calmwater: a fast, command-line, GTD tool that holds you to account

Requirements:

• Ruby 2.6.3 or greater.

Recommended, but entirely optional:

• tput (if you don't have this, then set $color_only to false in config.rb)
  • apt install libncurses5 on debian/ubuntu, otherwise see: tput

Install

1. Download.
2. Open a terminal and unzip calmwater-trunk.zip, presumably in your Downloads folder.
3. Install tput (see above) or set $color_only to false in config.rb file.
4. ruby Downloads/calmwater-trunk/main.rb

Using:

• ruby calmwater-trunk/main.rb
• Arrow keys and Emacs keybindings available for editing command line items; if you're on MacOS and option-f produces a fancy f symbol, fix it by:
  • If Terminal.app: Preferences -> Profiles -> Keyboard -> check 'Use Option as Meta key'
  • If Kitty: config file: macos_option_as_alt yes
  • Then restart the terminal.

design principles

• Never lose data.
• Never lock you in; your data is yours and human-readable.
• Fast; capture your thoughts, update your status, etc. -- quickly.
• Stays out of your way, but keeps your data at you fingerprints.
• Pure Getting Things Done; no tweaks or additions like priorities. No cruft.
• Everything you need, nothing you don't. Minimalist: see below.

features?

• Fast
• Reliable
• Open (your data is yours)
• Supports you; helps you do your weekly review right and not skip any items, while also preventing overwhelm as best it can
• Supports you; alerts you if you're experiencing project creep (coming someday)

non-features; everything you need, nothing you don't.

extbrain is minimal and opinionated so we left out several common features out, by design:

• No priorities; either it's important enough to be on your current projects & action lists, or it isn't. If you aren't sure, err on putting it on your someday/maybe list.

• No due dates; use your calendar or your phone's reminder function. Otherwise you'll just clutter yourself up with a lot of 'should dos' and watch them pass by, undone.

• No habits; use a habit tracker app.
• No tracking of average length of time between weekly reviews; the app already yells at you if you're delinquent, knowing that you're regularly delinquent isn't a useful feature; it will only inspire guilt and it also will become pretty obvious if you are regularly delinquent.

TODO the rest of this README

won't work under windows

• color coding of output
• opening a second instance of extbrain on the same machine (eg server) will just exit, instead of gracefully shutting down the first process

todo some documentation

PROJECTS

• p keyword string - creates project with keyword and title of string
• pt keyword action_context string - creates a task within project specified by keyword with specified title of string with action context of action_context

TASKS

• t - lists tasks

• t work - list tasks in work action context

• t work call bob re: proposal - create task in work action context with the contents of 'call bob re: proposal'

• when creating tasks, can use abbreviations for action contexts such as 'c' for computer, 'w' for waiting, and 's' or 's/m' or 'm' etc. for someday/maybe

• use 't action_context' to list tasks in a given action context, like 't computer' or 't job'

• shortcuts available: lc and lj

GENERAL

• in general hitting ENTER on a prompt will do nothing and allow you to exit out of that prompt, such as when selecting tasks

• in general, the undo command is available for some actions such as completion, deletion and other serious actions

ADVANCED

• w what you are waiting on
• w (no arguments, works like lw)
• w - eg 'w bob' - show everything I'm waiting on Bob to do.

Testing

• rake test
• test coverage for some underlying data structures, but not for middleware

TODO VET THIS STUFF LATER

alias extbrain='rlwrap ruby ~/extbrain/main.rb'

COMMAND STRUCTURE

OTHER

• s search_keyword - look for keyword, else search all titles for search_keyword, across projects and tasks

• IGNORE THIS ** #f - add a note that followed up with person we're waiting on ** ##aw - swap a task from action to waiting or vice versa?

TASKS AND PROJECTS

• c search_keyword - complete task matching search keyword/list tasks
• d search_keyword - complete task matching search keyword/list tasks
• n - nottaking TODO FLESHOUT. # not sure this is implemented
• r search_keyword - rename/retitle task or project specified

TODO VERIFY THIS

## TASKS
When a search_keyword is used, the action will be taken on the single
task matching that search, or -- if there are multiple matches --
present a list of options matching that search and have the user choose
using numbers - or running a more refined search again from the prompt.
##d 5 - delete the 5th item just displayed? if only.

w - display waiting task list
a - display agenda list
a name - display agenda list for name
a name content - create agenda item for name [note: task w/ action context fo a person]
t - list all tasks
t action_context - list all tasks in a given action context, otherwise use this shorthand
 tc - list all tasks computer action context
 th - " " home
 tw - " " work
 tj - aliaso for tw, j for job

#TODO tasks.filter once ruby = 2.6.3 or just live with select nomeclatre
t = @tasks.select { |t| p.action_context == action_context  
t.each { |t| puts t }
printing some kind of short uid instead of a custom numbered menu might be easier.. less state to manage..



## PROJECTS
p or lp - list projects 
p keyword - view project with keyword
p keyword title - create project with keyword and title 
tag keyword - add tags to project?
pt keyword action_context task - add a task to project with keyword in action_context with a title of task #pt stands for project task

---

If your delete key does not work, try this:

.inputrc
  "\e[3~": delete-char


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notes:
 review projects and tasks every 5-7 days
 review areas of focus/resp every 30 days.