Re: [Orgmode] done-ing a repeating scheduled task now inserts closed timestamp?

[Carsten Dominik]

On Mar 3, 2009, at 9:56 AM, Manuel Hermenegildo wrote:

> > Nobody else has commented on this, so perhaps I am doing something  
> > wrong.
> >
> > My recollection is that [setting the todo state of a task with a
> > repeating scheduled task to done] did not used to insert a closed
> > timestamp, but now it seems to -- or at least it fails to remove the
> > timestamp.  Is this intentional?
> >
> > I use the closed timestamp to indicate that a task can be archived,
> > but perhaps I should not rely on that?
>
> I find that most things in org behave in a way that works for me right
> away, which shows how much thinking goes into its design.  However
> repeated tasks is one thing that has not quite worked for me
> yet. Repeating items and cyclic diary entries provide part of the
> functionality I need, but not quite.
>
> Basically, I would like repeated tasks and cyclic appointments to
> disappear from the past when they are done (so that they do not
> clutter the agenda) but to appear in the future (so that I can, e.g.,
> schedule other appointments around them in the days they occur).
>
> Repeating tasks do not appear in the future or the past. Cyclic
> appointments are close. If I have:

They do appear in the future if you have
org-agenda-repeating-timestamp-show-all
set to t (which is also the default)

> ** TODO Check backups     <2009-03-05 Thu 11:00 +2d>
>
> And pass from TODO to DONE this happens:
>
> ** TODO Check backups     <2009-03-07 Sat 11:00 +2d>
>  CLOSED: [2009-03-05 Tue 07:57]

That CLOSED show up here is a bug, reported by Samuel Wales,
fixed by now.

>  - State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2009-03-03 Tue 07:57]
>
> An then, with "l" this entry will appear in the agenda, but:

Part of the bug that it shows up with "l", it should not.
No longer does, I think.

> - It appears as TODO (rather than DONE) and with the current date,
> (even though it also does say "Closed:") all of which can be
> confusing.
>
> - Non-repeating tasks with a timestamp behave differently: if such a
> task is marked as done a CLOSED line is also generated (provided the
> right flags are on) but it does not actually disappear from the
> agenda (at least for me, even if the manual seems to imply
> otherwise), independently of the logging ("l") state.

You can make DONE scheduled tasks disappear by setting
org-agenda-skip-scheduled-if-done

Where does the manual state otherwise?

> I think a perhaps better behavior could be that the same line:
>
> ** TODO Check backups     <2009-03-05 Thu 11:00 +2d>
>
> is marked as done, then a) a *copy* is made of the TODO item, and that
> copy is the one that goes to DONE and gets the CLOSED (i.e., a
> "normal" task is generated and updated) and b) the repeating task is
> shifted (without attaching anything to it, since it is a "fresh"
> task):
>
> ** DONE Check backups     <2009-03-05 Sat 11:00>
>  CLOSED: [2009-03-05 Tue 07:57]
>  - State "DONE"       from "TODO"       [2009-03-03 Tue 07:57]
> ** TODO Check backups     <2009-03-07 Sat 11:00 +2d>
>
> Apart from behaving more like a normal task this would have in my mind
> some additional advantages: I like DONE tasks to eventually disappear
> from my agenda. I do this by archiving them (to sibling). This allows
> me to easily see that I have not left anything behind in past days. I
> could now do this with the copied task, independently of the updated
> repeater. When I want to look at what I did on a certain day I hit the
> handy "v" key and the archived, done tasks appear again, including
> those that originated from the repeater --great!  I.e., the
> repeater leaves behind a trail of normal tasks.

This is an interesting, alternative proposal for repeating tasks.

Anyone else would like to comment on this?

- Carsten