Now that OmniFocus for the Web has officially been announced, in a recent episode of The Omni Show Ken Case indicated that he would like feedback on what functionality should be included.
The obvious answer is that we would like everything included but that doesn’t appear to be realistic.
Therefore, the following is a list of features that I think are not essential (rather than list the essential functions in case I forget something):
Custom Perspectives - it has kind of already been confirmed that custom perspectives will not be included but the new tagging feature will add a decent amount of flexibility in this area (for me at least).
Preferences - if I remember correctly, when the iPhone version of OF was originally released you had to have the Mac version to be able to change things like whether the default behaviour for projects was parallel or sequential (there was a URL workaround but I’m guessing this wasn’t widely used). With the iOS version now being so close to the Mac app in functionality, this is something I could live without.
Notifications - again, the iPhone means that I could live without the ability to set or receive notifications on the web client.
Repeat Settings - as with custom perspectives, it has already been indicated that you won’t be able to set repeat tasks in the web client and I think this is reasonable.
Sorting Contexts - This is probably not essential.
This is just a starting point, off the top of my head. What are other users’ thoughts?
OmniFocus for Web is a version 1.0 and so it should be a bare bones service. It has been positioned as an extra service because we’ll still need OmniFocus for Mac or OmniFocus for iOS to create the database.
I can see the web version mostly as a way to let users capture tasks, delete/add tasks, and look at our projects and contexts.
I won’t expect Applescripting. I don’t know if there will be any API hooks for Zapier or IFTTT services to communicate with. I won’t expect a review perspective. Maybe the Forecast perspective might be there in the web version?
For a version 1.0 web service, I think it’s a good start. Who knows? It might become a fully-fleshed out service later on if demands for a full version will spark additional features.
I remembered when OmniFocus for iPhone, OmniFocus for iPad, and OmniFocus for Mac had different features. It’s taken some time for OmniFocus for iPhone and OmniFocus for iPad to merge and become OmniFocus for iOS. There’s still some disparity between the iOS version and the MacOS version. Hopefully that will be corrected in OF3. But for now, the web version 1.0 is a promising start.
Personally I would prefer to see this as a separate service, a bundle price to get this and the web version together, and then the option to get this on it’s own. I no longer need a web version (I got work to get me a Mac), but I would absolutely love an API and Zapier/IFTTT integration.
I do hope we can properly see the hierarchy and be able to rearrange order and the like. This is more than simply entry, but for the work projects this would be a godsend. I tend to manage my work projects sitting at my windows box, but frequently look at my list while mobile.
The fact that OF is coming for web so that those of us forced to endure Microsoft at work can use it is totally fantastic! For me, rock solid sync is the critical issue - I don’t want to see differences in features and platforms create duplicates or errors in my database. Other than that, I think the most important features are: all the basic task functions (create, flag, due and available, check off, delete, nesting, notes, attachments etc.); the capacity to see by project, context/ tag, perspectives; and of course encryption. Anything else would be a bonus.
I’m excited for OF for Web as well. I mostly have Apple devices, but I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing my forecast and being able to inbox items from my PC. I hope it’s kept simple, overall.
I’d love to see an option for exporting tasks and task data to CSV or Excel. (Is this available on OF for Mac?)
I use OmniFocus for iOS to keep track of billable tasks for all of my clients. If would be great if I could export tasks completed during a certain date range (or export all, then filter). I bill a set amount of time for most of the tasks, so it would greatly streamline my billing process, especially if can use Estimated Duration as my billable time. It would also be useful in having a record of what I completed and when, in case there are any issues with a client.
Actually, any service that lets me check off tasks and maybe put some in my inbox or create a project or two when I’m stuck in the hostile environment of my (windows) office would actually save my year!
Please, please get this up and running asap! It’s been long enough!
A bit late to the party, but here’s my list of things I would like to see in a web version:
inbox
access to custom perspectives (not manipulating them, only viewing my list through a custom perspective, aka the iPhone/Mac “Today” view)
editing tasks within a project.
I don’t need the ability to manipulate contexts, projects, subprojects, etc., as that is all stuff that I would like to do on my Mac anyway. The above functionality would mean that I could use the web version as an alternative to my iPhone when working my to-do list.
Most important IMHO is the ability to SEE all data (for those stuck on Windows machines) AND to make it easy to share Tasks / Action Items with others - either through use of Tags or integration with ITTT / Zapier / Other list platforms.
Hmm, our records certainly show an invitation being sent to you! Might have gotten caught in a spam filter or something… but whatever happened, I’ve sent another copy just now.
The full article goes into more depth about everything, but here’s the bit that talks about pricing:
The OmniFocus subscription will cost $9.99/month, giving you access to the web service as well as OmniFocus Pro on all your Mac and iOS devices. If you’ve already invested in OmniFocus 3 and just want to add the web service, the cost for that will be $4.99/month.
These subscription options will be available when OmniFocus for the Web ships next month.
