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Not Loving Context Sorting [A: Adjust using View button in v1.13.1 or later.] Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
I use OF for my nightly tasks at work (gy shift) and used the way OF smart-sorted tasks with a due-time to the top of the list to cause my important tasks to be prioritized, regardless of project they're in.

For instance, I have several projects named TA1, TA2, TA3, T2, T2-2, and Misc Work, in that order, all with context: Office. I would give important tasks a due-time to cause them to be sorted to the top of the list by due-time in context view, regardless of which project they were in. So for instance, while most of the tasks in Misc Work wouldn't be sorted above any tasks from the other projects, the two important tasks in that project that had due-times would be.

NOW that OF has stupid-sort, stubbornly adhering to the task order w/i the project, and the project order w/i the context, it's practically useless to me.

I'm talking about over 200 tasks here on a nightly basis, that I now have to scroll up and down through to find the ones of importance as they come up - a tedious method that was the very reason I purchased OF for in the first place. I might as well return to a paper checklist and egg timer.

The only solution I can think of would be to put all my important tasks into one project and somehow marking them with a note which REAL project they're from. That's still over 100 tasks I have to edit in order to make it work again when it was NOT broken before.

Thanks Obama!
 
I understand you want to use this as a tool for hour nightly shifts. Consequently I take it your tasks that you assigned due dates to are due on various times the very night you want to use OF to display them.

If that is the case, did you try the "due" perspective? It will list all due tasks, hence those which you prioritised. It will still sort by project but since it's only the important ones that should be no problem.

Alternatively, do you have access to a mac?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian View Post
I understand you want to use this as a tool for hour nightly shifts. Consequently I take it your tasks that you assigned due dates to are due on various times the very night you want to use OF to display them.

If that is the case, did you try the "due" perspective? It will list all due tasks, hence those which you prioritised. It will still sort by project but since it's only the important ones that should be no problem.

Alternatively, do you have access to a mac?
I don't see any such "due" perspective. In view options there's "Next Action", "Available" (selected), "Remaining", and "All."

There used to be "due soon" and "overdue" categories but those were removed a few updates ago and replaced with "Forecast" - and I did miss them when they vanished. Forecast does not do what I need.

No, I don't have a Mac.
 
If you go to you OF home screen there should be a section called "perspectives" (all the way down the list). Press it. Select "due". See of that does what you need.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian View Post
If you go to you OF home screen there should be a section called "perspectives" (all the way down the list). Press it. Select "due". See of that does what you need.
OF home screen has, in order, Inbox, Projects, Contexts, Map, Forecast, Flagged, and Search. Along the bottom are the buttons Home, Sort, Sync, Inbox, and Settings.

I appreciate you trying to help, but before you go further how about we check we're on the same page. I'm using OmniFocus for iPhone, 1.13 -- Nov. 10, 2011
 
Im on 1.12.1 (iPhone 4). Now that I looked for it I found the settings for perspectives are actually gone. Didn't notice them disappearing as I still have the original perspectives themselves. Maybe that has been done when forecast was introduced. In a way forecast does what the "due" perspective used to do: show you which tasks are due today. Why does that not work for your specific needs?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian View Post
Im on 1.12.1 (iPhone 4). Now that I looked for it I found the settings for perspectives are actually gone. Didn't notice them disappearing as I still have the original perspectives themselves. Maybe that has been done when forecast was introduced. In a way forecast does what the "due" perspective used to do: show you which tasks are due today. Why does that not work for your specific needs?
Because in 1.13, Forecast now shows every task in every Project that's due today, which in my case is every task, sorted by start time. Which still sorts my "important" tasks below "normal" tasks.
 
Ok that makes sense. What could be a solution would be to email support and ask them to add a custom perspective to your database that does exactly what you needs. They store your data unencrypted and from what I have heard they are able and willing to assist with such for users who do not own a mac.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Christian View Post
Ok that makes sense. What could be a solution would be to email support and ask them to add a custom perspective to your database that does exactly what you needs. They store your data unencrypted and from what I have heard they are able and willing to assist with such for users who do not own a mac.
It appears I lied just above about how Forecast works now. It /does/ only show those tasks with an end time, not my "normal" tasks - much like the old "due soon/overdue" perspectives. But my original objection with Forecast back when it was introduced still stands - that it has the big honking un-hideable (as far as I've found) calendar along the top, taking up nearly half the screen in landscape view. First World Problems, I know, but there it is.

And then there's the irksome matter that I'm having to adjust how I use the app, again, due to an arbitrary change that reduces its usefulness. If they'd added a setting to change how it sorts tasks between the old smart way and this new dense method, I'd be perfectly happy because yay choices! But instead it appears they nuked the old sorting code from orbit, I assume to make room for the Siri glitter.

Thanks for trying, but I think it's just too much trouble when they're indicating with this change that they're more interested in adding new shinies like Siri integration when they already HAD calendar integration than keeping the old features like the smart-sorting that I bought the app for. And I kinda need it working properly by Monday, which definitely won't happen. No, I think this weekend will just have to be spent finding a new taskmaster app for my Kindle Fire and entering my schedule for next week.

Thanks again Christian, and good luck.
 
While I love the Siri integration included in the most recent update, I detest the new sorting for contexts.

I used to be able to sort my library and actions by due date in OF on my Mac, sync, and then on my iPhone view a neat and concise list of next actions sorted context and then due date (i.e., by tapping the Contexts option on my iPhone). Now that contexts are sorted by project, I need to scroll through each context list to determine which actions to work on. Additionally, since I have so many projects, there doesn't appear to be an easy way to view my most "urgent" next actions sorted by context. In my view this is a mess.

Is there a simple perspective I can create that will enable me see next actions sorted by context and then due date? I created separate ones for each context on my Mac, but it's not nearly as elegant as the default functionality prior to the upgrade. Hopefully this all makes sense.

Last edited by bertilak; 2011-11-19 at 04:30 AM..
 
 


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