Browse Drafts by Calendar

I think it would be super useful to be able to browse drafts in a calendar interface. This would allow Drafts to be able to be better used for journalling, by looking back on specific days. It would be nice if the calendar showed some sort of ‘heat map’ so days with a lot of entries would show up in a bright red, grading to white with days for no events. It would also be nice if it were tied to the current workspace, so maybe the heat map is only applicable to items matching the current workspace filters.

It should be possible to build something functional around this using the HTML preview that would do this. Not as nice as a native option, but with the advantage that it could be created now and customised to an individual’s needs.

I use Agenda when I want to have a journal for a day or a project, because it is calendar based and ties in with Fantastical (also Apple calendar). If a project gets, or is going to be, long or complicated I use a combo of Tinderbox, Curio, DEVONthink (for storing everything), and sometimes Hook.

For example, right now I’m having to replace my AC system. I’m using Agenda to keep track of the estimates, notes about the estimators, etc., on the days something happens and I’m able to toss PDFs of the estimates in it as well if I like. On the other hand I’m rebuilding an online environmental science course, so I’m using Tinderbox to plan and organize all the curricula, assignments, discussion boards, tests, etc. with regard to sequences and pages for study in the OER textbook we are switching to. I’m also teaching three courses and I manage all of that in Curio Professional.

If I’m typing up something for the courses, such as weekly announcements, important email content, module directions, etc., I turn immediately to Drafts. I guess what I’m trying to say is that making Drafts so complex that writing in it becomes buried in features, is not a good idea imho, and that integrating different apps into a workflow based upon their strengths and capabilities might be a workable approach, but your mileage may (likely will) vary.

I will admit that keeping subscriptions to all of these gets a bit pricy, but it is still worth it for me. Also, I think I’ve written a lot more than was necessary for this response, but I’m practically typing in my sleep, my cat kept me up most of the night for some reason. LOL.

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The point about the right tool for the right job is definitely taken and I don’t think it makes sense for Drafts to be some sort of Frankenstein ur-app. I actually use Day One and I like its features as a journaling app especially having pictures and whatnot.

I guess I just think the calendar view would be a helpful interface when browsing the archives, easier to conceptualize dates than a simple reverse sorted list of notes. But… this is probably why I am not a developer of an award winning app!

As a postscript, your post inspired me to finally check out Agenda. I love it! I’ve made an action to send to Agenda easily from Drafts, and I still generally start all of my text in Drafts. But Agenda so far has been really useful for maintaining a more curated, project/meeting focused list of notes, with Drafts serving as my backup for almost everything I’ve jotted down.

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