Customisable column views

Suggestion:

• Add the ability to batch modify columns for selected groups (folders)

I'd like to sponsor this request. the requirements follow:

1) Allow one to specify the visible columns on a per folder basis. These settings obviously needs to be remembered during launches of Mori.
2) To simplify the case where multiple folders might utilise the same layout, maybe allow one to define a layout style and that would include the visible columns. One can then apply this style to one or more folders. This is the batch update feature - allow one to select say 6 folders and then apply one of these styles to them all.

I'd be willing to pay USD50 for this.

Column values are available for every entry in the file. If you want folder-specific columns this would mean lots of columns in the file. I know little about CoreData, but this probably doesn't scale.

You may be looking for attributes rather than columns. Those are key->value pairs stored with individual entries. They're more of a Wiki thing and rarely supported by pure outliners. If you find an application that supports table views for attribute-sets, I'd be interested.

Column values are available for every entry in the file. If you want folder-specific columns this would mean lots of columns in the file. I know little about CoreData, but this probably doesn't scale.

I don't think folder specific columns should be an implementation problem. I don't think the request requires any changes to Mori's data model at all. Instead they just want to hide/show certain columns when certain folders are selected. Basically they want to automate calls to the View > Columns menu items based on a new folder selection.

I know. But if per folder hiding of columns is available people will use it, storing all kinds of things in the same notebook, adding column after column.

Using only a single notebook would be incredibly convenient, and I'd love to have it. But a relational table with more than 20 fields just feels wrong. You sure this won't cause (performance) problems?

Then again, Mori's way of adding columns might scare some people (like me) off...

OK I understand what you mean, but I'm not sure if it will turn out to be such a big problem in the end. First of course if you add many many columns things will slow down. But in most real world cases I don't think this will be a problem. Also this feature will be quite useful even if people don't add their own columns. For instance I prefer to only show the "title" column in my own notebooks. But it would be useful to be able to show specific columns (such as date modified) in some of my smart folders.

I am adding my vote to this one too- this is a major feature that I think is missing (this and the searchable pop-up columns) and one that would perfectly compliment the ability of Mori to add custom columns. I am hoping to see this feature soon. Jesses, you should set up a "donation jar" for some of these feature requests. Some of these are so important to me that I would be willing to pay extra (beyond my family pack license) to have some of the features sooner than later.

I add my vote for this - and donate some dollars. A good way to implement this would be to allow the user to define their own "folder types", each of which would have its own set of visible columns.

There is a new and very powerful Windows outliner called Ultra Recall (UR) that kind of does this. It allows the user to create various "template" folders/items and then chose which attribute/column types to show against all items that based on that template. Another cool feature of UR is that it alows you to assign default values to each column for each template. UR allows the user to assign an icon to each template so that they look distinctive in the outline list.

Tinderbox achieves something similar to all this with its "prototypes".

FOlder Templates is one way of doing it, however Id go for a more Finder 'View Options' like approach where by you have a 'All Windows' and 'This Window Only' approach. That way you can set a folder to a default view, and customise folders without needed to define a template.

Templates of course is the most powerful option, but would require more work and IMO would be a bit OTT for my uses. Id go for simplicity over multiple folder templat creation ness.

Any updates on this issue? I really, really need this!

This is one of the features (along with the pop-up list in columns) that keeps me checking the website nearly everyday- an update would be great to have.

Jesse, when do you think you might be working on Mori again? A month? 3 months?

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

It's always a bit hard to say. I'm sure I'll be putting some major work into Mori within three months. And I would expect to start putting some significant time into Mori within the month. At the moment my priority is on getting WriteRoom 2.0 out, I had hoped to have that done by Nov 1... but still have a bit to go.

Thanks Jesse, I really do appreciate the update.

just wanted to say I'd like this feature too.

The advantage of a program like Mori is it gives you many different views of your data.

--Rick Taylor