Possible bug with recurring scheduling and due dates
I posted about this in another forum but thought it might be useful to have a thread specifically about this here.
Here's the scenario. I create a repeating task with a recurring weekly on Sunday never ending. The next occurance is set for this coming Sunday (7/31). I check the box Each Copy has a due date and select copies should be created 4 days before (which would essentially mean that their start day is today, right?)
Doing this all on one shot gives the expected results. HOWEVER, instead try creating the same task from scratch, but this time WITHOUT checking the box each copy has a due date. Save it. It will show as correctly due (first instance) on July 31 (Next Week). Now go back and edit it, and check the box each copy has a due date and set it to 4 days before. Save this, then save the task. What I see is that Nirvana actually changes the date to August 7! However, when the task is listed in focus and the date all the way on the left says July 31. Go back to the scheduled tab and it groups it in the Future Dates section and lists August 7 as the date. If I click on the details of the task it says "Due 7/31, 8/7/11.." However, if I go in and edit the repeating without changing anything, save it, it then changes to due August 7. Then if I go back into view the details it's at August 7 and no matter how many times I go back in and change it to 7/31, it stays set ant 8/7. But it also stays in my focus list, and it also says "July 31" in the Focus list.
So obviously there's something screwy going on!
2 Posted by Cam Ratcliffe on 27 Jul, 2011 11:43 PM
Something in the same arena.
I'm loving Nirvana 2!
Just wanted to inform you of some odd behavior.
Copies of repeated tasks that are created from scheduled tasks show as 'untitled' tasks in Focus. When I go in to edit the repeating rules it is titled properly.
What you are doing is greatly appreciated.
Keep up the great work. You have created a fantastic task management software.
Hope this is of some help.
Have a great day.
3 Posted by Lasse on 28 Jul, 2011 09:33 AM
@Cam, check out this discussion on the "untitled" bug: http://help.nirvanahq.com/discussions/questions/437-bug-report-repe...
Support Staff 4 Posted by David McLaughlin on 28 Jul, 2011 02:05 PM
@levi - from what I could make of your explanation, the behavior is working as expected.
When you created a recurring scheduled task, it creates a pattern for spawning individual instances of tasks that will be placed in the Next with a Focus flag. The Scheduled pattern's function is to spawn the next tasks at the appropriate time.
The spawned task indicates when it is spawned and is due (July 31), and the pattern task is updated to reflect when the next spawned task should occur and is due (Aug 7). The spawned task is an independent task, but maintains a relationship to the parent pattern so that the schedule can be adhered to.
SInce you have already created the July 31 instance, it's not going to allow you to duplicate another task for the same date.
@Cam - really not the same thing - if @Lasse's pointing to the post didn't help, start a new discussion in private support please.
David
5 Posted by levi on 28 Jul, 2011 02:16 PM
@David, thanks, with reading your earlier post about this and Lasse's, I understand how it works now, but I still think it is confusing. This thread belies that. It's not intuitive. My suggestion would be to keep all the info of the spawned task as the one the user sees (either in the focus or next action or scheduled views). So they would all say Due July 31. Once you click on any of those, then you could get access to the parent/pattern task which controls the recurrence. To me it doesn't make sense to see the same task title but different due dates in two sections of Nirvana. That August 7 date is really meaningless (for most people's purposes) because what you really want to know is when the current INSTANCE/copy of the task is due, not when the next spawned task will happen. Why should I care about that unless I'm actually editing the recurrence pattern? Do you understand what I'm getting at? I understand the pattern/parent task may be crucial to how your data model is structured, but putting it's properties in front of the user (unless specifically asked for), just causes confusion...
6 Posted by Lasse on 28 Jul, 2011 02:53 PM
@David, you said that "the pattern task is updated to reflect when the next spawned task should occur and is due (Aug 7)." But that only works if the task is spawned on the same day it is due. If it is set to be created a few days before it is due, then date in Scheduled can only be either the due date or the "spawn date". Otherwise you'll have the due date on some tasks and the spawn date on others, which can be confusing.
Personally I think it should be the due date. But in that case it would make sense to show the date when the next action is due, even if the specific task has already been spawned.
Support Staff 7 Posted by David McLaughlin on 28 Jul, 2011 03:11 PM
@Lasse - true. If there is a due date, then it shows the due date, even if the task is spawned 7 days earlier. If no due date, then the spawn date is shown. In either case the next occurrence (based on that criteria) is shown.
Thanks,
David