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Is there any way to sort tasks in Single-Action list by DUE (not manually)? Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
I have no idea how to deal with it.

So i.e. I have a Folder, where I have few projects, and in every project there are tasks with due dates. I want to see everything grouped and sorted by due dates.
But, OmniFocus doesn't want to show it in that order:



And the next thing is, How to sort and group by due dates in this example?






It is extremely time consuming to to it Manually.

Is there any way I can do that, or do you have any alternatives?


Thanks a lot!
 
If you want to reorder the tasks (as opposed to simply displaying them in a different order), select the tasks, then Edit->Sort->(sort key). This also works for reordering projects in the sidebar (sort the projects to be re-ordered in the sidebar, then do the sort).
 
Depending on what you're trying to do, another option that may help would be a context mode Perspective that's grouped by project and sorted by due date.

You can set up a perspective like that with these steps:

View -> Context Mode
View -> Sidebar Filter -> Remaining (or whatever you prefer)
View -> Grouping -> Project
View -> Sorting -> Due
View -> Status Filter -> Remaining (again, modify to taste)

Next, select
Perspectives -> Save Window As -> New Perspective
from the menu bar. Give the perspective a name and you're all set to return to this view from the Perspectives menu in the future.
 
Hi all,

I normally seem to work in Context mode which I can sort by due dates quite well.
I am having trouble doing the same in project mode....even when only looking at one particular project.....

Is this possible?

Sorry for rather basic question

Glen
 
No worries, Glen. I'm going to move your post to an existing thread with the info you're looking for. (Folks subsequently seeing this post will see it in the thread I moved it to.)
 
Thanks Brian,

WhPalmers' reply helped a lot. Does the edit menu sorting option work differently to the normal sorting / grouping options that run along the top of the actions window?

-Glen
 
Edit->Sort actually rearranges the items, just as if you had dragged them into a different order. The view bar options merely change the ordering of the display, and if you had two windows open to the same view, only one window would be altered.
 
Great thanks whpalmer4,

Should I be able to change the ordering (whilst in project view) using the view bar options? At the moment I cant quite figure this bit out.

Sorry to persist.
-Glen
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by glen.saberton View Post
Great thanks whpalmer4,

Should I be able to change the ordering (whilst in project view) using the view bar options? At the moment I cant quite figure this bit out.

Sorry to persist.
-Glen
The view bar in project view reorders projects, not actions. So, if you tell it to order by due date, it puts the project with the earliest due date first, and the projects with no due date last. The key concept is the sequential project, where the tasks need to be done in the order they appear in the project. For example, a project to get new tires for the car might have a task to find out what size wheels the car has, a task to call some vendors for price quotes, a task to get the tires installed, and a task to have the lug nuts re-tightened after 25 miles of driving. Obviously, those tasks must be done in that order! No matter what view settings you have, OmniFocus needs to present those actions to you in the right sequence, and it would be a disaster if it quietly rearranged your sequential projects whenever you wanted to see what was the first due action you had coming up, no? Hopefully that also illustrates why there are no options to have OmniFocus automatically sorting your actions by due date.

In project mode, the view options sort and group by project, and filter by action. In context mode, everything is done by action.

So, if you're looking at that single action list full of miscellaneous tasks, and want to see which one is due first, you have some options:
  • Select the contents of the list, and do Edit->Sort->Due Date, which will reorder the actions in the list
  • Select the list itself, click the Focus button, and view it in context mode, sorting by due date, which will display the actions in the desired order
I usually prefer the second option, as it doesn't actually change the database, and it is updated automatically — whenever I look at a context mode view sorted by due date, I know that it is sorted correctly, whereas if I'm looking at a project mode view, the only way to be sure that the sorted actions are currently in the right order is to do the sort again.
 
Hey thanks whpalmer4,

I think I see Omnifocus with a bit more clarity now!

Great post
-Glen
 
 


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