OmniFocus 3 - Top feature requests

My feature request:

Major need:

  1. Setting reminders to tasks (different from due date) so that they show up on particular date.
  2. Tags (which I know are coming)

Good to have:
3. Don’t show empty projects in perspectives.
4. Allow sending tasks to a folder (If the difference between tasks and projects is only that project is a task with multiple tasks - that’s why it allows conversion to project and vice versa - then why can’t tasks be sent to a folder when projects can)

3 Likes
  1. UI Refresh
  2. Swipe to defer to next day, next 2 days, weekend, next week, etc.
  3. Single point for adding a new task (no need for two separate “Add Tasks” buttons
1 Like

I’m adding here some that are almost on the level of a basic expectation rather than an aspirational ‘ask’ given what most basic GTD apps offer. The “must haves” that are absent rather than the “good to haves” that would be, well, good to have. Examples of “good to haves” are an ability to apply templates (say packing lists) or adding files other than photos (say a cellular bill in PDF format). But I restrict this list to the “gaps” and not my “wants” based on almost all similar offerings on the AppStore.

The gaps are:

  1. Flexible/ contextual repeat options (say every 2nd Sunday of the month).

  2. Ability to put an end date to the repeats (say repeat daily till 31st December - great for medications reminders - or every 2nd Sunday till 30th April 2018).

  3. Individual notifications to be switched on or off by task (rather than the “all or nothing” design) and “nag” options.

  4. Ability to delete all completed items in a specific project only (not to delete all completed tasks across all folders, again an “all or nothing” design).

  5. Ability to input tasks into a project from the Home Screen or Perspective rather than just to view the project.

  6. Ability to add multiple photos instead of one by one.

2 Likes

Numbers 1,2, and 3, and 4 were talked about as coming up in OmniFocus 3.

Read the second paragraph:

This year’s roadmap also talked about our plans for OmniFocus. About how its new sync format lets us make fundamental improvements to the data it keeps track of—enabling faster syncing of databases with large attachments, supporting multiple tags per item (replacing contexts), and improving the system for notifications and repeats. And how our iOS app can take some design cues from the Mac app to make it easier to see the information you care about and work with multiple tasks more efficiently.

Number 6 should be easier now that iOS 11 has better drag and drop support. It will hopefully be possible to have better support for multiple photos/files in the next OmniFocus.

2 Likes

Not must-haves, but nice to have features that I think could help spur motivation in the app:

  1. Completion pies ala Things 3
  2. A way to visualize productivity for the week, ala Todoist
3 Likes

Begging, literally begging, for fully functional OF web access. For those of us forced to endure Microsoft at work, this would go a long way to easing our pain. Other top requests include the usual (tags, flexible repeats etc.). Also, not doing away with the existing great functionality or over-complicating in a bid to please absolutely everyone would be good too!

2 Likes

I absolutely love the completion pies in Things 3. You sort of get this in Omnifocus on iOS with the dots under each project or context in those views, but it’s totally missing on the Mac version which is a total bummer for me. I like being able to quickly see how far along I am in my projects.

6 Likes

Honestly, the only two improvements that matter to me are flexible repeat dates and a web interface. I like to use my PC at home, and it’d be nice to be able to pull up OF without pulling out my Mac or iPad.

2 Likes

For me right now.i would say:

  • Better IOS navigation/design. Too much swiping.pressing. Could be much more fluid
  • redesigned forecast. On Mac it’s so cluttered. On both its not as useful as it should be. Let me view a custom perspective in line with calendar events. I want to see my whole day at a glance meaning tasks and calendar. So I want what’s due, what’s overdue, what’s starting, what’s flagged and what meetings do I have.
  • more options with perspectives. Particularly with date ranges. I feel that “due soon=” is not enough. I should be able to say show overdue and due in the next X days.
  • I find the Things “This Evening” option so incredibly useful. Would love this. So friction reducing.
  • I hate when a task with is both deferred for today and due today appears twice in tfhe forecast.
  • multiple contexts
  • UI - definitely needs an overhaul with an eye for fluidity, speed and customization. Sadly.the theme.editor for OF 2 while powerful was IMHO very cumbersome to use (Perhaps.representative of Omnifocus today)
  • Collaboration. - this would be huge for me also. Even if it was just an option to (fully) integrate reminders lists. That would be OK (for me)

These are in no particular order. But.if I had to prioritize: UI, collaboration, flexibility in perspectives (let’s say that includes multiple comtexts/tags, oh and the “This Evening” thing ;)

3 Likes

I would like to request one feature which would really inform me which tasks may be solved at this moment.

What I mean by that?
Some task may be done only in specific time, like in business hours. For example I would to pick up my suit from a tailor.

I would like to be able to filter my tasks by the time they are available to be really executed. In the case above this task should be displayed in my list only from 10 AM till 6 PM - in tailor’s opening hours, from MON till FRI.
In the rest of time, this task should be displayed as unavailable/not possible to be executed.

So what would be helpful? If I could exactly specify - when a specific context or specific task is available

2 Likes

I sent this to support as a feature request - being able to add opening/available hours to a context and they said it had been requested before, and added my request to it’s tally. I’d suggest you do the same!

1 Like

I’d like to add to this list easier and faster general search. I’m using Evernote on regular basis and a great little feature is CMD+J shortcut. It basically opens up a short input field where you can start typing and see results while you type. Notebooks are promoted over individual notes and are being presented at the beginning of search results. When the results are sufficient I only have to use arrows to select proper search result and press ENTER to move there. This mechanics works wonders for quickly navigating extensive list of notebooks and notes that I have on Evernote. In order to move to a notebook that I want I need no more than 2 seconds and I rarely use notebook structure anymore to find a proper notebook.

In OmniFocus if I want to use keyboard to do quickly exactly that, I need to use a shortcut to go to search field (ALT+CMD+F), use it (without seeing results), move to search results (ALT+CMD+2), use arrows to find where I want to move and use a shortcut to go to a specific project (ALT+CMD+R). General search works great right now but it’s too slow and complicated for convenient everyday use.

1 Like

But this in mac, because I can’t seem to find it on iOS

On macOS, Quick Open (CMD+O), does exactly what you describe in Evernote.

True, but it’s missing from iOS. You can basically accomplish the same thing with Siri Search, but it’d be nice to have a more effective way to quickly navigate in-app, especially to folders.

1 Like

Checklists. There’s another I’d love to see. Ability to add checklist to a task.

One of the characteristics of the checklist would be that all checklist items would adhere to a single date/time (as defined on the parent task). Also if I have (for example a.morning routine pand I set a due time on the parent…i only see the main task in forecast. Not all the subtasks.

4 Likes

The ability to set a task to repeat on a specific day of the month. For example, I want a task to repeat every month on the 19th. Currently, I set the defer date to the 19th and the repeat to ‘Repeat Every’ month. The 19th is not part of the repeat setting so if I was to defer the task when it appears on the 19th, it would repeat again in a month from the new defer date.

I’m really hoping this is included with the planned improvements for notifications and repeats.

Web access would be the biggest and most unlikely improvement though.

3 Likes

Join the TestFlight program to see early sneak peaks

It says they are getting ready for customized repeats. If all of your devices are updated to the latest versions, you can migrate your OmniFocus data to the newest database format. Then we’ll see some new custom repeat features that will slowly drip out.

Adding a start/stop/pause timer on each task would be useful - to measure time spent on a task against the estimated time.

Has there been any indication that OF3 will get some kind of design makeover? I know this was done with OF2, but with Things 3 getting so much love for its aesthetic, I worry that OmniFocus might be falling behind, particularly when trying to win the hearts and minds of new buyers.

I’d love to see a visual upgrade come with OmniFocus 3 but I fear it’s not part of the plan.

1 Like