Viewing the Inbox at the same time as Projects? [Available in v2.10]

hi,

one thing i’m not liking in version 2 is a way to drag and drop from inbox into a project. as i’m typing this i just realized there are a number of threads about this already. but i’ll add my opinion still since it is a major issue i believe as it makes workflow much slower than version 1. maybe an additional sidebar that shows all projects or something could work???

rc

1 Like

Yes, thanks, I already use Moom. But I think the central complaint here – not just mine --is that a very easy and important process has been deprecated and complicated in v2; as witnessed by the fact you’re kindly offering workarounds which involve extra windows, and now (for people who don’t already have it) not just extra windows but an extra application. Seems a debatable UI decision, is all I’m saying…

Yes, we agree that it’s worth revisiting this decision. As Ken stated previously:

Please stay tuned.

4 Likes

Count me in.

I, like many others I am sure, process their inbox at the end of the day. the ability to simply drag and drop inbox items directly into their associated projects was not only a time saver, it was also less taxing on an already tired brain. Having to open another window is not really an elegant solution.

Having the projects viewable on the sidebar is a more simple, logical and elegant solution to this issue.

4 Likes

I’m sure you don’t want to commit to anything, but what do you imagine is the time frame for this to be added in a future release? Are we talking 6 months? 6 weeks? I won’t hold you to it, but some idea would be helpful in making a buying decision upon 2.0 release (although they say you should never buy an app for a feature you hope it will one day have).

Thanks.

When we make a prediction like this, we have to think about not only the author of the post we’re responding to, but every future reader of the thread/post/response and how they might understand it when they read it. ;-)

In general, if this is something that means that OmniFocus 1 is a better fit for your workflow than version 2 is, we’d suggest sticking with version 1 until we ship something that addresses your concern. (Of course, it’s helpful to email us about your decision to do so, so we can prioritize this work appropriately against all the other requests in the system.)

hi,

one thing i’m not liking in version 2 is a way to drag and drop from inbox into a project. as i’m typing this i just realized there are a number of threads about this already. but i’ll add my opinion still since it is a major issue i believe as it makes workflow much slower than version 1. maybe an additional sidebar that shows all projects or something could work???

rc

I can see the “unable to drag from inbox” issue is a real one for many.

The reason it hasn’t affected me is that when I am in the inbox (or in OF in general) I want to use the mouse absolutely as little as possible (I have keyboard shortcuts for most perspectives and have learnt the shortcuts for general navigation).

So for clearing the inbox it is:
• arrow key to the task
• tab to the project field
• type the start of the project name, or a shortcut (OF is very clever at guessing)
• hit return to select the correct project
• tab to the context field
• type a shortcut
• hit return
• tab or down arrow to the next item, and continue.

It looks like a long list but it is extremely fast and your hands stay on the keyboard.

For a two word project you can even type the initial letters of each word, so for “ICT Meeting Agenda” I can type IMA or IM and the press return.

3 Likes

This is a deal breaker. Please make it possible to view Inbox and projectlist in the same view again, with drag and drop, like before.
I will get back to OF1 until this is fixed.

Edit: trying the two-window-workaroud, makes the app crash for me…

This is exactly how I do it and makes clearing the inbox super fast…

Proposed Improvements to rectify this issue:
1. allow users to switch from inbox to projects via keyboard shortcut in the middle of a drag and drop operation. This would allow users to drag multiple items from the inbox into a specific project.
2. allow the sidebar to act in a similar fashion to the finder’s ‘spring-loaded’ folders. This would mean that a user could select items in the inbox, drag them into projects, and hover over projects for a second or two, and then the projects sidebar item is activated, which shows the projects list, which then could then allow a drop operation.

I used to have my Inbox at the top of my projects. I could just drag tasks down. Now I cant see Inbox items. I clicked on Inbox earlier to see items I forgot that were in there, not good!

NOTE: I dont even get a Inbox count icon next to the inbox. There is nothing that tells me I have items in my Inbox.

1 Like

+1 to this request.

Two possible solutions:

  1. When in Inbox tab: dragging an item over any other tab temporarily reveals that tab’s respective sidebar allowing the user to drop the task where it belongs (on a project, or on a date in forecast, etc.). New users would catch onto this right away.

  2. Allow users to select the Inbox tab as well as any other tab simultaneously. The main content area would show the Inbox content on top, and the other selected tab’s content below. They would be separated by a line or whatever; and the Inbox portion would have a height limit with a scrollbar if necessary. New users would easily learn how to use this once they realize/learn they can select both Inbox and another tab at the same time. Existing users would love being able to process their Inbox this way, especially being able to drag an item not only onto a project, but into an exact location within that project.

Besides this Inbox issue, everything else seems great so far. I love the new OF. But please do keep this Inbox issue at the top of your list. Currently, the inbox is a huge blank space - I would love to see that space used creatively to make Inbox processing a real pleasure to do in OF.

A drag & drop solution was implemented in the Forecast view for assigning due dates. I’m not sure why that made design sense but a similar solution for assigning inbox items to projects did not. In the Forecast view, the calendar appears as a separate column. I’d recommend a similar style solution for processing the inbox, but put the project list in a column. I’d recommend making that project list something that could be toggled in the Inbox view.

2 Likes

I think simpler is better. Just let us put the Inbox at the top of the project list.

You could do it with a checkbox in prefs, you could make the InBox tab a toggle, so it would appear at the top of Projects or Contexts – whatever will get the solution done soon.

The current OF2 Inbox impairs my workflow. Please show the InBox with the project list, so I can go back to draggin and dropping.

2 Likes

Not a post 2.0 issue, this is a step back from something that worked simply in 1.0. I can’t see any reason not to have the project structure open when I’m looking at the inbox like we had in 1.0, it seems like wasted space on an already low density data system.

I drag projects because I have folders for personal, work, checklists, maintenance tasks, etc. Each of these has sub folders that convey my areas of responsibility. This is critical for my review and personal sanity when organizing projects before I get to doing in the context view.

Right now the processing is terribly flawed for the inbox. I worked around it by building an Inbox project as a single action list, I then have to double process my inbox by selecting all and assigning to the Inbox project, then going in and doing actual organization. Needless, time wasting friction to do what 1.0 solved the first time round.

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Please forgive what I suspect won’t be a satisfying answer, but it sounds like simply opening a second window for dragging and dropping would be a LOT less work than creating an Inbox Project and double-processing everything.

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You must have a large monitor to work on, my MBA screen space is limited. Some things I’m adding are actions, some are projects. I need to see the hierarchy, and having tried to the two window thing it seems clumsy, and error prone. It works, but it’s faster for me to select all, set to the inbox project, and then work the way I want it to work in the first place.

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I find it helpful to see the project folders when I process my inbox. I like to see the contexts sometimes too.

I wonder if there could be choice in what sidebar is displayed. A default setting would be assigned (perhaps chosen in preferences) but then the user would be given the choice of what sidebar to use. If choosing dates the Forcast sidebar would be available, Projects for projects, and Contexts to assign contexts. Command clicking with some visual indication would allow choice of your combination.

I am not programming sophisticated and this seems like it would require a lot of work but this just occurred to me as I was emptying my inbox this morning.

best,

Ken