http://workflowy.com/

I have not seen this mentioned on OutlinerSoftware before, so I registered to share this; perhaps you would be interested.

It does hoisting (click on a bullet, very nice), but not cloning, as far as I can make out. But it does seem extremely simple to use.

Interesting, but strikingly like UV-Outliner in terms of functionality. Personally, I prefer off-line outliners, although I respect the fact that many people like to run everything in a browser (in which case, why not try PiggyDB?!).

Cheers,
Bill

MadaboutDana wrote:

Interesting, but strikingly like UV-Outliner in terms of functionality.

I'm starting to think that WorkFlowy is more like BrainStorm, in that it helps to focus on a specific list (sub-level) by instant hoisting. In fact it only takes one click in WorkFlowy, while it's a double-click in BrainStorm.

On the plus side, WorkFlowy also allows inline notes, and there are more possibilities for partial "aerial views". The iOS and Android apps are also a boon. On the downside it doesn't have namesakes or a desktop app (though it runs fine in the browser, but not offline).

MadaboutDana wrote:

Interesting, but strikingly like UV-Outliner in terms of functionality.
Personally, I prefer off-line outliners

Workflowy now also has an off-line desktop app, but you need to have Chrome installed on your system. More here:

http://blog.workflowy.com/2013/12/18/an-offline-desktop-app-for-workflowy/

Thanks for that - yes, I do use Workflowy occasionally, not least because it's got a good client on iOS.

But I turn more and more often to my favourite cross-platform apps: OneNote, Notebooks and SimpleNote (synced with CintaNotes on Windows).

I keep trying to use AsNoted, too, but have had major issues with their Chrome extension (which refuses to sync properly with Dropbox - they assure me this is unusual).

I like Workflowy, Gingko etc., but can't afford to store potentially valuable data on somebody else's servers (OneNote and Notebooks both support password-protected encryption).

Hi, I'm trying to download the extension. I want to use it with Chromium, but it keeps asking for Chrome to be installed.
Any idea? (Mac OS 10.9.1)
Thanks

MacSE wrote:

Hi, I'm trying to download the extension. I want to use it with
Chromium, but it keeps asking for Chrome to be installed.
Any idea? (Mac OS 10.9.1)

As far as I understand it, it's run as an extension of the Chrome browser, and the app needs to be downloaded from the Chrome web store. Other than that, it will run on its own, i.e. you don't need to run the Chrome browser simultaneously (it just needs to be installed).

More here:
http://developer.chrome.com/apps/about_apps.html

Thanks.
I'm glad I have stumbled upon this forum ; I'm a (very) old user and fan of outliners. My first & regretted one was MORE I did all my writing activity with for a decade. It's very strange to see David Viner back again with Fargo!
Regards

Thanks, but this is not how it seems to be working. You have to run Chrome and be connected to your Google account, so this is not a standalone app. It launches via a "Google apps panel" which launches Chrome.

MacSE wrote:

You have to run
Chrome and be connected to your Google account, so this is not a
standalone app. It launches via a "Google apps panel" which launches
Chrome.

No, it's not a standalone app, but it does work offline, which is its main benefit. Since it's a Chrome app, it does need Chrome.exe to run, but specifically the Chrome browser proper does not need to be open at the same time (which distinguishes it from other Chrome apps that only run within the Chrome browser). And yes, since it's installed via the Chrome app store, one needs to be logged in initially to install the apps on the local panel. But after that it can run offline.

It's a measure of WorkFlowy's minimalism that introducing bold and italics constitutes big news and comes with an air of regret from the developers... :)

Personally I didn't miss it, but I can see that it might be useful to those who actually use it as a writing tool (there is an option to export the outline as formatted text).

http://blog.workflowy.com/2014/01/22/bold-and-italic-have-arrived-in-workflowy/

When I tried to launch WorkFlowy on my iPod Touch 4th gen. (iOS 6.1.6) today, it gave me an error message:

"Connection to WorkFlowy failed. You may be offline."

I was offline; however, the iOS app supposed to work offline and it always has in the past. Has anyone else come across this problem?

WorkFlowy now on Android too:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.workflowy.android

Thanks, Dr,. Andrus. I just downloaded it and tried it out a bit. It's still very rudimentary. You can indent and outdent items but I can't see any way to re-order items, which is a big problem for an outliner. The layout is attractive so I hope the developers will add functionality: re-ordering items, perhaps some simple formatting options, and exporting for a start.

I played with it a little more and you CAN move items around with a long-press on the item. You can also add in-line notes under an item. It does appear that you can only have a single outline with the app, unless overlooked that, too.

Dr Andus wrote:

WorkFlowy now on Android too:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.workflowy.android

Quite remarkably, it seems to require Android 4.4 KitKat...

RickFencer wrote:

It does appear that you can only have a single outline with the app,
unless overlooked that, too.

It's like that by design. You can have as many outlines as you like, but they are all branches of one overall outline, which can get as huge and complex as you like. You can still treat these branches as individual outlines by hoisting them or exporting them as such.

As for the sophistication of the smartphone and tablet apps (iOS and Android), my understanding is that they are mainly meant for capturing notes on the go or having access to viewing them. Since we're talking about one huge outline, the best way of doing more complex work on it will always be in the browser on a desktop computer or in the standalone Chrome app.

Many thanks, as always, for the clarification.

Haven't had the patience to read it all just now, but perhaps some of you might find this interesting--how to use WorkFlowy with the bullet journal system:

https://medium.com/p/d33405065d64

What I don't like about Workflowy is that everything is in one outline.

When I prepare my workshops, I use a separate outline for each workshop and then bring the outline as bullet point notes to remind me of what is next. I don't want my entire business and personal life in one outline.

Garland Coulson wrote:

What I don't like about Workflowy is that everything is in one outline.
I don't want my entire business and personal life in one outline.

I happen to like that feature, especially for those reasons ;) I like to have everything in one place, synced across all my devices.

I use it mainly as a to-do manager and for breaking down tasks and keeping track of them, not so much as an outliner, although those uses can sometimes overlap.

The benefit of having everything in one outline is that items and sub-outlines can be quickly moved around with keyboard shortcuts and reorganised, while viewed in the same pane.

I think Workflowy's organisational metaphor is not all that different from the traditional directory structure. Each item can be also thought of as a folder that contains other items or folders. Moreover, each item can also be treated as a category.

This allows for a lot of flexibility for organising stuff. However, since these elements (item, folder, category) all use the same visual representation (a bullet-pointed line of text), it's not that easy to distinguish between them. The recent addition of some rich text formatting alleviates that problem somewhat.

Yes, I think this one really is a feature, not a bug. I find that I work with enough different outliners, and store things in just enough places, that sometimes it's hard to track down just which tool and filing system I was working with.

In Workflowy, there's only one outline to search, and searching is fast. And hoisting is one of its great strengths. I continue, I think, to find myself in a narrowing phase: Workflowy is a good place to stash all kinds of outlines, not only because I know where they are, but they're also fairly easy to move in and out.

After years of using TreePad, then KeyNote, then KeyNote NF, then RightNote, recently I got that old itch and started looking around. Finally overcoming overwhelmed-by-too-many-options and paralysis-by-analysis, two weeks ago I took a deep breath and cast my lot with WorkFlowy. Although I was planning to try it out for a couple months with a limited set of notes and then decide, after a few days I went Pro and started copying more and more of my still-useful notes into it from RightNote. I probably have around 800 items in it by now.

It's got a few quirks I'm still getting used to, but overall I'm finding it an excellent tool with a smooth user experience. One big missing feature for me is a lack of text hyperlinks (hiding a URL behind text), leaving my outline cluttered with lots of big, ugly, distracting URLs. My current workaround is to put URLs in notes under the item, where only the first line is displayed, in smaller and lighter type. I also don't like that you can't select more than one line and that you can't cut & paste anything other than one line of text.

The first time I opened the Android app and saw my outline on my phone was quite an experience, and I'm enjoying being able to add quick to-dos on the run. Going Pro enabled me to have an automatic daily backup to my Dropbox, which helped me overcome my nervousness at having so much of my data in one small young company's hands.

When I first looked at Workflowy I thought it was too bare bones. Maybe it was at the time; I don't remember.

Like many I've been looking for the ideal single pane outliner. As a Mac user in the 90s I liked MORE and InControl. After switching to the PC in 2002 and searching for the single pane outliner I gave up.

More recently I checked out Fargo, but it didn't feel quite right. But that got me looking again at what's available.

UVOutliner I looked at, but wondered if it's still being developed. I liked it, but didn't want to go with a program that's dormant. That's why I asked several days ago whether UV was still being developed; no one responded, and that may be the answer to my question. :)

I looked at Checkvist. I liked what I saw, especially the column capability (like my old pal InControl). Also, giving it closer scrutiny than befor, I liked Workflowy.

This last week I tried out both of them. I realized I'd become so accustomed to dual pane outliners and the non-outliner Evernote that I was stale when it came to working serious with a single pane outliner.

It took a couple of days of just adding stuff, reviewing it, acting on some items, adding more stuff, etc to get the hang of it again.

I'm glad I did. I find it faster to scan up and down a single pane outline than a dual pane. Seemingly I am more aware of the various contexts, from meta to micro, at play in my life and activities. I'm able to keep more things in mind, more easily, and for my ADHD, executive function challenged brain this is a good thing.

Without intending to I found myself finally writing a master activity list. I'm making a trip to Toronto next week, and so set up an activity list focused on what must be done prior to leaving.

A few days ago I made my choice, deciding in favour of Workflowy.

Why?

I like the fact it is part of Chrome Apps.

Workflowy's screen presence is more visually appealing to me.

I very much like it's hoist on steroids feature.

Someday I hope Workflowy will introduce columns.

Tagging is pretty basic, but it does the job.

CheckVist is a great program also, and anyone looking for a single pane outliner should check it out. Noteliner is also an excellent program to consider, and I may look at it again.

Seemingly single pane outlining is rebounding in the Windows world.

Daly

disillusioned wrote:

One big missing
feature for me is a lack of text hyperlinks (hiding a URL behind text),
leaving my outline cluttered with lots of big, ugly, distracting URLs.

On the plus side, I was delighted to discover that links to other applications (in my case to individual items in ConnectedText and Surfulater) work really well (at least from the Workflowy Chrome app) on the PC.