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Feature Request refining sync between ical and omnifocus Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Here's a note I submitted as a feature request. Is there anyway to do this now?

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I know that omnifocus can sync actions with iCal. Strickly speaking that's not keeping with using the calendar as the "hard landscape" in gtd vernacular. However adding an option to sync only the tasks which I've assigned a due date would mean that I would only have to look at my calendar to see my "have too's" From my non-programmer brain seems like it should be pretty easy to do, seeing there's already integration between omnifocus and ical.

To recap have an option to sync between omnifocus and ical:

tasks with assigned due dates, but NOT tasks with no assigned due date.

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There's a script floating around on the forums that will make an iCal event (not a To Do, which is what the OmniFocus code does) out of a selected item. You could bring up a context mode view, grouped by due, select all the items that have due dates assigned (click on the one at one end of the list, shift click on the one at the other end of the list), and run that script. It won't however be a true sync; any changes you make in iCal will not be propagated back to OmniFocus, and I suspect that if you did this multiple times you might end up with duplication in iCal, so you'd only want to do it with items that newly had due dates assigned. Changing the due date on an item in OmniFocus will force you to go change it in iCal as well. I suppose you could have a special calendar in iCal that you used only for this, and just empty it out each time before shoveling over all of the OmniFocus items. It wouldn't be too hard to have the script make To Do entries instead of calendar events, if that's what you wanted.

As for the business about whether or not this might follow David Allen's teachings, do not forget that OmniFocus is not designed for use only by strictly-by-the-book GTD practitioners. The iCal sync support was put in to allow people (irrespective of their personal productivity belief system) to get their OmniFocus data onto their mobile device in some fashion prior to the advent of the iPhone/iPod touch sync support. It doesn't put any events in the calendar, only actions in the to do list, so even the most strict interpretations of DA's writings shouldn't be in conflict.

It would seem like this would be a straight-forward modification of the existing code to do exactly what you propose, but there are some issues to be thought out that arise. What is supposed to happen if you change or remove a due date in iCal? What if you delete the item in iCal, or move it to a different calendar, possibly one not being synced with OmniFocus?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by whpalmer4 View Post
What if you delete the item in iCal, or move it to a different calendar, possibly one not being synced with OmniFocus?
My guess is it would remain until the next iCal/Omnifocus sync and then it would modify or disappear from the calendar.

I appreciate wanting to make it as appealing to as broad a base as possible, but it's the gtd'ers the new adopters and the stalwarts that are driving sales and options should be included to let us get as close to the gtd promised-land as possible.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by cashdollar View Post
it's the gtd'ers the new adopters and the stalwarts that are driving sales
You know this how, exactly?

There are an awful lot of requests on the forums for things that might be regarded as not part of GTD. Priorities, tags, multiple contexts, alerts, calendar syncing...
 
Wow. I asked a specific question about a feature and if there was anyway to implement it now, and that was your response? Here's your answer: basic business sense.
1. GTD badge on the omnifocus product page - brand affiliation
2. Omni is a sponsor of the GTD Times website
3. Omni was a diamond sponsor of the GTD summit
4. There is a ton of buzz on the GTD connect forums about omnifocus. It's even been mentioned in multiple GTD connect podcasts where it's never been the subject.
5. According to David Allen, Ken Case gave him mac (I would guess that was preloaded with Omnifocus - I want one of those). (Note to Mr. Case - send cashdollar 10 macbooks so he can shove gtd down his employees throats in a very pretty package)

You spend your money when it gets you a return. You brand your products either where you want your sales to come from or where they're coming from. Now what was the name of that script you mentioned?

Last edited by cashdollar; 2009-06-09 at 07:04 PM..
 
 


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