Contact filter should include local, non-Google synced names, right?

ahp

I was expecting Legend to filter local and google contacts when I select the is:contact filter. Currently, it only finds Google sync’d contacts. Is that a bug or by design?

If by design, would you consider also showing local contacts when the is:contact filter is applied?

I’m often in meetings where new customers/prospects may attend, which means they are not yet in Google Contacts and it’s not realistic to add them in the middle of a meeting. I still use the + to add them to relevant parts of my meeting note (i.e., +NewName needs info on X). Obviously, I can filter for a single +NewName, but when I want to see all the local contacts I may have attached to a meeting, the is:contact filter would be the expected route.

Note: this request could go away if there was 2-way contact sync, But, I may not always want every contact in a meeting note to be added to my Google Contacts; so, this request would still be helpful if/when the 2-way sync makes it into the product.

Jerud

I don’t actually think +contacts work without gsync at all. When you type +contact does it change colors or remain text-colored? If it’s not changing colors then for sure the has:contact filter isn’t going to see it.

I’ve had my contacts gsynced forever, but don’t actually “need” it. They aren’t even real contacts – they’re a second set of #tags. I just tried un-syncing them and they seemed to still work…until I tried to create a new one. Then nothing happened at all. So I’m thinking gsync is required.

That is a real bummer to me, that users basically can’t get +tags unless they link a google account. It’d be nice if Legend could handle a set of local contacts as you describe and not require the sync.

ahp

@Jay - I guess this is a feature request then!
Is it simple enough to make all words that start with +Name a contact (primarily for the purposes of utilizing the is:contact filtering ability)?

Some things to consider if you code for this:

How would Legend know if it’s a full name or just a first name (i.e., +John Doe)?
- I would expect the contact name to be “John Doe”, not just “John”
  - maybe if the 2nd word (last name) starts with a capital letter, assume it’s part of the name?
  - I’d be ok with there being no space between the first and last names (+JohnDoe) as a way to handle names in general
What if I later add a local contact into my Google Contacts?
- if I added John Doe into my Google Contacts and then change one of the local +John Doe instances to the Google contact, I’d expect that conversion to apply to all instances of the local +John Doe contact.
Would local and Google Contacts be differentiated by color?
- I’m okay with only Google Sync’d contacts being green, and local contacts remaining white (or maybe light green?)

Jerud

In my imagination, this would be nicely handled by adding a +contact management pane under Settings. Something like the one that is currently used to manage the “sections” of an Agenda Pane. In other words, +contacts would have to be discretely added, not done on-the-fly like #tags are.

Legend already differentiates between ‘local’ and ‘synced’ events (!date tags) – I imagine something similar could be done for +contacts.

I’ll convert this thread into a Feature Request.

dfrigon

Maybe when typing the “+” symbol and the context menu with all existing contacts appear, there could be a line (Top or bottom) “Create new contact” which would either be a local contact or created in the google contacts.

This last option could be “user selectable” in the setting menu for contacts just like you can choose how calendar events are synchronized with google calendar!

Jerud

I’m not sure how true this is “technically” (in terms of code), but in terms of the app’s use #tags, +contacts, and !dates are all just different types of tag. Each one has behaviors tailored to its specific application but they are all just things you tack on to an item.

So as much as possible, I think they should all use “the same solution for the same problem”. !dates already have a local/sync option so for +contacts I would want to see those choices handled the same way as they are for local/synced events. That might just mean doing +contacts the same way as !dates (a combination of global settings and in-dialog choices) – or it might mean coming up with something new and applying it to both.

dfrigon

Jerud We’re basically saying the same thing! The only thing is that I strongly recommend adding the New contact button as part of the existing context menu that appears while you type “+” because if I need to open a new pane grouped by contacts just to reach a “New Contact” button in order to create the contact and then come back to my notes to add that contact I might just not use the feature at all..

My point is, the less detour is the better and also the less mouse clicks while writing notes the better!

As for the technicality, I’m not an expert but adding a button at the bottom of a page or inside a context menu is not that different. It just need a bit more work, which would be worth the effort in my opinion!

ahp

Agree with Jerud that, at the core, I want it to work exactly like a new #tag would. That is, starting a word with ‘+’ will automatically associate the following word/name as a contact. As long as that happens, I have no objections to optional menu items as dfrigon suggested.

When I associate speakers with comments during a live meeting, I don’t have to think about tagging options because any extra mouse clicks or document maintenance takes my focus away from listening.

Jerud

ahp starting a word with ‘+’ will automatically associate the following word/name as a contact. As long as that happens, I have no objections to optional menu items as dfrigon suggested.

#tags can’t have spaces so entering them inline is much less complex. Contact names are commonly between 1-3 words long so some degree of extra complexity would be required – there’s no way for Legend to intuit your intent completely on the fly. Put a few extra buttons/controls within the pop-up autocomplete box seems like it could do the job (like the !date picker). With good keyboard navigation (UNlike the current date-picker) this would be minimally invasive to note-taking.

ahp

Jerud Agree. Though, I don’t see any significant issue with no spaces in names (as mentioned in my initial post), as long as I can use uppercase letters (which I know I can’t in tags). Meaning, +JohnDoe is easily readable for me but +johndoe would annoy me.

For local contacts, I don’t really need ‘extra’ contact fields support either. If I was going to keep their email/phone data, for example, I’d add that person as a Google Contact (after a meeting).

No objection to the cal-like popup, but key function for me is to have +ProperName support (even without spaces), for the sake of speedy note entry during meetings.

Jerud

ahp I don’t see any significant issue with no spaces in names

I think a lot of users would take it as an “unserious” feature if it required jamming names together with no spaces. Maybe in 1995…but not today.

Given that you want inline entry, and that you don’t care about spaces, a solution for you may be using “sub tags”. This is not a true feature, but a way to leverage the Filtering tools in Legend. I and several others here categorize our # tags by starting them with a special character or specific letters. For example, I use #_tag, #@tag, and #$tag for three distinct “types” of tag. Some folks use a word, like #phase_tag. Filtering will respect this, so for example, I can Filter a Pane on “#_” to only see items that have # tags beginning with the _ character.

Since #tags also autocomplete, once you’ve added a contact once, you’ll be able to quickly apply that tag again. And as you type the first few characters of your “sub tag” autocomplete will be only showing you your other contacts. Getting the capitalization to stick is tough though. #tags are case-insensitive and are stored as all-lowercase. If you type “#JohnDoe” and just keep typing or press esc to dismiss Autocomplete, you will get to keep the caps. But if you start typing “#JohnD” and then press enter or tab to accept an autocomplete entry, the resulting tag will end up being #johndoe.

No way to connect this up with Google though. If you “promote” a contact to be officially in your Google Contacts, you’d have to go through and remove all the old #tags and apply the new +contact.

Hope that helps.