Outliner with drag/drop reordering - part 2

cvp

@ihf please give me news about the Mac script and the Apple Watch proposal

ihf

@cvp Sorry for the delay in replying. I am away from home this week and had some network issues yesterday. I will try to test the Mac script later today. As to the watch, that would be a great addition. I think I would use DataJar for this purpose. I have to look at how Pythonista could add values though.

cvp

@ihf oups, sorry to have insisted, no urgence at all.
don't know datajar, if you find a way that Pythonista could use it to update such a file, tell me.

cvp

@ihf the only way I actually see to update the Data Jar database is via a shortcut, not via a Python script. Thus, I don't see how it could help you to store the ouTline data.

ihf

@cvp Yes but you can do this:

import shortcuts
shortcuts.open_shortcuts_app(name="dj",shortcut_input="Hello World"

The Shortcut looks like this: https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/a944a4779c0c4c71861a402cb6b6a138

Then it is easy to get to Datajar values from a shortcut that is run on the watch.

cvp

@ihf Did you try it? That will say that at each save of an outline file, I should run a shortcut, passing the text part of the outline? Agree?

To be compared to update a calendar event (fixed date, title = outline name) with its notes field = outline text part. And shortcut on Apple watch can show a list of all such events, user select one and show the text.

ihf

@cvp Yes I tested saving text from Pythonista to Data Jar. However, your idea of using the calendar may turn out to perform better as it does not depend on a 3rd party app. Also, depending on the formatting, the calendar route might offer a way to see an outline on the Mac. (There is a DataJar for the Mac in beta but I have not tried it).

cvp

@ihf I guess that is possible on Mac to read calendars, but I don't know how in Python (quid about Two-factor authentication?).

But is my script on Mac not sufficient? Read the outline file is not better?

ihf

@cvp Reading the outline with Python is better although having it in the calendar as you suggested would also make it readable on the watch as well as on the Mac without any additional programs. I’m just not sure how usable it will be on the Watch given the display limitations and the inability to check off outline items. I’m happy to try it, if you implement it (either with Datajar or the calendar).

cvp

@ihf said:

the inability to check off outline items

What do you mean? Mac and Apple Watch would only be used to read the outlines, not to update them by checking them, isn't it?

ihf

@cvp yes, I was just thinking that without any even minimal interaction capability and given the size of the display and the amount of text it can show, reading outlines on the watch may be of limited utility. But without trying it, I can’t really know for sure.

cvp

@ihf if you want to try on an Apple Watch, create a calendar event

in calendar named "Outline"
on 2022/01/01 01:00
notes = text of your outline like seen by Files/send to app/.txt

See it with this shortcut

ihf

@cvp I had to change the date in the Shortcut to 1/1/2022 01:00 but it worked well…very fast on the watch.

cvp

@ihf yes, sorry, 01:01. Do you think you could use it on your watch? If yes, do you want I modify outline.py to generate such an event? And if yes, agree for calendar name, date, time?

ihf

@cvp yes, it is usable on the watch and is a good enhancement

ihf

@cvp I was trying to get someone to try out Outline and they did not have the support files. They got the message in the console that had links to the 5 or so support scripts. Could you possibly change that so that if it does not find the files, it asks if the user wants to do the download (using requests)? It could greatly simplify getting someone started with Outline.

cvp

@ihf I know and it is on my todo list but not yet done (I'm in a foreign country for the week).

cvp

@ihf V01.05 and outline.versions with

Version V01.05
  - automatic download of needed modules

It seems that for blackmamba module, this automatic process does not work.
If it is the case, you get in the console an explanation message to download the blackmamba folder.

It is only needed to execute in the console the installation action foreseen by the author:

import requests as r; exec(r.get('http://bit.ly/get-blackmamba').text)

ihf

@cvp I ran v1.05 on my iPad and it gave 4 messages about needing modules that were already there (not sure which but I think it include swizzle and gestures). After accepting, the script ran fine. Perhaps it is not looking in all the valid places?

cvp

@ihf said:

Perhaps it is not looking in all the valid places?

Perhaps you did not install them at the right place 😂
I guess they are all in sites-packages, except blackmamba in sites-packages-3 (done by author installation process)

Nb I don't have these messages, thus....please move them at the right place