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Please Bring Back iPhone and Web Interface support! Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Am I the only one disappointed that the web interface was unceremoniously dumped a couple of builds ago? I have an iPhone and it is now completely without any ability to communicate with OF.
 
I'm sorry to see the web interface go, but I understand why it had to be done. Perhaps we'll see its return in OmniFocus 2.0. Some of the headache with port forwarding can be automated. There's a tool out there--I'm spacing on the name, but I'm quite certain it exists--that will automate the process for a number of popular router brands. Anyone?

In the mean time, I have a suggestion that could be relatively simple matter to implement.

Have you considered exporting read-only lists as Data URL bookmarks? Here's an example. Right-click this link and bookmark it in Safari: Errands. IMPORTANT: the vBulletin forum markup insists on prepending the url with "http://". Go in and edit that out of the link.

Now sync to your iPhone. Switch into airplane mode, and pull up the page. As Steve would say, "boom!"

The biggest problem I see is getting the URL into Safari Bookmarks. Applescript support in Safari is disappointingly sparse, and as I recall, there's no way to manage bookmarks. But it can be done: the latest beta of 1passwd exports a mobile password repository using just this technique.

It's a trade-off, fast read-only offline lists vs. slow online interactive, but it's one I'd be comfortable with. This could all be a moot point, of course, depending on what may or may not be announced next week, or how much of Leopard's to-do functionality will be sync-able to the iPhone. I just need some offically supported way of taking my lists with me on the road. Without them, I'm lost.
 
This is very disappointing. I love OmniFocus, but I'm stuck using a Windows machine at work (and will soon be buying an iPhone), so I need something that can access and manipulate data remotely and that doesn't have to be a Mac.

So far, I haven't found anything I like. Most online apps are just list-makers (many without even "contexts"), and I'm looking for something more.

If/when I get my iPhone, I may be able to live off of that, bypassing any ToDo functionality on my Windows work machine. However, I'd still need more than just a read-only interface.

I'm really hoping this feature will return, hopefully with even more functionality.
 
Yes, this is extremely disappointing. It is actually the main selling point that brought me to OmniFocus. After YEARS of searching for a reliable task-management system for Mac OSX and a PDA, I was very excited to get started with my brand new iPhone. Now I am again out of luck. Why is it so difficult to find a DESKTOP application I can manage tasks with that can reliably and accurately sync with a PDA. I cannot believe my PIM system is still screwed up after literally trying everything from Entourage/Palm to Missing Sync/Windows Mobile, etc. It is enough to make me want to go back to Windows XP and MS Outlook.
 
Unfortunately, you are going to be disappointed with your iPhone as a productivity tool. There is not even a To-Do list in iCal. And now OmniFocus will not interface with it. I suggest you consider a Treo700p, which is the phone I sold to get my iPhone. I'm now thinking about switching back.

I just don't think the authors of OF realize what a void this is and how many iPhone users are attracted to OF because of this one feature. I also saw it and chose OF because it was a total solution. Now they have retracted it and I'm left without the feature that pulled me in in the first place. I feel like they broke a promise with me. They said they were going to leave it in with limited support and now they look to be pulling it completely.

Last edited by wealthychef; 2007-10-11 at 09:57 AM..
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dansays View Post
I'm sorry to see the web interface go, but I understand why it had to be done.
Why? Because some people have trouble with it, take it away completely? I disagree. Why penalize me just because some people can't find the DMZ button on their router? At least leave it with a huge caveat: FOR ADVANCED USERS. I never had any trouble with it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dansays View Post
In the mean time, I have a suggestion that could be relatively simple matter to implement.

Have you considered exporting read-only lists as Data URL bookmarks? Here's an example. Right-click this link and bookmark it in Safari: Errands. IMPORTANT: the vBulletin forum markup insists on prepending the url with "http://". Go in and edit that out of the link.
And how do I mark that completed? How do I add a new task while on the road? The OF web integration was actually very cool. And now, just because a few people were confused, OF has taken it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dansays View Post
It's a trade-off, fast read-only offline lists vs. slow online interactive, but it's one I'd be comfortable with. This could all be a moot point, of course, depending on what may or may not be announced next week, or how much of Leopard's to-do functionality will be sync-able to the iPhone. I just need some offically supported way of taking my lists with me on the road. Without them, I'm lost.
I would not count on Apple adding To-dos to the iphone just because they get Leopard out the door. The fact is, there is no good way to sync OmniFocus with an iPhone and now it looks really like there never will be. I'm very pessimistic now. I'll give it another 3 months and see if either OF or Apple decides to do the right thing by iPhone users, and if not, bye bye iPhone.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wealthychef View Post
Why? Because some people have trouble with it, take it away completely? I disagree. Why penalize me just because some people can't find the DMZ button on their router? At least leave it with a huge caveat: FOR ADVANCED USERS. I never had any trouble with it.
The web interface was buggy and slow, and problematic for people who needed offline access while traveling via plane or subway. That's not to say these aren't solvable problems, just that Omni has a group of core features that absolutely have to be implemented for 1.0, and the web interface has to be tabled for the moment.

Besides, they didn't say they were removing it entirely, just from the prefs panel. Whether they hand it over to the open source community or leave it as an advanced, unsupported feature enabled via the command line, you can still use it.

Quote:
And how do I mark that completed? How do I add a new task while on the road?
Like I said, the solution I proposed is a trade-off, but it's relatively simple, requires no advanced router configuration, works offline, and is fast fast fast.

As for capture, when I was using Kinkless, I hacked together an Applescript tied to a Mail.app rule that worked quite nicely. When on the road, I would send an email to myself, and Mail.app would flow it into my GTD inbox. Again, it has its tradeoffs. It's not as pretty as the web app, but it's fast and it works offline. (I think... I've never tried sending an email without connectivity. Does it queue it in an outbox?)

Quote:
The OF web integration was actually very cool. And now, just because a few people were confused, OF has taken it.
I think you're oversimplifying the problem. I doubt the confusion over the feature--which would be considerable once released beyond a technically proficient alpha-testing audience--was the sole consideration in this matter. At the OmniFocus presentation at TekServe a few weeks ago, Ken made the goal for OmniFocus 1.0 very clear: feature parity with Kinkless. Once they have a stable release out there, they can roll a web interface into 2.0.

Quote:
I would not count on Apple adding To-dos to the iphone just because they get Leopard out the door. The fact is, there is no good way to sync OmniFocus with an iPhone and now it looks really like there never will be. I'm very pessimistic now. I'll give it another 3 months and see if either OF or Apple decides to do the right thing by iPhone users, and if not, bye bye iPhone.
Lots of people are frustrated. I'm not quite so pessimistic, given the to-do functionality being integrated into Mail.app in Leopard. No one knows for sure if it will sync to the iPhone, but it's the most plausible explanation for omitting to-do functionality from the initial release. We'll know for sure in a few weeks.
 
Quote:
This could all be a moot point, of course, depending on what may or may not be announced next week, or how much of Leopard's to-do functionality will be sync-able to the iPhone.
Well, nevermind on point number one. Looks like this is what Glenn was talking about. Disappointing.
 
Hi guys. I'm sorry for any confusion. I posted about this in another thread, but I thought I'd drop a line here as well.

We haven't removed the interface for those who are already using it, just the preference pane. It should still be working. Not that it's by any means necessary in order to use the interface, but if you'd like to return the preference pane, this can be done by quitting OmniFocus and pasting the following into Terminal:

defaults write com.omnigroup.OmniFocus com.omnigroup.omnifocus.preferences.web_interface. visible -bool true

Again, sorry for the confusion!

Edit: I'd also like to mention that we are seeking alternative iPhone solutions. :)

Last edited by kaebot; 2007-11-20 at 01:28 PM.. Reason: I'm way unclear!
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by wealthychef View Post
I'll give it another 3 months and see if either OF or Apple decides to do the right thing by iPhone users, and if not, bye bye iPhone.
This reminded me of the "If Bush wins I'm moving to Canada" people. :-)
 
 


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