Cloud Tasks

[nik.silver]

This is intended to be a very simple, very easy to use, task list application that syncs with Remember The Milk. It grew out of my frustration with existing RTM clients which were very pretty but required you to navigate through several screens just to see your tasks. I wanted something that had the simplicity and directness of the task list application on my old Palm Vx.

So in this application all tasks are displayed in a single list, which is the main screen. Tasks can have a description (obviously), a due date, and a recurrence which is written in plain English (e.g. “Every Tuesday”).

I wrote this application for myself — I’m making it available to others on the off-chance that they find it useful. Because of that there are plenty of missing features I just don’t have the inclination or time to add. Sorry about that. If you’d like some features added I’d encourage you to download the source and add the features yourself. It’s licenced under the GPL v2 for the good of the community. If there are features you’d like and you don’t want to add them, then just pretend you’d never heard of this in the first place and you won’t be any worse off.

More information about it on its PreCentral homebrew app page and the Cloud Tasks home page.

Changelog and known issues:

Version 1.0.4 (24 April 2010)

• Fixed bug in which dates in the task list scene did not respect timezone, so tasks could appear a day out in that view.

Version 1.0.3 (17 April 2010)

• Editing a task’s recurrence but keeping it the same no longer initiates a sync.
• When deleting a new, recurring, but unsynced task you are no longer asked if you want to delete the entire series.
• Fixed bug in which you couldn’t edit an unsynced task which has a recurrence.
• Fixed bug in which electing to delete an entire series of a task which hasn’t been synced causes all unsynced tasks to be deleted (until you restart the app).
• Fixed bug that when deleting an entire series of a task which which hasn’t been synced only the current task’s deletion status is persisted in the database.
• Known issues:
  • Dates in the task list scene do not respect timezone, so tasks can appear a day out in that view.

Version 1.0.2 (31 March 2010)

• Fixed bug so that error no longer appears when syncing with an empty list.
• Known issues:
  • Cannot edit an unsynced task which has a recurrence.
  • Electing to delete an entire series of a task which hasn’t been synced causes all unsynced tasks to be deleted (until you restart the app).
  • When deleting an entire series of a task which which hasn’t been synced only the current task’s deletion status is persisted in the database.

Version 1.0.1 (27 March 2010)

• Fixed bug so that app now works regardless of your timezone and daylight saving.
• Known issues:
  • Error notification appears if you try to sync with an empty list.

Version 1.0.0 (10 March 2010)

• Known issues:
  • Problems with timezones and daylight saving, so it only works reliably in Britain in the winter.

[pjjohn73]

I am going to try this application and the web site Remember The Milk. But when trying to connect the first time I need to log in and till the site to authorize the device. I don't see an option to do this. Do you have to be a paying member of Remember The Milk?

Edit: Never mind, got it to work.

[seb_or_sam]

Looks VERY promising! Well done! I just got my Pre Plus this week, but I'm decently familiar with webOS through time spent in the emulator, PreCentral, the Palmcast, and a friend with a Sprint Pre, but now that I actually use webOS day-to-day the importance of a GTD app or even just a tasks app. This is the first good one I see. I simply won't use a GTD or task app that doesn't sync with another computer or web service in some way, or can't be hacked to do that. I'm still waiting for a webOS equivalent of Things, but now I actually have a usable task app. I just installed it, looking forward to good use of it. Thanks!

Btw, after I authorized I got this notification: "Exception TypeError: Cannot Read Prop..." so I deauthorized, and then reauthorized. It still appeared. So I just created a new task and then it went away. No biggie.

[elessarelfstar#AC]

Thank you so much for this. I've had the Pixi for a couple of months, and for that time there hasn't been any reliable way to sync tasks ota other than through exchange (which I don't use). Coming from the Android world that was very tough, because there are a couple of really good RTM apps for android.

Feels really good to finally have this, even if there is no "list" option.

Again,
Thanks.

[kanzlr]

oh beautiful!

too bad I don't use RTM anymore, as there are "better" (i.e. more GTD oriented) alternatives out there. But the app looks great
will show it to my GF...

[nik.silver]

Thanks all for the feedback. I would like to fix any problems, so please do report them. I'm already fixing one bug which makes dates slightly out in non-GMT timezones.

@pjjohn73 RTM isn't clear on whether you need to be a paying member for this kind of thing. I guess not.

@Seb_or_Sam I've never seen that message before, so any other details you can provide to help me track it down would be welcome.

[asfoundry]

Thanks, Nik, this is exactly what I was looking for!

I've really come to enjoy the fact that my Google Calendar and my Pre Calendar were always synced up. If I added something on my PC it would show up on my phone and vica-versa.

And now you've done the same thing with my Task List. I especially like the fact that Cloud Tasks does NOT do everything. I like having a simple, clean interface on my phone and to do the heavy lifting on my PC.

For those of you using in an iPod, this philosophy is similar to the way that you can manage songs very easily through iTunes (RememberTheMilk.com), and are much more limited on the iPod device (Cloud Tasks) - but those limitations allow the device (app) to do what it does best. We aren't buried with so many options that core functionality is lost.

So Nik, please resist the urge to add new features. Of course I do have one, small request: please put up a donate button your web site.

Thanks,

-Chris

[monkeydog]

Very nice, simple UI. No problems connecting it to my RTM profile. Would be the cat's meow if it would fire an alarm when the task was due. I currently have RTM send me an SMS, but I don't like that as much.

[pjjohn73]

Originally Posted by nik.silver

Thanks all for the feedback. I would like to fix any problems, so please do report them. I'm already fixing one bug which makes dates slightly out in non-GMT timezones.

@pjjohn73 RTM isn't clear on whether you need to be a paying member for this kind of thing. I guess not.

@Seb_or_Sam I've never seen that message before, so any other details you can provide to help me track it down would be welcome.

nik.silver, thanks for the reply. It seems to work fine without being a paying member. Their website was a bit unclear.

PS: would it be possible to be able to "swipe" to delete?

[pjjohn73]

Originally Posted by kanzlr

oh beautiful!

too bad I don't use RTM anymore, as there are "better" (i.e. more GTD oriented) alternatives out there. But the app looks great
will show it to my GF...

Kanzlr,

Could you please list some of these better GTD apps for WebOS? I like the RTM app very well, but would also like to look into options that not only give tasks, but also lists within the tasks. And of course it must be cloud based so that my Wife and I can share it.

[kanzlr]

nono, not better Pre GTD apps, better web-based GTD apps
I like TaskWriter - Productivity Your Way and their mobile Taskwriter works well on the pre.

what I also like is GTDagenda, don't know if it has a mobile site...

[Elizabeth1129]

Originally Posted by kanzlr

... what I also like is GTDagenda, don't know if it has a mobile site...

According to their website --

http://www.gtdagenda.mobi

[myrcgarage]

Very nice and simple to use. The most importantly, it is fast to refresh. Great job. Please keep it up!

[nyquistjack]

My wife and I have been eager for something like this. It looks to serve our needs well. I downloaded the code and am hoping to add a few features for ourselves. Namely, multiple lists and priorities.

I've only written small apps for myself, but do you think those additions would be difficult? My plan is to load whatever the last list was when the app starts to keep the wonderful clean interface. I would like to make the header clickable and when clicked it would display a drop down list of available lists.

Thanks!

[nik.silver]

Originally Posted by nyquistJack

I downloaded the code and am hoping to add a few features for ourselves. Namely, multiple lists and priorities.

I've only written small apps for myself, but do you think those additions would be difficult? My plan is to load whatever the last list was when the app starts to keep the wonderful clean interface. I would like to make the header clickable and when clicked it would display a drop down list of available lists.

@nyquistJack, I think those would be great additions. Lists would be easiest to add. There's a function which pulls the various bits of data down from RTM, and this could be extended to pull the lists down. Or else you could just see what lists are being used in the existing tasks, but that would omit any empty lists.

Priorities is more difficult as it involves persisting a bit more data and enhancing the Edit Tasks scene. That scene gets a bit bigger then, so my own thought was to then add a preferences page which allows someone to hide priorities and/or dates and/or recurrence, so the user can keep things compact. But you can see that's an even further complication.

Really, though, the first challenge will be to download 1.0.0 source and get the tests to run!

[Elizabeth1129]

If I could make one suggestion for this app -- add the ability to 'Sort by My Order'.

That one feature, IMO, would put this miles above the other Tasks apps.

[becrazy2#CB]

I like this app but I was wondering if it has a way to set the time the task is due so I can get the email or sms notice. I'm not usre if it's not there or if I'm missing it on the app. It would make scheduling things on the go very helpful. If this isn't part of the app right now, if anyone adds it, could you please let me know about the update? I know nothing about adding features so I'm at someone elses mercy.

[nik.silver]

@Elizabeth1129 I can't see that RTM supports custom ordering, so even if it was implemented in Cloud Tasks that ordering wouldn't be stored on the server. That also means if you erased your local task list and then sync'd after a fresh install the ordering would be gone.

@becrazy2 The app was written without particular reference to due times (as opposed to due dates), and there are certain places where the due time is zeroed so as to help ordering and other comparisons. So it might be a bit fiddly to add, but of course not impossible.

[hopfrog]

Great app! I'm not a huge fan of RTM, but I may have to give it another try now...

One suggestion: I'd like to be able to set a default due date of "none" for tasks, rather than the current date.

Thanks for making this app.

[pjjohn73]

Been working great for Wife and I. Very fast refresh. Could a swipe to delete option be added?