Submitted by Armando on 2009/07/10 01:31

[EDITED THE WHOLE THING for better readability (]). 2 main sections now : todo, and done ... And it was done in IQ + Word for renumbering ;)

Of course, it looks longer than the first version. Hopefully, it's a bit clearer. A table would probably be better.]



Trying to list the 10 most important feature/bugs (the ones that I'd like to be implemented/fixed the most rapidly), I thought about my day to day usage (what makes me loose most time) , the ones with no (or bad) "work arounds", and the ones that new users would like to see implemented.

Many of these are bugs/suggestions that started to "haunt" me right from the beginning, when I was still fairly new to IQ.

 

  1. ToDo

    1. performance problems

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Intro : Over the last few months, I've reported (here, in my own DB) a pretty big number of performance related issues. Some of them seem to be DB specific (I use a fair amount of inheritance, Vb scripts, etc.), but others are just there in any DB.

In any case, I find that they make day to day work much more difficult.

2.       I have many reproduceable examples, and can give them on demand. I believe that better overall performance would be good for everybody.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       Grid filter as you type : still very very slow.

2.       Application not very responsive in these case :

1.       applying grid filter (sluggish),

2.       Refreshing can take a long time even with grids containing not that many items

3.       Item navigation can be a bit slow when :

1.       properties pane is open

4.       Loading IQ and a DB

5.       Copying/Pasting/Item creation (pasting multiple paragraphs text)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       (only one, could be more...)

2.       230

                                                                                                                                       i.      Updating (refreshing) grids with lots of items (like more then 1000) in "hierarchy mode" is very slow (not exactly a bug)

2.       References

1.       Copying into IQ - performance issues (added 2009 10 27),

2.       Huge performance problems : IQ is super sluggish in certain cases.

3.     performance in regard to filtering,&hoisting  (Jsolka, 2010 02 11)

 

    1. Calendar implementation

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       (to be completed)

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       See all calendar related issues on mantis

2.       References

1.       Q & A on the Calendar

    1. Full featured task management : implement automatic task recurrence, etc.

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Task management is central to any PIM. If I'm going to use IQ to manage events, I'm most probably going to use it to manage tasks. The most important aspect to be added is then recurrence as other aspects are mostly there or customizable.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       References

1.       (to be gathered)

2.       Mantis

1.       836

                                                                                                                                       i.      Item (tasks, todos...) recurrence

    1. Add syncing features (sync tasks, calendar and contacts with other devices : iphone, palm, google...).

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       because without this I can't use IQ fully...

2.       I don't know about others but I really need to sync contact/calendar/task info between different devices, etc., and until this is implemented, I won't be able to fully switch to IQ. It's been a recurring request and it's an essential feature of nowadays data management apps IMO.

3.       I could have put the calendar as #3, but I found a workaround for the moment and it works well. But for GTD, it's not possible to work with tasks in IQ and Outlook simultaneously without being able to sync anything... bot to mention the nightmare of having contacts all over the place...)

4.       There have many mentions of this feature for IQ over the last 2 years, even in other forums like the DC one.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       753 (reporter : Armando)

2.       References

1.       (to be completed)

    1. Hierarchical bugs (and other similar bugs)

                                                               i.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                              ii.      Why ?

1.       Because 1- it's highly confusing for new users, 3- it can be very confusing for experienced users when in the midst of some work to see several TLI appear when they've never been "put" there before.3- trying to create grid grid filters to not have items which should not be TLI out of the TLIs is time consuming.

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       214 (reporter : Armando)

2.       213 (reporter : Armando)

2.       References

1.       Context Hiearachy problem

    1. Filter management --> named filters

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       This one is for everyone, really. Because it would make filtering inside grids much easier -- for new OR experienced users.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       19

                                                                                                                                       i.      Add named filters, shown on a toolbar and ANDable or ORable

2.       References

1.       There are a few posts and maybe threads in the forum about this...

                                                                                                                                       i.      http://www.sqlnotes.net/drupal5/index.php?q=node/157

    1. "Group item by sort columns" (and various other column/grids features) that sticks between 2 refresh

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       This is feature a that I use a lot in Outlook -- I mean it ! It's incredibly useful. And I'd use it a lot in IQ if it could stick between refreshes. But it doesn't and so I can't really use it because I have to reactivate it everytime I refresh the grid !

2.       If it doesn't stick between refreshes : pretty useless. All grid sorting, filtering etc. should stick if the user wishes.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       501 (reporter : Vianney Stroebel)

2.       502 (reporter : Vianney Stroebel)

2.       References

1.       Create Views Like This... (added 2009 10 27)

    1. Find and Replace in grids

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Why ? Because it 's next to impossible to make small grid wide replace/change as it is now. I miss that a lot, especially when I want to use IQ more as a word/text processor, but even in other circumstances.

2.       I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned more... Maybe it's not wanted that much for typical IQ usage.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis issue

1.       115 (reporter : Armando)

2.       References

1. http://www.sqlnotes.net/drupal5/index.php?q=node/883#comment-5818 (Comment by Tom)

 2. What are the differences in performance between different types of filtering ? (+ a few comments on important missing features) (end of first post in the thread)

 

    1. Save Arbitrary Sorting : not really possible to "save" custom sorting (done by moving items around), independent of sorting filters

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Why ? A few users have reported losing their manual/arbitrary sorting in the last two years, and it can be a frustrating experience. It's usually recoverable but it would be good to be able to save any sorting, whether it's a mix of filter sorting and manual sorting, or pure manual sorting.

It's a pretty essential features for people working on a novel or anything creative that's not sorted using any logical filter)

It's also super time consuming to renumber stuff all the time...

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       Option to save item order if item have been manually moved around, even if sorting filter is on

2.       Able to reliably save the "sorting" (paragraph order) , without having to renumber items all the time (that's so time consuming...)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       754

2.       References :

1.       Save and recall arbitrary/manual sorting

    1. Better implementation of (multiple, even if limited) Undo/Redo

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Why this one ? because it's an expected function of most word/text/data processessing apps nowadays and it seems to be a recurrent request. Personally, it's not really at the top of my list, but I know that many users will be VERY happy, and IQ'S popularity will benefit from it.

2.       there are several mentions of undo issues in the forum.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       Michael erases the field content of a few items

1.       undo will only recover the last one.

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       37 (reporter : Viking)

2.       189 (reporter : Viking)

2.       References :

1.       It's too easy to erase data in a bunch of items, without any warning. [SOLVED] (added : 2009 10 27)

2.       Version 0.9.24G is released (added 2009 09 21)

    1. Simplify Filters complexities and awkwardness in some areas (source + filter + filter toolbars + hierarchical options + column filter = very complex)

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Again, this one is not really for me. But I've witnessed over and over that it's still hard for new users (and even experienced ones) to clearly see which filters are active (it's a UI thing, but not only...), which ones are not, and how they affect the items in the grid, etc. This is especially difficult because of the source notion and the idea that not all items have to meet the source to be in a grid... but also because it's just not obvious to a new user to see which filters are active, in terms of UI

2.       Some progress has been made though (the yellow bar that appears when column filters are active...)

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       154 (reporter : Armando)

                                                                                                                                       i.      Status bar OR default toolbar that shows all settings that affect the displaying of items in the current grid?

2.       Reference

1.       Some forum references :
Item Color selector (added 2009 10 27)

    1. Copy/paste (between grids, etc.) awkwardness

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Because in most software nowadays copy/paste is a straightforward thing and so it should be as straightforward and simple to achieve. (There are often questions about copy/paste : new users don't understand why pasted items don't appear in that "other" grid where they were pasted...). IQ would benefit a lot from a more straightforward copy/paste procedure.

2.       I have lots of examples to give (on demand...), and there are several mentions of copy/paste issues in the forum

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis

1.       To be put in Mantis ?

When copying and pasting in a grid, ideally SQLNotes should intelligently set all fields to meet the source and filters so that the item doesn't disappear after a refresh. In a less ideal world, but a better one than the current one, it should at least paste where the focus is (or just bellow the current item, etc.), be visible before the refresh and warn the user that items might disappear after refresh.

2.       References : (added 2009 10 27)

1.       Copy and paste enhancements.

2.       Copy Paste queries (or is it a bug?)

 

=================================================

 

 

  1. DONE!

 

    1. performance problems

                                                              i.      Examples

1.      Item navigation can be a bit slow when :

a.       c- lineage in the status bar is shown (CPU goes up to 100% --> 50% of one core), etc. [Edit 2009 10 01 : Status bar lineage performance problems is fixed]

b.      b- html pane + Edit 2009 09 01 : This is mostly fixed]

2.      1- item creation and manipulation in my own DB takes way too long

[edit 2009 11 23 : Since the conditional hierarchical calculations, speed has gone down quite a bit... and so item creation and manipulation has become a problem again -- there might be other causes, don't know] (up to 10-15 min to copy/paste 150 items !!!!!! -- this seems to be due to a problem with inheritance management). This is the most important performance problem.

3.      searching (yes) is quite slow here

4.      Filters can take a long long while to apply in certain grids

 

                                                            ii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.      Mantis

a.       637

    1. Copy/paste (between grids, etc.) awkwardness

                                                              i.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.      Mantis

a.       Copying item column with indentation

b.      More copy/paste options

c.       to be able to copy only portions of hierarchies -- not the entire tree.

d.       Etc.

 

Comments

performance problems were #02 and are now moved to #01 as I realize that there are no possible reasonable work around and I loose more than one hour a day just because of performance problems (it's probably close to 1.5 hours a day, sometimes more like 2). This is debilitating as I can't really escape the problem at the moment... All my projects etc. are in there.

Armando

2009/09/01 23:06

In reply to by Armando

Edited my list to reflect changes.

Armando

2009/09/21 00:44

In reply to by Armando

Trying to keep this list current...
Added the reference to Mark Foley's post about multiple Undo/redo.

Armando

2009/10/27 09:52

In reply to by Armando

Keeping this list up to date... Having problems with some links... node/285 in particular. Oh well.

Anonymous

2009/10/30 01:48

In reply to by Armando

thanks for the list, good stuff!

Updated my list since copy/paste issues were fixed and Calendar is on its way... Added Task management (recurrence...) as I hope to be able to use IQ instead of Outlook ASAP. ;)

jan_rifkinson

2009/11/23 10:58

In reply to by Armando

Just curious... why not use calendar for simple view & either map or grid for more complex views of your tasks progress, etc?
 
--
Jan Rifkinson
Ridgefield CT USA
HP Blackbird Vista Ultimate SP-2

Armando

2009/11/23 11:43

In reply to by jan_rifkinson

[quote=jan_rifkinson]
Just curious... why not use calendar for simple view & either map or grid for more complex views of your tasks progress, etc?
 
--
Jan Rifkinson
Ridgefield CT USA
HP Blackbird Vista Ultimate SP-2
[/quote]
 
Hi Jan,
I'm not sure of you  mean.

jan_rifkinson

2009/11/23 12:46

In reply to by Armando

Task management can be as complicated as creating flow charts, gantt charts, etc or as simple as errands.
 
Before the calendar was able to sync backwards to the grids, what  I'm thinking wouldn't have been possible but now it will be
It seems to me that if the core tasks could be placed in the calendar & identified by category or field right from there, you have the automated makings of  a grid. Recurring tasks would show up that way in a grid, etc.
Once in a grid, maps, flow / gantt charts could be employed but the starting place would be calendar rather than the grid.
 
There are probably more complex issues w task management that i'm not contemplating here but when you asked about recurring tasks, the calender came to mind since it already has that facility
 
--
Jan Rifkinson
Ridgefield CT USA
HP Blackbird Vista Ultimate SP-2
 

Armando

2009/11/23 13:32

In reply to by jan_rifkinson

AH, I see. Thanks Jan!
Yes, maybe would there be a way to use the calendar to manage recurrent tasks.
When 0.95 will be out, I'll test that.
 
However, as Pierre knows, I'm waiting for synchronization features to surface before committing my full schedule to IQ.
 
So, at the moment, I'm painfully dividing my brain in 2 and using Outlook until then...

jan_rifkinson

2009/11/23 13:35

In reply to by Armando

Yikes
 
--
Jan Rifkinson
Ridgefield CT USA
HP Blackbird Vista Ultimate SP-2
 

Updated my list... As I'm always glad to see that it's getting smaller ! :)

Pierre_Admin

2009/12/07 23:56

In reply to by Armando

Great!
 
If I may comment, I find it difficult to read, due to the edit notes. I'll of course take the time to read and understand it, whatever form it has, but to help others reading it, how about adopting something like this:
 
To do (1=most important):
  1. Item 1
    (a 1-liner comment, status if partly done)
  2. Item 3
  3. Item 4
  4. (...)
Completed
  1. Item 2
  2. Item 6
  3. (...)
 
Details:
 
Item 1: (status:)
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Etiam non malesuada justo. Etiam id magna ipsum, eu elementum magna. Ut vitae diam massa, eget adipiscing nibh. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nunc purus neque, blandit et adipiscing et, pulvinar a est.
 
Item 2: (status)
Quisque justo tortor, tincidunt ut adipiscing eget, tincidunt et mi. Morbi sit amet ornare lacus. Phasellus dui erat, scelerisque adipiscing euismod nec, dapibus sit amet neque. Nam condimentum augue et quam pharetra aliquet. Quisque facilisis felis et ante volutpat lacinia. Nulla porta, enim et mollis
 
 

Armando

2009/12/08 00:09

In reply to by Pierre_Admin

Thanks for the suggestions... You're right : hard to read. I'll edit it tomorrow as I have to go sleep now and get rid of that cold !! :)

Wow. Formatting stuff coming from word is tricky. But at the same time, I need to use word for these kinds of outline using numbering schemes.
 
As you can see, it goes far to the right. I guess I could edit the XML source. What would I need to change to avoid "super wide" text paragraph  formatting ?

Armando

2010/02/06 14:31

In reply to by Armando

Ok, i discovered that the problem had to do with my " =====" line, which didn't break, causing the page width to be blocked at a specific size.

JJSlote

2010/02/06 14:35

In reply to by Armando

Yep, beat me to it.

JJS

JJSlote

2010/02/06 14:33

In reply to by Armando

>As you can see, it goes far to the right. I guess I could edit the XML source. What would I need to change to avoid "super wide" text paragraph  formatting ?
 
Suggestion for this: first, get rid of the "=====" sequence, which is heavily indented and can't break. Then create a 1x1 cell table at 85% or so, and paste your Word stream in.

Rgds

Jerome

Armando

2010/02/06 14:36

In reply to by JJSlote

[quote=JJSlote]
>As you can see, it goes far to the right. I guess I could edit the XML source. What would I need to change to avoid "super wide" text paragraph  formatting ?
 
Suggestion for this: first, get rid of the "=====" sequence, which is heavily indented and can't break. Then create a 1x1 cell table at 85% or so, and paste your Word stream in.

Rgds

Jerome
[/quote]
 
:D
Jerome, you answered 3 min after I found the problem myself.
Thanks for the table tip!

Great list Armando, I'll add my vote to this one in particular (Find/Replace) seeing as you wonder if other's want it - it's often enough I have to go through a list and manually remove xy or z
 
[quote]
    1. Find and Replace in grids

                                                               i.      Why ?

1.       Why ? Because it 's next to impossible to make small grid wide replace/change as it is now. I miss that a lot, especially when I want to use IQ more as a word/text processor, but even in other circumstances.

2.       I'm surprised it hasn't been mentioned more... Maybe it's not wanted that much for typical IQ usage.

                                                              ii.      Examples

1.       (to be completed)

                                                            iii.      Suggestions
(Mantis issues and references)

1.       Mantis issue

1.       115 (reporter : Armando) [/quote]