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Tinderbox Project Catchall
I have a number of projects, hobbies and chores that I am working on at any given time, each with it's own set of requirements. Instead of having many tinderbox documents, I now use a combination of notes and agents to create a single document with an outline format that is well suited to the requirements of a wide range of different projects.
I have a number of projects, hobbies and chores that I am working on at any given time, each with it's own set of requirements. Instead of having many tinderbox documents, I now use a combination of notes and agents to create a single document with an outline format that is well suited to the requirements of a wide range of different projects. Our family playroom is filled with bins and serves as the paradigm (export template design based on the template struct.html is in progress-- http://playroom.home.attbi.com ).
Here is an outline as it appears in the Explorer View:
-Projects -- a note, contains all projects
--ProjectA --a note, contains many Bins associated with the given project
---BinA1 -- an agent, collects items that match the bins criteria; (Prototype(BinA1)&IsPrototype=false&completed=false). Also set IsPrototype=true
----itemA1a -- the alias of a note whose prototype is BinA1. It is an alias that is collected by the Bin that it corresponds to.
----itemA1b --an alias, it's prototype is also BinA1
----itemA1c --ditto and so on...
-Items -- a note, contains ALL original items (notes) created on the fly.
The key is that Bins (which are agents) are prototypes, but you have to show the attribute to make it true, unlike notes where it is a checkbox. I rely on Prototypes to categorize my new items, as I create them, using the handy pulldown in the note naming dialog tool. The original items all reside in the Item note, and I rely on agents to organize the items as aliases into their respective bins according to their Prototype. Only Bins are prototypes, so as to reduce the number in the pulldown menu. Projects are only prototypes when I need to unify the color or other characteristics of the associated bins. From time to time I use the stamp tool revert all Projects to IsPrototype=false as needed.
The process of creating a Project and associated Bins is easy once the first project is set up. Copy an existing Project and the Bin inside it. Paste and rename the Project. Rename the Bin, (to BinA1, for instance) and before closing the agent, copy the new name and replace it in the agents search criteria: (Prototype(BinA1)&...).
As you make new items, use the pull down list of available prototypes (Bins). The new items are then automatically filed by the agents into the outline according to Project, and Bin due to their association with a Prototype.
Bins can be To-Do's, (completed = true, false), bookmarks (URL =http..., Autofetch, viewinBrowser) or whatever other characteristics appropriate for the Project and items. Also, you can always change the Bin name and characteristics later and all the items (notes) change too because they remain linked to the Bin as prototypes.
At the top of my outline I have two agents that collect ToDo's:
Past Due:
Due Due Today: Due This structure has proven very useful in my job as a medicinal chemist where I have used it to organize projects, brainstorm new ideas and track daily and weekly ToDo items. I think it will also prove useful at home with my family movies, home repair jobs and financial planning goals. Hopefully there is something here for you too! I am now struggling mightily to export this structure in a format resembling the MacOSX column view. This is turning out to be a more difficult task than the relatively straightforward tinderbox construction. Suggestions appreciated! See the effort so far at: http://playroom.home.attbi.com I continue to find new ways to use this useful format. For instance, my list of categories (the Project Bin list which are agents and Prototypes) has gotten long. I can easily "deactivate" category bins by changing IsPrototype to false (I use a stamp) and the agent no longer appears in my prototype pulldown for a new note. The items that the agent has collected previously remain however (because for the notes the agents conditions are still true: Prototype(BinA1)&IsPrototype=false&completed=false So, by setting IsPrototype=false I "deactiveate" a category without removing it or it's content from the outline. I can "reactivate" at any time by changing IsPrototype back to true. Sorry to make this thread any longer than it already is but I keep finding new tricks. Here is one that was very unexpected. If you actually put a hyphen in front of the name of the Project that contains the Agents that collect the notes which are categorized by the Agent, and you set the Project to IsPrototype=true, then the prototype pulldown list is a list of the Agents separated by a blank line and organized according to your outline. The pulldown list in a new note will look something like this: none BinA1 BinA2 BinB1 BinB2 BinB3 BinC1 BinD1 So, each of your category Bins gets separated by project in the prototype pulldown list. But the Projects themselves, where the name begins with a hypen, do not appear in the liste except as a blank. This is a great visual for choosing your Bin (prototype) from the list! A New Cautionary Note: This model may not scale well unless you apply some efficiency principles which I will call "Agent Economy". The problem arises when large numbers of notes and many Agents give rise to longer and longer update times. The document begins to get slow. Use Command-Shift-I to see update times. For example: my document expanded to ~500 notes, organized by 38 Agents and took 3+ seconds to update. It felt much longer! You can streamline your Agents Query: #linkedFrom(name of agent) This efficiently replaces the more lengthy query: Prototype(name of agent)&IsPrototype=false&completed=false And you may have to reduce the number of Agents by making catagories more generalized. I will continue to employ this model but have some concerns about what will happen as the number of notes gets larger. one of the advantages of using the agent query #linkedFrom(Name_of_Agent) is the abillity to have a note collected by several different agents, each of which is linked to the note in question. For instance, create a note and assign a prototype in the popup menu (which is one of the agents in which the attribute isPrototype=true). This is the primary prototype and it is the one through which attributes like color flow. These attributes can be changed at some future date by changing that attribute of the agent, which is now the note's primary prototype. Next, choose another agent (for which isPrototype=true) and link it to the newly created note. Now an alias for the note will appear in the second (and third, and so forth) agent as well as in the first agent. Note that changing the color of the second linked agent/prototype does NOT change the color of the note. To make such changes, use the primary prototype agent (changing the color of the agent changes all the primary notes linked to it). --- Ryan Holcomb 2005 -- A Shed with a View Tinderbox Help GTD on the Web My Toolbox The Bookshelf
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