Custom project form available

[Bollinger]

Hi all!

I've made my work on a custom project form for GTD available for download
as an attachement to this message. (See post http://www.davidco.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3812 for details).

Disclaimer:
This is not a product of any kind, just an unsupported contribution to the forum of the custom form I'm using with GTD. Be careful when playing around with forms in Outlook so you don't loose any data.
This form is used with Outlook 2003 and the compatibility with other Outlook versions is unknown. I advise you to backup your existing data before use. Use it at your own risk.

Installation:
1. Unzip GTD-Template.fdm from attachment
2. Go to "Tools/Options/Other/Advanced options/Custom Forms"
3. Make sure "Personal Forms" is choosen in the upper right textbox
4. Choose "Install" and point to the extracted GTD-Template.fdm file
5. Change the default "Task folder" property "When posting to this folder, use:" to the newly installed form. ("Forms../Personal Forms Library")
6. Mark "Use custom form in Task folder" under "Other settings" in GTD-properties ("Tools/Options/Getting things done")
7. Now hopefully when creating new projects from the GTD-addin should result in using the new form.
8. If you want to choose "Master project" in the new form, register a new GTD-project for each master project with prefix "$MP:". ex "$MP:Home" adds
a entry to the list named "Home". Master projects can be filtered out from
project views in outlook just by adding a filter "Subject + doesn't contain + $MP:"

Converting existing projects (again, be careful...):
Exisiting GTD-projects must be converted to use the new form insted of the stadard Task-form. This can be done with programs changing the messageclass of Outlook items, for example DocMessageClass (http://www.msexchangefaq.de/tools/docmessageclass.htm).

Be careful not changing the whole Task-folder to the new message class. This would force all existing NA-items to use the form and that is not the intention. Just the GTD project tasks should be converted

Instead move all GTD-projects to a newly created task folder and change the messageclass of that folder from "IPM.Task" to "IPM.Task.GTD-Template". Then move the projects back to the original folder.

There might be a problem converting "start dates"/"due dates"/"reminder dates" to the new form so write it down before converting existing projects and register them again after conversion.

Outlook views can be customized to include sorting/filtering on the custom fields in the new form. In "Field Chooser" select "User-defined fields in folder" and include any of the items starting with "GTD" in the view.

Voila, now everything should work as expected (hopefully).

If anybody has problems, I'll try to be as helpful as I can.

Regards
Mattias

[olemann]

Dear Mattias,

I was thrilled when I saw your project form the othe day in the discussion forum. This seemed to be what so many of us have been looking for for quite some time - and which would strongly add to the functionality of the Add-In.

Thank you very much for sharing: I'm quite sure you must have invested a considerable amount of work in the design. It is therefore with some reluctance I come forward with my problem: I tried your excellent step-by-step instruction, but I still get the regular task-form when I select New Task!

The task form shows Untitled - GTD Template at the top and contain the regular GTD Add-In menu bar.

When selection Actions/New GTD-Template from the Outlook menu, I get the same form. I've checked that GTD-Template is selected when I look up in "Properties/General/When posting to this folder". Also that I have checked "Using custom form" under the GTD settings.

Any help/pointers or experience others have had to in how to make the form work, would be very much welcome (I easily admit that I do not have any expertise in using Outlook forms).

kind regards,
Ole

[Bollinger]

Hi Ole!

You are doing everything right! The form should work as described in your post.

Because this form only applies to GTD-projects and not regular NA and regular tasks the customized form will not appear until you create a project using the GTD addin's "Manage projects" button ("Tools/Options/Getting Things Done").

It seems like the GTD addin is doing some hidden operations when creating a project using the "Manage projects" wich I could not repeat in my form.

Therefore you'll have to create a project "the old way," via the GTD addin, and then open the newly created project. Then the custom form should appear!

Regards
Mattias

[rwichmann]

I have converted my projects all over to the new form, and I plan on using this for 21 days to judge the form. So far it looks great and seems to perform well.


Thanks!

Roger Wichmann

[olemann]

Hi Mattias,

thanks for the comment. Got it now: the form works fine. I have now converted my old projects using the new form and feel I have a much better overview of my projects.

Thanks,

Ole

[joeycan]

Mattias,

So far I am very impressed with this form and basically will allow my implementation for GTD to improve even further and I am looking forward to the task forms.

Thanks for sharing this great tool.


Regards,

Joey

[MarcusSommer]

Hi Mattias

would love to implement your custom form. However trying to open the GTD-Other Settings I receive an error that it failed. The Details of the error are:

PropPage.cmdOtherSettings_Click <Line276>
Failed to update Settings
13 (D)

GTDCOntrols
Type mismatch

Unfortunately creating a new profile will not do the trick as it just happened that I recreated a new profile as we changed our servers.

I'm running concurrently FranklinCovey PlanPlus.

Any help much appreciated.

EnjoyLife&ShareIt,

Marcus

[KevinR]

Thanks Mattias, for sharing your custom form with the rest of us. It's working great :)

[Bollinger]

Hi Mattias

would love to implement your custom form. However trying to open the GTD-Other Settings I receive an error that it failed. The Details of the error are:

PropPage.cmdOtherSettings_Click <Line276>
Failed to update Settings
13 (D)

GTDCOntrols
Type mismatch

Unfortunately creating a new profile will not do the trick as it just happened that I recreated a new profile as we changed our servers.

I'm running concurrently FranklinCovey PlanPlus.

Any help much appreciated.

EnjoyLife&ShareIt,

Marcus

Hi Marcus!

Your error is caused by the GTD-addin and not by the custom form.
When you access the "Other Settings" only code from the addin is executed.

Have you tried to reinstall the GTD-addin?

Regards
Mattias

[MarcusSommer]

Hi Mattias

gosh, I should be old enough to have thought of that :-)
I re-installed it and voila, here it was, the Other Settings dialog.

Your form seems to work fine now, following your instructions on how to create a project.

Now I am going to convert the old projects.
Thank you very MUCH!

EnjoyLife&ShareIt,

Marcus

[bhiggs]

The form looks great!

How are you utilizing the Project/Goal drop down, the Master Projects, and Dependent Project lists?

Bill

[Unregistered]

Hi Mattias

This looks SOOOOOO great - I'm getting a 'script error' as below

If objItem.Categories = "Projects" Then
If objItem.Complete = False Then
If Mid(objItem.Subject, 1, 3) <> "$MP" Then
linkProject.AddItem objItem.Subject
End If
End If
End If
Next

linkProject.AddItem "",0

End Function

What am I doing wrong - this looks like exactly what I need.

Any help very very much appreciated. Fiona

[Bollinger]

bhiggs:
The project/goal list is just a possibility to specify a goal rather then a project. I've followed the discussion regarding the difference of goals and projects there are many different opinions so I'd thought it would be nice to make it a personal decision to use it or not.
Master Projects is an option to group your projects instead of just having av long list of projects with no furher grouping. It gives you a greater overview of your projects.
You can utilize the Outlook views, meaning that you for example, could define a Outlook view named "Active Projects at Home" and just filter out all projects that have "Home" as a master project.
Dependent projects is a possibility to mark a relationship between two projects. Say you going to buy a new house and have a project for this. You'll certainly also have a project for selling your old house.
If project "Buy new house" should come to a successful outcome (or at least give you money to pay the house ;) ), "Sell old house" must be achieved. So "Buy new house" is dependent of "Sell old house".


Fiona:
The code you are referring to is used to fill the list with "Dependent Project", i.e. all projects that are not complete or a master project.

Could you provide me with a few more details about this error? I guess you're getting the error when the form opens? Have you defined any GTD projects? Is your "Dependent Project" list empty after you get this error?


Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[Unregistered]

Hi Mattias

Yes, I get this error when I open this form - It says 'an exception run time error has occured in script - if I choose NOT to debug it will open the new project form - but 'Projects' is in the 'Actions' field on the form - then the error says 'one or more items in the folder you were trying to synchronise does not match - delete the conflict etc...

I have defined GTD projects and get this error on trying to open them - the dependent project list is blank - but I have defined some major projects.

Regards, Fiona

[Unregistered]

on looking further into this - the master project drop down is blank and the dependent project list is on filled with projects I have created since installing the new form - I have not change the old class of all my old projects yet

[Bollinger]

The list in "Dependent Projects" gets all GTD project tasks in the default task folder that are created from the GTD-addin "Manage Projects" dialog.

Have you cheked that your "old" GTD projects exists in the default task folder in Outlook? Also check if "When posting to this folder..." property on the default task folder points to the installed custom form.

"Master Projects" is a GTD-project prefixed with "$MP:" (entered the same way as above.). Have you created a project like that? Then it should appear
in the "master project" list on the form.

The error in your post (''one or more items in the folder you were trying to synchronise...') must be a GTD-addin specific message.

Maybe you should try to reinstall the addin if nothing else helps.

Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[MarcusSommer]

Thank You Mattias.

Awesome.

EnjoyLife&ShareIt,

Marcus

[morberg]

This looks great, and I've managed to get it up and running for newly created projects. What I did not understand was how to convert old projects. Do I need to write some VB to take care of this, or is it possible to do manually?

Perhaps someone has already written the code needed to convert and could share it here?

[vauha27]

Mattias,

I'd really appreciate it, if you could elaborate a little bit more on the different steps of installing your form.

Whenever I try to access the form I get an scripting error and a debugger pops up showing an error in line 27.

"Microsoft Office Outlook: Die angegebene Seite existiert nicht oder unterstützt diesen Vorgang nicht."

This translates into something like:

"Microsoft Office Outlook: The referred page doesn't exist or does not support this procedure."

Dim objInsp
Dim objPage
Dim lstNA
Dim txtNA
Dim lstHistory
Dim linkProject
Dim masterProject
Dim dtStart
Dim dtDue
Dim dtReminderDate
Dim cboReminderTime
Dim chkReminder
Dim cboMasterProject
Dim objHistoryList
Dim cboType
Dim isProject

Function Item_Open()
Set objInsp = Item.GetInspector
If Item.Categories = "Projects" Then
objInsp.HideFormPage "Task"
objInsp.ShowFormPage "Project"
initializeProjectForm()
isProject = True
objInsp.SetCurrentFormPage("Project")
Else
objInsp.ShowFormPage "Task"
********************************* line above is marked with a yellow arrow
objInsp.HideFormPage "Project"
isProject = False
objInsp.SetCurrentFormPage("Task")
End If

End Function



My Win XP is "german" as my Outlook 2003. Could this be the reason for the form not running properly?

TIA

Volker

[Bollinger]

Morberg:

I've described this in my first post in this thread (under Converting old projects), but I'll try to give you a more detailed explanation:

There is something called "MessageClass" in Oulook. This messageclass
describes the different types of objects availible in Outlook (mail, task, contact etc).

The standard "MessageClass" for a Task is "IPM.Task". Because all GTD projects are Outlook Tasks they have the "IPM.Task" type.

The custom form I made has a different "MessageClass" called "IPM.Task.GTD-Template".

This means you'll have to convert your existing GTD project Tasks (type "IPM.Task") to "IPM.Task.GTD-Template". After that, when opening a converted task (project), the new form will appear.

So, for conversion of exsisting tasks "MessageClass" you can use a program (ex DocMessageClass (http://www.msexchangefaq.de/tools/docmessageclass.htm) ).
This program allows you to select a folder and convert between installed messageclasses (the cusom form installs the messageclass to use).

Try to follow this guide and you'll be up and running soon

0.5 I assume you did a correct installation as a first step.
1. Choose "Properties" for your default task folder (containing your projects and NA tasks) and select "Forms..." in the list right of option "When posting to this folder, use:".
2. Choose "Personal Forms Library" in "Look in" list at the top of the dialog.
3. Mark "GTD-Template" in list and select "Open"
4. Press "OK"
5. Create a new task folder in Outlook (ex "tmp") by right-clicking on default task folder and select "New folder"
6. Drag and drop only your old GTD projects tasks from default folder to the new folder.
7. Choose "Properties" for folder "tmp" and select "Forms..." in the list right of option "When posting to this folder, use:".
8. Choose "Personal Forms Library" in "Look in" list at the top of the dialog.
9. Mark "GTD-Template" in list and select "Open"
10. Press "OK"
11. Download and run DocMessageClass (http://www.msexchangefaq.de/tools/docmessageclass.htm)
12. Press the "Show Folders" button
13. In the list to the left in the program, select your "tmp" folder and select "IPM.Task" in list "Change messageclass from".
14. In "Change messageclass to" select "IPM.Task.GTD-Template"
15. Then press "Convert Messageclass"
16. Then you're up and running with the new form for your old projects!! :-D



Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[Bollinger]

Volker

I think you are correct about the language conflict.

I assume the "Task" tab is not named "Task" in your Outlook edition?

If that's the case try to do the following:

Open the custom project form (cancelling error message).
Choose "Tools/Forms/Design this Form"
Goto "Form/View Code"

In the function named Function Item_Open() change all "Task" strings (not "Project") to what the tab is called in the German edition (sorry, I'm from Sweden... ;) )

Then press "Publish Form" in the toolbar, choose "Personal Forms Library" and overwrite the existing "GTD-Template" entry.

Exit and restart Outlook.

Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[morberg]

Morberg:

I've described this in my first post in this thread (under Converting old projects), but I'll try to give you a more detailed explanation:


Thanks a bunch! Did you edit the first post? I can't remember seeing a link to DocMessageClass previously, but maybe I wasn't paying attention. Anyway, that was the part I was missing.

[Unregistered]

Question on the Convert to Next Action Button, does it auto populate the NA in the task window? IF so, that doesn't seem to work with my setup.

[vauha27]

Mattias,

you deserve the title outlook wizard. The Tab is called "Aufgaben" (=tasks) and this didn't work but I used "Aufgabe" (=task) instead and now it seems to be ok.

Feature request :-)

History tracks the creation of new next actions but not their completion. Is there any way to get this tracked without having to enter it manually? Ideally the tracked entry would be made whenever the task is checked off as complete.

Thanks for sharing

Volker

[bhiggs]

Is there anyway to set it so that it would use the standard task icon instead of the posted note icon? The standard icon would show you at a glance if you had a repeating task, while the posted note does not.

Bill.

[Bollinger]

Question on the Convert to Next Action Button, does it auto populate the NA in the task window? IF so, that doesn't seem to work with my setup.

Yes, by pressing the button a new task is shown with values filld in for "Project" (with the subject from the project form you are viewing) and "Subject" (selected row in future na list). "Action" is not transferred.

Volker:
Yes, I've thought of this myself. Count it in for the next version ;)

bhiggs:
Interesting! I'll look into if I could use the default icon.

Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[Unregistered]

Just a quick question - would using MS Exchange with Outlook 2003 make a difference?

Regards, Fiona

[Bollinger]

Just a quick question - would using MS Exchange with Outlook 2003 make a difference?

Regards, Fiona

That should not be a problem.

Regards
Mattias

[Shane]

It looks like a really useful form - but any thoughts on how this could be used or modified to be used without GTD outlook add in?

[vauha27]

Just a quick question - would using MS Exchange with Outlook 2003 make a difference?

Regards, Fiona

Fiona,

we run Outllook 2003 with an exchange server and it works, even when outlook is offline (I use a tablet pc).

Volker

[Bollinger]

It looks like a really useful form - but any thoughts on how this could be used or modified to be used without GTD outlook add in?

Sure it can! There are a few things with this form that are specific
to the GTD-addin.

1. When creating new NA from the button "Create Next Action" custom
propery "Project" are used. This property is defined by the GTD-addin and
stores a reference to the assigned project.

2. A GTD-addin project is a regular task with the category-field set to "Projects". This handling is also specific in this form.

But after all, the GTD-addin is just a way to create tasks in Outlook (+ the GTD toolbar) so you can build your own GTD-addin pretty easy.

Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[joeycan]

Quick question to everyone who is using this awsome form.

I am trying to generate a project view of a master project for example project home, all sub home projects and associated next actions to these projects. I am assuming in order to do this that I need to add a field to the regular task form which allows me to associate the next action to a master project. This way I can do a view using a filter for master project=home, thus showing all projects and next actions. or is there a simpler way of doing this?

Cheers

Joey

[Shane Lindsay]

Thanks for the tips regarding using this form without the plugin. I have learnt a lot about outlook in the last hour. I think I have it working, and I share how for anyone who wants to give it a try - the only bit I am not clear about is how to implement master projects.

-Install the form as suggested.
-Create a new task, and set the category to Projects (case sensitive and no other categories). Close and save. You get a script error but ignore that.
-Open the task, and it loads using the special project form.
-You can use the form as normal. You can create tasks by clicking the next action button.
-Customise your task view, go the fields selection, choose "user defined fields in folder", and choose the field Project, and add to the fields list (you may need to do the following first - i created a new task form in design mode, brought up the control toolbox, chose to add a new field in one of the p.number pages, used the field name Project, and then published that form to the tasks folder. - or you might not to do this at all )
-You can then see all your tasks associated to the project that created them!

A second hack is to create Project types, i.e. Work, Personal - I did this by adding the metaproject name, (or subproject name) in the mileage field of your Project details, and then you can add this field to the view, customise its name (i.e. masterproject) and then you can group/sort by this field.

Its a little bit of work, but it seems to me a great solution to solve a problem using outlook (and not the plugin) to manage projects over time and their associated tasks. So great work in creating it.

[swarman]

First of all I want to say thanks to Mattias for all the great work on this form. I went one step further with the 'Convert to Next Action' button. I modified it so that an item of '@Home-Choose options from catalog' would create a task with a subject of 'Choose options from catalog' and a category of '@Home'. The logic parses the string for the '-' and sets the category with everything to the left and the subject with everything to the right of the '-'. Text that does not contain a '-' does nothing different from the current behavior. By setting the category automatically it allows you to group and sort by context.

I will gladly post the code change if Mattias is in agreement since it is his base work.

[Unregistered]

The conflict was with a task - not outlook folders - so its all fixed and the form works GREAT!!!

Ditto on the suggestions for enhancement requests

[Unregistered]

Thank you for creating this and sharing it with the community. This was a huge missing piece of the puzzle for me. The "history" function is fantastic.

Really, this has truly revitalized my system. Great work.

[Bollinger]

First of all I want to say thanks to Mattias for all the great work on this form. I went one step further with the 'Convert to Next Action' button. I modified it so that an item of '@Home-Choose options from catalog' would create a task with a subject of 'Choose options from catalog' and a category of '@Home'. The logic parses the string for the '-' and sets the category with everything to the left and the subject with everything to the right of the '-'. Text that does not contain a '-' does nothing different from the current behavior. By setting the category automatically it allows you to group and sort by context.

I will gladly post the code change if Mattias is in agreement since it is his base work.

Good work! Of course you are free to share this, but I have an idea. Mabye we could keep this form evolving in a structured way. If you send me your code I can merge it with my recent work on this form and then make it availible as a new download? PM me and I'll send my email adress.

I have a couple of new features added to this form already.

If anyone else would like to help make this even better, I'll be glad to take feature requests or code additions.

Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[swarman]

Mattias - I was wondering how you handle your SMB projects with the enhanced form. I would like to change the category from 'Projects', but that would take away the ability to do project planning with your custom form. Let me know what you do or what I am missing.

[atodedeus]

Hi there --

This is a great add-in, but I'm having some trouble creating a new view sorted by the master project. Here's what I'm trying to do:

1. I have a master project called "A" and sub-projects "B" and "C" which have "A" selected as their Master Project in the new GTD task

2. I have tasks that belong to the "B" and "C" project

3. I'd like to create a filter that only shows tasks which belong to the "A" master project, but sub-sorted by "B" and "C" -- is that possible? I'm trying to filter on the master project, but since it's a Yes/No field, I can't specify anything to filter on.

Does that make sense? Am I using the concept of "Master Project" incorrectly?

Thanks...

[swarman]

The text description of the Master Project field is the field 'GTDMasterProjectList'. So you would filter on that to get to only things that belong to 'A'. Then you can group or sort by B/C in your desired manner.

[atodedeus]

The text description of the Master Project field is the field 'GTDMasterProjectList'. So you would filter on that to get to only things that belong to 'A'. Then you can group or sort by B/C in your desired manner.

Thanks, that makes sense, but where is the GTDMasterProjectList field? When I look under "User defined fields" I don't see it -- is there a step I might have missed in the installation?

[swarman]

Select available fields from: GTD-Template. You should see it then.

[atodedeus]

Okay, getting closer. Now I can select the GTDMasterProjectList field, and filter based on that (where the value "A" is). Now, if I have a task assigned to a project "B" which is a sub-project of "A", the value of A doesn't appear in the GTDMasterProjectList field for the task, so they don't show up with the filter. Any ideas?

Thanks again for all the help.

[Bollinger]

Mattias - I was wondering how you handle your SMB projects with the enhanced form. I would like to change the category from 'Projects', but that would take away the ability to do project planning with your custom form. Let me know what you do or what I am missing.

Yes, I know. This is a limitation. The problem is the form-handling in the OL view. I'll try to make this more flexible later on.

[Bollinger]

Okay, getting closer. Now I can select the GTDMasterProjectList field, and filter based on that (where the value "A" is). Now, if I have a task assigned to a project "B" which is a sub-project of "A", the value of A doesn't appear in the GTDMasterProjectList field for the task, so they don't show up with the filter. Any ideas?

Thanks again for all the help.

This is a known limitation. Because the NA-tasks is not "tagged" with the
value of the Master Project, Outlook doesn't pair them when filtering
on master projects. This should be getting better in next version.

I haven't got the time to implement this yet, but it will be availible soon.

/Mattias

[swarman]

Mattias - Do you see any issues with simply modifying the code to use the form for both your projects category and your SMB category.
For example
If Item.Categories = "Projects" or Item.Categories ="Someday/Maybe" Then

atodedeus
I understand what you are asking, but can't see a quick way to get at the information you are looking for. I will think about it some and post a reply if I come up with something. In the meantime let us know if you figure it out.

[atodedeus]

Well, so far the only way I've found is to simply add the MP "A" by hand to the newly-created task, but that's not really a robust solution. I'll keep poking around and see if I can figure anything out.

Another question -- is there a way to view an entire line of something that gets entered into the history field? There aren't any scrollbars or anything, so once something gets in there, I can't seem to get to the rest of it.

[Bollinger]

Well, so far the only way I've found is to simply add the MP "A" by hand to the newly-created task, but that's not really a robust solution. I'll keep poking around and see if I can figure anything out.

Another question -- is there a way to view an entire line of something that gets entered into the history field? There aren't any scrollbars or anything, so once something gets in there, I can't seem to get to the rest of it.

In a couple of days I'll make the new version available and it will among
other things include automatic linking NAs with Master Projects, so it
will solve your problem.

Horizontal scrollbars in VBA Listboxes doesn't work. Maybe if I used
a standard VB control and made some Win API calls, but it's time
consuming.

Regards
Mattias

[Hugo]

Your template looks fine. My problem is I don´t know how to introduce it into Outlook. I would appreciate a download or some hints.

Hugo.

[Bollinger]

Your template looks fine. My problem is I don´t know how to introduce it into Outlook. I would appreciate a download or some hints.

Hugo.

If you look at the first post in this thread, you'll find what you're looking
for.

Regards
Mattias

[joeycan]

Bollinger, just curios in your first post you mentioned you had a special task form which works with your project form. Would you be willing to post it.

Cheers

Joey

[Fiona]

Hi Mattias

Just a question about a new view I want to create - in the standard GTD view by project - I would like to add in the master project associated with each project - when I add the field 'Master project' from the user-defined field I just get a 'tick box' instead of 'Master project' name appearing like 'Repair windows' for master project 'Home'

How could I display the various master projects in a view??

Regards, Fiona

[Bollinger]

Hi Mattias

Just a question about a new view I want to create - in the standard GTD view by project - I would like to add in the master project associated with each project - when I add the field 'Master project' from the user-defined field I just get a 'tick box' instead of 'Master project' name appearing like 'Repair windows' for master project 'Home'

How could I display the various master projects in a view??

Regards, Fiona

Hi Fiona,

you'll have to choose "GTDMasterProjectList" from "User defined fields in this folder". This is where the master project is stored.

Regards
Mattias

[Fiona]

Hi Mattias

Do I need to define it first as it is not defined in my user defined fields in this folder. there is 'Getting things done' which is an empty tick box and Master project which is a a ticked tick box - any ideas?

Regarsd, Fiona

[Bollinger]

Hi Mattias

Do I need to define it first as it is not defined in my user defined fields in this folder. there is 'Getting things done' which is an empty tick box and Master project which is a a ticked tick box - any ideas?

Regarsd, Fiona

Have you checked your Task folder properties if the GTD-Template is the default form when posting to the folder? This will introduce the fields defined in the custom form to the "Field Chooser/User defined fields in this folder".

If this doesn't work, try to choose "Forms..." in the Field Chooser and select GTD-Template under "Personal Forms"

Regards
Mattias

[Fiona]

Fantastic!!!

[Unregistered]

Any updates on this wonderful form?

[Bollinger]

Any updates on this wonderful form?

Yes, of course!

I've been busy the last weeks and haven't got the time to finalize
the new features.

New features:
- Overview all appointments linked to the project.
- Overview of all filed e-mails linked to the project
- Ability to assign project to other people in contact list (for project managers)
- Ability to create a new appointment from "Future Actions"-list in addition to a new Task NA.
- When completing NA's, a list with all entries in "Future Actions" from project form will appear and allow the user to automaticly create a new NA with the selected task in the list.

Regards
Mattias Sahlin

[Unregistered]

Awesome!

Can't wait to see it

[joeycan]

Wow that's sounds awsome, looking forward to it.

[Unregistered]

Matthias,

where do I found the form and code I have customized into german language? I'd like to send it you.

Some more ideas,

what about integrating some of the GtD police stuff into your project?

have you seen www.taskline.com? This addin may be a good enhancement. Unfortunately it will kick your form out. I haven't found a solution to have both of them installed and running.

thanks for reading

Volker

[Bollinger]

Matthias,

where do I found the form and code I have customized into german language? I'd like to send it you.

Some more ideas,

what about integrating some of the GtD police stuff into your project?

have you seen www.taskline.com? This addin may be a good enhancement. Unfortunately it will kick your form out. I haven't found a solution to have both of them installed and running.

thanks for reading

Volker

Hi Volker!

Regarding GTD Police - check my previous post. I'm going a bit further on this issue in my next version and allows the user to select from the list of "Future actions" already defined in the project form.

Regards
Mattias

[etcoutinho]

Hi Mattias,

Your form is amazing! Thanks for sharing. It completely changed my GTD toolbox!

By the way, thanks to my enhanced productivity, I have read again chapter 3 and made some cosmetic modifications to the form. This modified form makes it easier for me to remember and use the 5-step natural planning when necessary.

Would you like to have a look at it for your next upgrade? Just tell me how it can be sent to you.

Best regards,
Eduardo

[Unregistered]

Sometimes a new blank action is created and it is impossible to delete it or update it to a real next action.

Wouldn't it also be great to have the functionallity of the "Future Actions" frame on the "History" frame? I myself would like to be able to scroll, update or delete these itens too.

Nevertheless, great work!

[Unregistered]

Great form!

Would it be possible to show a list of all the related mail and tasks?
So if I have filed a mail for reference under that project or have a next action as my task it would appear in a control on the form...

[xoff]

Matthias,

have you seen www.taskline.com? This addin may be a good enhancement. Unfortunately it will kick your form out. I haven't found a solution to have both of them installed and running.

thanks for reading

Volker

I too would like to use both taskline and this custom form. Anyone has been able to make compatible?

[Unregistered]

Greetings,

Where do I find the most current version of this form?

Thanks,
Dwight...

[WAR]

Mattias,

Your form looks GREAT and was exactly what I was hoping for in reviving my GTD use. I installed your form with no problems following the directions on this thread. I added several projects and was excited about the possibilities as the changes were working and responding perfectly.

Maybe I shouldn't have been tinkering, but I renamed some of the projects I had created through the Tools/Options/GTD/Projects/Rename process. The system indicated completion through a progress bar renaming each project individually.

Now, whenever I select my Tasks, and double click on a project, Outlook freezes. I tried adding a new project (and not renaming it) and then going to Tasks to open it and the same thing happens. I am able to open and edit all of my tasks and their context.

Do you have any ideas/suggestions. I dread not being able to use your wonderful tool.

Wayne Roberts

[WAR]

Mattais,

In an update to my previous post . . . . I was playing around in Outlook. I clicked on a project, task manager indicated Outlook was not responding, the hourglass was showing on the screen, and then 1 1/2 - 2 minutes later the new project screen popped up.

As I indicated before - my regular tasks pop up instantly.

I am on Microsoft Exchange server and am currently working from my home. Outlook indicates an "Online" status. The only other abnormal occurance is when I move down my e-mail list there is a short lag in showing the message in the preview pane (5 - 10 seconds).

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Wayne

[vauha27]

Matthias,
any idea when we will see this V 2.0 ?

[jhegener]

I just downloaded the form and class migration utility, installed the form and converted my exisiting projects in about 20 minutes.

I can't believe I missed this the first time around! This thing kicks ass. Project management is one of the weakest links in the Netcentric GTD add-in but with this new form (combined with GTD Police) I think I may finally get a handle on my projects.

I'm looking forward to the new version... if this gets much better it may give the upcoming add-in upgrade a run for its money.

The only minor complaint is that, unlike the other forms on my system, this one takes about 4-5 seconds to pull up each time. Has anyone else seen a performance hit when using the new form?

[Bollinger]

Mattais,

In an update to my previous post . . . . I was playing around in Outlook. I clicked on a project, task manager indicated Outlook was not responding, the hourglass was showing on the screen, and then 1 1/2 - 2 minutes later the new project screen popped up.

As I indicated before - my regular tasks pop up instantly.

I am on Microsoft Exchange server and am currently working from my home. Outlook indicates an "Online" status. The only other abnormal occurance is when I move down my e-mail list there is a short lag in showing the message in the preview pane (5 - 10 seconds).

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Wayne

Hi Wayne,

the only thing I can think of is when opening the form it performs some reading against data (defined projects etc) stored in the central data store (pst, exchange etc), and if you're on a slow line mabye this takes a long time.

Regards
Mattias

[Bollinger]

Matthias,
any idea when we will see this V 2.0 ?

My schedule is tight at the moment and I'm facing some performance problems with the new version forcing me to write cache-handling.

My intention is to release something that is stable and useful.

Sorry about the delay.

Regards
Mattias

[Bollinger]

I just downloaded the form and class migration utility, installed the form and converted my exisiting projects in about 20 minutes.

I can't believe I missed this the first time around! This thing kicks ass. Project management is one of the weakest links in the Netcentric GTD add-in but with this new form (combined with GTD Police) I think I may finally get a handle on my projects.

I'm looking forward to the new version... if this gets much better it may give the upcoming add-in upgrade a run for its money.

The only minor complaint is that, unlike the other forms on my system, this one takes about 4-5 seconds to pull up each time. Has anyone else seen a performance hit when using the new form?


This is a known drawback and the reason is comprehensive reading of current
data (projects etc) from the data store to provide uptodate information on the project form.

Another option is to cache some data when opening Outlook. I've made some enhancements on this issue in the next version.

Regards
Mattias

[vauha27]

My schedule is tight at the moment and I'm facing some performance problems with the new version forcing me to write cache-handling.

My intention is to release something that is stable and useful.

Sorry about the delay.

Regards
Mattias

No need to feel sorry at all! Take all the time that you need.

Volker

[jerendeb]

...but I am having to 'dumb down' & so I have in Outlook a Project titled;

z Blank Template with notes for Projects.

(In the notes section I have these prompts for tracking & thinking.)

Goals/Outcome:

What's Next?

Things to do:

Support Files:

Ideas:

My Motivation:

[For me the less I have added into Outlook the better it runs & it transfers much easier when I HOT SYNC may Palm to take to work & HOT SYNC to my Desktop PC there.]

[airolg]

I downloaded the Add-in and now it's expired and I just didn't see a $70 value for me.

So, can I use this form without the Add-in??

[Shane Lindsay]

If you look at page 4 of this thread there is a post of mine about using the form without the addin.

To use the form you need to create a task with category "Projects", save and reopen.

The post describes a workaround for managing a project's subtasks.

[airolg]

I found it yesterday when I came looking for motivation and others' solutions to their roadblocks. I've got it on my list to implement soon.

Thanks so much!!!

[sokrne1]

I've followed all of the directions, had the form working, but then it stopped...when I click on a project in the Tasks list (under the Action: Projects), the standard GTD form comes up. I

've followed the steps again to change the message class, had it working again, then "poof" -- the GTD standard form is back.

I'm not sure where the problem lies. I have several Outlook add-ins (i.e., Message Save, EZDetach, NEO, Agendus for Windows/Outlook, and Send Item to OneNote). I'm thinking of uninstalling Agendus for Outlook, as I don't use it much -- I like their Calendar/ToDo/Memo/Contact Views better, but that's really all I use it for -- is to look at).

If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. I love this new form and want to use it! In the meantime, I think I'll uninstall Agendus and see what happens.

Take care,
Kathy

[Unregistered]

I have installed the new project form and it seems to work fine. I think it could help me be more effective in my organizing and planning.

The only problem I have, is that when I go to open the newly created project form, it is very slow to open. I seems to take 10 - 15 seconds before the form opens. Is this normal? If not, how can I correct it.

Thanks for your help
Dennis

[Unregistered]

I want to use your form but am unable to get it loaded. I have downloaded it and unzipped it. When I go to Tools/options/Other/advanced options, I do not have a Custom forms. Is there another way to to this or have I missed something. I am using Outlook 2003.Would appreciate any help. thanks

[Unregistered]

I have installed the new project form and it seems to work fine. I think it could help me be more effective in my organizing and planning.

The only problem I have, is that when I go to open the newly created project form, it is very slow to open. I seems to take 10 - 15 seconds before the form opens. Is this normal? If not, how can I correct it.

Thanks for your help
Dennis

Mine takes about 5 seconds to open... I think 'normal' depends on how much data the form has to search through.

There is supposed to be a new version soon that uses caching to speed things up.

[Kat]

Below is my message from last week, I was not signed in when I posted it. I am still very interested in using this form, so if anyone can help me, I would really appreciate it. I have done some research and I think the Forms manager is not loaded for my outlook. I do not know how to get this loaded so I can see the Custom forms button. Any information would be great. Thanks

I want to use your form but am unable to get it loaded. I have downloaded it and unzipped it. When I go to Tools/options/Other/advanced options, I do not have a Custom forms. Is there another way to to this or have I missed something. I am using Outlook 2003.Would appreciate any help. thanks

[striderq]

Hello,
Thanks in advance for all of your support. I've reinstalled the GTD add-in, reinstalled SP2, went through your instructions step by step (three times) and still get nothing. I'm running Outlook 2003 and my tasks folder is under my Exchange mailbox. I've tried it connected to the server and offline. I do not see the new form either in the drop down list of projects or in the manage projects / add feature.

The form is installed under my personal forms section and the task/properties is set to use the form.

This form is the missing link in managing projects! I'd really appreciate your help.

[Kat]

Strderq, I also need help, but am getting no information. I posted yesterday, that I do not have the Custom forms buttom, to even try to add the form. Do know anything about that. This is my home pc and I am not connected to a Microsoft exchange server, is that something I need in order to load this form. Also, you said you installed SP2, I assume that is service pack 2, when I go to the web site I only see SP1. Can you point me to that SP2. Any help will be really appreciated. Thanks

[Dennis]

Any possibility of being able to install this on a Mac using Entourage? :-( Any help is appreciated!

[jrj102]

Any possibility of being able to install this on a Mac using Entourage?

Although I'm quite sure that the form will not work with Entourage, it MIGHT (HIGHLY unlikely) be able to be used with the previous version of Outlook for MacOS.

Worth a shot if you're desperate.

However, I think that the Project Center functionality in Entourage is excellent.

[Kat]

After much research, it appears that the Custom form button is part of the Manage forms and apparently requires Microsoft Exchange. I was trying to install the form on my home pc and I do not use microsoft exchange. So, does anyone know if this form will work without ms Exchange. If so, do you know how to install it. Thanks

[Quill]

I had the form up and running really well yesterday, but today I am getting a dialogue box when I open a project that asks me to "enable/disable macros." The box comes up once for each project I have created.

The text of it says: "The form for this item has not been registered in this folder or in your company's forms library. Because this item contains macrso, whic could contain a virus harmful to your computer, you may not want ot run the macros. If you are sure this item is from a trusted source, click 'Enable macros'. Otherwise, click 'Disable Macros."

I have tried reinstalling the form, restarting Outlook, rebooting...
Any advice?
Thanks,
Quill

[Pete]

I installed and was running well. I played with data on one of the forms (at project level) and it worked. Then I tried to open again and the form locks up Outlook with form starting to open, but will not complete the open process. I reinstalled Add-In and Form, but no changes/improvment.
Any ideas what I have done wrong or what to look for? Thanks and the tool looks great.

[tonester]

Hi Kat

I use Outlook 2003 as a standalone and was able to install the project form without any problem. I don't think you need exchange.

Regards,
Tony

[Bollinger]

Below is my message from last week, I was not signed in when I posted it. I am still very interested in using this form, so if anyone can help me, I would really appreciate it. I have done some research and I think the Forms manager is not loaded for my outlook. I do not know how to get this loaded so I can see the Custom forms button. Any information would be great. Thanks

I want to use your form but am unable to get it loaded. I have downloaded it and unzipped it. When I go to Tools/options/Other/advanced options, I do not have a Custom forms. Is there another way to to this or have I missed something. I am using Outlook 2003.Would appreciate any help. thanks

If you are using Outlook in Internet Mail Only(IMO) mode, then you do
not have an Advanced Tab there. In fact, you have no forms manager
anywhere. The work around is to switch to "Corporate or Workgroup" mode. This presumes you have the CD for Outlook.

Regards
Mattias

[Bollinger]

Hello,
Thanks in advance for all of your support. I've reinstalled the GTD add-in, reinstalled SP2, went through your instructions step by step (three times) and still get nothing. I'm running Outlook 2003 and my tasks folder is under my Exchange mailbox. I've tried it connected to the server and offline. I do not see the new form either in the drop down list of projects or in the manage projects / add feature.

The form is installed under my personal forms section and the task/properties is set to use the form.

This form is the missing link in managing projects! I'd really appreciate your help.

When you're in the task view customized to use the new form, do you see the entry "GTD Template" on the "Action"-menu?

If not, the form is not installed correctly.

Regards
Mattias

[Bollinger]

I had the form up and running really well yesterday, but today I am getting a dialogue box when I open a project that asks me to "enable/disable macros." The box comes up once for each project I have created.

The text of it says: "The form for this item has not been registered in this folder or in your company's forms library. Because this item contains macrso, whic could contain a virus harmful to your computer, you may not want ot run the macros. If you are sure this item is from a trusted source, click 'Enable macros'. Otherwise, click 'Disable Macros."

I have tried reinstalling the form, restarting Outlook, rebooting...
Any advice?
Thanks,
Quill

Sounds like an installation issue. Have you published the form in the correct way? Are you connected to MS Exchange Server? Is the task folder in Public Folders?

Some info regarding the problem:
(from outlookcode.com)

***QUOTE***
If the form or template has Visual Basic Script (VBScript) code behind it and if you store the form as an .oft template file or an Outlook item, instead of publishing the form, users of Outlook 97, Outlook 98, and Outlook 2000 (pre-SP2) will see an Enable/Disable Macros dialog box each time they use the template or item. This dialog box doesn't appear for published forms. Outlook assumes that, when you publish a form, you know that the content is safe to run.

In Outlook 2000 SP2 and later versions, the users gets no enable/disable macros prompt, and code simply does not run. In Outlook 2002 SP3 and 2003, users may get an error message when a form tries to load an ActiveX control.

If code on a received message or saved item doesn't run or if users see the Enable/Disable Macros prompt for a published form, it means that the form is "one-offed," in other words that the form definition is now saved with the item, rather than the item using a published form. Other symptoms for one-off form items are an increase in the size of the item and loss of the custom icon for the item.
***END QUOTE****

Regards
Mattias

[striderq]

When you're in the task view customized to use the new form, do you see the entry "GTD Template" on the "Action"-menu?

If not, the form is not installed correctly.

Regards
Mattias

Yes - the "GTD Template" is in the action drop down menu when I am in the task view. However, nothing has changed. At what point in the creation of a new project should your form appear? I still get a small window after selecting "new project" from the drop down project lists in a new task. I enter a project name..i.e "test", and nothing changes.

[Bollinger]

Yes - the "GTD Template" is in the action drop down menu when I am in the task view. However, nothing has changed. At what point in the creation of a new project should your form appear? I still get a small window after selecting "new project" from the drop down project lists in a new task. I enter a project name..i.e "test", and nothing changes.

Each project created in the GTD-addin is represented by a standard Outlook Task. The only thing that's different is a number of custom fields in the form (not visible). My form is built on the same principle. When you open a "project task" my form takes over and adds some more fields to the standard task form.

So, for you to use this, create a new project "the correct way" like you did in your previous post. Then open the task view in outlook listing all you project tasks and open them by dbl-click. Then, if you followed the install directions on my first post, the custom form should show up.

Regards
Mattias

[djblois]

Mattias,

I love your form but I was wondering if you have an update on the new version. Not trying to pressure you.

Thank you,
Daniel

[HBI]

I have an additional problem Mattias. It was working fine but I now get the error message that says that some objects are not loaded because they are potential harmfull!? I had to re-install the GTD-addin. All project created befor the re-install give me this messag. Projects created after the re-install are ok.

Any idea what might be the problem and how I can fix this?


Thanks,
Haico

[striderq]

Each project created in the GTD-addin is represented by a standard Outlook Task. The only thing that's different is a number of custom fields in the form (not visible). My form is built on the same principle. When you open a "project task" my form takes over and adds some more fields to the standard task form.

So, for you to use this, create a new project "the correct way" like you did in your previous post. Then open the task view in outlook listing all you project tasks and open them by dbl-click. Then, if you followed the install directions on my first post, the custom form should show up.

Regards
Mattias

I now see where I was confused. I view my tasks by the "Active Tasks By Action (GTD)" view. I was expecting that after I create a new project, your form would immediately pop up. Now I see that I need to go to the Project (showing as a group unto itself in the same view) AFTER creating it the normal way and your form shows up. Thanks again for all the support.

BTW - Have you contacted the Netcentrics folks (GTD for Outlook developers)? I really think this or something very much like this should be in the next release.

[vauha27]

Mattias,

as you can see this thread is growing fast and many people are waiting for the next "version". Is there any kind of support which could be useful for you?

Volker

[aragorn121]

Great work on the form! Unfortunately, every time I try and open a Project I get a runtime error. When I debug it, the problem is on line 240, which says "Set objApp = CreateObject("Outlook.Application")".
I've tried reinstalling the add-in but it does the same thing every time. Also, the dropdowns for Master Project and Dependent Project stay empty even when I've entered master projects. Help! Do you know what I can do to fix this? I really want to use the custom form!!!

[djblois]

Bollinger,

No pressure but do you have a status update with the Custom Project form version 2. With your Custom Project form and the binocular from Bill Kratz, the add on becomes a powerful project management tool. You two should talk and get these two tools to work with each other seemlessly and also to netcentrics and get them added into the program.

Thank you,
Daniel

P.S. Keep up the great work.

[JaFi]

I've installed the GTD-Template form and it's really great!

A couple of requests/suggestions
1. It would be great to link this with the GTD_Police macro so next actions are automatically created when the current one is marked complete as implemented in the macro here: http://gtdsupport.netcentrics.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=514
(I tried to do this myself by changing the code as described in this thread:
http://gtdsupport.netcentrics.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=436 this and now the GTD_Police macro won't work at all :( so I've got figure that out.)

2. Adding a space for tracking metrics
I've been putting them in with the outcome/goals but it'd be nice to separate them out to see at a quick glance if I'm meeting them or am in the weeds :-)

I've also been listing supporting projects under the reference/document area when it's a master project. I guess you could list all the subprojects in the future actions list and then create them as projects as needed.

The difficulty is several subprojects can be worked in parallel. Maybe if it were possible to link to subprojects from a master project?

Full disclosure: Implementing this form and the macros is the first time I've played with Visual Basic and forms so I'm a rank beginner.

--jf

[benjy_green]

Hi
I don't seem able to add Master Projects - I follow your instructions but they don't appear in the MP dropdown box in the project form

Any ideas?
What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for a great addition to the GTD add-in
cheers
Ben

[jim_chandonia@doh.state.f]

I'm also getting a runtime error on loading the form. My debugger says the error is at Line 245. If I cancel the debugger the form will open. I don't know if MP works yet, haven't read all the threads to learn how to use it.

The error only occurs on my desktop PC with the GTD Add-in. I have re-installed the add-in to no avail. I don't get the error on my tablet which doesn't have the GTD Add-in. Both machines are running XP Pro.

[joeycan]

You have to name the Master Project like this "$MP: Project Name"
(no quotes "")

This way it will display in the dropdown lis.

[leftistelf]

thanks! wonder if it does support the new release...

[peter_g]

thanks! wonder if it does support the new release...

I have installed v2.1 of the Outlook Add-in, plus am running this custom project form, plus the "GTD-Police" add-in (also available on this forum), and they all seem to peacefully co-exist...knock wood!

Regards,
Peter

[twilhite]

I recently purchased the GTD addin. I have seen numerous reference to the GTD Police macro, but I have not found any place to download it. Is it still available?

-t

[joeycan]

Hi all,

Just a quick question is it possible to update the form, so it will use the Project and Subproject fields from the updated add-in.

Any instructions on how to do this would be appreciated.

Cheers

joey

[Bollinger]

Hi all,

Just a quick question is it possible to update the form, so it will use the Project and Subproject fields from the updated add-in.

Any instructions on how to do this would be appreciated.

Cheers

joey

Subprojects in the new add-in is not represented by an Outlook Task as the regular projects. This is a limitation, because you cannot use the custom form to enter information about the subproject.

Instead, you can use the custom form to create and edit Projects and Master Projects and use the new subprojects feature for a better overview in your custom task views.

Regards
Mattias

[joeycan]

Mattias,

Thanks for the quick reply, I guess I got ahead of myself I had just installed the update, and was looking over the new features. I never realised the sub-projects were a non-task until, I started playing with it today.

So I guess this means that if I continue using the Master Project feature like I have in the Custom Form. I would need to enter in all subprojects manually in the add-in to get the views?

[dsteinschneider]

I'm hoping Mattias or another knowledgeable Outlook user can help me with a form related problem - I believe I have everything installed correctly.

Install Chronology:
I first looked at the original GTD-Template after installing the GTD Add-in trial. I then removed the original template and put in Version 2. It was working fine but then my trial for the GTD Add-in ran out and when I bought the add-in I got a slightly newer version 2.1.33.

Problem:
My problem now is that form doesn't open when I open a project I created while running the trial GTD Add-in. If I open the project task and then choose Form>Run This Form the GTD-Template opens and seems to work except it prompts me to save and when I do I get a duplicate of the project task. I haven't really gotten started with this so I'm willing to erase everything I have to start over if that makes it easier to fix this.

Nice work on the form - BTW I'm working on some crystal reports to pull out a report of future next actions.

Thanks,

Doug

[dsteinschneider]

I've got my gtd forms running again - is there a way to manually assign the form to a task?

[skywalker]

Since I installed the GTD-template, it has worked perfectly. But last night I could not open the projects I've created. I reinstalled the template but still couldn't fix the problem. Can anyone help me out? FYI, I don't have GTD-add-in installed.

Thanks

[pertuset]

Can anyone tell me how to uninstall? The form works great, but I'm trying to simplify.

Thanks,
Jenni