[nycgadgetgetgeek]

I can not figure out how to get completed projects to go away. Once I've completed all of the tasks in a project I no longer want to see the project in the library. How do I mark the project as completed? Given that there are no longer any tasks associated with that project shouldn't automatically be completed? Please help me figure out what I am missing.

[atreinke]

Click on the Project in the sidebar so it is active, then open the Inspector and select the checked project icon in the status field (should be the second line down in the Inspector if the project is selected).

[whpalmer4]

Originally Posted by nycgadgetgetgeek

I can not figure out how to get completed projects to go away. Once I've completed all of the tasks in a project I no longer want to see the project in the library. How do I mark the project as completed? Given that there are no longer any tasks associated with that project shouldn't automatically be completed? Please help me figure out what I am missing.

There are lots of ways to mark a project complete, including:

• Use the inspector, as atreinke described
• Click on the project header (in outline view) or project name (in sidebar), right or control-click to bring up the popup menu, set the status to Complete
• Select project as above, press space bar
• Select project as above, click on the Complete toolbar button
• Select project as above, do Edit→Status→Completed

If you like, you can have OmniFocus automatically complete projects and groups when all of the actions contained have been completed. This option can be made the default for newly created projects and groups, or enabled on individual projects and groups. To make it the default, go to the OmniFocus preferences, select the Data panel, and check the box in the Projects & Action Groups section labeled "When completing the last item: [] Mark the project or group complete". Any projects created after setting that option will have the behavior enabled. Any existing projects will not. To change it for an existing project, select the project(s) in question, bring up the inspector, and set (or clear) the box labeled "Mark complete when completing last item".

[mrubenson]

Originally Posted by nycgadgetgetgeek

I can not figure out how to get completed projects to go away. Once I've completed all of the tasks in a project I no longer want to see the project in the library. How do I mark the project as completed? Given that there are no longer any tasks associated with that project shouldn't automatically be completed? Please help me figure out what I am missing.

Just to warn you. One VERY good reason not to have projects mark themselves as finished automatically is that you will then have to make sure that your last action on the project list really is the very last action, since the project itself will then no longer be around to remind you of any additional action steps needed. But that all depends on your workflow of course.

[whpalmer4]

mrubenson brings up a good point, which reminds me of yet another way to complete a project :-) There is an option at the bottom of the Projects & Groups section of the Data panel in the preferences to "In Context Mode: [] Show Projects and Groups". If you have this enabled, OmniFocus will display projects and groups (look like actions, but styled differently) in your Context mode views following the actions they contain. These become Available when all of the contained actions are completed, and marking them complete by checking them off, pressing the space bar, etc. will have the same effect as completing the project or group in any of the previously described ways. This allows you to "have your cake and eat it, too" by not requiring you to make a decision in advance about whether or not the project should auto-complete, yet giving you a prompt indication that you've exhausted all of the actions you specified. The one caveat I'll mention is that the project shows up as having no context by default, and so the "action" that represents the project will also show up in the No Context bin of the sidebar which often isn't included in the view.