Some users still having issues with sub-tasks

[steveb]

MODERATOR NOTE:

As you will see if you read this topic, one user reported that he was still having problems with sub-tasks even after the recent update which included a fix for the problem. This user reported that some of his projects were OK, while others were not. A great deal of attention was given to this yesterday by me (your *volunteer* moderator), a rep from the development company, and two other users. As it turns out, the problem is *NOT* widespread -- we know this for a fact, as we have had no other reports of this behaviour persisting, either here on the forums or in support requests sent directly to the developers.

With the help of a couple of users, we were able to identify the source of the problem and now realize that is due to an unusual configuration in the user's ToodleDo account. We assume that this would likely also be the case for steveb, who started this topic; we will be more than happy to work with him should he care to accept that help.

We will also be more than happy to work with any other users who sync to ToodleDo and are still having issues. First, please read the parts of this thread that include back-and-forth discussion between gwsupport (the developer) and TheHiker (the user who kindly helped us sort this out). If you still can't get things syncing properly, please let us know so we can provide some individual help. Best to start a new topic if you do need to ask for more help.

Note that I have not deleted any of the sometimes heated discussion from yesterday, nor am I closing this topic. I am tired of having slings and arrows thrown at me for my attempts to help people and to maintain an appropriate level of decorum in these forums. That said, if people do join in this discussion - OR ANY OTHER DISCUSSION - simply for the purpose of criticizing but not offering any useful input, I *will* delete those posts. It is not censorship when you have been forewarned that bad behaviour will not be tolerated but you choose to ignore that warning.

To all others, thanks for understanding.

Respectfully,
Shelley
2Do forum volunteer moderator

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Below is the beginning of this thread - the message originally posted by steveb:
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On the list of bug fixes for this latest version it reads: "Fixed 'project losing sub-tasks' issue when tasks created in Toodledo."

Well, I just got rid of 2DO on both my phone and my iPad and I’m going to tell you why. To all of those users who use Toodledo on the desktop for daily entries of tasks and their subtasks and sync with 2DO, guess what! The problem when synchronizing between Toodledo and 2DO when it comes to syncing tasks with subtasks remains. After close to two months waiting for a promised fix to this situation, the developers once again screw up big time. Its hit or miss with some tasks syncing properly and others not. It worked fine two versions back and whatever the developers did in the previous version to render this feature unreliable they have not addressed properly this time around. Very disappointing! The bottom line, if you sync with Toodledo and use subtasks, DO NOT TRUST YOUR DATA'S SUBTASKS TO ACCURATELY BE REFLECTED IN 2DO! If you are only a casual user of 2DO then I’m sure you can live with this unreliability but if you are a business professional or for that matter anyone with an exhaustive list of to do’s and you like adding subtasks, forget about this app. However, a solution is at your fingertips people! Its a solution that works, flawlessly! Download Toodledo for your iPhone or iPad and see how beautifully everything syncs. It may not be pretty to look at but you can trust the integrity of the data unlike the data with the missing subtasks in 2DO. As usual the forum administrator will get defensive and users who don't sync/use Toodledo will wonder what I'm bitching about. Oh well, so be it.

[TheHiker]

You are right. The problem is still there. And it is very very annoying.

Very disappointed this did not get fixed. I too am going to have to re-evaluate my choice to use 2Do, and that really hurts. I love the app but because of my heavy use of sub-tasks, it has become a liability in my day to day work.

[steveb]

What did I tell you! Shelley once again coming up with his weak comments! He says "they thought it worked." Instead of stating the obvious that their test methods are OBVIOUSLY weak, non-productive and completely unacceptable he asks users to employ a "temporary solution" and once again states that the developers "haven't been able to reproduce the problem." Shelley is like a broken record as he makes these statements regularly every time! Shelley then adds insult to injury when he asks us to supply the company with information to help them solve their problem, one they have the audacity to claim is solved and expect users to wait indefinitely to be properly addressed.

For what its worth when I stepped up to the latest version yesterday what I did was update my app. I then synced with Toodledo and compared the number of subtasks in each of my projects (folders) in 2DO with the same projects in Toodledo. Several had subtasks missing. So, I then figured let me trash the app and its data which I did and following this I once again synced with Toodledo. Not only did I once again have projects ending up with missing subtasks but several were not the same ones as when I first made the comparison after the upgrade.

Guided Ways can send me my $6.99 refund by contacting me via e-mail for my coordinates or better still they can start looking at how ineffective their testing methods are and start acting like professionals and not amateurs and Shelley can start representing us users instead of continuously "towing the company line."

[gwsupport]

Steveb,

We understand there's reason to be upset however there's no reason to insult Shelley when she's clearly trying to help. She simply tried to offer an alternative solution whilst the developers find and iron out this persistent bug. Believe it or not several times it's minor things like a users' timezone, app settings, toodledo settings or something completely random that can cause a bug which the development team can't otherwise reproduce. Even companies with billions of dollars worth of revenue and hundreds of thousands invested in 'testing' can come up with unforeseen bugs/design-issues (Apple's iPhone 4 grip of death anyone?). What matters is that we're trying and here to help.

If you feel insulted being asked for steps that would help us reproduce this problem, simply kindly ignore the request. We obviously are on it and will come out with a fix ASAP. Forum moderators are not developers and cannot magically solve problems they know little of. If Shelley had instead shrugged and ignored your request this problem would indeed have been overlooked (developers aren't always trolling these forums). The bug has been logged and will be fixed in the next update once we're able to confirm and reproduce. We thank you for your patience.

[steveb]

So typical, the same reply whenever a user voices a high level of frustration and discontent. I'm not insulting anyone, I'm simply stating the facts but as usual there are those like you on this forum who believe incompetence on the part of developers, asking users to "work around" bugs and being forgiving to the devs for their lack of credibility should be acceptable. Its important to point out that this issue was never an issue three versions ago. The devs screwed it up and didn't fix it as they promised yet you and Shelley and countless others don't understand that and continue to be "cheerleaders" for the company.

[steveb]

Oh, and one more thing, in the post by gwsupport above he or she refers to an issue with the iPhone (Apple's iPhone 4 grip of death). They are criticizing the hardware on which 2DO runs! Another example of the "cheerleaders" who should think before they speak!

[gwsupport]

Oh, and one more thing, in the post by gwsupport above he or she refers to an issue with the iPhone (Apple's iPhone 4 grip of death). They are criticizing the hardware on which 2DO runs! Another example of the "cheerleaders" who should think before they speak!

We aren't cheerleaders for the company. We *are* the company. I for one am a developer and will be more or less directly looking at fixing this bug. My previous response was an 'official' reply to your grievance where I did accept that this issue needs to be looked at again and we're on it. There's nothing more to add to what I've already said in my previous post.

We're not criticizing the hardware, we're simply pointing out 'human error' and the fact that we're doing something about it (and in Apple's case Steve Job's publicly spoke of it). These are unintentional bugs introduced due to new features found in each update which aren't always easily reproduced.

[cryptospaz]

I have to admit that I started using 2Do AFTER it was broken so I cannot comment on what it used to be like. I did not like the they were displayed at all and was really looking forward to this update. I can say that after the update when creating a task (project) with sub tasks then syncing it appears as a project with the correct number of subs shown in 2Do.

[gwsupport]

I have to admit that I started using 2Do AFTER it was broken so I cannot comment on what it used to be like. I did not like the they were displayed at all and was really looking forward to this update. I can say that after the update when creating a task (project) with sub tasks then syncing it appears as a project with the correct number of subs shown in 2Do.

And that is our findings too with v2.4.6.2. We can't seem to reproduce the bug with this update but Steveb suggests otherwise.

Steve can you try creating a new project and some some new tasks and kindly let us know at what point it breaks for you? You mentioned you did a clean sync and the counts were still off. Can you double check and see that you're not counting 'completed' tasks in Toodledo as 2Do will not show that in its Project count.

We haven't yet been able to reproduce the bug and any more information will really help us.

[gwsupport]

You are right. The problem is still there. And it is very very annoying.

Very disappointed this did not get fixed. I too am going to have to re-evaluate my choice to use 2Do, and that really hurts. I love the app but because of my heavy use of sub-tasks, it has become a liability in my day to day work.

Can you confirm this is happening every time? Can you please elaborate as to what exactly happens? As pointed out by another user, it seems to be working for them and we haven't been able to reproduce the problem either. More information on this will truly be appreciated.

[cryptospaz]

Yes, you may email me.

[TheHiker]

You are right. The problem is still there. And it is very very annoying.

Very disappointed this did not get fixed. I too am going to have to re-evaluate my choice to use 2Do, and that really hurts. I love the app but because of my heavy use of sub-tasks, it has become a liability in my day to day work.

Can you confirm this is happening every time? Can you please elaborate as to what exactly happens? As pointed out by another user, it seems to be working for them and we haven't been able to reproduce the problem either. More information on this will truly be appreciated.

In my case, the problem manifested itself in two forms.

(1) Subtasks created in 2Do, do not show up in ToodleDo. They are there but some sort of ToodleDo filter keeps them invisible. This is the most annoying aspect for me. At work, I would prefer to use ToodleDo on a bigger screen. Although, with an iPad, I now spend most of the time on it using 2Do.

(2) Subtasks created in Toodledo, do not get placed under the "Project" in 2Do. I have to manually re-position them.


I have not had an opportunity to create a new project and test the new version. Will do so and post shortly.

[TheHiker]

It would appear the parts of the problem still exist.

Scenario 1

I created a task in ToodleDo and a subtask under that task. When I do a sync, everything shows up fine in 2Do as a Project and a subtask under that project. However, if, in 2Do, I create a second subtask under the Project, the second sub task does not show up in ToodleDo after a sync. As I mentioned above, the subtask is there but invisible due to some sort of filter being applied.

Scenario 2

I created a Project in 2Do and a subtask under that project. After a sync, neither the Project or subtask is visible in ToodleDo.

It would seem these situations should be easy for you to recreate.

[gwsupport]

It would appear the parts of the problem still exist.

Scenario 1

I created a task in ToodleDo and a subtask under that task. When I do a sync, everything shows up fine in 2Do as a Project and a subtask under that project. However, if, in 2Do, I create a second subtask under the Project, the second sub task does not show up in ToodleDo after a sync. As I mentioned above, the subtask is there but invisible due to some sort of filter being applied.

Scenario 2

I created a Project in 2Do and a subtask under that project. After a sync, neither the Project or subtask is visible in ToodleDo.

It would seem these situations should be easy for you to recreate.

Just tried both scenarios and these work just fine at our end. Hmph.

Okay more information please:

1. What folder are you creating the project/sub-task in (when doing it from 2Do)? Is that the default 'Tasks / Toodledo' folder or your own?
2. What happens if you create a project & a sub-task, and then a normal task and sync. Do any of these tasks show in Toodledo?
3. Are you looking at the main toodledo "To-do List" view?
4. Can you try creating a new test calendar in 2Do, do the same tests and see if that folder and tasks appear in Toodledo?
5. What Timezone are you in? What timezone have you set for Toodledo (in your account information online)?
6. Can you Run these tests and when this fails please go to 2Do->Settings->Advanced->Debug Logs and email us your debug logs (to the address that gets pre-filled) and briefly refer to this thread in that email.

[cryptospaz]

It would appear the parts of the problem still exist.

Scenario 1

I created a task in ToodleDo and a subtask under that task. When I do a sync, everything shows up fine in 2Do as a Project and a subtask under that project. However, if, in 2Do, I create a second subtask under the Project, the second sub task does not show up in ToodleDo after a sync. As I mentioned above, the subtask is there but invisible due to some sort of filter being applied.

Scenario 2

I created a Project in 2Do and a subtask under that project. After a sync, neither the Project or subtask is visible in ToodleDo.

It would seem these situations should be easy for you to recreate.

I have follwed these steps and cannot reproduce this.

[TheHiker]

1. What folder are you creating the project/sub-task in (when doing it from 2Do)? Is that the default 'Tasks / Toodledo' folder or your own?

A folder I created called Personal


2. What happens if you create a project & a sub-task, and then a normal task and sync. Do any of these tasks show in Toodledo?

No. All 3 are missing.


3. Are you looking at the main toodledo "To-do List" view?

Yes. Problem exists in all views.

4. Can you try creating a new test calendar in 2Do, do the same tests and see if that folder and tasks appear in Toodledo?

At first they are not visible. Instead there is a message saying 2 active tasks are not visible and to turn off Filters. If I turn off Filters, they appear. I have not been able to get the other tasks mentioned above by manipulating filters. I know they are there but the only way I can make them visible is to put a due date on them.


5. What Timezone are you in? What timezone have you set for Toodledo (in your account information online)?

Toronto. Eastern Standard Time. ToodleDo does not allow me to select a "timezone" but rather asks me to select what time is currently is. It is set to Eastern Standard Time.

6. Can you Run these tests and when this fails please go to 2Do->Settings->Advanced->Debug Logs and email us your debug logs (to the address that gets pre-filled) and briefly refer to this thread in that email.

Done.


One last point: I am doing all of this on an iPad.

I hope, in exchange for all this troubleshooting, you will honor my request to move the Note "Clear" function from the left side of the window to the right side in the iPad version.

[TheHiker]

It would appear the parts of the problem still exist.

Scenario 1

I created a task in ToodleDo and a subtask under that task. When I do a sync, everything shows up fine in 2Do as a Project and a subtask under that project. However, if, in 2Do, I create a second subtask under the Project, the second sub task does not show up in ToodleDo after a sync. As I mentioned above, the subtask is there but invisible due to some sort of filter being applied.

Scenario 2

I created a Project in 2Do and a subtask under that project. After a sync, neither the Project or subtask is visible in ToodleDo.

It would seem these situations should be easy for you to recreate.

I have follwed these steps and cannot reproduce this.

I hope I am not doing something stupid.

Hopefully steveb can shed some more light on what he is seeing.

[gwsupport]

I hope I am not doing something stupid.

Hopefully steveb can shed some more light on what he is seeing.

Okay believe it or not I think there's something fishy you're doing. You keep referring to these 'filters' on Toodledo. Guess what: what you're seeing isn't a bug or anything to do with 2Do. 2Do does not create or manage any filters in Toodledo. It manages it's own filters inside 2Do but these aren't copied across to Toodledo. So what you've explained so far suggests you have some weird filters (whether created accidentally or intentionally at some point) on toodledo and that's what's effectively hiding these tasks.

What you now need to do is play around with Toodledo and figure out what filters you have set. Delete or edit those filters and see if that fixes you problem. In short these tasks and sub-tasks are syncing fine and this issue isn't related to what steveb is referring to (he's saying stuff from toodledo isn't syncing back to 2Do correctly).

[gwsupport]

To add to that, please see my filter settings in Toodledo. Ensure you have something similar and all should appear fine:

Try replicating this please.

[TheHiker]

My hat is off to you and you have my eternal gratitude.

I fixed my problem and it indeed is a filter issue with -1 negative Priority.

Until I read your last message, I couldn't figure out how to change those nasty filters.

So I guess it was me doing something stupid.

Thanks for your patience and assistance.

[gwsupport]

Thanks TheHiker, really glad it's sorted (really!). I'm hoping this Steveb's got a similar issue with his Toodledo setup as we really have not been able to reproduce this bug. Moreover we normally begin receiving error reports from other users by the end of the day soon after an update is approved. This hasn't happened yet which means this 'bug' really was fixed in v2.4.6.2 and anything else may just be individual Toodledo Filter settings.