Team LightArrow is excited about the new updates of LifeTopix 8.1, My.Agenda 3.1 and Pro.Inbox 1.1. Our new updates include several new features to maximize your productivity at home, at work and while you’re on the go. Some features are only applicable if you have the relevant in-app purchases. Keep reading to learn how you can take advantage of the latest exciting features.
Usability Enhancements
Quickly Open Items / Reduced Taps
With our most recent releases, the expanding cell was added in order to quickly allow you to access common functions for items. With this release, we introduced the “long press gesture” for opening items with fewer taps. For example, from your Agenda view, you can now tap and hold any item and it will open it immediately. If you prefer not to use the long touch, you can turn it on and off via a new setting in “My Settings,” – “Toggle Actions for Tap and Long Press on Items.”
Easy Reordering and Sorting of Checklists
You will notice a new icon in checklists that allows you to sort the checklist items alphabetically. This option has been broken out from the manual re-ordering of checklists.
Easy Setting of Task Status
In task lists, you can now tap directly on the task icon to set the status of tasks. You’re no longer required to open the item.
New Swipe left to Right Gesture for Completed Tasks
For tasks that are in lists (such as in the Agenda view), you can swipe to the right to cross off a completed task to indicate that it’s complete.
Simplification of Sync and Backup Setup
When setting up device-to-device sync, fewer steps are necessary and the online folder is selected for you, which simplifies the setup process.
Non-intrusive Alerts for Rating and Backup Reminder
The alerts for the rating reminder and backup reminder have been made less intrusive.
New Light or Dark Theme
You now have the option of white (instead of black) for the top bar and left navigational panel. Also, you can change the 12 Topics view to show a white background, instead of the various colors that normally display.
You’ll see the new white top and left navigational controls shown throughout this post shown in the sample images. Below, view an example of the new 12 Topics view, as well as the settings that are now available (found in My Settings) for changing the colors from black to white and vice versa.
Calendar Enhancements
In this latest update, your Agenda view is now combined with your Calendar views and all views have been greatly improved with the patent pending “time ribbon” as shown in the images below. In addition, the start of the week (Sunday/Monday) is now determined by your locale setting.
Agenda View
The new merged Agenda View is shown below:
Day View
In the Day View, you are now able to tap and hold in an empty time slot to access the quick add panel and add a calendar item at the selected time. The redesigned Day View is shown below:
Week View
The redesigned Week View is shown below:
Month View
The redesigned Month View is shown below. When a date is selected, you can tap and hold on items listed for that date to move and drop them on a different day in the month view.
Year View
The redesigned Year View is shown below:
Contexts View Enhancements
Contexts views have been enhanced to allow you to better follow the GTD® method through the viewing of items tagged with multiple contexts. In addition, you’re now able to create your own “Custom Topic Views” by tagging items with context tags in order to group these items and view the associated items through tiles in the Contexts view.
The following image shows an example of the re-designed contexts view with tiles. Within this view, you can define contexts and colors, view all tagged items with your selected tags and access the Multiple Contexts view.
The new Multiple Contexts view allows you to view items associated with multiple contexts for items all at once. The filter shown in the following example allows you to select several different contexts at one time. All items tagged with one or more of these contexts will be returned in this view.
In addition, the Multiple Contexts view enables you to sort your items that are tagged with contexts by type, date, last updated or by context as shown in the following image. This rich organization allows you to better organize and view your upcoming tasks, appointments and other items. In addition, it allows you to see what’s coming up next if you assign due dates to items, such as tasks.
You are also able to override an item’s color with the context color if you wish. For example, you’ll see in the following example, all items with the context of “Exercise” items are flagged with a red context tag. The option in the My Settings view, “Override Item Color with Context” is set to ON. Because I’ve set this option to ON, all of the items that are tagged with Exercise are now red.
Improved Colors for Drawings and Context Tags
The number of colors available for drawings and context tags is increased from 35 to 48, as shown below.
Status Support for Projects, Assets and Contacts (with the Pro Contacts Pack)
Custom Project, Asset, and Contact Statuses are now available. You can create statuses by tapping the Project Statuses tile in the Tasks + Projects topic; the Asset Statuses tile in the Home + Assets topic; or the Contact Statuses tile in the People + Services topic. After you tap the appropriate tile, you tap the plus sign in the Project Statuses view, Asset Statuses view, or Contact Statuses view, which allows you to define a name for each status. A Hide/Show option is available, which allows you to hide projects, assets or contacts that are defined with the indicated status. For example, you could set a status of Bypassed and hide all the projects that are currently in the status of Bypassed. All types of status (Project, Asset or Contact) work the same way. The following shows an example of custom-defined project statuses and a project defined with a custom-defined status.
Custom Task Status
It’s now possible to set custom tasks statuses. The default task statuses include Not Started, In Progress, On Hold, Completed and Cancelled. If you wish to add new statuses, you define those new statuses and then map them to the default statuses. For example, your company might use statuses such as New, Planned, Waiting, Pending, etc. If so, you could map those statuses to the default status, and subsequently hide the default statuses, if you wish, as described below.
You can also hide tasks in certain statuses. For example, if you wish to hide all tasks that have a status of completed, you simply switch the Hide/Show switch to Hide. In the following example, the user wants to add a status “Waiting,” which is mapped to the status “On Hold.” To begin, the user goes to the Tasks + Projects topic and taps on Task Statuses as shown below.
Next, the user sees the default tasks’ statuses, which can be mapped as described. Tapping the plus sign accesses the New Task Status view, which allows the user to create a new status, by tapping the plus sign, such as “Waiting” as shown below.
In this example, I’ve chosen to not hide the status, “On Hold,” but to also include the status, “Waiting.” Both statuses are available as shown below:
Optional Comment field in Bill Payments
It’s been requested that an optional comment field be included for bill payments. This field is now available for your use.
Bulk Delete Support for Contacts
You now have the ability to delete several contacts at once. To initiate a bulk delete of contacts, go to the Contacts view by tapping the Contacts tile in the People + Services topic. Next, tap the icon indicated in the following graphic.
After you tap the icon, select Bulk Delete as shown in the following image.
The Contacts view displays your contacts in a list. When this list appears, tap all the contacts you wish to delete and each one will be checked. After you’ve completed your selections, tap Bulk Delete to remove the contacts. The following image shows an example:
Asset Total Values by Group
When viewing total assets by group, you can now view the total cost and value, as shown in the following example:
Enhanced Printing, Sharing and Email Support for Agenda, Assets and Contacts
When viewing your agenda, a group of assets, a group of contacts and the detail for a contact, you can print this information to a PDF and save this PDF file for the purposes of sharing, saving or printing. For example, if you want to print an agenda for a group of people, you can save the agenda to PDF and share it with the group by emailing it.
To print, begin by going to the view you wish to print (your agenda, a group of assets, a group of contacts, or the detail for a contact). Tap the icon in the upper right and then choose Print. Next, choose whether you wish to print in Portrait or Landscape view. The Agenda View is shown in the following example.
Next, choose whether or not you would like to save a local file of this document. You can locate this file by going to the Notes + Files, Lists topic and tapping Folders. You’ll find a folder named My Documents. The saved file is stored in the My Documents folder and is indicated by the name and date. You can share/print this report (or save it to an online file service) by choosing the icon indicated in (4) below.
Default Locker Field for New Lockers
For Lockers that you create over and over again, you can now create “Default Locker Items.” For example, perhaps you store several personal identification numbers (PIN codes). With this feature, you can set up a Default Locker Item called “PIN,” eliminating the need to enter the same information repeatedly. To take advantage of this feature, go to the Bookmarks + Lockers topic and tap the Default Locker items tile. After entering your PIN, tap New Locker Item (1). Next, enter the Field name and Value to indicate the default name and value. The Field name is required and the Value is optional. After you complete this procedure, tap the Lockers tile and tap the plus sign to create a new Locker. In the New Locker view, add the Title and Description, and then tap Add Default Items (2). You’ll see the Default Locker Item that you created. Select it, tap Create, and tap the new Locker Item to make any modifications (3). The following image shows an example of the views that are described above.
Manual Ordering of Undated Tasks
When viewing Undated tasks, you can now reorder the tasks with a “touch to reorder” gesture. When viewing Undated tasks, tap “Tap to reorder.” Three lines appear next to each task. Tap and hold the three lines and move the tasks up and down as necessary to re-order them. The following image shows an example.
Editable Titles for Photos, Drawings, and Video
It is now possible to edit the titles of photos, drawings and video files. Simply edit one of these items and modify the name.
Repeat Schedules for Events
Previously, Appointments, Tasks and Payments supported repeat schedules and now we’ve introduced the ability to use repeat schedules in events. This feature works the same as it does for Appointments, Tasks and Appointments. You can find more information about how to configure repeat schedules in your Repeat Schedules online help.
Online Task Integration Improvements
We’ve included improvements and more flexibility when using online tasks from Google, Toodledo and Asana.
Create iOS Calendar Item for Online Tasks
A new setting is available in My Settings, “Create iOS Calendar Item for Online Tasks,” which allows you to choose whether or not to create an iOS calendar item for your online tasks that are synced in your LightArrow app with Google, Toodledo and Asana.
Choice of Deleting Corresponding Online Task
When you delete an online task that is synced with Google, Toodledo and Asana, you can choose whether or not to delete the corresponding online task, as shown below:
Unlink Online Tasks
You now have the ability to unlink a task synced with an online task (such as Asana, Google or Toodledo). When you unlink a task by choosing Actions -> Unlink from the task, the task becomes a local LightArrow app task.
Pro Contacts Pack Enhancements
We’ve introduced several new features, which are available via the Pro Contacts Pack, as described below. In addition to the features below, a configurable status for contacts is included, which is described earlier in this post.
Auto-complete for Custom Fields if Previous Answers Exist
If previous answers exist in custom fields that you’ve designed for contacts in the People + Services topic, auto-complete is now available for custom fields for contacts.
Forms Applicability by Group and Status
Custom forms can now be applied according to group and/or status as shown below in the following example. To take advantage of this feature, tap the Custom Log Forms tile in the People + Services topic. Next, tap any of your custom log forms. In the Contact Log Form view, tap Applicable Statuses and/or Applicable Groups, then check the statuses or groups you wish to include, and then tap Save.
Custom Filters (Reporting) in the Contacts View
The Contacts view now includes the ability to create custom filters for your contacts, and to subsequently print a report of your contacts that meet the criteria that you defined via your custom filters. For example, imagine you’re a personal trainer and you’re keeping track of the Body Mass Index (BMI) of your clients. You can create a custom filter that identifies those with a BMI above or below a threshold that you’ve decided upon. An example of this scenario is shown in the following images.
To take advantage of this feature, go to the Contacts view in the People + Services topic. Next, tap Filter By. To create a new filter, tap New Filter. After entering a title and optional comment, tap New Criteria. Select an attribute from the choices that are provided (which include your custom statuses and log forms). Next, enter an operator, such as Equal, Contains, etc. Finally, enter a value you wish for the items to equal. Below, Image 1 shows an example of the available attributes and Image 2 shows a completed filter.
The images below show an example of a filtered search and the printable report, which can also be exported to a CSV file for use in your favorite spreadsheet application.
Pro Inbox Pack Enhancements
The following enhancements apply to the Pro Inbox pack available in the apps that include this optional pack, such as My.Agenda and LifeTopix. These enhancements are standard with the Pro.Inbox app.
IMAP and Exchange Support
For those using IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) and Exchange (Outlook) for email can now enjoy the features for converting email messages to a rich variety of data types and calendar items, such as tasks, appointments, events and more.
Email Preview
A new “Email Preview” is available and many functions are available from its view. From the icons shown below the new email preview (refer to the following image), users can now access common actions such as Reply, Reply All, Forward, Follow-up, Flag, Mark as Unread, Delete, Convert to Any Type, Create as Note and Associate, Add to Existing Note, Create as Evernote Note, Create as Toodledo Note, Convert Sender to Contact, Add Sender to Group, Convert Everyone to Contacts, Add Everyone to Group, Smart Convert, and Select a Target (online and local folders).
Evernote Custom Feeds with Search and Convert Actions
It is now even easier to work with Evernote. We’ve added the ability to create Evernote feeds, which enables you to access your Evernote notes in a list view. Once you access notes, you can convert the notes to tasks, projects, products, appointments, hosting events, attending events, notes, checklists, trips, visitors, and inbox items. Once these items are converted, you can associate them with LightArrow app objects and schedule the items on your calendar, which works seamlessly with your iOS calendar and all the calendars that your iOS device supports.
For example, as shown below you can (1) choose Evernote from among your email, web and social feeds; (2) convert a note from a variety of types (including checklists); (3) choose a type of object to convert to; and (4) create an object (e.g. checklist), which can be published on your calendar and agenda (automatically).
As you would expect from any excellent personal assistant or organizer, the items that you convert or access through the Notes + Files, Lists topic automatically appear on your calendar (if you wish), as shown below.
OAuth Support for Gmail (Two-step Authentication)
Previously, email accounts that were set up with two-step verification (OAuth) were not supported by LightArrow apps. Now you can take advantage of the extra security that these accounts offer and enjoy the convenience and productivity boosting features of LightArrow apps (LifeTopix, My.Agenda or Pro.Inbox) if you’re using two-step verification.
Improved Search for Email Feeds and Evernote Notes
Searching for text within email body and email subject has been made faster and more accurate with improved technologies. In addition, LightArrow apps now support Evernote feeds and support Evernote server-side search, which uses a powerful Evernote grammar.
Act on Emails from a Contact (View from Contact Detail similar to Twitter and Facebook)
It is now possible to view email messages from a contact for all email accounts that you’ve given your LightArrow app access to – from one place. For example, if you set up an email address for a contact in the People + Services topic, you can simply locate a contact, add their email address (if you haven’t done so already), and simply tap Email tile -> View Emails to see all emails for all of your accounts from this person. Once you’ve accessed the email, you can act on these emails by converting them to the data types shown in the image below.
Follow Up (Create Quick Inbox Item with due date) for Emails, Tweets and Facebook items
Users can now immediately set a follow-up as a Quick Inbox item with a due date for email messages, Tweets and Facebook items. For example, you can simply select the Follow-up option for Email Messages, Tweets and Facebook items as shown in the example below.
Flag/Unflag Support for Email Items
It is now possible to flag and unflag email messages to help you remember to follow up on flagged email messages at a later time. Users can simply choose the flag option from an Email Feed in their LightArrow app as shown in the image below.
Multiple Senders and Multiple Email Support in Email Feed Rule Configuration
LightArrow apps now support a unified email inbox. Not only can you process your social media messaging (Facebook and Twitter), you can also process and view all your emails (IMAP, iCloud, Gmail, Outlook, AOL, Yahoo, etc.) centrally within one view. Furthermore, you can filter the email by multiple senders if you wish by entering their email addresses in the Senders box as shown below. When configuring an email feed, simply check the email accounts you wish to use; optionally enter any senders you wish to include; optionally enter any search terms; enter the number of days you wish to go back in time; and choose whether or not to view read email. The configuration is simple and shown below.
Converted Items in Contacts (Tasks, Appointments, Notes Etc.) Are Automatically Associated with the Currently-viewed Contact
Now, when users convert Tweets, Facebook posts or email messages within a contact (in the Contact detail from the Social or Emails tile) to items such as tasks, appointments, notes, etc., the Lightarrow app automatically associates that data with the contact that you’re currently viewing. To take advantage of this feature, tap the tile that’s highlighted below (or the Email tile); convert an item to an actionable item; and subsequently view it from the associated items. In the following example, a tweet was converted to a task.
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