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I just signed up with 30boxes, a new calnedar service with an interesting twist. they have a text box where I can type "Lunch tuesday with fred from 1-1:30pm", and it automatically creates it. I think something like this would be an awesome addition to RTM.
Currently, when I want to add multiple tasks to my list, I click the "Add Task" link, fill in the title, and hit enter. Only then can I set the due date, tags, priority, etc. If I want to add another task, I go through the whole thijng again, except I must remember to uncheck the perviously added task.
If RTM added a free-from entry box (even multiple lines!), I could type "write english paper, due: feb 16, tagged: school english, priority: 1", then It would be much easier, and there would be non need to default to having the task selected, since I can enter all the details in on go. If the input box was a textarea, you could require that "due:", tagged:", and "priority:" were all on their own lines, and it would be easier to parse.
The Add Task button could be like the search button, and create a pop/up/square on the screen with the text-area box...or multiple input boxes...
I'm beginning to think it is faster for me to email in a task instead of creating it in the web interface, but if you created a similar interface on the website, it would be much faster and better for users who don't want to use email...like me.
What do you think?
Posted at 5:41pm on February 8, 2006
says:Back on 10/25, I requested something much like this in thread http://www.rememberthemilk.com/forums/ideas/211/
I think it would speed up data entry a great deal if RTM woudl parse the text you typed in. For whatever reason, I have never grown very comfortabke with the keyboard shortcuts, so they've never been of much help to me as time savers.
Ran
Posted at 8:13pm on February 8, 2006
We considered this when we started development, but having everything in one text box tends to make a nightmare for parsing (and introduces the possibility for a lot of errors).
We'd need to introduce a syntax to separate names of fields from their values (e.g. "due: today"), but if it was on one line then it would restrict the use of the ":" character anywhere else (e.g. task names).
So, the only way to parse it properly would be as bkudria suggested -- having a multiple line input (and parsing it like we parse emails).
I'm not sure how many people would find it convenient to have to type the email syntax -- it doesn't seem like it would be faster than using the keyboard shortcuts (particularly as you'd exchange learning the shortcuts for learning the correct syntax :)
We'd love to hear feedback on this though.
Posted at 4:54am on February 9, 2006
Ok, simple. Instead of having a single text area, just have 4 (name, tags, due, priority) text boxes with labels, and then I can just tab between them...no parsing needed. Of course, pasing would be cool, but I realize it is not trivila to implement. Having different labeled input boxes, seems to me, is.
ranbarton, thans for pointing out that thread...don't know how I missed it!
Posted at 5:33pm on February 9, 2006
Tabbing between fields in the task details makes a lot of sense -- we'll see if we can add in that shortcut.
Posted at 3:56pm on February 10, 2006
Great, glad to hear that. all these little thing can make RTM so much more useful and east to use!
Can I tack on another small request/complaint? Sorry for not starting a new thread!
I don't really use notes, since they are harder to get to...so recently, for example, I put the number to my dentist in the task title...but, when I edit the title of the task, the long title is squeezed into this small one-line input box. Can RTM please please change this into a multi-line textarea? It would make edting long task title a whole lot easier!
Thoughts?
Posted at 12:42am on February 11, 2006
