In version 3.2 Astrid undergoes a really substantial update which we hope increases your productivity and fills you with delight.
Back from the past
One of the most missed aspects of Astrid version 2 was the way sorting and filtering worked. It was really simple to sort by Due Date or Task Title if you didn’t like Astrid’s automatic sorting magic. You could also include/exclude completed tasks from the list you were currently viewing. While the filters feature in the first release of Astrid 3 had great potential, it wasn’t a replacement for this sorting menu and, frankly, most of the potential of the filters were unrealized. This left many of us frustrated that we couldn’t do what before was so simple — some of you cried foul while others quickly ‘downgraded’ to Astrid 2 to get back the Astrid you knew and loved.
In Astrid 3.2, released today, we have started to unlock the power of filters in a way that we think will even make converts of some of you Astrid 2 diehards. Let me show you a few screenshots of Astrid 3.2 so you can see what we love about it.
Sorting:
The sorting menu brings back the functionality of the Astrid 2 Sort/Filters menu with a few extras. Now you can also sort by Importance and Last Modified, as well as see your deleted tasks if you are into that.
Custom Filters:
Filters allow you to view lists of tasks based on criteria you specify. They can be as simple as tasks “Due This Week” or “Importance greater than !!!” and there is a nice little visualization so you know how many tasks are in this filter (see above). But there is more than eye candy here. You can filter by multiple criteria that you want to require, want to exclude or want to add to the current list. For example, you can have a list that shows all the tasks that are due today and all the tasks the tasks that are highest priority (regardless of due date). Or (as pictured) you can set up a filter to checkup on your less urgent and less important tasks. Feel free to try custom filters out, have fun and share with us some of the filters that you think will help the rest of us be more productive.
But wait, there’s more!
Widgets can link to filters
That’s right, each of the widgets above is linked to a different filter! Now, on one screen you can see what is due today, what you have for review, what is work-related and what you have assigned to a family member or co-worker. Yes, you can now assign tasks — but this feature deserves its own post. Until then, it is up to you to discover the ins and outs of this feature and Astrid’s other sources of wonder and merriment! Now, go have fun and get stuff done.