NextAction2 - BlackBerry - Outlook

  • Thread starter Thread starter arco
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arco

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I've been playing with NextAction 2.0 for the Blackberry and think it is great.

Here's a link with more info on NextAction 2.0.

I created a custom form in Outlook that breaks out the project and context info that NextAction creates into standalone fields. It is a very simple solution and makes the project/context tracking of NextAction super easy to manipulate in Outlook.

I've attached the Outlook form and some notes on the customization. You can load the form into outlook and give it a try. Let me know what you think and if you have any improvements to suggest.

Attached files image_182.zip (115.2 KB) 
 
I am not sure exactly what outlook addin your are talking about.

I did play around with an outlook addin awhile ago. It managed various workflows and task states - complicated to learn and use.

I don't think my form would be compatible with the addin I tested.

My form and its use with NextAction 2.0 is super simple - all it does is add a 'context' field and a 'projects' field to every task, and syncs seamlessly between outlook and the blackberry.
 
Thanks for the response.

I don't think I need the added function because I do all my processing (ie. adding to the system) on my laptop in the office. I just use my BB and NA for when I'm in "doing" mode on the fly.

Cheers,
Ryan
 
So far so good with trial

I have been trailling this app for 3 or 4 days now and it's definitely better than using the standard BB Tasks interface. I already have my contexts set up in Outlook and so when I create a new next action on the BB they are the choices I get. I don't use NextAction's Project field as projects are simply another category for me in Outlook.

Arco can you explain what the form you have created would do, I'm not quite getting it :confused: .

Simon
 
I to am using the trial of NexAction2. I trying to figure out what advantage it has over the reqular BB tasks or the Task view via category in pocketday 5.11.
I've setup Outlook tasks according the the white paper for GTD Outlook (Best $10.00 spent) And can view, add, edit the tasks and or categories at will. I can also filter the category view in the standard BB tasks.

I use the projects as another category as suggested in the white paper so as not to have my categories become unruly with to many different categories.
I have noticed that editing a task thru Nextaction does not seem to recognize the autotext feature of the BB which makes time tracking per project very easy on the bb.

If I'm missing something about this program, someone please enlighten me because I have not yet found its value over the native bb tasks.
 
I have been trailling this app for 3 or 4 days now and it's definitely better than using the standard BB Tasks interface. I already have my contexts set up in Outlook and so when I create a new next action on the BB they are the choices I get. I don't use NextAction's Project field as projects are simply another category for me in Outlook.

Arco can you explain what the form you have created would do, I'm not quite getting it confused.

Simon
Click to expand...

With Next Action 2.0, you assign a context to each Task, and can optionally assign a project to each task.

Next action saves the context and project information in the 'Categories' field of the task. There are two possible string formats for a categories field:

1) [project name], [context name]
2) [context name]

The Categories field will be synced with the task, and will be visible in outlook.

The problem is - in outlook - you can't sort/select actions properly with both values mashed into one field. What is needed is to break out the project and context information into separate fields.

The custom outlook form I posted breaks out the project and context values into separate fields, so they are sortable and filterable.
 
Arco

Is there a way of making the @Context box have a drop down field containing my list of contexts? It would be easier (am I lazy?!) than typing it in all the time!
 
Actually - you are right - that would be nice.

I couldn't figure out how to add a drop-down box - it requires a field that has an 'enumerated' type - which I couldn't figure out how to create.

If I had more time to spend on this, I am sure it would be easy. I am not a programmer - maybe there is a Visual Basic exprert out there who has a ready answer.

Here are some workarounds that I use to work efficiently with the current form:
- I keep the context labels short - just 3-4 characters - so I can type them fast
- I keep a task view grouped by @Context. Doing this, you can change the context label just by dragging and dropping the task to a different group. (I attached an image that shows this...)

Attached files
 
Do you have to assign tasks to projects in NextAction?

Do you have to assign tasks to projects inside NextAction? I already have them linked/assigned using the NetCentrics Outlook addon... NextAction doesn't seem recognize them as such... I tried renaming my projects according to NextActions way (or Kludge) of preceeding each project name with "P:" but they don't show up in the list of possible projects (which is blank).
 
Does NetCentrics outlook addin store the project information in the categories field?

If not, they won't be picked up by NextAction on the BlackBerry.
 
Projects have to be Categories?

I RTFM and figured out that NextAction Projects have to be Categories... Not compatible enough with the Netcentrics addon. Bummer... Without that, this doesn't get me anything that the native tasks app doesn;t... Although it is easier to use.
 
arco;52268 said:
Does NetCentrics outlook addin store the project information in the categories field?

If not, they won't be picked up by NextAction on the BlackBerry.
Click to expand...

Nope.. Projects are Tasks with a category called Project... Somehow it can link them to their associated tasks on the back end.
 
One additional step...

arco;51839 said:
I created a custom form in Outlook that breaks out the project and context info that NextAction creates into standalone fields. It is a very simple solution and makes the project/context tracking of NextAction super easy to manipulate in Outlook.

I've attached the Outlook form and some notes on the customization. You can load the form into outlook and give it a try. Let me know what you think and if you have any improvements to suggest.
Click to expand...

Very cool, Arco - one thing you left out of the Word doc in the Zip file: You need to use the Field Chooser to add teh Context and Project columns to the view in Outlook. To get to them, you have to change the Field Choose dialog from "Frequently-used Fields" to gdtTask (or whatever you named the form) then drag the fields over to the column headings to make them work.

Let us know if you figure out how to fix the sync bug when you create the task on the BB.
 
Thanks for your feedback Dwayne - I added your comments to my word doc.
 
Couldn't get it to work (completely)

Has anyone used this recently? I've got Outlook 2007 on my PC, synced to my BB Curve running NextAction! 3.1. Last night I downloaded arco's Task form for Outlook, and successfully installed it. I'd already input a bunch of tasks with associated contexts & projects on NextAction already, and then read in the bug list at the end of the instructions that these won't sync correctly into the new form.

Ok, but I also tried entering a new task from Outlook using the new form, and it's not displaying correctly, either. I see the context and project I entered in the mashed-up Categories field, but they aren't broken out into the new Context and Project fields within Outlook.

Any help is appreciated.

-Mark
 
Answered part of my own question

A little more experimentation revealed that the new form IS parsing the combined context+project in the Categories field ok, but the renaming of the (unused) standard fields Role and Mileage into Context and Project is what's not working. That is, I can show the fields Role and Mileage and everything works fine! NextAction/BB sync, in-cell editing, it all works.

I don't even NEED to change those field names, but it would be more attractive and less confusing if I could.
 
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