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Ricci Adams · Mar 17, 2003, 05:23 PM

Some of you may already use Check Off 1.0, a to-do list that resides in your menu bar.

Over the past few weeks I have been working on Check Off 2.0, which will include several new features such as task groups, exporting to HTML/XML, printing, etc.

Here is a screenshot of the latest build:

Does anybody have any comments on this screenshot? Are there any major features you would like to see in version 2.0?

Thanks!
Ricci Adams

midwinter · Mar 17, 2003, 08:34 PM

I've never used it before, but I am now! Just the kind of thing I've been looking for.

Looks good. Here are my thoughts:

1) No need to let me know what percentage of items have been checked off. Perhaps make that configurable? I think I'd find it depressing sometimes

2) Need to be able to drag/reorder the tasks
3) Once I've added a blank task, I shouldn't have to double-click on it to then enter the text. It should be auto-selected. Is there any way to do this?

I like the new look. Need a beta-tester?

Cheers
Scott

CheesePuff · Mar 17, 2003, 08:48 PM

Wow, looks great! Will it still be free?

Now there is some real competition for BurnoutMenu.

decursive · Mar 17, 2003, 08:53 PM

i like how watching tv constitutes 50% of the three fun items...

edit: i just noticed the girlfriend one wasn't indented. maybe all the ones that don't have a category could go into a default "other" category.

midwinter · Mar 17, 2003, 09:05 PM

Originally posted by decursive:
i like how watching tv constitutes 50% of the three fun items...

edit: i just noticed the girlfriend one wasn't indented. maybe all the ones that don't have a category could go into a default "other" category.

Ooh! I hadn't noticed that. What if, instead, groups were able to be checked, and so groups with some (but not all) items checked gets a dash in it, but not a check until everything's complete.

That way, you'd be able to have checkboxes in a line down the lefthand side.

Cheers
Scott

Ricci Adams · Mar 17, 2003, 09:41 PM

Originally posted by midwinter:
Ooh! I hadn't noticed that. What if, instead, groups were able to be checked, and so groups with some (but not all) items checked gets a dash in it, but not a check until everything's complete.

That way, you'd be able to have checkboxes in a line down the lefthand side.

Cheers
Scott

Right now I am hiding the group checkboxes in order to make the program visually appealing. Checkboxes in a line down the lefthand side doesn't allow your brain to chunk your task into groups very well.

Eventually I will have the check boxes indented like the task.

Ricci Adams · Mar 17, 2003, 09:44 PM

Originally posted by CheesePuff:
Wow, looks great! Will it still be free?

Now there is some real competition for BurnoutMenu.

I think that I will probably have two versions of Check Off.

The free version will basically be what 1.0 is now (no groups, no import/export, etc). The registered version will add all the good features

I am thinking about pricing it somewhere around $3.95. It will definitely be cheaper than the competition though

CheesePuff · Mar 17, 2003, 10:11 PM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
I think that I will probably have two versions of Check Off.

The free version will basically be what 1.0 is now (no groups, no import/export, etc). The registered version will add all the good features

I am thinking about pricing it somewhere around $3.95. It will definitely be cheaper than the competition though

Price is too low and nobody will buy it, and the small amount of people who do, you will make very very little.

Priceing is a very hard part of shareware... from what I see I'd use $6.95 or so, or the same price ($5.95).

midwinter · Mar 17, 2003, 11:01 PM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
Right now I am hiding the group checkboxes in order to make the program visually appealing. Checkboxes in a line down the lefthand side doesn't allow your brain to chunk your task into groups very well.

Eventually I will have the check boxes indented like the task.

Actually, what I'm talking about is something like this:

Except that instead of a full check for a partially completed *set* of tasks, you'd have a line through the checkbox. Once all items in a group are complete, you get the full check.

I hope this makes sense.

Cheers
Scott

edit: those vertical lines are a product of my poor photoshop skills

headbirth · Mar 17, 2003, 11:08 PM

Nice update! Color prioritizing would be great! Color provides faster recognition!

mdc · Mar 17, 2003, 11:15 PM

any chance of it working with the iCal todo list?

i use the iCal list, and i do not want to have to update two lists.

---edit---
i just downloaded version 1.
here are a few things i noticed:
1.the option that when the program is opened not to have that _genie_ animation.
2.when another application is made active check off hides itself
---/edit---

headbirth · Mar 17, 2003, 11:43 PM

I think it should have a calender and cron features at the top. Clicking a date brings up those ToDo's etc.... When an event is due the check mark turns red...that type of thing :-)

fetopher · Mar 18, 2003, 12:06 AM

If you really want to get fancy, it could look into iCal and automatically create to do's from the to do list AND the calander. If I had a meeting at 10 AM, it would put a new to do that read meeting at 10 AM. Make sense?

Ricci Adams · Mar 18, 2003, 01:28 AM

I wanted to post a screenshot of the new build. I have tried to incorporate some of your ideas.

That new button in between the folder and the X will eventually cycle the color of an item/group.

midwinter · Mar 18, 2003, 01:36 AM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
I wanted to post a screenshot of the new build. I have tried to incorporate some of your ideas.

That new button in between the folder and the X will eventually cycle the color of an item/group.

YES!!! Much better! I'd still rather have the triangle on the other side of the checkbox (that way the arrow points directly at the column of boxes to which it applies), but this is definitely an improvement! I also like prefer the outline boxes as opposed to the 3D ones.

Well done!

Cheers
Scott

Ricci Adams · Mar 18, 2003, 01:52 AM

Originally posted by midwinter:
YES!!! Much better! I'd still rather have the triangle on the other side of the checkbox (that way the arrow points directly at the column of boxes to which it applies), but this is definitely an improvement! I also like prefer the outline boxes as opposed to the 3D ones.

Well done!

Cheers
Scott

I'm still not sure about the outline check boxes, but it is needed if I want to do colorization.

Looks like I won't be submitting Check Off for an Apple Design Award anytime soon, since I am breaking just about every rule of the Aqua Human Interface Guidelines

midwinter · Mar 18, 2003, 02:01 AM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
I'm still not sure about the outline check boxes, but it is needed if I want to do colorization.

Looks like I won't be submitting Check Off for an Apple Design Award anytime soon, since I am breaking just about every rule of the Aqua Human Interface Guidelines

I don't know. HIG: Radio Buttons and Checkboxes.

Regardless, it looks much better and seems far more intuitive.

Cheers
Scott

decursive · Mar 18, 2003, 02:13 AM

i don't see why groups need checkboxes. only items should need them. for groups you can just put a X/X to the right of it. Like 2/3 meaning two of the three task complete.

also, i think it'd be neat to have the group color priority be the average of the remaing item priorites. on that note the items should have the priority color removed when they are checked off.

Ricci Adams · Mar 18, 2003, 02:17 AM

I will try it the other way and see how it looks.

As far as coloring, this is the current scheme I have thought of:

blue = low
green = mid-low
black = normal
orange = mid-high
red = high.

Basically the standard order of colors, Blue-Red, but with Yellow being replaced with Black.

midwinter · Mar 18, 2003, 02:18 AM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
I will try it the other way and see how it looks.

As far as coloring, this is the current scheme I have thought of:

blue = low
green = mid-low
black = normal
orange = mid-high
red = high.

Basically the standard order of colors, Blue-Red, but with Yellow being replaced with Black.

Is there any way you could make it user-configurable?

Cheers
Scott

Ricci Adams · Mar 18, 2003, 02:21 AM

Originally posted by midwinter:
Is there any way you could make it user-configurable?

Cheers
Scott

Sure thing. That will just be the default

Pressing the "color cycle" button will up the priority, Shift-clicking it will lower the priority most likely.

midwinter · Mar 18, 2003, 02:23 AM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
Sure thing. That will just be the default

Pressing the "color cycle" button will up the priority, Shift-clicking it will lower the priority most likely.

Cool! But what I meant was whether you could make the colors themselves user-assignable. That is, can I PICK the colors I want to use?

Cheers
Scott

Ricci Adams · Mar 18, 2003, 02:28 AM

Sorry about that, I guess I gave too much information and was confusing

Yep, the colors will be user customizable. You will probably also be able to select the number of colors you want.

midwinter · Mar 18, 2003, 02:30 AM

Originally posted by Ricci Adams:
Sorry about that, I guess I gave too much information and was confusing

Yep, the colors will be user customizable. You will probably also be able to select the number of colors you want.

Excellent. My biggest beef with iCal is taken care of!

Cheers
Scott

tikki · Mar 18, 2003, 06:28 PM

No Metal interface. it clashes being right up against the aqua menubar IMO.

Gul Banana · Mar 19, 2003, 10:16 AM

Much agreement with tikki is espoused by a person very similar to me.

nforcer · Mar 19, 2003, 10:34 AM

It looks pretty nice thus far. However, first thing I will do when I download it is rename it to "Chekov" and change its icon to that of our favorite Russian from Star Trek

Rastar · Mar 19, 2003, 10:44 AM

I like the "Looks"
Now concentrate on the code, clean it up, test and test- then release it.

Summer is coming- get a girl !

Ilja · Mar 19, 2003, 12:13 PM

Looking good, but it would be a killer-app if you could link it with iCal

headbirth · Mar 19, 2003, 12:33 PM

Not necessarily iCal, but adding support for alarms would be nice!

Ilja · Mar 19, 2003, 12:35 PM

I meant more an integration with the iCal tasklist

Peter · Mar 19, 2003, 01:52 PM

Looks so cool, when will it be released? I will use burnout menu until this new version is done. Then let the uhm menu to do items battle!

OwlBoy · Mar 19, 2003, 03:55 PM

Sweet!

Ricci Adams · Mar 19, 2003, 10:51 PM

Colors in the newest build!

Don't worry though, I will choose better colors for the final

juanvaldes · Mar 20, 2003, 03:26 AM

any reason why group 1 is red and orange where the other two groups are single colors?

Ricci Adams · Mar 20, 2003, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by juanvaldes:
any reason why group 1 is red and orange where the other two groups are single colors?

I just wanted to show that you could have different colors for groups and items.

Clicking on an item and pressing the color button will change the color for just that item.

Clicking on a group and pressing the color button will change the color for every item in that group