Question for Windows Users

Greetings. I am new here to Drafts. I’ve worked in software development fro 20+ years and actually just finished a writing book specific to technology and the GTD discipline (or variants thereof).

I had always heard of Drafts but never bothered with it until I finally took the plunge. This might be my new favorite app. Wow! Ironically, I have been trying to write a similar application for the IOS (as I use a “drafts” category in each note application I use but it is convulsed. I never knew there was an app already for this.

With that said, I am a little surprised there is not a Windows app or even a Web app. I see a lot of companies, but it is what is it. Unlike a task manager(I use TickTick, BTW.)

My question:
Is there any way whatsoever to sync drafts with a windows environment? I’m not so much wanting to run actions from a windows box, but instead I am often on my laptop and think of something, instead of going to my phone, opening it, accessing Drafts etc., has anyone determined a way to do this outside of a Mac? I don’t like Dropbox, so was hoping for an actual service of some sort.

My use case is simple:

  1. While on Windows 10 box bring up a listing of current “Drafts” I have in the IOS app.
  2. Create a new "Draft. or edit an existing one. .
  3. The changes are synced with the iOS app.

Thanks!

Drafts is based on Apple technologies, in particular the data storage. These technologies are not currently available on Windows.

Some web integration is possible with these technologies (CloudKitJS), but I’m not sure to what extent this would enable a web version of Drafts.

There are other discussions on the forum about cross platform access, so do have a search through. I think the longest running is probably this one.

Hope that helps.

Thanks. Not the answer I was hoping for, but I understand it’s not part of their stack (which is why I’d love a web app sans any actions, even) .

I imagine I can come up with some two way sync using Drafts>App>Windows, but first choice of course is P2P to simply for fewer points of failure. Thanks for the response. I’m only on my second day with drafts but LOVE it. My mind is racing at all the ideas I have. Ha ha

Chances are strong that any automated sync layer on top will be plagued with issues as you would almost definitely need to screen scrape a lot for scanning for changes on the Drafts side. Apart from tying up a machine, accessing the database data Drafts uses requires Drafts and so many of the sorts of file or direct database access techniques you might otherwise use are not applicable to this scenario.

Yes, getting a custom proper two-way sync for Drafts between Windows machines seems like a task that is really hard to get implemented properly. Lots of issues. Some one way sync by exporting to Dropbox might work, but then you can only look at the files on Windows. I can definitely relate to this though, since I have to use Windows at work. There are so many great notes and other productivity applications for Mac/iOS, but I haven’t found any really good note taking application for Windows even if you forget about the sync. Currently I have set up a Visual Studio Code workspace for my Markdown and Taskpaper notes, it’s better for my use than any Markdown notes editor I’ve tried on Windows. :smiley:

What book did you write and why ticktick? I have to use a windows cpu at work, but I’m obsessed with Things 3.

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Hi Tyler, the book not published yet…kind of a long story, but it’s a proper book that a family member is shopping around, Note, I am not one of those “Use my six-step method for faster results…join my email list and receive a free copy if…” but instead I’m an actual implementer of said processes. I also work in Software Development (being both in both individual contributors and leadership roles over the years)…and I have always used form variant of GTD before Allen ever coined the term. I’m going back to the late 80’s here. Ha ha
So the book details this concept of how the stronger technology becomes, the less it drives processes, which is a good thing.
Having never even seen Drafts, when URL Scheme/X-callbackl took off I started to fund development of an iOS app called ‘Launchpad’ when URL schemes became available on the IOS…but was concerned with no standardization.
Anyway, 1/2 of the book details the concept (for non-technical people) how to leverage th iPhone, think if the iOS as an app, and the apps as ‘forms’ or ‘web pages’ and then essentially App A is used for this, App B is used for that but they all sync a set number of small modular services only the ones to exchange the desired info.
Regarding Tick Tick…I actually use a set number of apps. Tick Tick is for my personal life. So it;'s like an 'Area, where I use MLO for Work, and RTM for ‘Hobbies’ but I feed all my tasks up to a centralized form as I base my current view on where I am and with whom, what time of day it is, how much free time I have (i.e. context)…them sorted by priority.
So TIME of day is important in my process. This keeps it in the spirit of having a non-imposing list of ONLY tasks I CAN be doing based on the properties I noted above) . So if I have 10 tasks. One of them is “Pick son up from school” …I would not want that tasked displayed to me until a set time I can start it. No point showing me that at 1pm if he gets out at 3:50pm.
Tick Tick does not support that, but MLO does (and I have more time sensitive tasks at work tan I do at home). Otherwise, Tick Tick has EVERYTHING. The only thing they lack are the concept of start time/end time and sub-queries…with the latter being something I’ve told them I will leave this year if not implemented,.
Anyway, I’m back to learning Drafts

I’ll post a separate topic soliciting how people typically set it up (contextually speaking). i.e is it by Service, or by Intent (‘Notes’ vs 'Ideas for Dinner or ‘Email; vs ‘Weekly Status to Leadership’’. I hope that makes sense. I have gone back and forth on this and still unsure but leaning toward the Intent.
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