This feature will be coming one quarter later than originally planned. Sorry for the delay!
https://discourse-test.omnigroup.com/t/omni-roadmap-2017-q4-update/34764?u=kcase
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Thank you for letting us know, even if it is a little disappointing.
Iām really glad that Omni Group decided to incorporate the tags into OmniFocus 3, as opposed to a version 2 update. Itās a functionality shift that seems more appropriate with a concurrent launch of a revised version of the product. Keep up the great work, @kcase and @omnigroup!
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For me as for some others here, contexts and tags are distinctly separate and should be used separately.
The early indicators state that tags will be replacing contexts. This is gonna be a major shift in our workflows.
The sentence is in the second paragraph:
supporting multiple tags per item (replacing contexts),
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Why the shift? If I only assign one tag to an action, will that not work in exactly the same way and allow the same workflow as a single context? Iād expect it too.
Maybe we can think of it as just a different label for the word āContext.ā
There was some shifting when we learned to use the label āDefer dateā instead of āStart date.ā The term āDefer dateā was introduced in OmniFocus 2.
Now, we can have more than one ācontextā when we use tags. An energy tag, a priority tag, a tool tag, etc.
Iām looking forward to multiple tags but I will have to consider not putting too many tags. Tag-mania can run wild and just overburden the workflow.
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Just so. Among the obstacles I ran into when experimenting with 2Do:
- Finding, very quickly, that I had so many tags that they were a hindrance, not a help. It becomes easy (a) to create tags because you can and they seem useful and (b) to create multiple minor variations on the same tag because youāre trying to process things quickly. Whatās the difference between āPlanningā, Project Planning", āPlansā? Answer: not much really
- 2Do does some apparently nice but ultimately annoying things - like tagging imported email with the name of the sender (itās a default and can be turned off)
I spent a lot fo time trying to develop an organisation strategy for 2Do that took account of tags, list, list groups and projects. In the end, it was too much effort
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Spot on. The best use I can think of for multiple tags is a āwaitingā tag to accompany whatever other context is naturally there. But this is already easy to do with a text expander snippet and a saved perspective looking for waiting tasks.
Given how fast OF search is and how flexible perspectives are, I really donāt get what people think tags will give them.
For me I think it will fell more natural to select and assign tag(s) that it currently does to remember to add a \ or @@ before the name so I can use it with a search. Also, so far Iāve not managed to get Sir to understand
'Speak to \Fred about the presentation"
Agreed, my experience exactly
Absolutely, a āwaitingā tag would be something Iād take for a test drive if it was an option but exactly as you say, the search and highly customisable perspectives make it easy to create a trusted system and to get more done in a spirit of calm which tagging alone is unlikely facilitate.
@revstu
In OF2 (when tagging arrives) it will be a supplemental advantage, not a sole means of organisation as in T3.
I envisage cautious use of tags in OF2, a small collection of important keywords to supplement the fantastic OF2 perspective system.
Totally agree. This sums up exactly how tags should be approached if and when they arrive.
the search works really well without any special characters before a word. Iād bet the overlap between tag text and action text would be fairly minimal and a standard special character isnāt really that necessary.
If it is important, you could set up a keyboard shortcut or text expander snippet to standardize your tag so you donāt need to remember what it is. For āwaitingā tasks I use ā//// Mikeā or ā//// Janeā after the text of an action, but just type x/ to expand a shortcut.
Iām not sure I understand, are you typing x/ then relying on a keyboard shortcut or text expander app to convert it to ////? You then use //// is search and perspectives?
Iām not sure what this achieves, why not just type // and search for // in the same way?
I wouldnāt get too hung up on my own particular syntax, main point is itās easy to create a personal keyword system for the few cases where it is useful.
(I like the four slashes because it never appears naturally and is easy to spot in a list)
In my previous role, I was a strong advocate for Multiple tags per Action. The irony is that in my new role I need them far less.
The waiting tag is the most obvious example. Actions can be assigned to a person, but also to a waiting tag, this means that if youāre looking at either, youāll see the action.
Another way I would use it would be to tag an Action with the personās name I need to speak to about it, but also the sites they are based at, and any meetings Iām likely to be in with them. then itās a single lookup to see if there are any actions I can talk to people about whilst on site or at that meeting.
If people donāt want multiple Tags, Iām sure that they can use them as they do now, but for those with complicated relationships or organisations this gives them more flexibility to stretch GTD for the 21st century rather than how it was conceived in the 20th.
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Quite. Back on the old forum days, pre OF 2 (blinks away a small nostalgic tear) there was much debate (some of it rather hostile) about the moral failure implied in wanting multiple tags (because, you know, GTD). The fact is that you can stick with one take per item if you want but there are people whose working needs include the ability to attach several tags
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In that case there should be an option:
- Tags only - (Iām for multiple tags, if someone wants āpureā GTD, theyāre welcome to only use one tag).
- Tags and contexts (internally in the omnifocus engine ācontextsā can be special type tags).
otherwise I will have to classify tags as context tags and other tags, just a hassle, and a bother.
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You might be right, but I think we should wait and see what Omni have in mind. I doubt theyāre in a place where they can change their design, if itās due in 1Q18.
Thatās setting aside any disagreement about the suggestion - that would be a separate discussion
4 posts were split to a new topic: Creating a āWaitingā Perspective using sub-contexts
