Virtual Instances of Bullet point
Completed
The way that we use workflowy, we would sometimes like to keep one bullet point in 2 separate locations. For instance, we have a backlog of tasks that need to get done for a large project. Each of those tasks has a significant amount of information indented inside of it. We would like to have a copy of that bullet point in both the backlog of tasks, and make a virtual copy of it to be put into the users individual Todo list for that week.
These "Virtual Instances" could have an orange colored dot, to represent to the user that the information they are working with exists in multiple hiearchies at once.
I guess you have to prevent Virtual instances from being put inside other virtual instances, to prevent weird recursive problems.
If you are looking for other examples of this type of instancing, the project management program Favro allows for something very similar. You can create virtual instances of cards and have the same card exist in multiple locations at once.
Thanks for the great app!
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I think you have to use the tags more.
I often see that people are rearranging there list in function of the work they have to do. I keep everything together in an structured list and tags the lines. With the selection of tags I create lists and avoid moving all those lines around. The way I use it there is no need for virtual bullets, duplicate content, internal links and so on.
I do ask for sub-tasks and extended search options.
I think it was the setup of Workflowy : a big list and select parts of it by tags or hitting bullets for focus. Not rearranging the list continuously.Just my opinion. Think about it.
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Marc Cools, I agree that a system of tags could work if I was a solo user of workflowy, but we have 6 people on the team using it. Trying to only use filters and tags could work, but it doesn't really allow individuals to organize their todo in a way that works best for them.
We mainly use workflowy because it is more flexible then other data and project management system. Adding a feature like virtual bullet points would allow us even more flexibility in how we manage that.
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This is what we're looking for:
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Or at least just simple hiperlinks to other WorkFlowy nodes so you can get to the same place by different paths. We very often need this. But copying the long chaotic url of the node is not practical. Also in the Mac app you cannot see anymore the url for each node. So a an alias system would solve this very easily and much more neatly.
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@Vladislav
I agree with you - it would complicate the app, and it is important to minimise feature creep. However, if functionality can be made available to those who want it, without compromising the UX for those who don't want it, I would very much welcome it.
The ability to clone items and not just reorder, but also restructure and edit in either location would be a superpower in my world.
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@Marc Cools
The challenge for me is that I'm writing a book, with many versions of summaries to be drawn from the source material. I want to be able not just to reorder items in final document versions, but restructure them differently for different versions.
I haven't been able to work out how to achieve that with tabs.
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Great suggestion with virtual nodes / mirror nodes.
I would use it in projects where I could bring in mirror nodes from my Contacts list, in other words the people who are involved in that project. And it would be nice if I could not only "see" the mirrored node, but also edit it anywhere it's used.
In a perfect world I would love see where those mirrored nodes are mirrored so that I don't screw something up if I decide to delete or change the node.
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I have read most ot the post here and I assume the word node refers to bullets. On that note I would love to be able to identify a bullet as "mirrored" so that any bullet by the "exact name" anywhere in the outline would reflect all the edits made in any of its mirrored instances.
I use workflowy to identify workflows within projects. I manage many projects. Sometimes a workflow is complex but is identical to workflows other projects. Being able to create a single workflow and then have it automatically mirrored in all existing bullets of the exact name would not only save a lot of time but it would also prevent important steps from being missed in other projects with an identical workflow.
How do I help promote this
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Hi Kristian Borglund,
Are you using node and bullet synonymously? If yes, I agree with your last comment about right clicking to see all instances. Another possibility is color coding bullets that are mirrored.
My idea is to add mirror to the dropdown list you see when hovering over a bullet. Then, if you copy a mirrored bullet and paste it anywhere all of its contents are also pasted. Then, no matter which mirrored bullet you modify, the modification is reflected in all of its instances.
I also think that copy and paste should be added to the dropdown. If copy is clicked, paste is highlighted and stays highlighted until either the ESC key is pressed or the copy is pasted. Duplicate could be eliminated that way.
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Also in this forum:
Hyperlink to different parts of workflowy:
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I strongly support the idea of “mirrored”bullets, or “virtual clones” as suggested by many people above. I wrote about this some time ago, referring to the ability to “Assign” a bullet or item to another item, such that changing the item anywhere changes it everywhere. Physical copying or using tags is messy and can be very confusing. Though I retain great respect for WorkFlowy, I’ve had to largely abandon it, and restrict any use to a few lines of simple jottings. For me, the absence of this feature has been a deal-breaker.
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Any movement in this feature request? “... I strongly support the idea of “mirrored”bullets, or “virtual clones” as suggested by many people above. I wrote about this some time ago, referring to the ability to “Assign” a bullet or item to another Top-level item, such that changing that item anywhere changes it everywhere”.
I’d left WorkFlowy for a while as I just couldn’t function without this feature, which I’d used for years in Ecco Pro (now discontinued). I’ve returned, but the volume of my notes has grown to where they’re becoming unmanageable. If I make a note about needing to meet with my bank, under the Top-Level Item “Bank”, it also needs to appear in my Top-Level Item “Out”, so I can safely print my zoomed “Out” list and know I haven’t forgotten anything. Copying just isn’t good enough. Things change. Did I find every instance of that note and manually change it everywhere? Chaos rules! This one is getting to be a deal-breaker. Nevertheless, I have great respect and sympathy for the WorkFlowy team. But we need this feature, and sorting, and the ability to attach images to notes. We need a new feature a month to keep us from looking elsewhere for relief. Prioritize, prioritize!! -
Dropping in my support for this feature.
I have been using workflowy for about a week now and this is the only thing missing to complete my experience. I'm using workflowy in 2 basic ways: A collection of tasks/ideas/work nicely organized by category and a timeline to schedule said work.
I know in my case there is a workaround to (more or less) achieve the same result by using tags and/or priority next to the node and then searching, effectively making the search results the timeline/roadmap. This is messy in my opinion. Mirroring nodes to a separate timeline list would make the entire process 100% easier, faster and cleaner.
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Yay!!! That’s exciting!! My first feature request for “Transclusion” or “Assignment” or “Virtual Bullet Points” goes back more than a year to my initial use of WorkFlowy. I’ve long felt that this feature is the one that would make WF the killer app of information storage and retrieval. Seems like many users are also asking for it. Go for it guys!
Many people fear that WF will suffer from feature-bloat, and perhaps become confusing. I say, if you don’t need the extra features, don’t use them. They needn’t bother you. One of WF’s competitors offers the ability to add or remove features from the toolbar. That's a great idea. See or use only what you need. WF could adopt this solution.
I’ve been a WF loyalist, though I’ve been paying attention to other competing products. Another poster said “...adding transclusion would put my butt firmly in entrenched WorkFlowy territory....! I support that 110%. Regards, George.
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