This weekend we have updated the FacileThings web application with a few improvements related to the management of the Calendar:
- New calendar views.
- Management of the events duration.
- Customization of the date format and first day of the week.
New calendar views
The calendar views that allow daily, weekly and monthly viewing of the Calendar have been completely redesigned.
Daily view
In addition to the new design, the events drag and drop movement has been improved in all browsers (to change the time of an event), as well as the way to modify the duration of an event by dragging the lower edge of the box.
The new views optionally allow you to visualize the events that are still in the Tickler File, which can be very useful in a weekly or monthly planning. You must check the box at the top to show those events.
Weekly view
Like the daily view, the weekly view allows you to drag & drop events at different times or from one day to another, and modify the duration of the event by dragging the lower edge of the box.
Now the calendar views also show the deadlines of Projects and Goals, so you do not miss anything.
Monthly view
The monthly view allows you to move items from one day to other, by dragging and dropping the item.
Like the other views, it shows the projects and goals that must be completed and, optionally, the hidden items in the Tickler File, for a better planning.
Management of the events duration
Now you can specify the duration of an event, not only graphically in the calendar views, but when assigning a date/time:
If it is a Calendar item and has start time, you also have the possibility to indicate the end time. The default duration is one hour.
You can also enter the end time of an event if you use the :day inline command, separating it from the start time by a hyphen (it’s not necessary if the duration is undetermined or one hour, which is the default):
Department meeting :day Friday 9:00-10:30
The integration with Google Calendar has been updated so that the duration of events is synchronized automatically and bidirectionally in both systems.
Customization of the date format and first day of the week.
The format you entered dates, as well as the first day of the week, were previously linked to the language. If you used the English language, your date format was mm/dd/yyyy and Sunday was the first day of the week. If you used Spanish, the date format was dd/mm/yyyy and Monday the first day of the week. Now, those two parameters are customizable and each user can choose the ones they prefer, regardless of the language they use.
You can modify these parameters in the Account section:
Note that the date format affects how you enter dates in any field, including the :day and :start inline commands.
Meeting :day 8/1 will generate an event on January 8 if the active format is dd/mm/yyyy, or August 1 if it is mm/dd/yyyy.
A new date expression has also been introduced for these commands, so you can easily include the year when it is not the current one:
Prepare summer vacation :day 20/9/2019 :start 1/9/2019
5 comments
Great news! I was waiting for the customizable date format!
The format set in the web app affects the mobile app too?
Great news! I was waiting for the customizable date format!
The format set in the web app affects the mobile app too?
The new update looks great. FT continues to mature and improve.
Several items to consider adding to your backlog:
- Make showing project and goal due dates optional in the same way as showing tickler file tasks
- Projects and goals are the same color in the view (gray) as tickler file tasks. I suggest making them different colors, making it easy to scan visually. Light grey with light text and light grey with darker text isn't cutting it, despite the fact that they have different icons.
- Show project and goal due dates in the Calendar "list" view (not just the Day, Week, and Month view)
- Consider a method to add in other calendar views into the FT. For example, my work calendar is a separate calendar (Outlook) than my FT calendar (Google). If FT could display these calendars side by side, it'll make it much easier to plan my day within the application. Note that I am not suggesting that I be able to manipulate my Outlook calendar (per this example) in FT. I just want its scheduled events visible so I can fill in the free time with scheduled tasks.
- The FT calendar items are reportedly bi-directional. I have found this not to be the case and I think I have uncovered a bug. If a task is scheduled on the calendar and is a Routine, it is NOT bi-directional. That is, changes to FT Calendar are not reflected in Google Calendar and changes to Routines in Google Calendar are not reflected in FT Calendar.
- I continue to see a time display difference. When setting the times with FT, I select time periods using the PM and AM with a 12-hour clock format. FT displays times in the List, Day, Week, and Month view using the 24-hour clock format. There should be one format. Or, better yet, let the user decide the format in the same way you now allow users to select their date format (example: Show time as 12-hour or 24-hour format).
- Always display the duration of the calendar event, even if it is only one hour long. Currently, only times that are not the default hour are showing their scheduled times. For example, if I schedule an event from 7 AM to 8 AM (a default hour), FT only shows "07:00". However, if I set it to 7 AM to 7:30 AM, it shows "07:00 / 07:30". To be consistent, always show the time, be it a half-hour, an hour, or several.
- When I open a task up to view it (project, subproject, energy, etc.), the date and start time for a scheduled task is shown, but not the end time. It should display the date and the start and end time.
- I can set a time value for tasks that have a suggested date (dates added, but not put on the calendar - i.e. not due by). However, the time I note is NOT displayed in the Next Actions list. I suggest the date and time be displayed in the same way across all of FT for the sake of consistency.
The new update looks great. FT continues to mature and improve.
Several items to consider adding to your backlog:
- Make showing project and goal due dates optional in the same way as showing tickler file tasks
- Projects and goals are the same color in the view (gray) as tickler file tasks. I suggest making them different colors, making it easy to scan visually. Light grey with light text and light grey with darker text isn't cutting it, despite the fact that they have different icons.
- Show project and goal due dates in the Calendar "list" view (not just the Day, Week, and Month view)
- Consider a method to add in other calendar views into the FT. For example, my work calendar is a separate calendar (Outlook) than my FT calendar (Google). If FT could display these calendars side by side, it'll make it much easier to plan my day within the application. Note that I am not suggesting that I be able to manipulate my Outlook calendar (per this example) in FT. I just want its scheduled events visible so I can fill in the free time with scheduled tasks.
- The FT calendar items are reportedly bi-directional. I have found this not to be the case and I think I have uncovered a bug. If a task is scheduled on the calendar and is a Routine, it is NOT bi-directional. That is, changes to FT Calendar are not reflected in Google Calendar and changes to Routines in Google Calendar are not reflected in FT Calendar.
- I continue to see a time display difference. When setting the times with FT, I select time periods using the PM and AM with a 12-hour clock format. FT displays times in the List, Day, Week, and Month view using the 24-hour clock format. There should be one format. Or, better yet, let the user decide the format in the same way you now allow users to select their date format (example: Show time as 12-hour or 24-hour format).
- Always display the duration of the calendar event, even if it is only one hour long. Currently, only times that are not the default hour are showing their scheduled times. For example, if I schedule an event from 7 AM to 8 AM (a default hour), FT only shows "07:00". However, if I set it to 7 AM to 7:30 AM, it shows "07:00 / 07:30". To be consistent, always show the time, be it a half-hour, an hour, or several.
- When I open a task up to view it (project, subproject, energy, etc.), the date and start time for a scheduled task is shown, but not the end time. It should display the date and the start and end time.
- I can set a time value for tasks that have a suggested date (dates added, but not put on the calendar - i.e. not due by). However, the time I note is NOT displayed in the Next Actions list. I suggest the date and time be displayed in the same way across all of FT for the sake of consistency.
Hi Paolo, you must still use the old date format in the mobile app. We will update it as soon as possible.
Cyrus, we'll review and evaluate your suggestions. I'll keep you informed.
Thank you guys!
Hi Paolo, you must still use the old date format in the mobile app. We will update it as soon as possible.
Cyrus, we'll review and evaluate your suggestions. I'll keep you informed.
Thank you guys!
Hi, I was waiting for the calendar format changes for a long time. Thank you! I only wish to be able to have 24 hour clock across the whole app.
Hi, I was waiting for the calendar format changes for a long time. Thank you! I only wish to be able to have 24 hour clock across the whole app.
Hi Michał,
We will standardize all hours to the 24 hour format soon.
Thanks!
Hi Michał,
We will standardize all hours to the 24 hour format soon.
Thanks!