Posted: 15 Jun 2005 at 6:55am | IP Logged

Hi Rainer,

I will think about a "Delete" or "Don't Delete" outlook entry setting :)

Posted: 15 Jun 2005 at 5:16pm | IP Logged

Well,

I think it might get "messy" to add a "deferred delete" feature from what I understand your idea to be...

I am saying this because, lets say I don't delete the shadow appointment for a deferred 2 days. Well, on that 2nd day, alerts will just go ahead and delete it - just like it does now, only two days later. So, even though alerts is deleting it two days later, you would still loose your custom notes for that appointment when it gets deleted. And to fix that issue, I would have to setup a "About to Delete" alert to remind you that Alerts will delete the appointment in 1 day...and so on.

Unless I misunderstood your idea, can you see why it looks like this "deferred delete" method might turn out to be a never ending process?

-John

Posted: 15 Jun 2005 at 5:22pm | IP Logged

Well, my problem was that I had information about the event in the note, and the moment I needed them (i.e. the moment I as Alert!ed) they were gone.

I think that it is quite natural to make a note "call this number", possibly with notes about the planned conversation, and maybe the number to call.

Ok, the alarm sounds, it tells me to make the call, I Dismiss in order to go to Outlook and look up the number - gone it is.

See MY point?

Rainer

Posted: 15 Jun 2005 at 5:24pm | IP Logged

Oh,

One other thing that might shed some more light on this issue...

I designed the "Shadow Appointments" to be just that...dummy appointments that are to serve no other purpose then to just display on your home screen and desktop PC. I even include a notice in each shadow app to not edit it itself, but instead use Alerts to edit it.

That notice in each appointment is VERY important, because each time you edit an alert in Alerts!, any exiting shadow appointment (and any recurrances) are automatically deleted and a new appointment is created in it's place. This allows me to create them very rapidly. Otherwise, if I allowed you to edit the shadow appointments in outlook, then I could not delete them if you later edit an alert from within Alerts! And, if there were any recurrences of that shadow appointment, I would have to track them all down individually, which would effect the performace and slow down Alerts! everytime you edited an alert.

So, hopefully the above will explain why the shadow appointments should not be edited directly.

Posted: 15 Jun 2005 at 5:29pm | IP Logged

I understand your issue...Let me give this some more thought...

Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 12:12am | IP Logged

How can anyone seriously consider deleting an entry until it is acted upon.

The very reason for having it there is because you need to be reminded.

Many reminder entries are recurring so if it is deleted, the recurrence is deleted.

It seems to me that options to delete or maintain the entry are required.

A perfect system is unachievable however simply deleting the entry denies everyone of other options

Posted: 11 Dec 2005 at 7:28am | IP Logged

Hey Hoops,

Only the shadow alert is deleted, not the alert inside Alerts!

The shadow alert is deleted after it's time has passed because the home screen can only show one timed appointment at a time, so if I didn't delete a snooze shadow alert, then you won't be able to see the next upcoming shadow alert.

Also, for recurring alerts, only the snoozed shadow entry should be missing, but if you open up the calendar, you should still be able to see the shadow alerts for that same reminder in the future occurances.