{ "version": "https:\/\/jsonfeed.org\/version\/1", "title": "Rosemary Orchard", "home_page_url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog", "feed_url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog", "icon": "http:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/user\/themes\/rosemaryorchard\/images\/favicon.png", "author": { "url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog", "name": "Rosemary Orchard" }, "items": [ { "title": "Workflow: Add Task & Sub Tasks To OmniFocus", "date_published": "2018-08-24T07:00:00+02:00", "date_modified": "2018-08-24T14:55:45+02:00", "id": "workflow-add-task-sub-tasks-to-omnifocus", "url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog\/workflow-add-task-sub-tasks-to-omnifocus", "external_url": null, "author": { "name": "Rosemary Orchard" }, "content_html": "
One thing I frequently do in OmniFocus is to add an action group, that is a task with a series of sub tasks. Action groups are flexible because they can be turned into projects if necessary, or be a series of tasks within a project.<\/p>\n
The Workflow works by asking you for the main task, then it asks for the sub tasks. Each sub task is indented (and has a dash added in front of the name to make it TaskPaper friendly), and then the whole lot is put into my OmniFocus inbox.<\/p>\n
Exact Workflow Steps: <\/p>\n
Ask for Input<\/code>: This is the main task.<\/li>\n-
Text<\/code>: Add a dash before it - which in TaskPaper makes it a task not a project.<\/li>\n-
Add to Variable<\/code> - Task List<\/code><\/li>\n-
Ask for Input<\/code>: Ask for the sub tasks.<\/li>\n-
Split Text<\/code>: Turn this into a repeatable item<\/li>\n-
Repeat with Each<\/code> - go through the sub tasks.\n\n-
Text<\/code>: Add the tab indent and the dash before each task.<\/li>\n-
Add to Variable<\/code> - Task List<\/code><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/li>\n-
Get Variable<\/code> - Task List<\/code>. This makes sure we get the main task too, the output of the repeat loop would just be the sub tasks.<\/li>\n-
Combine Text<\/code>: Put the action group together.<\/li>\n-
Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus<\/code>: Everything goes into my OmniFocus inbox.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nYou can get the workflow here: Add Task & Sub Tasks To OmniFocus<\/a>.<\/p>",
"content_text": " One thing I frequently do in OmniFocus is to add an action group, that is a task with a series of sub tasks. Action groups are flexible because they can be turned into projects if necessary, or be a series of tasks within a project.\nThe Workflow works by asking you for the main task, then it asks for the sub tasks. Each sub task is indented (and has a dash added in front of the name to make it TaskPaper friendly), and then the whole lot is put into my OmniFocus inbox.\nExact Workflow Steps: \n\n Ask for Input: This is the main task.\n Text: Add a dash before it - which in TaskPaper makes it a task not a project.\n Add to Variable - Task List\n Ask for Input: Ask for the sub tasks.\n Split Text: Turn this into a repeatable item\n Repeat with Each - go through the sub tasks.\n\n Text: Add the tab indent and the dash before each task.\n Add to Variable - Task List\n\n Get Variable - Task List. This makes sure we get the main task too, the output of the repeat loop would just be the sub tasks.\n Combine Text: Put the action group together.\n Add TaskPaper to OmniFocus: Everything goes into my OmniFocus inbox.\n\nYou can get the workflow here: Add Task & Sub Tasks To OmniFocus.",
"tags": "workflow,omnifocus"
},
{
"title": "Fusion 18: September is Coming",
"date_published": "2018-08-22T09:26:29+02:00",
"date_modified": "2018-08-22T09:26:29+02:00",
"id": "fusion-september-is-coming",
"url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/elsewhere\/fusion-september-is-coming",
"external_url": "https:\/\/www.relay.fm\/membership",
"author": {
"name": "Rosemary Orchard"
},
"content_html": "This week I was on the Relay FM member's only podcast: Fusion. Stephen, Mikah and I talked about what we might get at the September Apple event, and keyboards - because it's always about the keyboards!<\/p>\n\n
Listen it on Relay FM<\/a><\/p>",
"content_text": "This week I was on the Relay FM member's only podcast: Fusion. Stephen, Mikah and I talked about what we might get at the September Apple event, and keyboards - because it's always about the keyboards!\n\nListen it on Relay FM",
"tags": ""
},
{
"title": "Automators 4: First Look at Siri Shortcuts",
"date_published": "2018-08-19T08:00:00+02:00",
"date_modified": "2018-08-22T07:32:37+02:00",
"id": "automators-4-first-look-at-siri-shortcuts",
"url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog\/automators-4-first-look-at-siri-shortcuts",
"external_url": null,
"author": {
"name": "Rosemary Orchard"
},
"content_html": " Episode 4 of automators is all about Shortcuts and Siri Shortcuts. We discussed what's possible now, what we're excited about (and not so excited).<\/p>\n
I did mention my automation I now use when boarding a plane - this is available over on [Sharecuts.app]()https:\/\/sharecuts.app) which we didn't get into this episode, but it's a great place to share Shortcuts and let other people download them!<\/p>\n
You can listen to episode 4 on Relay FM<\/a>, and discuss it in our forums<\/a>!<\/p>",
"content_text": " Episode 4 of automators is all about Shortcuts and Siri Shortcuts. We discussed what's possible now, what we're excited about (and not so excited).\nI did mention my automation I now use when boarding a plane - this is available over on [Sharecuts.app]()https:\/\/sharecuts.app) which we didn't get into this episode, but it's a great place to share Shortcuts and let other people download them!\nYou can listen to episode 4 on Relay FM, and discuss it in our forums!",
"tags": "automators,shortcuts,siri shortcuts,workflow"
},
{
"title": "How to get daily weather summaries and precipitation notifications from CARROT Weather",
"date_published": "2018-08-09T01:00:00+02:00",
"date_modified": "2018-08-19T08:44:55+02:00",
"id": "how-to-get-daily-weather-summaries-and-precipitation-notifications-from-carrot-weather",
"url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/elsewhere\/how-to-get-daily-weather-summaries-and-precipitation-notifications-from-carrot-weather",
"external_url": "https:\/\/thesweetsetup.com\/get-daily-weather-summaries-precipitation-notifications-carrot-weather\/",
"author": {
"name": "Rosemary Orchard"
},
"content_html": "If you use Carrot weather like I do then make sure you get the benefit of these notifications!<\/p>\n\n
Read it on The Sweet Setup<\/a><\/p>",
"content_text": "If you use Carrot weather like I do then make sure you get the benefit of these notifications!\n\nRead it on The Sweet Setup",
"tags": ""
},
{
"title": "OmniFocus 3 for Mac Sneak Peek",
"date_published": "2018-08-08T12:00:00+02:00",
"date_modified": "2018-08-08T13:54:38+02:00",
"id": "omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek",
"url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog\/omnifocus-3-mac-sneak-peek",
"external_url": null,
"author": {
"name": "Rosemary Orchard"
},
"content_html": " I am once again lucky enough to be in the early preview for OmniFocus 3 - this time on the Mac! What's important to keep in mind here is that this is a beta, and an early one at that - things can and likely will change between me writing this post and OmniFocus 3 for Mac being released - they may have already changed by the time you read this post!<\/p>\n\n
Stability<\/h3>\n
This is a beta app so there's no guarantees, for me the app has been very stable - but I'm also running it on High Sierra. However as the builds can literally be released every few hours (depending on what is being added or changed) this could change at the drop of a hat - so be warned \ud83d\ude09.<\/p>\n
The Icon<\/h3>\n
We have the sketch icon again! It's cute, and helpful to distinguish between the two apps in your dock. Personally I put OmniFocus 2 in a folder in Applications called \"OmniFocus 2\" and the beta in a folder called \"OmniFocus 3\" (yes, I was<\/em> feeling creative, however did you guess\u203d). This means if you launch the app via spotlight you get a helpful text hint about which version of the app you're launching too.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nForecast View<\/h3>\n
Interleaved tasks and calendar events have made their way to the Mac in the forecast view. This is really handy for putting my day together and I'm a big fan of this on iOS.<\/p>\n
<\/a>\n<\/a><\/p>\nI find this view much more beneficial than the gantt style view in OmniFocus 2, just because it brings everything together.<\/p>\n
Appearance<\/h3>\n
OmniFocus looks different now, for example the toolbar across the top is much slimmer and by default includes fewer actions - though as always you can customise it by right clicking on it to add more options. The sidebar where the perspectives (and any starred custom perspectives) are listed, as well as the area where the project or tag list is shown have a dark background too, which I find helps me focus on the tasks area - the important things!<\/p>\n
<\/a>\n<\/a><\/p>\nOne place where you can see some subtle, but effective changes to the design is in the inspector. For example the status of the selected item has changed from a dropdown to segmented controls - the iOS equivalent of radio buttons (you have probably seen these in the maps app, to say that you want to see a map, transit, or satellite view). Tags of course have changed too, so that you could see multiple tags which are assigned to the current item at the same time.<\/p>\n
<\/a>\n<\/a><\/p>\nRepeats<\/h3>\n
In OmniFocus 3 for iOS we got custom repeats, and these have been brought over to the Mac as well. The place where this really shows is in the monthly where you can specify that a task should repeat on day X<\/code> of the month, or you can specify a repeat on the y<\/code>th z<\/code>day of each month (e.g. the second Tuesday). These repeats have come in very handy for me - for example I submit my timesheet for last month on the first Monday of the next month.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/a><\/p>\nCustom Perspectives<\/h3>\n
Another feature we're now seeing on the Mac is enhanced custom perspectives. You can build these by nesting rules - if you've used Hazel or created smart folders in Finder then you'll be familiar with creating the rules (click the +<\/code> to add a new one), and you can press ALT<\/code>++<\/code> to add a nested rule. A new feature here that's not yet on iOS is the ability to change the overarching rule, on iOS it defaults to \"all of\", and this can be changed to \"any of\" or \"none of\" in the new Mac version - though at the time of writing this doesn't yet sync to iOS.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/a><\/p>\nI'm very excited about the new OmniFocus 3 for Mac, and really looking forward to seeing how it evolves throughout the beta process!<\/p>",
"content_text": " I am once again lucky enough to be in the early preview for OmniFocus 3 - this time on the Mac! What's important to keep in mind here is that this is a beta, and an early one at that - things can and likely will change between me writing this post and OmniFocus 3 for Mac being released - they may have already changed by the time you read this post!\n\nStability\nThis is a beta app so there's no guarantees, for me the app has been very stable - but I'm also running it on High Sierra. However as the builds can literally be released every few hours (depending on what is being added or changed) this could change at the drop of a hat - so be warned \ud83d\ude09.\nThe Icon\nWe have the sketch icon again! It's cute, and helpful to distinguish between the two apps in your dock. Personally I put OmniFocus 2 in a folder in Applications called \"OmniFocus 2\" and the beta in a folder called \"OmniFocus 3\" (yes, I was feeling creative, however did you guess\u203d). This means if you launch the app via spotlight you get a helpful text hint about which version of the app you're launching too.\n\nForecast View\nInterleaved tasks and calendar events have made their way to the Mac in the forecast view. This is really handy for putting my day together and I'm a big fan of this on iOS.\n\n\nI find this view much more beneficial than the gantt style view in OmniFocus 2, just because it brings everything together.\nAppearance\nOmniFocus looks different now, for example the toolbar across the top is much slimmer and by default includes fewer actions - though as always you can customise it by right clicking on it to add more options. The sidebar where the perspectives (and any starred custom perspectives) are listed, as well as the area where the project or tag list is shown have a dark background too, which I find helps me focus on the tasks area - the important things!\n\n\nOne place where you can see some subtle, but effective changes to the design is in the inspector. For example the status of the selected item has changed from a dropdown to segmented controls - the iOS equivalent of radio buttons (you have probably seen these in the maps app, to say that you want to see a map, transit, or satellite view). Tags of course have changed too, so that you could see multiple tags which are assigned to the current item at the same time.\n\n\nRepeats\nIn OmniFocus 3 for iOS we got custom repeats, and these have been brought over to the Mac as well. The place where this really shows is in the monthly where you can specify that a task should repeat on day X of the month, or you can specify a repeat on the yth zday of each month (e.g. the second Tuesday). These repeats have come in very handy for me - for example I submit my timesheet for last month on the first Monday of the next month.\n\n\nCustom Perspectives\nAnother feature we're now seeing on the Mac is enhanced custom perspectives. You can build these by nesting rules - if you've used Hazel or created smart folders in Finder then you'll be familiar with creating the rules (click the + to add a new one), and you can press ALT++ to add a nested rule. A new feature here that's not yet on iOS is the ability to change the overarching rule, on iOS it defaults to \"all of\", and this can be changed to \"any of\" or \"none of\" in the new Mac version - though at the time of writing this doesn't yet sync to iOS.\n\n\nI'm very excited about the new OmniFocus 3 for Mac, and really looking forward to seeing how it evolves throughout the beta process!",
"tags": "omnifocus,sneak peek"
},
{
"title": "Workflow: Markdown To Nice PDF",
"date_published": "2018-08-07T08:00:00+02:00",
"date_modified": "2018-08-07T09:35:09+02:00",
"id": "workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf",
"url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog\/workflow-markdown-to-nice-pdf",
"external_url": null,
"author": {
"name": "Rosemary Orchard"
},
"content_html": "
Every so often I want to make a nice PDF from some text which is currently formatted in Markdown and I often do this by sharing the text to Workflow. Unfortunately by default when you make rich text from markdown in Workflow you end up with something like this:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yes, that's Times New Roman. Not a font I usually use by choice. Thankfully however it's quite simple to fix this with my Workflow. This can be accomplished in a number of ways, I convert the rich text to HTML, replace the <body><\/code> tag with one containing a HTML inline style (<body style=\"font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;\"><\/code>), make rich text from that HTML, and then make the PDF. The body in HTML is where all of your content is, so this will then apply to all of your text. If you just wanted to change the first level of headings, you could replace the <h1><\/code> tags instead. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This is how the whole Workflow runs:<\/p>\n
\n-
Make Rich Text from Markdown<\/code><\/li>\n-
Make HTML from Rich Text<\/code><\/li>\n-
Replace Text<\/code>, this is where I replace the body<\/code> tag.<\/li>\n-
Make Rich Text from HTML<\/code><\/li>\n-
Make PDF<\/code>, make sure that include margin<\/code> is enabled otherwise the PDF looks funny.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nBonus: The PDF contains the text as well, so it's searchable and also accessible. All you need to do is to add an action at the end of the Workflow to make it do what you want with it, you could quick look it, share it, open it in another application or save it somewhere you choose!<\/p>\n
You can get the simplest workflow here: Markdown To Nice PDF<\/a><\/p>\nIt would also be possible to link a style sheet, such as the [Pure CSS] one, by adding the css link to the <head><\/code> tag, the caveat of this is most pre-built CSS files work best when you add classes to sections (e.g. <table><\/code> would be <table class=\"pure-table\"><\/code>), which will require many more Replace Text<\/code> actions if you want to account for all the possibilities.<\/p>\nIf you want the Pure CSS version<\/a> is also available.<\/p>",
"content_text": " Every so often I want to make a nice PDF from some text which is currently formatted in Markdown and I often do this by sharing the text to Workflow. Unfortunately by default when you make rich text from markdown in Workflow you end up with something like this:\n",
"tags": "workflow,markdown,pdf"
},
{
"title": "Automators 3: Sal Soghoian uses AppleScript to turn a Numbers Sheet into a Keynote Chart",
"date_published": "2018-08-03T20:45:00+02:00",
"date_modified": "2018-08-03T20:43:54+02:00",
"id": "automators-episode-3-sal-soghoian-applescript-numbers-keynote",
"url": "https:\/\/www.rosemaryorchard.com\/blog\/automators-episode-3-sal-soghoian-applescript-numbers-keynote",
"external_url": null,
"author": {
"name": "Rosemary Orchard"
},
"content_html": " In the third episode of Automators we are joined by Sal Soghoian, AppleScript God, to learn about AppleScript and how to use it! <\/p>\n
While David and I usually take it in turns to write up everything about the show and provide complete documentation, Sal's actually done that for this week:<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nYou can find the scripts, videos, and a complete breakdown of everything over at macOSautomation<\/a>, along with all of Sal's other things. <\/p>\nIn this show Sal gave us 3 AppleScripts. The first takes a whole table, and converts it into a bar chart in Keynote, the second takes a row or column and makes a pie chart, and the final one takes selected rows and turns them into a chart.<\/p>\n