The syntax is a combination of natural language and attribute flags. Using the logical and powerful query syntax, it’s possible to slice and dice a large task list at will. The single most powerful feature of TaskPaper is the smart search which replicates and exceeds “Perspectives” in OmniFocus. I’ve switched to the excellent HelvetiCan Theme. While the basic themes in TaskPaper are pleasant, they feel a little dated. The interface is sparse, which is a nice change from many of the toolbar laden apps I’ve worked with. TaskPaper obviously shares it’s streamlined interface with the closely related Mac app, WriteRoom, from the same developer. Through AppleScript, anything that’s not immediately available can be added. Being the origin of the format, the Mac application TaskPaper supports all of the syntax I need. This falls into the “Almost Perfect” category. While I appreciate the complex repeating options available in Due.app, I’ll probably stick with Reminders.app for all of the other reasons, not to mention that it’s pretty hard to miss an alert from Reminders. The big benefit to Reminders is that I can categorize groups of reminders and share them with my wife. The Reminders app provides enough customization for repeating tasks and includes options for location based reminders, which I rarely use. Reminders syncs across iOS, Mac and Exchange and includes a web app option when all else fails. With apps like Fantastical, I can use plain English to enter an alert. 2 It integrates with various calendar apps, including Outlook by way of Exchange. But in Due, it’s just one long list of everything.Īpple’s Reminders.app is a viable alternative to Due. Some are for work and some are for personal tasks. It’s also not easy to segregate and categorize all of the reminders in the Due app. It’s nice having a place to see everything in the coming week all at once. Second, Due is outside of my other scheduling apps, like calendars and Outlook. It’s not a terrible burden, but also not ideal. The syncing requires me to open the app on iOS periodically. There are also a few downsides to Due.app. Because the apps all sync through Dropbox or iCloud, I’m much more likely to get the message.ĭue.app also has a great URL scheme which means that it can integrate well with Drafts or Editorial. It has terrific plain-english syntax and flexible repeat reminders. I’ve used Due.app on Mac and iOS for quite awhile. I’ve always found OmniFocus to be too passive and easily dismissed (or missed) to rely on the notifications. ![]() While OmniFocus incorporates alerts at a basic level, it’s never been my preferred tool for reminders. They don’t grab you any more than a paper notebook would. TaskPaper and similar apps are not active tools. I’ll lay out what I’ve found and how I’m attempting to use it below. 1 Some solutions work almost perfectly without any tweaking but on iOS, it’s a Sisyphean feat to have full control over a task list. I’m attempting to string together many disparate applications and scripts to accomplish what OmniFocus does with a single platform. The downside is that most tools just do the basics. One of the great things about plain text systems like TaskPaper is that pretty much any application that can read and write txt files can do the basics. If you are looking for my R&D notes, then you’re at the right address. If you are looking for a solution, this is not it. I’ll also mix-in some of my own custom tools and conclude with a small initiative to help expand on the available tools. Some work very well and some are unsatisfying. ![]() This will not be a description of the “ideal” but rather a catalog of options. In this article, I’ll document a broad set of tools available on various platforms for working with TaskPaper documents. ![]() But the system is only as good as the tools available for working with the documents. The tag and project structure in the TaskPaper format is flexible and easy to comprehend. In part one, I discussed the rules and detail designs of a plain text based task management experiment.
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