Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpfcso!hpfcbig!diamant From: diamant@hpfcbig.SDE.HP.COM (John Diamant) Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds Subject: Re: Todo program Message-ID: <1010007@hpfcbig.SDE.HP.COM> Date: 14 Mar 91 21:42:45 GMT References: <1991Mar12.144908.1088@truevision.com> Organization: HP SESD, Fort Collins, CO Lines: 122 David Spoelstra (davids@epicb.truevision.com) writes: > Program Id: TODO > Description: To-Do Reminder List > Programmer: David Cook - Cookware Neat program! Thanks for posting it. > If you make significant changes, please add you name > to the title screen - but keep my name as well. If you find this program > invaluable, a $5 donation would be appreciated. Send any money or comments > to: David Cook, RR #1 Box 351, Whitestown Indiana 46075 - Thank you! In case other people have the same comments, I'm posting my comments here rather than sending them directly to you. Just in case this wouldn't get to you otherwise, I'm also mailing this directly to your email address. Please let me know if you're interested in making the below changes. If not, I will make them myself, and can send them back to you (for a repost by one of us). > Installing And Running TODO: > How To Use TODO > When the program begins to run, it will display six menu items assigned > to the menu keys. These six items are: > LIST - Catalog of all lists OR create a new list OR delete a list I found the list screen confusing because I couldn't figure out how to add or delete lists until I read through all the instructions. It might be a little more intuitive if the LIST screen provided the add and delete as function keys. By the way, when I created a new list, I tried to use the name "WORK-TODO" and it aborted the program (probably the "-" is an illegal variable name. You might want to check the variable names for validity before trying to use them. Also, having delete list be a single keystroke (DEL) without confirmation seems dangerous. I could wipe out a large amount of data by accident with a single button. How about a confirmation question ("Really Delete" with a default -- already in the input buffer of "no".) > DEL (keyboard key) - Deletes the current item Again, a confirmation would be nice. Actually, I'd be happy with just disabling the DEL key completely and requiring MARK followed by PURGE to do any delete (since it's two keystrokes, it's unlikely to happen by mistake, especially since PURGE requires a shift key as well. > BLUE SHIFT LIST - Enter the name for a brand new list If this were a function key in the LIST screen, it wouldn't require a separate keystroke to remember. > EDIT (menu key) - Edit the text of the current line It would be great if you would include the original contents of the item in the input buffer so editing would not always require a complete retype for minor changes. I believe it's just a variant on the INPUT command. > BLUE SHIFT EXIT - Turn the calculate off (turning it on returns to > TODO automatically with no delay) How about defining BLUE SHIFT ON to have this function instead? That way it would be the normal OFF function with nothing special to remember. Also, how about defining ON/ATTN to be the same as EXIT, so if that key is accidentally hit, everything is left in a clean state. This would be especially nice if it worked in all contexts. > Here are some general comments about a couple of the commands... > When you MARK or UNMARK > a 'startrek' type beep will occur to signify the mark. If you do not wish > to hear the sound, hit ORANGE SHIFT MARK instead. BLUE SHIFT MARK will UNMARK This is just a small cosmetic suggestion, but why not have some sort of toggle instead which controls whether the beep happens or not? If the toggle state were maintained in a variable in the directory, then it would be persistent and people wouldn't have to type extra keys regardless of which they preferred. > OTHER KEYBOARD KEYS > If you hit an unknown key (eg., not known to the program), the program will > issue a very low tone. Try again! > 'W', 'S' and 'CATTEMP' are all deleted and rebuilt by the program. I don't have my manual handy right now so I can't check this, but I think if you use lower case letters for the local variables, they will be deleted when the function exits thus avoiding the cleanup problem (if you need them in several functions, this may not work for you, though). Is there a font as small as the one you use which can display both upper and lower case? It's (mildly) annoying to get everthing displayed in upper case when I typed it in in lower case. By the way, where is the font set (so I can change it to one that displays lower case if I want to)? Please don't interpret these comments as critical. I'm really glad you wrote and posted this program. It's extremely close to what I've been looking for for a few months (and haven't had the time to write myself). If you agree with the suggestions but don't have time to do some of them, I'll do them myself and send them back. Anyway, thanks for the great new tool! John Diamant Software Engineering Systems Division Hewlett Packard Co. ARPA Internet: diamant@hpfclp.sde.hp.com Fort Collins, CO UUCP: {hpfcla,hplabs}!hpfclp!diamant This response does not represent the official position of, or statement by, the Hewlett-Packard Company. The above data is provided for informational purposes only. It is supplied without warranty of any kind. Note that I'm just a 48SX user like you -- I just happen to work for HP. I do not work in the division that makes these calculators.