Why Can't TW do Alarms?

[@TiddlyTweeter]

A few times in the last few months this has come up....

 Why Can't TW do Alarms?

Is this intrinsic to its nature? OR could it be done?

There is some demand.

[Jed Carty]

What sort of alarms do you want?

The browser is limited in what it can do. If you always have the wiki open in a browser and if that tab is always loaded than you may be able to have the wiki do system notifications.

Doing time-based things isn't hard to do in javascript, the part that is lacking and that a lot of people assume is trivial is the user interface. UI design isn't easy, in fact it is magically difficult. A few people have made demos of time-based events in tiddlywiki but they were never really used because it is very hard to make one that is good both in terms of UI and in terms of the limitations of javascript in a browser.

[PMario]

On Friday, June 23, 2017 at 3:30:56 AM UTC+2, @TiddlyTweeter wrote:

A few times in the last few months this has come up....

 Why Can't TW do Alarms?

Probably, because nobody did them?
 

Is this intrinsic to its nature?

If the browser doesn't run, how should TW produce an alarm? ... TW can do things, when you start up. eg: reminders, which are implemented in the Cardo project.
 

OR could it be done?

A "reminder" type of thing, should be easy to implement. One could just use the stuff from Cardo, if it had a license ;)

You can also create a startup script, that checks for stuff, that should be listed as eg: "pending", if the right information is provided in the titddlers.


There's also a new method in latest browsers, that would allow us to set the exact time for a reminder. ... but those functions aren't easy to handle and topic to browser compatibility issues.

-mario

[Mat]

 Why Can't TW do Alarms?

Not to mention coffee!!!

Joking aside, I'd like that and it should be possible. Back in the GTD heydays, e.g mGSD featured it (still does, of course), there called "ticklers". If I recall, it needs for the browser to have been loaded after the set alarm time for an alert.

<:-)

[Mat]

Jed Carty wrote:

Doing time-based things isn't hard to do in javascript, the part that is lacking and that a lot of people assume is trivial is the user interface. UI design isn't easy, in fact it is magically difficult. A few people have made demos of time-based events in tiddlywiki but they were never really used because it is very hard to make one that is good both in terms of UI and in terms of the limitations of javascript in a browser.

Jedi master make code, Mortal Mat make UI. Deal.

<:-)

[Alex Hough]

I wonder if anyone make something, the design could integrate with the timeline visualisation plugin and moment.js  

Alex

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[@TiddlyTweeter]

Jed Carty wrote:

What sort of alarms do you want?

The browser is limited in what it can do. If you always have the wiki open in a browser and if that tab is always loaded than you may be able to have the wiki do system notifications.

Right. So maybe a good starting point is that? Assume the TW is always live.

Just as an example I was thinking of Thomas Elmiger's ToDoNow. It does have time setting for tasks. For the items that do have a time set it would be great if there were an alert 30 minutes before the event time.

Rather than have a system notification, what would really help is if that the event concerned (the Tiddler) would show in a pop-up in the TW (maybe in a modal?) 30 minutes before the due time with a message saying "X happens in 30 minutes". Not sure if this is in anyway possible?

But, something like that.

(Let me hasten to add that I am no way saying TE should do this ... merely it is a good example where an alarm could have utility)
 

the part that is lacking and that a lot of people assume is trivial is the user interface. UI design isn't easy, in fact it is magically difficult.

As i tried to conceive what it should look like I realised that is absolutely so.

Best wishes
Josiah

 

[@TiddlyTweeter]

PMario wrote:

A "reminder" type of thing, should be easy to implement. One could just use the stuff from Cardo, if it had a license ...

Right! :-)

That feels a bit naughty. Like stealing the Crown Jewels.

J.

[Alex Hough]

some might say that the Crown Jewels were stollen anyway...

Alex

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[Mark S.]

Skip the UI for setup if you have to. Even if alarm times have to put in a data tiddler, that's a start.

On a practical basis, I find that checking my timed-tasks list (perhaps ToDoNow) every day first thing in the morning, then plugging in any timed events into an alarm system on a portable device (phone, tablet, voice recorder, etc.) accomplishes the main goals. TW (or any browser based solution) isn't dependable enough for alarms away from the desktop.

Mark

[@TiddlyTweeter]

Agreed. I'm on that desktop, though.

J. x

Mark S. wrote:
... TW (or any browser based solution) isn't dependable enough for alarms away from the desktop.

[Danielo Rodríguez]

You are all wrong. :-)

Modern web technologies allows some kind of notifications,at least I'm modern browsers like chrome or Firefox. I have plans to include them as part of NoteSelf features (not sure why ).

I also plan to include this feature as part of the Android application.

Regards

[Thomas Elmiger]

Hi all,

Just a short confirmation that you are all wrong ;–)

At least for what I wanted and was able to do as an addition to ToDoNow like Josiah suggested.*
– The user interface was the easy part.
– Calculation of time differences and releasing a reminder or an alert in a timely manner was the hard part. Twice.

In case others are working on this: How far did you get?

My stuff could be released as soon as I find the time to cleanup, maybe rename/restructure, update many of my plugins and update my web pages.

Don’t expext too much: I can make a message appear in your wiki while you are WORKING in your wiki. No sound, no system alert, no transfer to your mobile. Just a message, but close to the preferred time span (J. suggested 30 minutes, my users will be able to adjust this in the configuration).

Stay tuned and let me know if you are working on something similar (or better).

Cheers,
Thomas

* Josiah did NOT suggest that I should do this and I appreciate that! But I couldn’t resist :–D

[Jed Carty]

We must have very different skills. The date macros here let you define a time in the future http://ooktech.com/jed/ExampleWikis/DateMacros/

Just change the line var result = output_date.toDateString(); in the add-time macro to get the output in another format.

[@TiddlyTweeter]

Ciao Thomas

That sounds excellent! For me its better without sound, and only when the wiki is up. I don't like gizmos that take over your life, phones & computer. For me ToDoNow is my "business console" and its always upfront until 5pm. Then OFF.

Looking forward to it.

Thomas Elmiger wrote:

I can make a message appear in your wiki while you are WORKING in your wiki.

 

* Josiah did NOT suggest that I should do this and I appreciate that! But I couldn’t resist :–D

If only everyone were as receptive to my subliminal suggestions...

Tchüss
Josiah

[Thomas Elmiger]

Thank you Jed, I will consider to adapt your elegant solutions in my next refactoring cycle!

And next time I will ask for skilled support earlier in the process ;–)

Cheers, Thomas