Author Topic: IDEA: Do this First. (Read 45746 times)

BigJim · « **Reply #25 on:** December 09, 2007, 11:15 PM »

I'm still having trouble but may also be getting 'wrapped around the axle'. Could we regroup by having a review of exactly what syntax is supposed to work? Then I may be able to determine if it's (this) operator error or not.
Thanks again and still, Ralf!

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #26 on:** December 10, 2007, 08:12 AM »

Make sure when entering times that they're 4 digits, e.g.
Due 1/5/2008 0800

Even if you're entering a time before 1200. Is that the issue?

BigJim · « **Reply #27 on:** December 10, 2007, 08:24 AM »

Four digits is not an issue at all. In fact it's the correct way to do it!
But I seem to continue to have a problem. If I copy and past your example (Due 1/5/2008 0800) I get this:

brotherS · « **Reply #28 on:** December 10, 2007, 08:26 AM »

If you're anything like me, the first thing you do when you start the computer is to check your emails and feeds. An hour or two later, you might get something else done, if you remember what you intended to do in the first place.
-JennyB (October 26, 2007, 09:38 AM)

I suggest you do this:

buy and read Getting Things Done (see amazon.com)
do NOT check emails and feeds first thing in the morning/when you turn on the PC
disable "check emails every x minutes" and other tools that frequently show you your new emails

Yes, it's not totally easy to get used to the changes, and yes, you'll get a lot done.

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #29 on:** December 10, 2007, 09:05 AM »

BigJim, we're in agreement on the snake eyes. :-)

Try this'un. It passed every test I could think of not involving the Mayan calendar.

JennyB · « **Reply #30 on:** December 10, 2007, 09:54 AM »

I suggest you do this:
buy and read Getting Things Done (see amazon.com)
do NOT check emails and feeds first thing in the morning/when you turn on the PC
disable "check emails every x minutes" and other tools that frequently show you your new emails

Yes, it's not totally easy to get used to the changes, and yes, you'll get a lot done.

-brotherS (December 10, 2007, 08:26 AM)

I know, I know, the spirit is willing but the flesh...

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #31 on:** December 10, 2007, 10:11 AM »

I know! We'll change the program to extract a pound of flesh everytime you miss a deadline!

:-)

BigJim · « **Reply #32 on:** December 10, 2007, 11:04 AM »

I guess I'll have to make a return visit to the Yucatan. Examples show day and month two ways. Could it have to do with my display properties for date and time?

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #33 on:** December 10, 2007, 11:09 AM »

I guess I'll have to make a return visit to the Yucatan. Examples show day and month two ways. Could it have to do with my display properties for date and time?
-BigJim (December 10, 2007, 11:04 AM)

Ah! It's misinterpreting the month/day, since I am a silly American programmer and I bet you're using the European convention. If you spell out the date (e.g. "5 Jan 2008") I think it'll work.

(I mean, your regional settings are configured that way and Windows is "helping me" by interpreting the date, and I'm re-interpreting the interpretation.)

Looks like the time is being handled properly (finally!)

To fix the month/date swappage, I'll have to intervene in the "standard" date interpretation code and hack something together. Stay tuned...

BigJim · « **Reply #34 on:** December 10, 2007, 11:43 AM »

As a silly American user having lived Europe for a long time and interacting with many there still, I have found that the only way to alley confusion on the touchy subject of dates is the format ddMMMyy or ddMMMyyy (or similar) all because of what we're wrestling with right now. This is also the only method which satisfies my deep seeded need to deal with orders of magnitude. (OCD's rule!!)

Here's the latest evidence:

Your patience is laudable! Or is it OCD? That's probably a programmer's requisite.

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #35 on:** December 10, 2007, 11:49 AM »

Very helpful, thanks! So if I get the mm/dd and dd/mm thing sorted out, think it's good to go? Looks like it's handling the ddMMMyy format properly.

And yes, OCD, ADD, hallucinatory bats, and too much coffee. It's all in there!

BigJim · « **Reply #36 on:** December 10, 2007, 11:57 AM »

Looks like it's handling the ddMMMyy format properly.

Yes, except on the last item (using ddMMMyy) it dumped the time.

And yes, OCD, ADD, hallucinatory bats, and too much coffee. It's all in there!

Excellent! Carry on.
Let's have another cup!

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #37 on:** December 10, 2007, 11:59 AM »

I've got some real work to do here for a bit, but I'll jump back on the date issue tonight.

Thanks for the screenshots and feedback. Helps tremendously.

BigJim · « **Reply #38 on:** December 10, 2007, 12:11 PM »

A pleasure to help if I can. Thanks for all the effort.
Me too on the real work ... although the line can sometimes be elusive ... except when you check your bank balance. That has a way of crystallizing things.

Rock on!

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #39 on:** December 11, 2007, 08:42 AM »

New version, 1.9 with these tweaks:

- Handles dates in the format ddMMMyy or ddMMMyyyy (e.g. 12Jan08) without corrupting the time component if present.

- Date evaluator is now regionally aware, and should deal properly with dates in the format mm/dd or dd/mm.

- Pressing the Enter key on line 2 of the description editor now closes the box and saves the setting.

BigJim · « **Reply #40 on:** December 11, 2007, 10:02 AM »

Are you getting sick of this, Ralf?

- Handles dates in the format ddMMMyy or ddMMMyyyy (e.g. 12Jan08) without corrupting the time component if present

... unless you leave out the colon in the time in which case it does corrupt.

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #41 on:** December 11, 2007, 10:49 AM »

Are you getting sick of this, Ralf?

Nah, I think they call this "iterative development". :-)

I betcha it'll take the time without snake-eyes IF you use a four digit year. As in:
12Jan2008 0800

If so, that'd be an important clue.

BigJim · « **Reply #42 on:** December 11, 2007, 11:28 AM »

Yup! Seems so. But the calculation isn't right. I put this in at 1325 on 11Dec07 -

That's 1 mon and 18+ hours, right?

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #43 on:** December 11, 2007, 11:35 AM »

Yes, it's picking up 2 days for some reason. The actual difference expressed in days between 11Dec07 1325 and 12Jan08 0800 is 31.7743055555547, or about 1 month 18.5 hours and change.

I'll have a look at the code and report back.

I'm not trying to weasel out of anything, but is there any value to seeing the time countdown when something is beyond a couple of days? It's dramatic and all, but is that actually useful?

BigJim · « **Reply #44 on:** December 11, 2007, 11:42 AM »

is there any value to seeing the time countdown when something is beyond a couple of days?

I don't think so.

One would probably just ignore it anyway. There may be more/better impact to NOT have it until just shortly before.

Ralf Maximus · « **Reply #45 on:** December 11, 2007, 01:31 PM »

Okay, it's gone then. I'll take another stab at the date evaluation routines tonight.

Thanks once again for the toubleshooting help!

BigJim · « **Reply #46 on:** December 11, 2007, 02:48 PM »

A pleasure on the troubleshooting. My effort pales next to yours.

hero4444 · « **Reply #47 on:** March 28, 2008, 05:15 PM »

When minimized to the tray, hovering the mouse over the TODOD icon displays the elapsed time, the remaining time until the annoying popup pops, and the total time spent messing with the current document for the life of TODOD's tracking it.
-Ralf Maximus (December 08, 2007, 01:02 AM)

In my trial of this little pro, I didn't see the popup message prompted as above. All I saw was the title of this software. What was I missing?

psionics · « **Reply #48 on:** March 30, 2008, 05:07 PM »

"To Do OR Die" is one of the best software ive seem so far..