This is part two in the series. [In part one](http://www.macdrifter.com/2014/01/deconstructing-my-omnifocus-dependency.html), I discussed the rules and detail designs of a plain text based task management experiment. The tag and project structure in the TaskPaper format is flexible and easy to comprehend. But the system is only as good as the tools available for working with the documents. In this article, I’ll document a broad set of tools available on various platforms for working with TaskPaper documents. This will not be a description of the “ideal” but rather a catalog of options. Some work very well and some are unsatisfying. I’ll also mix-in some of my own custom tools and conclude with a small initiative to help expand on the available tools. If you are looking for a solution, this is not it. If you are looking for my R&D notes, then you’re at the right address. One of the great things about plain text systems like TaskPaper is that pretty much any application that can read and write txt files can do the basics. The downside is that most tools _just_ do the basics. I’m attempting to string together many disparate applications and scripts to accomplish what OmniFocus does with a single platform.[1](#fn:1) Some solutions work almost perfectly without any tweaking but on iOS, it’s a Sisyphean feat to have full control over a task list. I’ll lay out what I’ve found and how I’m attempting to use it below. ### Alarming Events Let’s clear this up right away. TaskPaper and similar apps are not active tools. They don’t grab you any more than a paper notebook would. While OmniFocus incorporates alerts at a basic level, it’s never been my preferred tool for reminders. I’ve always found OmniFocus to be too passive and easily dismissed (or missed) to rely on the notifications. I’ve used Due.app on [Mac](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/due/id524373870?mt=12&uo=4&at=11l5Ug) and [iOS](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/due-super-fast-reminders-reusable/id390017969?mt=8&uo=4&at=11l5Ug) for quite awhile. There’s a lot to like about Due. It has terrific plain-english syntax and flexible repeat reminders. Because the apps all sync through Dropbox or iCloud, I’m much more likely to get the message. Due.app also has a great URL scheme which means that it can integrate well with Drafts or Editorial. There are also a few downsides to Due.app. The syncing requires me to open the app on iOS periodically. It’s not a terrible burden, but also not ideal. Second, Due is outside of my other scheduling apps, like calendars and Outlook. It’s nice having a place to see everything in the coming week all at once. It’s also not easy to segregate and categorize all of the reminders in the Due app. Some are for work and some are for personal tasks. But in Due, it’s just one long list of everything. Apple’s Reminders.app is a viable alternative to Due.[2](#fn:2) It integrates with various calendar apps, including Outlook by way of Exchange. With apps like [Fantastical](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fantastical-2-calendar-reminders/id718043190?mt=8&uo=4&at=11l5Ug), I can use plain English to enter an alert. Reminders syncs across iOS, Mac and Exchange and includes a web app option when all else fails. The Reminders app provides enough customization for repeating tasks and includes options for location based reminders, which I rarely use. The big benefit to Reminders is that I can categorize groups of reminders and share them with my wife. While I appreciate the complex repeating options available in Due.app, I’ll probably stick with Reminders.app for all of the other reasons, not to mention that **it’s pretty hard to miss an alert from Reminders**. ### TaskPaper for Mac This falls into the “Almost Perfect” category. Being the origin of the format, the [Mac application](http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/products/taskpaper) TaskPaper supports all of the syntax I need. Through AppleScript, anything that’s not immediately available can be added. TaskPaper obviously shares it’s streamlined interface with the closely related Mac app, WriteRoom, from the same developer. The interface is sparse, which is a nice change from many of the toolbar laden apps I’ve worked with. While the basic themes in TaskPaper are pleasant, they feel a little dated. I’ve switched to the excellent [HelvetiCan Theme](https://gist.github.com/tundramonkey/5056539). #### TaskPaper Query Language The single most powerful feature of TaskPaper is the smart search which replicates and exceeds “Perspectives” in OmniFocus. Using the logical and powerful query syntax, it’s possible to slice and dice a large task list at will. The syntax is a combination of natural language and attribute flags. The TaskPaper documentation describes it as an attribute search term relationship: :::text For example, to limit the view to a single project, use the obvious project Trash Compactor Malfunction or use a the attribute syntax project=Trash Compactor Malfunction. You can also use the relation operator “contains” for more general queries like project contains Trash to find all projects that contain the word “Trash”. Working with tags is equally flexible. Any tag, including completely arbitrary tags, can be search. For example, given some tags like @parsecs(1) @parsecs(2) you can construct an apparently logical query like @parsecs < 2 to find all tasks and projects with an @parsecs tags with attributes less than 2. An extremely valuable option is to negate a specific tag. For example I generally append not @done to a most queries so that I do not see the tasks or projects that are complete. Date attributes are also valuable search options in TaskPaper and respond to boolean syntax such as @start < 2014-02-02. Through combinations of search terms and attribute relations, there’s a huge variety of options in TaskPaper to evaluate a project or a day’s activities. Here’s some that I’ve found particularly useful: In Progress Tasks: :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and (@started or @draft or @waiting or @today) Stalled Tasks: :::text not @done and not @cancel and (@hold or @waiting) Available Tasks: :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and (@start <= 2014-02-02 or @due <= 2014-02-02 or @today) All Tasks and Projects with a due date (+d shows descendants as well): :::text @due+d #### Saved Searches in TaskPaper for Mac The most significant drawback to TaskPaper for Mac is that it lacks the ability to save and organize these smart searches. Luckily, there are a few solutions. First, are TextExpander shortcuts. Expand a shortcut to instantly narrow the task list. There’s more power here that an initial glance might suggest. TextExpander has excellent support for time-stamp math which opens an entirely new level of sophistication in TaskPaper queries. I’ve mapped the “Available Tasks” query about to the following TextExpander shortcut: :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and (@start <= %Y-%m-%d or @due <= %Y-%m-%d or @today) This is simple enough. The date placeholders are expanded to today’s current date. Here’s a variant to show all items available soon: :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and (@start <= %@+5D%Y-%m-%d or @due <= %@+5D%Y-%m-%d or @today) This uses the TextExpander date math to expand the date for 5 days in the future and limits the TaskPaper list to all items with an @due or @start date less than or equal to that date. #### Diversion: TextExpander One of the easiest ways to get around the lack of saved searches in TaskPaper is through the use of TextExpander snippets. This is a basic filter for late tasks. It uses the TextExpander date functions to look for anything tagged with a @due date of today or earlier. :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and @due <= %Y-%m-%d This snippet is useful for checking on Available Tasks: :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and (@start <= %Y-%m-%d or @due <= %Y-%m-%d or @today) Here’s a TextExpander snippet for tasks and projects that will be available in the next 5 days. It uses the Date Math function to automatically enter the date 5 days in the future: :::text not @done and not @cancel and not @hold and (@start <= %@+5D%Y-%m-%d or @due <= %@+5D%Y-%m-%d or @today) Any of these snippets can be applied on the fly and combined with other search terms. So, if you want to look at overdue tasks on a specific project, just enter project contains Trash followed by the snippet shortcut. #### More Options for Controlling TaskPaper I’ve employed Keyboard Maestro as a helper application for some my more obscure saved searches.[3](#fn:3) Rather than write TextExpander snippets and create separate macros, I use KM to enter the TE snippets. The macro group is pretty simple in functionality. It activates TaskPaper and expands the snippet in the search field. TaskPaper is a highly scriptable application. I’ve discovered that almost anything I want to accomplish is accessible through AppleScript. Just browse through the TaskPaper [AppleScript Wiki](http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/wiki/TaskPaperAppleScripts) to get an idea of the wide variety of tools being developed to work with the application. [There’s a script](http://www.hogbaysoftware.com/wiki/UseSiriWithTaskPaper) to move tasks from a Reminders list into TaskPaper. Or how about [moving tasks from TaskPaper](http://macintoshguy.wordpress.com/2013/01/09/taskpaper-to-reminders-applescript-version-two/) to the Reminders app? If you’re a BusyCal user, then grab the [TaskPaper to BusyCal bundle](https://github.com/glvnst/time_management/blob/master/taskpaper2busycal.py). There’s a [Script to convert TaskPaper entry types](https://github.com/jeredb/taskpaper-applescript-benoit). Or if you want to go full-nerd then check out the [Taskpap

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