Main Area and Open Discussion > General Software Discussion
Flexible List (data) Management - ListPro and the Alternatives
Steven Avery:
Hi Folks,
In this thread we were discussing "flat-file" list management of serial #s.
Serial Key Storage for Windows
https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=25868.0
TucknDar and I mentioned :
ListPro by Ilium
http://www.iliumsoft.com/listpro
And I realized that the reason I liked it for the purpose is that it is able to function:
*** not with the specialty of a task manager or a planner or project manager ..***
but simply as a "FLEXIBLE LIST MANAGER" -- which is a type of flexible database function.
ie. It is strong on the database idea of quickly designing your own fields to meet the needs. And heads-up data entry. I went back and looked at the traditional "ToDos" such as ToDoList of AbstractSpoon and TaskCoach and realized that they would have great difficulties in this type of flexible list management. They are really very different. They are "thinking" in their terms of dates and times and categories ... and have a hard time giving you a tabula rasa ... and building up many different types of lists.
The point is that field design, and placement, and sorting, in ListPro is flexible, powerful and extremely quick.
ListPro can do some minor calendar and reminder and planning and project functions, but if you really look for that, then the other programs are better, as are various PIM and Calendar paradigm programs.
So the question comes, is ListPro the leader of the pack ? Short of the one alternative .. your own custom design with MySQL or Alpha5 or some some database project. The database idea is fine if you want to tie tables together, but if you are not doing that, it could be slower and overkill and harder to establish and quick-launch.
So I wondered if some of the other List management software was similarly capable to ListPro.
(this is quick, local heads-down data entry, not web entry).
Quick To-Do (Capstralia) mentions flexible printing and
Swift To-Do (Dextronet-sometimes on Bits) came to mind
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MyBase
MyLifeOrganized (these two may be two bulky)
Maybe InfoQube ?
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Others like:
Priorganizer
AgendaAtOnce - seem pre-designed too much for Task and PIM rather than for flexible list management.
With most, I tend to doubt that their design is as flexible and quick for dozens of lists.
The point is you have to be able to end up with many totally different table designs.
Without going through any hoops.
================
LISTPRO
Folder (multi-level .. by drag-and-drop)
Lists (the individual designed tables)
Items - (columns within the table .. with flexible and quick field creation and sorting within the Item.)
Fields - String, Category, Number, Yes/No, Date. 3-State, Linked (hot link)
- Notes fields
The category field functions as an auxiliary table where you quickly choose an existing category or create a new one.
===
The design idea is superb.
You end up tweaking your list (data base) super-quick. The list can be some type of todo or calender, or your accounts or expenses, or your books or the posts you plan to answer or just about anything. You get a real confidence that you will design quickly, without headache, and data entry is fast.
It does work very nicely as a "ToDo" list when you design a table for that. (They have templates too.)
*** The one big lack is that the printing is only servicable. ***
And one important point of lists is to print them out. You can landscape, but you can not quickly say .. print those eight fields. It breaks the fields off to a second page on overflow. Since you are able to use the scroll bar on data entry .. wide -- you can end up with long rows.
Flexible printing is a real need. Possibly the workaround is FinePrint or PriPrinter and making sure the 1st page is what you want and deleting the other when it is wide-field.
================
LISTPRO MAJOR LIMITATION
1) Flexible Printing --> along with
2) Automated Printing - saving a print procedure of various lists.
(1) is the big lack.
LISTPRO MAJOR IMPROVEMENT
Tab structure would help, - giving another dimension to your overall view.
Also, no web forum, no immediate developer response.
Email goes to somebody who sends it to the developers.
================
So, are there any List management softwares that are similarly capable, with good printing ?
DATABASE
Short of database programs (or if you use a database, which one and why ?)
How about InfoQube and others that are unique ?
Your thoughts appreciated.
Steven
steeladept:
Upon reading this, my first thought is "Why not Excel?" (or other spreadsheet program). It sounds like you want the 'smartness' of a database, with the flexibility of a spreadsheet, and perhaps, some codability. That describes Excel exactly. I sit here complaining at work all the time about people constantly using Excel for a database's job, but it is, in fact, a lightweight, flexible database itself. Moreover, many PIM's/Task Management/List Management programs can import/export Excel file format; or at least csv, which can then be used for/from Excel.
Since printing is so critical a consideration, consider that Excel prints almost everywhere without issue. Want just a few fields? Use the hide row/column function then print. What about field size? You can adjust them on the fly. Multiple pages with column header? No problem. Print option to repeat top x rows. Tabs are in there as well. In other words, I think this is really what you want, now you just need to learn to use it completely if you don't already know how.
From my experiences, I would say there is only 1 drawback to Excel in your situation. Price. It isn't cheap if you have to buy it, though there is the Office 365 option that *MAY* fit your needs and is far cheaper. It is far less capable, but may work for you. If you consider a cloud-based solution such as this, however, I suggest starting with something such as Zoho or one of the other offers. Office 365 includes Excel functionality, but it is the new kid on the block comparatively and may not be as feature rich even compared to the competition.
Armando:
[Disclaimer: my point of view might be partial : I now work for Pierre from time to time and... I work with InfoQube everyday. I'm trying to be as objective as possible, however.]
IMO, InfoQube would be perfect for what you describe, while not being the same as ListPro. You can use IQ for very very simple lists, and much more complex tasks like project management (with all the associated calculations and graphical representations) and the like. This is exactly why I use IQ : I don't want an application to force me to think in a specific way when I'm managing information. I want my items to be able to be/do anything I want depending on the usage context. I.e. : 1-I create an item as a task, 2-then I want it to also be part of a contact list, 3- I "move" it into a project, 4- then I have it appear also in my calendar with the appropriate fields added to it, etc.
If you search the forum here or on InfoQube forum, you'll get the idea of what it can and can't do. The best is to just download and try the portable version (version "W" is right around the corner)... It's free while in beta.
Steven Avery:
Hi Folks,
It is fun to work with InfoQube. I think there needs to be a little tutorial about setting up a item quickly in a grid and defining the fields, etc. for heads-down data entry, record by record. To the beginner it could be rather daunting.
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As for Excel and its equivalents, I simply have an innate aversion. I realize that it can fake out a lot of stuff (we use it with information downloaded from the iSeries mini data to do user-defined reports on inventory. Maybe some day I will play with it for simple list stuff, but it is only over a bunch of resistance :).
Shalom,
Steven
steeladept:
Understood. I always cringe whenever I hear of people using Excel because more often than not it is the wrong tool for the job. Still, Microsoft has heard from a lot of people and expanded it to fit those roles regardless of being right or wrong. Because MS has done it, others emulated it and now it is there in all the clones, regardless of fitness of use. The one thing I can say about Excel in it's current form though, right or wrong, it is extreamely flexible.
IQ may well fit the job as well. In fact what I read and hear about it tells me it likely will work fine for this type of project. I just have no experience with it and no desire to find a need for the solution (usually a bad sign anyway, unless you really want to learn the product for some reason). I wish you luck on finding what you are looking for.
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