Shadow Tips Digest #1

Shadow Tips Digest #1
Keeping track of tasks needing action
(Four tips)

Here's the issue. Many folk like to maintain a separate Shadow list=20
for each major project or type of project. Even those who prefer
working with a few big lists do not usually just have one list. Given=20
that it is not at present possible in Shadow to filter for items
across multiple lists, what is the best way to manage your daily=20
action list?

1. Using the Palm To Do List
Use the ToDo linking feature in Shadow and use the built in Palm ToDo=20
application (or a third-party replaceement for it) to view your your=20
daily action list. If you set the list type in your various project=20
lists to "custom" in the list preferences
dialogue, then tap the "custom" button and select the ToDo Link=20
option, then a column will appear in your lists containing a ToDo
checkbox. If you tap that box on an item, it gets sent to the Palm=20
ToDo database and appears in the Palm ToDo list. (On the 'options' tab=20
of the List Preferences you can set what category your items end up in=20
when they arrive in the ToDo application.) If you don't want to use=20
the ToDo column you can of course also create ToDo links using the=20
link arrow or link manager (See the Shadow Reference Guide). Now just=20
go through your project lists once a week and link all the items that=20
need action in the following week. Then you can use the Palm ToDo=20
application (or any other application that displays the ToDo items=20
from it) to view tasks from all your lists that need action.

2. Using a Shadow To Do list with auto-import
Would you rather your action list had all the hilighting, sorting and=20
filtering capabilities of Shadow? Well, use the same approach as
above, but also create a list in Shadow to be your action list. In its=20
List Preferences, on the Auto tab, select "Always import new ToDo
items". Also check that on the Options tab, the item labelled ToDo=20
auto imp limit is set to All. Then all those items that you send to=20
the ToDo list will appear automatically in your Shadow action list,=20
where you can filter, sort, hilight and so on to your heart's content.=20
This is quicker than the alternative of copying items from all your=20
other lists and using "send clip to file" to send them to your action=20
list. Note that if you want items to be removed from both the original=20
list and the action list, you will need to delete the checked items in=20
the *original* list first before doing so in the action list; deleting=20
them from the action list causes them to become unchecked in the=20
original list since the link is severed. (This can sometimes be=20
useful, e.g. for repeating tasks that you want to stay in their list=20
of origin for next time).

3. Using the Palm Find feature
Jacques Turb=E9 suggested a different approach. Get into the habit of=20
appending a particular character or strong of characters to items in=20
your various project lists. For example, you might prefix any tasks=20
that involve calling someone with =A9, or you might go through your=20
items and prefix them with the week in which you plan to do them by=20
adding, say, w48 (for week 48). Then simply tap on the Find silkscreen=20
button on your Palm and enter the character or string for the items=20
that you want an overview of - the Palm's find function will list them=20
all for you, whatever list they are in, and tapping on any item will=20
take you to the relevant branch of the list.

4. Connecting ToDos with events
You can link individual items in Shadow with your datebook as well as=20
with the ToDo list using the link arrow or Link Manager. (If you are=20
using a third party datebook it probably shows ToDo items as well as=20
appointments anyway). But what if you want to associate a set of tasks=20
with a forthcoming event in your datebook? Here's a way of doing that=20
using ShadowLinkHack.

Suppose you have a dinner party next Wednesday with Joe and Flo and in=20
relation to that you need to get a babysitter, cancel a conflicting=20
engagement, buy a new jacket, buy flowers, and check directions to=20
their house.

If you have not already done so, install ShadowLinkHack (distributed=20
with Shadow in the Contrib folder or go to http://www.codejedi.
com/shadowplan/contrib.html) and activate it. Then in Shadow go to=20
Tools/Preferences, scroll across the the Link tab, and on that tab=20
select "Append origin to TD/DB note" and "Support ShadowLinkHack".

a). Now, in whichever Shadow list you want to store this in, create a=20
parent item called "Joe and Flo", set its target date to next=20
Wednesday and the target time to 7:00p.m., and create an item for each=20
task under it as children. Link the parent item (but not the children)=20
to your datebook (using the link arrow or Link Manager). Now go to=20
your Datebook. You should have an appointment there for Joe and Flo at=20
7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
=20
Now enter the note of that datebook item. You should see in the note a=20
string that looks like this: [[[Shadow: (########) NAME OF LIST]]].=20
Tap on the word Shadow and hey presto, you will jump to your little=20
list of tasks in Shadow. So now you can jump from a datebook entry to=20
a set of associated tasks without having to show all of those tasks in=20
your datebook.

(The same procedure would work for linking a single ToDo entry in the=20
Palm ToDo database to a set of tasks in Shadow if you use ToDo links=20
instead.)

b). Suppose the dinner with Joe and Flo already existed in your=20
datebook? Shadow does not at present support linking to existing=20
datebook items. You could of course delete the datebook entry and make=20
a new one through Shadow as above, but what if the entry has lots of=20
info in it or other kinds of links with other apps so that you don't=20
want to do that? Here is a workaround.

Do the same as in a). above, as far as "enter the note of that=20
datebook item". You will have created an extra Shadow-sourced datebook=20
entry for Joe and Flo, in addition to the existing entry, and entered=20
its note. Then copy the string [[[Shadow: (########) NAME OF LIST]]]=20
from the note, go to the other, already-existing entry (the one made=20
outside of Shadow), enter its note, and paste the string. Now you can=20
delete from your datebook the duplicate appointment that you created=20
with Shadow, leaving just the original appointment, and that original=20
item links to your nested group of tasks.

David Smith




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