coaching newsletter contact

Auto-Parsing Tasks in OmniFocus on iOS

Back in 2015, I had an idea. What if it was possible to email (manually or auto-generated) a task into OmniFocus and have it automatically end up in the correct project and context? And if that's possible, can I add all the dates, notes, duration, and such to the task as well? It turned out that it was possible! And I built a little script and method for doing exactly that.

Fast-forward to 2020 and Omni Automation came to OmniFocus on all platforms. It was an immediate desire of mine to bring the bulk of my OmniFocus scripts over to this new system. But it also meant that I would need to rebuild each of them from the ground up. That process began with the release of the Update Reviews script two weeks ago. And today, I have this Auto-Parser script ported over as well.

As a refresher, here's the syntax for this script:

--Fix bathroom wiring! @house ::maintenance #friday #next monday $30 min //It’s driving me crazy.

  • “--“ sets the name of the task.
  • The “!” after the task name is what sets the flag.
  • “@“ sets the tag. You can have multiple of these.
  • “::” sets the project.
  • The first “#” sets the defer date.
  • The second “#” sets the due date. If only one “#” exists, OmniFocus assumes it’s a due date.
  • “$” sets the time estimation.
  • “//“ sets the note for the task.

You can download this script here. Double-click or open the file to install it. (Or you can see it on GitHub here.)

Fri, Jan 29, 2021 12:00am CST https://bhlg.us/5Aw1
#omnifocus
4 likes
OmniFocus Felix Calero The Old Designer Tim Stringer

Want to see my August 2020 Bullet Journal setup?

Join 1,514 subscribers!

I'll send you the link to a six-minute overview video of my August 2020 spreads when you sign up for my newsletter, The Weekly Impulse.

Site Analytics

I use Fathom Analytics on this site because I care about your privacy. And if you ever want to see the stats collected and the data I see, check out the live analytics here.

Amazon Affiliate

joebuhlig.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees when linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above might be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

an analog mind in a digital world

👋 I'm Joe Buhlig. I strive to build productivity systems that stand the test of time and help me do more than check boxes. I'm here to help you do the same.

🎙 I read a lot of books and talk about it.

🐿 I can't focus on one thing for long, so I write a lot of code for an eclectic grouping of projects.

📓 And I'm a bit obsessed with finding non-proprietary solutions to digital problems. Thus, text files for the win! 🎉

MN U.S.A 1986-09-30
  • all
  • articles
  • code
  • likes
  • notes
  • photos
  • replies
  • reposts
  • steps
  • videos
coaching newsletter contact
© 2014-2023 by Joe Buhlig