While I'm working on another large post, I wanted to put out at least a small bit about some of the added features in the 5.1 update of Drafts that has been released.
Tag Filter Improvements
I really love the addition of tags, and more importantly, workspaces. I did, however, have a couple of gripes about the features. My single gripe about filtering using tags from the review:
A nice addition to tagging not present in the app is an or function, which would expand the filtering to get drafts that are tagged with red or blue instead of red and blue as it is today, giving better functionality to the feature.
This has now been fixed. Whether in the tag drawer or within a workspace, you can specify "All" or "Any" for the tags. This distinguishes the behavior of the tags so that you can include the correct one(s) as you filter. For example, I have a GTD workspace. Previously, I'd have to rely on a single tag for this to work, and I settled on gtd. But now I can create new tags to not only add new drafts with similar tags, but I can also provide context within the workspace. I can have tasks, events, lists, calendars, etc. included in my GTD workspace simply by choosing "Any" for the tags.
This added flexibility I wanted to see has been quickly added, which is already reaping dividends for my productivity. Now all I need is the ability to set a default action group for my workspace, and I'll be all set.
Action Debugging Features
Action logging has been added to the action drawer. In the top right corner of the drawer, you'll see a clock-like icon located in between the search and menu icons. This contains the log of every action run, rather than finding it in the draft information screen, which is on a per-draft basis. This not only provides a nice log, but provides quick access for when you're de-bugging scripts. I've been doing a few large scripts as of late, and it has been saving me time along the way. You can also delete the logs as you go, if that's your particular cup of tea.
In addition to the log, individual action steps can now be disabled in your actions by swiping on the step in the action editor. This is useful when you want to troubleshoot errors and check steps along the way. Another useful option for this is for when you are someone who likes to move around apps. For example, many of you know that I like to change up my task management app of choice. Rather than create all-new actions every time I switch, I can simply disable the URL block for GoodTask and add a new URL block for Things or OmniFocus or 2Do. I don't need to clutter up my action drawer with similar actions that are based on a URL scheme any more. I'm going to need to refactor some of my actions, but I can already see how this is going to benefit me in so many ways. I've even done a packing list action for you already to show you how it works.
Event Action Step
You can now create calendar events by simply tapping on an action which brings up the default system card for event creation, as you would see in Calendar.app. There is a simple default action in the directory which creates a single event that takes the first line of your draft as a title, and the body of the draft as a note. You can select the rest of the parameters as you would in the calendar. when completed, you're back in Drafts, ready to go.
I've already modified this to take a selection rather than a draft (I don't usually use the note field in a calendar event entry), so that I can quickly add meetings or personal events from a larger note, rather than having to create a new draft when I want to create an event.
We're a month into the new version of Drafts, and already there's been some added features which were missing from the previous version, as well as some carefully considered features to help make life a bit easier for users. There are some other small features added, so be sure to read those in the release notes.
I reached out to Federico a year ago and asked if he had anyone slated to write the review.[1] I suggested to him that I would like to write it for MacStories, that I would be happy to do so. It wasn't long before he responded "yes, let's do this".
It was an amazing experience. As the production of the review progressed, that feeling only increased. The entire Team at MacStories has been delightful to work with, and I couldn't be happier than I am now with everything that has transpired over the past few months. It has been an honor to work with that team!
Writing while Greg was developing Drafts 5 through the beta process was a valuable insight into app development. It is rare to directly see the careful consideration an app developer makes when rolling out new features. Using the Slack channel as a sounding board, he would often listen to the suggestions being made; if he ever thought it was the wrong thing to do, he would state why instead of just "no". I know he has more planned for the future, and I'll be sure to follow-up when he does.
You can read the review at the link above. And if you aren't a member of Club MacStories, you should sign up: there's an ePub version of this as well.
Thanks again to Federico and the team at MacStories for giving me the opportunity to write for them, and for you the readers. This has been a labor of love for me, and I hope that shows through in the review.
For the past few weeks, I've been battling a couple of different illnesses. First, it wast the GI flu, then it was whatever I have now. And both times, I was basically down and out most of the day. I absolutely detest getting sick, and I'm admittedly useless when I get sick. Thankfully, my wife has been able to take care of things for the most part. I just pray that she or my kids (who likely gave this to me) don't catch it.
So in these times of being sick, I'm faced with a dilemma: how on earth do I complete my move goal? At the time of this writing, I've completed my move goal 296 times in a row – but it comes with a caveat. My wife will tell me that I'm cheating, but really, I blame Apple for what I'm doing. How am I "cheating"?
I lower my move goal.
I blame Apple because they really need to provide ways for people who are sick to have some rest days. How am I supposed to complete my normal 550 move goal when I have a 102ºF fever? There should be a way to change the Activity rings to a "sick" mode, where it lowers all three rings to a reasonable amount. While I'm at it: there should be a rest day, at least one day a week, that I can not complete my rings and the move goal streak can continue. Activity++ does this, and I like that the streak just continues even if you've taken a day off.
When I'm done being sick, I'll change my move goal back to what it was and complete it regularly. But if I get sick again, I'll likely lower it to reduce my stress and keep the streak alive. Sure, I could let my streak lapse and start over. But unless you're a superhuman, it's difficult when life gets in your way and things slip a day. I'm all for the gamification of things like activity, but I'm also going to game the system if there isn't a reasonable way to let me take care of myself.
There has been an update released today for my task management app of choice, GoodTask. There is a lot to unpack with this update; you can read more in the full details for the update.
There are some great things that I want to quickly highlight:
Full Drag/Drop support: There is a comprehensive list found in the full details. A couple of really nice touches include the ability to drag one or more tasks onto another task to create subtasks. You can also drag subtasks out to be full tasks.
Smart Button: Navigating your lists is now easier than ever.
Enhanced Tasks page: if you swipe from left to right on a task, it now puts you into the Quick Actions screen of your task. From there, you can use swipe to go to the other screens or the buttons at the top to change from screen to screen.
Subtasks: Subtasks have been improved by including them inline as part of the task. This allows you to see what is left of a small project and move forward.
I'm sure I'm missing some items, but it's the things that are making me stick with this. I'm absolutely loving my time with GoodTask.
We've started the second season… series… whatever of the show. This entire run will be focused mainly on task management. It won't be about the apps we use,1 but rather the feelings behind the how, why, and what of our task management. We're really excited about it, and we hope you are too.
If you're interested, feel free to give it a listen wherever you get your iTunes podcasts, or give it a listen below. You may need to reload without content blockers to show the mini-player below. (Note: this podcast does - for a reason - contain the explicit tag. Not recommended for listening around your kids. You've been warned.)
We have websites to post about those things, after all. ↩
