General Questions
Is OpenLoopz dead?
OpenLoopz is definitely not dead but it is undergoing a major reboot and unfortunately the process has taken far longer than initially expected. Thankfully, we are finally through the thick of it! We are currently preparing to launch a Private Beta of OpenLoopz.com late in August 2011. Please register your interest at OpenLoopz.com and spread the word to be among the first to receive an invite.
Is OpenLoopz Open Source?No, OpenLoopz is currently closed source and will remain so in the short term. We are focusing on the development of OpenLoop.com and the next major version of OpenLoopz for Android for now.
Using OpenLoopz Effectively
How do I get standard contexts like "online" and "phone" to appear on the home screen?
If you have an action associated with at least one smart context then simply associated it with some standard contexts as well and when the smart context is active, the standard context will appear on the home screen. An example should help: Let's say you have 2 actions you need to do at home tonight, "ring dad" and "check email". If these actions are associated with "At Home" location context, then the home screen will show both actions under the "At Home" context.
You can now associate the "ring dad" action with a "phone" standard context (so now it is associated with "At Home" and "phone"), then associate the "check email" with a "online" standard context.
When you return to the home screen it will look like this:
All your "At Home" actions are under the "At Home" context but you also get to see all the phone calls you need to make while at home and all the stuff you need to do on-line while at home!
I am having all kinds of problems getting location contexts to work.- First of all, ensure you location context is associated with the right place. It sounds obvious but it's suprising how often this is missed. From the Home screen select Review Actions then Contexts, then long-press on the location context and select "Edit". Then double-check at least one place is ticked.
- If any of your places are less than a mile apart you will need to ensure Location Accuracy is enabled. In the settings, choose "Location Settings", then tick the Location Accuracy option.
- Tweak the location settings based on your particular use-cases. If you only have a few location contexts, let's say "Work" and "Home" for example and your workplace is at least 1 mile away from your house, then you can reduce power consumption by tweaking the location settings as follows:
- Ensure "Location Accuracy" is not ticked.
- Select a "Minimum Distance" of 100 meters or higher.
- Set the "Location Check Frequency" to 10 minutes or higher.
Remember, if any of your location contexts are less than a mile apart then you will need to ensure Location Accuracy is enabled! Also, you will need to choose a lower "Minimum Distance" (depending on how close your places are) and set a lower "Location Check Frequency" so the location is checked more often.
It is possible to store simple "lists" in OpenLoopz like "Favourite Films" for example?The problem with adding actions like this to OpenLoopz is that they get in the way of the review process. When you are reviewing your open actions to see what you need to do next, you don't want to see loads of films mixed in with your important actions!
A future version of OpenLoopz will have direct support for "reference lists". In the mean time, you can simulate their behaviour by using projects. Simply create your "Favourite Films" project then add all your films as sub-actions of the project. Then - and this is the important part - set the project to "Complete". This will automatically complete all of the sub-actions. Now, the films won't get in the way when you are trying to review your actions. Also, as of OpenLoopz 1.4.1 there is a "Completed Projects" list in the Review section so you can easily see all your lists together in one place.
Will OpenLoopz remind me when an action is due?OpenLoopz notifies you when one or more actions are overdue. By default, OpenLoopz only checks for overdue notifications hourly but you can change this to make it function more like a reminder. If you ask OpenLoopz to check every 2 minutes then as soon as an action becomes overdue you will get a notification within two minutes. Note that you will be reminded every two minutes until you either complete, delete or reschedule the action - this is a good thing - overdue actions are not good, so OpenLoopz will tell you about them persistently until you do something about it!
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