mcw
 Help information about: Work-in-Progress Command
 
 
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              Eº           CWork-in-Progress CommandE             º
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   The Work-in-Progress (WiP) Display provides a different view of your
   active tasks than that provided by the Time Display.  You should read
 ZmctB  about CJ The Time Command CB before reading this section.

   To understand the purpose of the WiP display, it will be helpful first
   to review the Time Display.  This display presents a list of tasks that
   is very time-oriented:

       EÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
       EÛA                                                           A  EÛ
       EÛA  B      G  Time    B                                         A  EÛ
       EÛA  G DGo: F¦BDack F¦FDorward F+DDay F-DDay F¦TDoday     F¦DDay F¦WDeek F¦MDontA  EÛ
       EÛA  E³                                                        A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³         CE    CJan 1991E     CE             CMonday, Jan 7, A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³         S  M  T  W  T  F  S        12aB....E   6 B....E  12A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³              B 1E B 2E B 3E B 4E B 5E         1 B....E   7 B....E   1A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³        B 6E C 7E B 8E B 9E B10E B11E B12E         2 B....E   8 B....E   2A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³        B13E B14E B15E B16E B17E B18E B19E         3 B....E   9 B....E   3A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³        B20E B21E B22E B23E B24E B25E B26E         4 B....E  10 B....E   4A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³        B27E B28E B29E B30E B31E               5 B....E  11 B....E   5A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³                                                        A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³   Task      Description                    Type   Date-A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³ *Cambboard  Ambulance Executive Board       Appt   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³ *Jhelp      Finish InContext Help Text      ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³  Jmodem     Install 2400-baud modem         ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³ *Jparamedc  Regional Paramedic Council      ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³ *Cpaybills  Pay bills                       ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³  Ctax       Work on family 1990 tax data    ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³ *Cworkout   Physical Training               ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³  Bbank      Bank: backup tapes, etc         ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³  Bcallvga   Call Micro Express about VGA    ToDo   1/7  A  EÛ
       EÛA  E³ B                                                       A  EÛ
       EÛA                                                           A  EÛ
       Eßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß

   Notice that this display lists the tasks that are relevant to the
   indicated date, regardless of their nature.  When you first invoke the
   Time Display, the tasks shown are those relevant to "today".  The list
   includes appointments and "spans" such as "Summer Vacation", and "My
   spouse's birthday".  It also includes work tasks that involve the
   computer, and tasks which do not.  It is a convenient way of determining
   what you've planned to do today, but it is not the most convenient display
   for finding your way around the work you do involving the computer.
   These comments also all apply to the Time portion of the main display:

                               EÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
                               EÛA           A  EÛ
                               EÛA  B ETodayB   A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*CambboardA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*Jhelp    A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E Jmodem   A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*JparamedcA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*CpaybillsA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E Ctax     A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*Cworkout A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E Bbank    A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E Bcallvga A  EÛ
                               EÛA           A  EÛ
                               Eßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß

   In contrast, the WiP display lists ConlyB those tasks for which you
   have established a work context (by changing the "Context" in the task
 ZmcttB  definition to "Set" (CJ How? CB).

              EÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
              EÛA                                              A  EÛ
              EÛA  B                   G  WiP    B                A  EÛ
              EÛA  D  GWork in ProgressD                     F¦CDleaA  EÛ
              EÛA  E³                                           A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³       Task or Directory                   A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ *Chelp -- Finish InContext Help Text       A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   1YB C:\INC032                            A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   2 C:\INC032\CONTROL                    A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ *Cambboard -- Ambulance Executive Board    A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   3 C:\RUDY\AMBULANC                     A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ *Cparamedc -- Regional Paramedic Council   A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   4 C:\RUDY\AMBULANC                     A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ *Cpaybills -- Pay bills                    A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   5 C:\RUDY\FINANCE                      A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³  Ctax -- Work on family 1990 tax data      A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   6 C:\RUDY\FINANCE                      A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ *Cworkout -- Physical Training             A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B   7 C:\RUDY                              A  EÛ
              EÛA  E³ B                                          A  EÛ
              EÛA                                              A  EÛ
              Eßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß

   Furthermore, the WiP display shows the directories associated with those
   tasks.  If you have been in several different directories while working on
   the current task, they are all shown.  The WiP display shows up to nine
   tasks, and up to nine directories.

   In the display above, for example, the current task, shown at the top, is
   "help -- Finish InContext Help Text".  Work has been performed in
   connection with this task in two directories.  The current directory,
   shown first, is C:\INC032, but the user has also been in the directory
   C:\INC032\CONTROL while working on this task.  This information is also
   shown in WiP information on the main display, though usually in
   abbreviated form:

                               EÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ
                               EÛA           A  EÛ
                               EÛA  B   EWiPB   A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*Chelp    A  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  CONTROLA  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  INC032 A  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*CambboardA  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  AMBULANA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*CparamedcA  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  AMBULANA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*CpaybillsA  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  FINANCEA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E Ctax     A  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  FINANCEA  EÛ
                               EÛA  E*Cworkout A  EÛ
                               EÛA  B  RUDY   A  EÛ
                               EÛA           A  EÛ
                               Eßßßßßßßßßßßßßßß

 CSpecial Properties of The Current Task

   The top task displayed in the Work-in-Progress list is always the active
   task, and is shown in the Context Area.  Two function keys, F2 and F3,
   allow you to perform operations on the current task.  If you press F2
   (the "Edit" key), a menu will be presented, listing all the things you can
   do to the task.  If, instead, you press F3, the editor will be invoked on
   the task notes for the current task.

 CSelecting Things on the Work-in-Progress Display

   It is easy to move around among several directories in connection with a
   task.  For example, to return to the directory C:\INC032\CONTROL in the
   above example, simply select "CONTROL" from the WiP area of the main
   display using the mouse, or type "W" to get the longer display (the
   second display above), and "2" to select the desired directory.

   It is also easy to use this display to move among several current tasks,
   by selecting the task instead of the directory.  Thus, to switch to work
   on the income tax return, above, one would select "tax" from the main
   display just above, or type "W" and "t" to select that task using the
   WiP display itself.  This would make "tax" the current task, and its
   directory the current directory.

 CPopping the Top Item off the Work-in-Progress Display

   The WiP display actually works like a stack.  If you select a new task
   that is not already on the list, it will be added at the top of the list.
   The bottom task may be pushed off the list, if the list already contains
   nine tasks. 

   Similarly, if you select a new directory not already on the list, it will
   become directory number 1 (the active directory), and a directory will be
   pushed off the bottom of the list, if the list is full.

   Just as you can add new tasks and directories to the WiP list, you can
   also "pop" the top item off that list.  This uses the F ¦PDop B command
   from the command bar of the WiP display.  If there is a directory listed
   under the top task, it will be popped off the list.  Otherwise, the top
   task will be popped off the list.  This operation is also available from
   the main display, using function key F6.

   An simple example will illustrate how this can be useful.  Suppose that,
   in performing the "help" task shown above, it becomes necessary to go to
   another directory to find a file, in order to copy it into the current
   directory.  This might be done in the following way:

      1.  Use the Space command to go to the directory in question.

      2.  Find and select the desired file.

      3.  Select the "take" action.

      4.  Press F6, to pop the top directory off the stack, returning you
          to the original directory.

      5.  Select the "put-obj" action.

 CSelecting Today's Tasks

   Selecting the F ¦TDoday B command from the WiP Display command bar (or
   pressing Alt-T from the main display) initializes the WiP Display from
   the list of tasks shown for today in the Time Display.  This is a very
   convenient starting place; you might even want to use a "startup" macro
 ZmcaemB  to do this automatically when you initialize InContext (CJ How? CB).
   
 CClearing the WiP List

   To remove all tasks and directories from the WiP list, simply select the
   F ¦CDlear B command from the WiP Display.  This will allow you to start
   from scratch, adding only those tasks you choose to attend to at any given
   time.

 CInterruptions

   Sometimes, things happen which create an interruption to the work at hand.
   For example, you may get a phone call which requires you to go look in
   two or three different directories for information desired by the caller.
   It is inconvenient and confusing if all these directories become
   associated with the task you were performing before the phone rang.
   By selecting the F ¦IDnterrupt B command from the WiP Display command bar
   (or pressing Alt-I from the main display), you can cause this to be done
   as an "Interruption or Unspecified Task".  When you pop this task off the
   WiP list (or even select it when it's at the top of that list), the task
   and all its directories will be removed, returning you to the context you
   were in at the time of the interruption.

 CInformation is also available about...

 ZmcsmB  CJ Other ways of moving around CB.
