Relationships

[HalfCyborg]

Are there any plans in the works to implement any sort of hyperlinking system between nodes and/or note text in UR? I have loaded the trial version and this is the one lack that is keeping me from purchasing and migrating from Personal Brain.

Take this example:

I have a new web project, say "ProjectX." In Personal Brain (PB), I add a new child node under "Web Development" and also link "Asp Applications" as a parent.

OK so far, I can do this in UR.

Now, in PB, I add children for all the things that are exclusively children of ProjectX, like the share for the scripts, the URL to launch the web app, etc. Again, no problem in UR.

Lastly, I add links to all the other items in my PB database that are related, or associated, but are not parents or children. Links to batch files that define shares, contacts that may be associated with the app, but are neither own (parent) or owned by (children) of ProjectX. Shortcuts to software frequently used while working on the app (source control, etc).

What I have at this point is a focused work-space. While "ProjectX" has the focus in the viewer, I can single-click (without losing focus on ProjectX) and launch all the programs, files, web pages and email templates I will need to use, update and manage the application.

This is where UR falls down, badly. Instead of just relating items (associates), I have to promote one to be the parent, and demote the other to be the child. For instance, take the link to launch my source-control software..... Should ProjectX "own" the software (project is parent) or should the software "own" the project (software is parent)? And how can I launch all 5-10 items used to manage the project without going back-and-forth between nodes in the tree? See my dilemma?

Hopefully, I've made some sense here. Thanks, and congrats on a great looking product.

[srdiamond]

Originally posted by HalfCyborg
This is where UR falls down, badly. Instead of just relating items (associates), I have to promote one to be the parent, and demote the other to be the child. For instance, take the link to launch my source-control software..... Should ProjectX "own" the software (project is parent) or should the software "own" the project (software is parent)? And how can I launch all 5-10 items used to manage the project without going back-and-forth between nodes in the tree? See my dilemma?

Hopefully, I've made some sense here. Thanks, and congrats on a great looking product.

Kevina has indicated that (for better or worse) hyperlinks are "on the list."

I don't see, however, where there is a problem in launching all the items without going back and forth. The UR interface allows multiple selection of items, so you can select what you need and then launch in one stroke.

As to which is parent and which is child, it's your choice how you define parent and child, beyond their purely formal properties. I think the best practice is to try to articulate a concept of how you will apply hierarchy and then apply that concept consistently. That two people using the same program will define subordination differently when mapping it on to the world means hierarchical concepts are flexible, not that either makes an error. But if the user can't fix on a concept and apply it consistently within his model, he will have problems.

FWIW, I think users of outline-based programs and other organizers give insufficient thought as a rule to their organizational scheme, expecting the mapping from formalism to data to be more transparent and unequivocal than it can ever be.

Stephen Diamond

[VincentPeppe]

FWIW, I think users of outline-based programs and other organizers give insufficient thought as a rule to their organizational scheme, expecting the mapping from formalism to data to be more transparent and unequivocal than it can ever be.
Stephen Diamond [/B]

That is an interesting comment. At times I have fallen into the trap of believing that a hierarchy will always make order out of chaos. That kind of thinking is both rigid and naive. After trying many outliners, I am currently using ListPro because it is the only one that I have found that allows me to define several custom columns and sort by them. Of course, other features are lacking. On a related note - I would be interested to know which programs you have tried and how you rate them.

Vincent Peppe

[srdiamond]

Originally posted by VincentPeppe
On a related note - I would be interested to know which programs you have tried and how you rate them.

Vincent Peppe

If you knew what my answering that question would entail, you probably wouldn't ask. <g>

There's a public forum where questions like this are discussed and debated, http://www.outliners.com, where I'm sure your participation would be welcome. That forum is also a could place to find information through a google search, by restricting the domain to outliners.com.

Stephen Diamond

[PureMoxie]

Originally posted by HalfCyborg
Instead of just relating items (associates), I have to promote one to be the parent, and demote the other to be the child. For instance, take the link to launch my source-control software..... Should ProjectX "own" the software (project is parent) or should the software "own" the project (software is parent)?

I understand where you are coming from and wouldn't object to cross-links myself, but I would suggest that you think of the UR tree as being more flexible. You can have some branches of the tree where you are really applying hierarchy in a well organized, consistent manner. But other sections can use the tree purely for relationships. In other words, does it really matter if something is a parent or a child as long as it related?

My approach in building relationships that aren't technically parent-child is simply to paste linked items beneath whatever item was there first in the tree. Since there are several ways to get around to different related items, it doesn't seem to matter in practice whether something is a parent or a child - when I am thinking of relationships over hierarchy.