then sorted alphabetically, which sort of makes it look like it is sorting by context, but there's a difference.

In my 'due ' list I am getting dateless items. Is there a logical reason for this?

Yes, there is. The due list shows all due items, which includes items with no date in a project which is due. This is analogous to flagging a project instead of the individual actions. If the project is due (or flagged) the actions will show up in the due (or flagged) perspectives even if they have not been individually marked that way.

[peterlemer]

> No, it appears to be identical to going to Context mode [...]

ah, I had set a perspective for 'due' in projects mode. thx

re 'due'. Is there a way of viewing due items only?

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by peterlemer

re 'due'. Is there a way of viewing due items only?

If by "due items only" you mean only actions which have their own, explicitly assigned due date (not inherited from the containing project) you are out of luck unless you write an Applescript to traverse the database and generate a report of some sort. If that's the case, I'm not sure why you would want to ignore undated actions that are part of a project that is due -- surely that means the actions are due as well, no?

Now, if by "due items only" you mean only actions which have their own, explicitly assigned due date OR are inheriting a due date from their containing project, then make a context view, group by due, close the grouping triangles for any groups you don't want to see (no due date, maybe due dates in the future as well if you only want to see overdue items), and save it as a perspective.

[peterlemer]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

If by "due items only" you mean only actions which have their own, explicitly assigned due date (not inherited from the containing project) you are out of luck unless you write an Applescript to traverse the database and generate a report of some sort. If that's the case, I'm not sure why you would want to ignore undated actions that are part of a project that is due -- surely that means the actions are due as well, no?

I want to prioritise and see the priorities as a raw bunch within contexts.
eg. I sit at my station and view all the next phonecalls - in any project, then make them, one by one.

That would mean that under the present protocols I would also need to see the undated items from due projects as well - which is too much information for the task at hand.

If I simply remove the due dates from the projects and assign them to the next action then I would lose the project due dates.

If I simply view the next action in a due project I am not seeing my prioritised actions.

eg. I have to create a project to conform 2 houses to legal requirements by jan 31st 2009.

This phone session, I only want to see the phonecalls I need to make today.

How do I set that up so that I can see those phonecalls, and only other phonecalls belonging to other today-type calls so I can exercise a single sitting of phonecalls without all the other data irrelevant to those phonecalls?

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

Now, if by "due items only" you mean only actions which have their own, explicitly assigned due date OR are inheriting a due date from their containing project, then make a context view, group by due, close the grouping triangles for any groups you don't want to see (no due date, maybe due dates in the future as well if you only want to see overdue items), and save it as a perspective.

yes, I understand. And I will then see items with no due date because they are part of projects with due dates.

I guess I'll have to get used to it :-)

peter

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by peterlemer

In my 'due ' list I am getting dateless items. Is there a logical reason for this?

Are you seeing dateless items that have been filed, or only ones from the Inbox? The "due date" filter does not filter out inbox items. If you start from the built-in Due view and select the "Contexts" item in the sidebar, I would not expect you to see dateless items. However, you also would not see any due items that are in the Inbox. If this better matches what you want, you can save a perspective from that view and put it on the toolbar in place of the predefined view.

UPDATE: Sorry, I didn't read the most recent posts carefully and spaced on the inherited due dates as I was very focused on the Inbox issue.

Yes, if you set a due date for a parent, any children implicitly have the same due date (or earlier, if they have their own due date). A due date on a parent is not a *default* due date for the children, it is the due date for the entire project/action group, and thus the children by definition must have an effective due date at least as soon as that of the parent.

I see how that may be problematic with the way you are handling priorities, but I think the most intuitive and overwhelmingly-common usage probably requires this kind of behavior, so hopefully your needs can be accommodated in some alternate fashion. (Using a Calls context, as whpalmer suggest is the usage I would expect unless I'm misinterpreting things. Alternatively, flagging items?)

[peterlemer]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Are you seeing dateless items that have been filed, or only ones from the Inbox?

the former. I twigged about the Inbox thing earlier and have that under control ( basically by filing the Inbox as I go, at least for now)

btw I have submitted a request that when assigning a project to an inbox, it gets posted there automatically.

Originally Posted by Andrew

If you start from the built-in Due view and select the "Contexts" item in the sidebar, I would not expect you to see dateless items. [...].

Please see attached example of dateless items filtered according to your recipe (above)

That's Context/ due - due - due soon - any duration - any flag state

hope I've got that right :-)

peter

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Are you seeing dateless items that have been filed, or only ones from the Inbox? The "due date" filter does not filter out inbox items. If you start from the built-in Due view and select the "Contexts" item in the sidebar, I would not expect you to see dateless items. However, you also would not see any due items that are in the Inbox. If this better matches what you want, you can save a perspective from that view and put it on the toolbar in place of the predefined view.

Andrew, why wouldn't you expect to see the dateless items that have inherited a due date from the project? They certainly get styled as due items, and when I do as you describe (click the new Due items button, select Contexts in the sidebar) I see plenty of project actions listed with no date appearing in the due date column.

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by peterlemer

I want to prioritise and see the priorities as a raw bunch within contexts.
eg. I sit at my station and view all the next phonecalls - in any project, then make them, one by one.

That would mean that under the present protocols I would also need to see the undated items from due projects as well - which is too much information for the task at hand.

If I simply remove the due dates from the projects and assign them to the next action then I would lose the project due dates.

If I simply view the next action in a due project I am not seeing my prioritised actions.

eg. I have to create a project to conform 2 houses to legal requirements by jan 31st 2009.

This phone session, I only want to see the phonecalls I need to make today.

How do I set that up so that I can see those phonecalls, and only other phonecalls belonging to other today-type calls so I can exercise a single sitting of phonecalls without all the other data irrelevant to those phonecalls?

I guess I'm still not understanding where the problem is. You have all your calls in a context named Calls, right? Select that context, group by due date, open the group for today, and there are your calls.

An example:


I think that call to the restaurant belongs on today's list of calls to make, don't you?

Going to context view while focused on those three projects, grouping by due date:



Selecting the Calls context:



What's not to like there?

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by whpalmer4

Andrew, why wouldn't you expect to see the dateless items that have inherited a due date from the project?

You're correct; I focused on the Inbox issue and spaced on the inherited due dates. I've edited my post to reflect that for future readers (and noting here for anyone who has already read that). Sorry for the confusion and thanks for the correction.