iOS, no, or yes?

I have been here on this forum for awhile now and I am aware that Jessie has asserted that he is no interested in developing iOS porting for TaskPaper. Then I came across this YouTube video showing how TaskPaper is used on an iPad - which last time I looked was an iOS device. TaskPaper Running on an iPad Curious then to understand if this is true or not? Granted, this video says it was uploaded in 2010 so perhaps TaskPaper once did this but, no longer? Inquiring minds want to know.

I enjoy using Taskpaper. And, with the memory challenges I have, the more different methods I use for doing a task, the harder it becomes to stay with a task - or a system. Therefore for my needs, it would be great if TaskPaper had a way to port to an iOS device. As it is now I selected my priority tasks for today, made sure I hit the “copy displayed” key command and not the “copy” command (which are backwards IMHO). Then I pasted into my Notes app section for “Todays Carry” Notes field so that as I travel around the city getting things done I don’t forget things. If an iPad can run TaskPaper I would consider getting the iPad mini just for this purpose.

Which is why I am posting this, to get Jessie to weigh in on the linked video.

Thanks all.

Hi, I did build and sell a iOS version of TaskPaper. But then the iOS app market exploded (number of apps) and collapsed (ability to make money selling apps) and the end result was that I couldn’t make enough money to support development of the iOS apps.

So I stopped selling them and open sourced the TaskPaper for iOS code. A few different developers have used that code as a starting point to create their own TaskPaper apps.

I would be delighted to pay again for a Hog Bay version. The ones from other developers have left me unhappy (for example, Taskmater lost data a couple of times during normal use).

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I too would pay. This is such a volatile world with App developers. TaskPaper has remained viable for some time now and that is a good thing. But watching the interest from the developer in iOS wane is just … sad and par for the course, unfortunately. That wasn’t a back hand swipe at Jessie, he knows his priorities better than I do. It’s just that as I observe, we all want to create it the way we want it but that doesn’t always jibe with the developers vision. Short of being your own developer, what you gonna do?

I would love to just build my own custom solutions. But I don’t have the skill. I am not a programmer and frankly, living in that deep logic part of my brain - just hurts. I used to work with a desktop and server database app called Panorama by Proview. I was able to run some Python and other scripts within that app. I just downloaded XCode and tried out some “how to”” videos. Not likely that I will figure that out anytime soon. I also looked at LiveCode. LiveCode seems like the way to go for a rank amateur in code writing like myself.

You should try Editorial if you’re looking for an iOS TaskPaper client and you know python. It has native suppprt for both.

See Using Editorial with Taskpaper files

A text editor seems much more like using TP on the Mac than the iOS client did (ditto TaskMator).

Hmm, OK but, where do I find this? I am looking at the app store and I get no results for “editorial”.

Editorial is my current solution for TaskPaper on iOS. It is very good.

That said, I’d still prefer a native TaskPaper app.

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By the way, the Go to Project workflow is built into Editorial now. You just tap on the title of the document, and you get a list of projects:

Taskmator is a good option second to Editorial. It gets updates pretty regularly. Developer is pretty responsive.

Yes, I wrote that up a few weeks after Editorial had launched. Now there are several dozen workflows for working with TP files, as well as native support as you note. I think the preference for Editorial vs Taskmator will come down to whether you prefer a text editor or a more mobile-focused interface. I use both, Editorial for complex edits and Taskmator for checking stuff off quickly.

I haven’t had any problems with Taskmator in the last year. I did see what Jim mentioned above on a fresh install with Dropbox connected. Amit is pretty active still on it but i imagine he doesn’t see the path to millions.

For my wife the killer feature in Taskmator that carried over from Taskpaper is swipe to strike… still king. She saw the Editorial interface and it did not kick in enough endorphines. And speaking as a husband, you want a wife with more endorphins.

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yeah, it’s not probably raking it in, that one clone really hurt him for a while, i admit, i was giving a bad of a review as possible without it getting modded for that clone.

Any updates on this? iOS is rapidly becoming a problem for the taskpaper format. Editorial is defunct and I’m not so keen on Taskmator, but it seems the only option.

Does anyone have any other solution they are using to access their Taskpaper on iOS? Now that I’m 50% on iOS, I’m sadly having to rethink continuing with Taskpaper. When iOS 13 is released with full USB access, I can’t help but think that macos only apps are going to be a problem. I’m hoping that Jesse might be able to port it over as they look to make macos apps run on iOS.

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I’ve moved on to 1Writer.

I’ve been able to get my most important macros written in JavaScript, and I am using iCloud to sync (which works better than Dropbox did with Editorial—zero conflicted files with the new setup).

My only gripe was that I had to rename my TaskPaper files from .taskpaper to .txt—but once I got over that, I couldn’t be happier!

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Just to say, I use TaskPaper a little differently than some. I use TaskPaper primarily as a writing tool. My organization of ideas happens in TaskPaper. At some point, Scrivener becomes my main focus as TaskPaper remains plain text and will not allow inline formatting or pasting in graphics. Finally, I move to Nisus, my word processor of choice.

I am making do just fine using Apples Notes app. I copy the text I am working on, and paste it into Notes. It syncs with my iPad, and I walk around reviewing and editing my writing, make changes, and allow it to resync with my Mac. Then I copy paste the changes.

I think I was the OP on this post. It would also be nice to see TaskPaper as a task keeping and task scheduling app on a compatible iOS platform. But for my needs, Notes has filled the gap quite nicely.

The more I realize that my writing process involves three separate apps, the less worried I have become about continuing to seek out a TaskPaper specific iOS outcome.

Thanks guys. My problem is that iOS is no longer a temporary fill-in for when I’m out and about. I actually need to work on my tasks on my iPad. This requires full Taskpaper functionality, which does not appear to be on the horizon.

Yep, I sympathize with you on that. I think Jessie weighed in that he was unable to find a profit in the overcrowded iOS market. Seems sad since, there are many other apps around that will do some of what TaskPaper can do, I suppose, but getting it right, as Jessie has done with TaskPaper is oh so sweet.

If it is about tracking projects and lists in the iOS environment, I think I would take a hard look at the offerings by the Omni Group. I don’t know very much about their products (OmniFocus, OmniPlan, OmniOutliner) but from what I have demoed in the past they seem to offer strong solutions that work in iOS and macOS. Not sure if any of their products work in the TaskPaper plain text environment or not. But, if you are seriously considering a total iOS environment, their products might be worth a look - see.

Why on earth would USB drive access matter for Taskpaper?

It wouldn’t matter specifically for Taskpaper, but it matters to many like me who are still needing to use desktops/laptops because of file transfer. As iOS inches ever closer to replacing macbooks/desktops it will invariably have an impact on macos only software. Which is my current predicament with Taskpaper.