"Active Actions" (green bold subject texts) - How to NOT have all of them green?!

[Sebastian Zander]

Hi everyone,

I have a question here that I don´t fully understand after going through the manual - It´s about "Active Actions" (the green bold text actions".

• I have sent some emails regarding a specific question to some companies and I have used the "BCC" mail function in order to get the mail into MLO
  
• Those mails I´ve tagged with "@Home and @Boat" and the specific tag "@Waiting-For" and put in the correct place (folder) in my outline
• I´ve set the "Due date" to one week ahead (2018-03-18)

BUT, these actions are still considered as "active actions" by MLO since the subject line become Green and Bold (subject titles).

QUESTION:

How do I do in order NOT to have them green? I mean, I can´t do anything with these mails, I´m waiting for answers on them.

I have tried to mess with "Start date" but it won´t help...

Best regards Sebastian :)

[Alyona (MLO Support)]

Hi Sebastian,

Contexts are usually used to visually differentiate one task from another and they do not affect the actual status of the task unless you set up a schedule for them (see open and closed contexts).
As I understand, your tasks are active (green) because no start dates are assigned to them (see active actions).

As a possible solution you may make the "@Waiting-For" context always closed and check tasks with this context from time to time.

[Stéph]

This may help you: I have an Automatic Formatting rule right near the start of the Automatic Formatting rules list, which greys out any item which is either not Active, or has the context @WaitingFor and has not yet got to its due date (see attached screenshot).

I've also changed the "active actions" filter so that @WaitingFor items are not shown until they're past their due date.

Stéphane

[John . Smith]

Hi Sebastian

If you want to change the colour away from green try:

Tools ==> Options ==> Themes & Formatting ==> Edit ==> Task Format ==> Active Tasks Format ==> Font ==> Font Colour

But reading your email more closely it does sound like Start Date is the way forward.

If the Start Date is in the future then the task will no longer be "Active".

And if your view is set to only show Active tasks then those tasks should disappear from view.

Try: Filter (bottom left) ==> General ==> Show Actions: ==> set this to Active.

Alternatively as others have said, you could so some Automatic Formatting.

e.g. If Context contains @Wait-For, then change the colour (e.g. to mid grey?)

Hope that helps

J

PS I use Active task views and Start Date A LOT. e.g. By just using the keyboard:

      Alt+S  5 D

==> Moves the start date 5 days into the future.

 
     Alt+S 3 H

==> moves the start date 3 hours into the future.

This gets things out of the way until I need to chase things up. Good luck

[Sebastian Zander]

Hi Steph,

Your suggestion for solution seems good but when I try to create your filter I´m missing out with a ">" - And I don´t seem to be able to get it as you have done and the result is of course a non working formatting rule. :(

Please see my attached picture.

Question: It´s not possible to export your filter and then I can import it?

BR Sebastian

[Stéph]

Hello Sebastian,

I've exported the filter and attached it here. See if you can import that.

Of course, you may need to edit it, for example if your context is called something different from "@Waiting For".

I hope that works.

Stéph