EPOC32 file converted by psiconv

RMRTask

EXTENDED TO-DO MANAGER

Program Instructions

Contents:

1. Introduction

2. Creating Task Groups

3. Creating Categories

4. Entering Tasks

5. Extended Notes, Alarms, Repeats and Linked Files

6. Viewing, Sorting and Scheduling Tasks

7. Task Completion and Archiving

8. Other Functions and Program Preferences

Please note that the installation instructions, registration details and other basic information are in the README file that accompanies the program.

1. Introduction

The comprehensive Agenda program built in to EPOC machines is fully adequate for scheduling appointments and keeping lists of to-do items. However, although you can have several To-Do lists, adding many related project tasks can make accessing and managing them in a structured manner quite difficult.

RMRTask has been designed as an alternative method of recording and managing your tasks (a.k.a. To-Dos, W3s (who, what, when), action items etc.) that have to be accomplished, whether at work, at home, for hobbies or for personal goals. It allows you to use the principles of good time management, namely breaking down large projects into tasks of manageable size, categorising and setting priorities for tasks, sorting and ordering them, and being able to see progress, results and accomplishments.

RMRTask allows sub-prioritisation of tasks, and by categorising on three levels (Groups, Projects and Types), allows you to quickly see lists of outstanding items and organise your tasks for optimum time management.

This is the EPOC version of our S3a/c/mx program S3ATASK. The inspiration originally came from a program called TODO, written in 1992 by John Whiting of Lexsoft for the Psion S3, to make up for the limitations of the built-in Agenda. We acknowledge John's efforts in designing that original program.

Working through the Menu commands will show you the capabilities of the program, but to get the best out of it, the following description takes you through the basic functions and explains some of the finer details of operation.

2. Creating Task Groups:

Task Groups are the first major sub-division, and any number of Task Group files can be created and used how you wish. Each file will appear as (and can be opened from) a document file showing the program icon in your chosen Documents folder. Use different Task Groups to contain completely unrelated and independent lists of tasks, for example: one Group for monitoring projects and general to-dos at work, one for listing jobs that need to be done at home, another for personal goals you want to accomplish, and yet another for keeping track of items for pastimes, clubs etc.

Start the program by selecting the icon from the Extras Bar. The first time of use you will be requested to supply a Title for the Task Group, and define the file Name and Folder for storage. This title is presented bottom left of the main program screen and can be renamed at any time using Update group details Ctrl+R. Work through the information on the 'nag' screen - if you want to skip this screen you will have to register !!

The initial setting is for the Toolbar to be showing. You can switch it off using the normal Psion method Ctrl+T if you want more screen space for task descriptions. Also, try tapping the pen on various positions within the screen to see the effect. In each case we have tried to present the most logical dialog. Rather than detail all of the options, simply try it in the screens.

The File menu gives the usual options for Create new task group Ctrl+N, Open task group Ctrl+O, Move group Ctrl+H to another folder, and Delete group Shift+Ctrl+D if you've finished with it. Note that you must delete, move or rename Group files from within the program not from the system screen, or the program will get confused. Individual Groups can be Password protected if required with Shift+Ctrl+Q.

3. Creating Categories:

The first thing to do before trying to enter any tasks is to define a few Project and Type categories using Shift+Ctrl+J. This is one of the first major differences of the program from Agenda To-dos, the idea being that by further categorising tasks at these levels you have greater visibility and flexibility in their management. You can then Sort and Filter your to-dos to identify all the related items (see section 6).

Project categories can be anything you like - jobs, projects or clients at work, hobbies or maintenance at home, etc. Type sub-categories more specifically would be the activities involved - email, phone, letter, purchase, assigned people's names etc. However, the system is flexible so tailor them to suit your needs.

Both sets of Categories can be defined to apply Globally to all Task Groups, or be group specific.

Categories can subsequently be renamed or completely removed using the appropriate Update and Delete options in the Categories menu. Note that you will need to use the Rebuild files function (see Section 8) if categories have been changed so that task associations can be remapped. If you don't wish to use or display the categories, options in View Preferences : Usage allows you to disable either or both of these columns from entry and the screen. A further General Preferences : Terminology option lets you change the Project and Type titles themselves for each group.

Categories can also be created from within the Enter new task dialog if you find you need a new one at time of entry.

4. Entering Tasks:

Now you are free to put in some tasks, either from the Edit menu, shortcut key Ctrl+A, the Add task button on the Toolbar, or just by pressing Enter. First enter a Description for the task, which can be up to 100 characters long. Then go through the rest of the dialog entering the Due date you wish to complete the task by (it defaults to today's date), select the required Priority, and choose Project and Type categories from those you have defined. Leave the Dated, Alarm, Repeat, Agenda, Links and Text (extended description) options, we'll cover those and the various priority schemes later. Press Enter or tap the OK button when the details are correct.

The task will appear in the list with the fields completed. Now go on and enter some more tasks, giving them different Due dates, Priorities, and assigned to different combinations of categories. Unlimited tasks can be entered per Group, although only 20 entries can be made in the unregistered version. The task you are on and the total number of tasks in the Group is indicated by a counter on the top line of the screen, together with the current date and time.

For those tasks that you want to enter just as a reminder to do "sometime", you can make them undated or unprioritised (or both). For undated tasks untick the Dated field in the New task or Update task dialogs. For unprioritised tasks set the Priority to None. They will then show on screen with dashes in the date and/or priority fields, and will sort as low order entries at the end of the Task Group.

Task entries can be Updated if you make a mistake, or to change any of the attributes, by moving the highlight to the description and using Update task Ctrl+U from the Edit menu, the Toolbar button, or the Tab key. Note that the Task Update dialog has an additional field that has recorded the original Entry date of the task (the original Entry time is also shown if that Preference has been turned on). If you have similar tasks to perform, entries can be Copied using Ctrl+Y which takes you to a dialog to specify the Task Group to copy to, and then the Update dialog to make any necessary changes. This function also has an option to completely Move the task to another Group. Alternatively, Ctrl+G will allow you to Enter last task again.

Tasks can be completely removed if you don't want them. Using Delete task Ctrl+D will show a dialog allowing you to delete All, Single, Strikeout or Tagged tasks, while using just the Delete key will delete only the selected task. Note that all records of deleted tasks are lost.

There are Backup Shift+Ctrl+B and Restore Shift+Ctrl+R options in the Tasks menu. Use these to keep a spare copy of your data on the Psion for safety, and to reload them if ever necessary.

5. Extended Notes, Alarms, Repeats and Linked Files:

Tasks can be set with various further attributes to aid in their management.

Extended Notes

Extra notes or details can be added to tasks. Selecting the Text (Extended Description) page when entering a new task will take you to a memo window where you can make further notes about the task up to 1000 characters. Alternatively, use the Spacebar or Shift+Ctrl+Z on an existing task to view, edit or create an Extended description.

Tasks with Extended Descriptions are identified with a symbol in the X column.

Alarms

By selecting the Alarm page in the New task or Update task dialogs you can specify the time and days previous for an alarm to sound as a reminder. The alarm itself will be passed to and handled by the built in Time application which allows up to 8 Alarms to be set.

Tasks set with an alarm are identified on screen with a symbol in the A column.

Repeats

The Repeat page in the New task or Update task dialogs allows you to set a Repeated entry. Repeats can be set for various Periods either daily, weekly, monthly, annually or for last day in the month. With an appropriate Interval, you can schedule the task to occur every 3rd day, 2 weekly, monthly, quarterly etc. When you complete such a task you will be given the option to re-install the task again in the group with the next Due date.

Tasks set with a repeat are identified with a symbol in the R column, and can also be toggled on/off with just the R key.

Agenda

By selecting the Agenda page in the New task or Update task dialogs you can pass the Task entry to your normal Agenda file with a defined date, start and end time. A symbol is identified in the G column, and within your Agenda the entry will be prefixed with the name [Task] (configurable from General preferences : Terminology).

Links

By using the Links page in the New task or Update task dialogs you can create links from a task to existing Word, Data, Sheet and Agenda files. Tasks with linked files will be identified with an appropriate W D S A letter in the L column.

The files can then be subsequently viewed by highlighting the task and using the Shift+Ctrl+W,T,E,N options in the View menu. This is designed as a shortcut to save you pressing the system button and navigating to the files etc. If you use these View options on a task that does not have a defined linked file, a dialog will give you options to Create a new file, or Link to an existing file.

6. Viewing, Sorting and Scheduling Tasks:

Moving around the Task Group to select, view or change tasks is easily accomplished using the pen, up/down cursor keys or buttons. In addition, Fn+PgUp and Fn+PgDn or tapping on the slider bar will move you to the top or bottom record on screen respectively, while Fn+Home and Fn+End will move you to the top or bottom entry in the file.

As time progresses and tasks become current, the Due Date on screen will change from showing the future date to the days of the next week and then 'Today'. When the Due Date has passed and the task has become overdue it will then change to bold text as a strong reminder. (All configurable in View preferences).

If tasks have been set to Auto Priority, their priority will automatically increase from low to med to high as the Due Date approaches, according to the schedule defined in General preferences.

The tasks on screen can be sorted in ascending or descending order by Date, Priority, Description or either Category, by tapping on the appropriate column header title or by using Sort tasks Ctrl+S. The latter method gives you the option of sub-sorting on 2 fields, so that sorting is extremely flexible, allowing you to tailor the screen order to your needs. In addition, the sorting method can be different for each Task Group, and is identified on bottom right of the screen.

The complete task list can be filtered using Filter tasks Ctrl+F and selecting the required include/exclude method, project and type categories, the priority, attribute, text and date range. These work individually or in combination to display only those entries that match the filter criteria. The filter(s) set are indicated at the bottom of the screen, and can be turned off by using Ctrl+F again or more simply by just pressing Esc.

Ctrl+I toggles the task description to italics. This typically identifies Task in progress, but can also be used to signify that it has been assigned to someone else, or is waiting for a reply. In addition Display as bar Ctrl+B shows the task progress graphically as today's position relative to the entry and due dates. This can be scrolled down screen to show each task in turn.

To aid you in modifying tasks as events unfold or for doing "what if" scheduling, the attributes can be easily changed without having to go through the full Update task dialog screen. 'Single key switching' allows the following:

W increase the Due Date by 1 day

Q increase the Due Date by 1 week

O decrease the Due Date by 1 day

P decrease the Due Date by 1 week

T set the Due Date to 'today'

N set the Due Date to 'None' (undated)

Number 1-9 change the priority (if numeric priorities are used)

Letter A-I change the priority (if alphabetic priorities are used)

H/M/L change the priority (if Hi-Med-Lo priorities are used)

0 (zero) make the task unprioritised

R toggle the repeat on/off

S toggle "task in progress" on/off

X reset time

Spacebar view, edit or create an Extended Description.

[Note that +/- were used for date changing in the S3a version of the program, but the S5 keyboard doesn't have these as separate keys. We have therefore implemented O for date decrease on the basis that it is also the - (minus) key, and P for week decrease as this has = marked (multiple minus? :-) ). W and Q for the date increase just mirror these on the keyboard. Sorry the logic is a bit thin here!]

If you prefer not to use these various forms of Single key switching, you can selectively turn them off within General preferences.

7. Task Completion and Archiving:

As you complete tasks in real life, mark them as completed in the task list by striking them through with Strikeout Shift+Ctrl+X or the Toolbar button. Multiple tasks can be operated on by first 'tagging' them using Shift+Up or Down Arrow, when they will be marked with a » symbol (configurable in View preferences). You will be asked to confirm the Completion date which defaults to the current date or can be changed if you actually completed the task previously. If the task had the repeat flag set, another dialog will ask if you want to Activate next repeat and confirm the Due date. Struckout tasks will then be moved to the top of the screen.

If you find that the task is not really completed it can be Reinstated by using Shift+Ctrl+X again, and giving it a New due date and Priority.

Because the system will slow down if you have a large number of tasks in a Group, you should periodically remove those completed to free space for new ones. Use Shift+Ctrl+G to Archive them to a separate history file as a permanent record of completed tasks. Note from the dialog that you actually have various options available (Archive or Remove, on Single, All, Strikeout or Tagged), but for now use 'Archive' and 'Strikeout' entries. Because this is the first time the option has been used, you will be prompted to create an Archive file. This will not occur in subsequent uses of this option. Now you will be asked to select which Archive File to use, although at the moment you only have a choice of one, and whether to Append or Overwrite. Again, this is a personal decision. Some people are happy to run just one Archive, others prefer a file for each Task Group. Some like to keep just the last set of records, others like to keep a complete record of everything. Create new archive files using Shift+Ctrl+F or from the File : More menu.

Note that the Create new task group and Update group details dialogs allow you to specify a Link to archive where you can associate an archive file with a particular task group.

The above is the normal Strikeout and Archiving method for removing tasks from the active Task Group. Alternatively you can Remove them (completely delete), or if you prefer, you can move tasks directly to the archive file at the time of completion without retaining them in the task group as struckout. Use the View preferences : Tasks option to set this action. Again multiple removal and archiving can be performed by first 'tagging' the tasks.

Now look at the Archive file using Switch view, Ctrl+Q or the Toolbar button. The Archive screen simply displays previous task information with many of the same functions as the main screen, except you cannot change any of the completed tasks. You still have the Filter entries Ctrl+F option available, as well as being able to view the Extended descriptions with Spacebar or Shift+Ctrl+Z. There are also options to allow you to Unarchive tasks Ctrl+U back to a Task Group if you want to re-use them again. If you do want to run multiple Archive files, then the File menu gives you the appropriate Create, Open, Rename and Delete options. Finally, if the file gets too large, it can be truncated by using Reset start date Ctrl+R.

Return to the main Task Group screen using Switch view, Ctrl+Q, the Toolbar button or just Esc.

8. Other Functions and Program Preferences:

You can select a larger or smaller font using the standard Zoom In and Zoom out options, Ctrl+M and Shift+Ctrl+M, or the 'Zoom' silk screen icons. The smaller fonts will allow more text to be displayed in each field with less truncation. The font size (but not type) is screen specific, so you can have different zoom settings in each screen.

If you have more than one Task Group or Archive file, there are various switching methods. Use Ctrl+O in both screens to open other existing Groups or Archives. The L/R arrow keys and buttons top left of screen will also cycle through Groups and Archives.

The normal Printing menu is available in both the main Task Group and Archive screens with the usual printing options . You can print task lists as displayed with or without filters set, and with or without their Extended descriptions and a Header.

If you have tasks that you enter regularly then they can be set up as Default entries. Use the Setup defaults option Shift+Ctrl+I to Add, Update or Delete your pre-defined default tasks. Then use Enter default task Ctrl+J or just Shift+Enter to select and enter them in a task group.

The same applies to Filters that you use regularly. The Setup defaults option also gives the option to Add, Update or Delete a variety of pre-defined filters, which can then be used from the Default field in the normal Filter tasks dialog.

Note that default tasks and filters are specific to a Task group, and up to 20 can be set up for each group.

Also in this Setup defaults menu, you can specify the default Priority to apply when adding a new task in any group.

If your todo items are time sensitive, a time column can be turned on for specific Task Groups, using the Use time option in View preferences : Usage page. When you enter tasks, the Entry time will then be recorded and shown on screen. This can be Reset to the current time with Ctrl+X. Alternatively, the General preferences : Settings page gives you the option of using time in the Task duration mode. Then when entering a task you can specify the estimated duration for the task to take, and subsequently use Ctrl+X to turn on the Start task time, and Ctrl+V to set the Finish task time.

Task and Archive lists, with or without a filter applied, can be Exported in ascii delimited or CSV formats using Ctrl+L.

In the File : More menu, the Rebuild files option does some cleaning up of all the files. It compresses them, refreshes the Category titles, resets the internal pointers and rebuilds the indices. Use this option after you have Updated/Deleted a Category name, or whenever you think something is not quite right with the data files.

The program has been designed for extensive user configuration. Many preference options are available within the sub-menus as follows:

View preferences, Ctrl+K

Display:

Font sets either Times Roman or Arial for the screen display.

As various different Date Formats are used throughout the world, you can choose your preferred option from a range.

Show days of next week displays the Due date for the next 6 days as their name, rather than as a date.

Include today in Overdue shows tasks due 'today' marked as overdue.

Toolbar can be set to left or right of screen.

Header window allows the column titles to be presented as depressible buttons to indicate sorting, or as standard text.

Tasks:

Action completed tasks setting allows you to define your preferred action for completed tasks: whether to use the Strikeout method or to Archive them directly.

Show overdue tasks in sets the way overdue due dates are presented, as bold, italic or normal text.

Show tasks in progress in sets the way descriptions of task in progress are presented, as bold, italic or normal text.

Show description in text view adds the task description to the title of the extended description window.

Usage:

Use time displays an extra column to record the task entry time or a time duration. Note that if this is used, the description field will be appropriately shortened.

Use first & second category allows you to turn off each of the categories from the entry dialogs and screen display if you are not using them, or require more space for descriptions.

Flags:

Individually turns off the Alarm, Repeat, Extended description, Links and Agenda attribute columns if you do not wish to see them, or require more space for descriptions.

Symbols:

If you don't like the Symbols we have chosen to identify Alarms, Repeats, Extended descriptions, Agenda links or Tagged tasks, you can specify the ASCII code of any other character or copy from the Psion Special Character screen. An option is also available to reset them to the program defaults.

General Preferences, Shift+Ctrl+K

Settings:

Prompt for repeat shows the Repeat dialog when repeated tasks are completed. Turning this off will automatically re-enter them without you being asked.

Time method normally shows the Entry time for the task when the Time column is enabled, but this option allows you to specify a Task duration time instead.

Default to undated sets the task entry dialog to initially be undated.

Tap on selected entry defines which action you prefer if a selected task entry is tapped, from Strikeout, Archive, Update or Task In progress.

Default alarm sound sets your preference for the alarm to be used.

Add/Update dialogs determines which style of Task entry dialogs are used, whether Multi-page with tab headers, or the standard buttons.

Terminology:

Category titles. If you don't like the default "Project" and "Type" category titles, you can specify your own for each Task Group.

Prefix in Agenda allows the program name, a user-specified prefix, or no prefix, to identify tasks passed to Agenda.

~~Default~~ Archive:

Default archive If you use multiple Archive files, the program default is to open the Last used file. You can change that so it opens a specified Default file, asks you to Select which one, or opens the Linked file for that task group.

Single Keys:

You can individually enable 'single key switching' for:

Date change. Use the Q,W keys to increment Due dates, the O,P keys to decrease the Due dates, T to set a task to 'today', and N to 'undate' a task,

Priority change. Change priorities with alphabetic or numeric keys as appropriate to the priority system defined,

Repeat key. Enable task repeats with R key,

Progress toggle. Toggle 'task in progress' with S key,

Reset time. Reset the 'task time' with X key.

Keys:

Define the use of the key and Key for Entering or Updating tasks.

Escape sends to background sets use of the Esc key to send the program to the background (i.e. the program will no longer be the current application).

Hot key defines the Ctrl+Fn+letter key combination to bring RMRTask back to the foreground when open.

Priority System:

Manual settings. Define here your preferred system for each Task Group. Either numbers or letters can be used with up to 9 levels, or alternatively the simple Hi-Med-Lo. Note that 1, A and Hi are treated as highest priority.

Auto settings. The system allows you to set how many days previous to the due date, when a low priority task becomes medium priority, and when a medium priority task becomes high priority. Enable this for tasks by setting Priority to 'Auto' in the Add Task or Update Task dialogs.

Agenda:

Define the name and location of your Agenda file.

Default start time and Default end time specify the duration times that will initially appear in the Agenda settings page of the Add task dialog.

Finally, don't forget the Help database Shift+Ctrl+H which has much of this information and more details.

Al Richey and Andy Waller

RMR Software