[chandler-users] using the Dashboard

[Mimi Yin]

Hi Rick,

The Dashboard isn't useful to everyone, so no need to feel like you  
should try using it.

1. Some people have several personal collections, but they also have  
collections that are shared 'group' collections or just somebody  
else's collection entirely. So the Dashboard is a nice way to see  
just their 'personal' stuff. (This is the usage pattern that  
motivated the name Dashboard.)

2. The collections you include in your Dashboard are also the ones we  
use to populate the 'Preview Pane' above the Mini-Calendar. If you  
haven't made any collections a part of the Dashboard then you've  
probably never seen anything in the Preview Pane. Try including a  
collection in the Dashboard (you can always undo it) and you'll be  
able to navigate around the mini-calendar and see your events in a  
pane above the mini-cal, even when you're in the List View. When  
you're in the Calendar View, the Preview Pane stays fixed on  
'Today's' events so that even as you navigate around the calendar,  
you don't ever lose sight of your meetings and appointments for today.

3.  I've also heard other users make use of the Dashboard is as a  
univeral 'Collection Box'. A place to dump things quickly without  
worrying too much about what collection to put it in. I don't have  
many collections and it's always clear to me where something belongs,  
so I don't use it this way. But I know that some users have a dozen  
or more collections that are more like categories, so it's not always  
immediately apparent where something goes.

Hope that helps!

Mimi

On Feb 13, 2008, at 12:59 PM, Rick Rawson wrote:

> I suspect that I may be missing an important functionality in  
> Chandler: the Dashboard. I have 7 collections and have set each one  
> to "Keep out of Dashboard," since I see no utility in seeing my  
> collection data in more than one place...unless I'm missing  
> something. Despite preventing my collections from displaying in the  
> Dashboard, four items currently display when I select the Dashboard  
> view and ALL. I do not recall putting these items in the Dashboard.
>
> I have seen the term "Dashboard" used in other software contexts as  
> well as in Chandler. Frankly, "dashboard" refers to the area in  
> front of my vehicle's steering wheel. "Dashboard" in the software  
> context does not connect with me. Keep in mind that I also don't  
> quite get Microsoft's use of the term "desktop" in reference to my  
> computer monitor. My keyboard sits on my desktop, not on my  
> monitor. :)
>
> Whatever the chosen terminology, my specific question is: What is  
> the intended use of the Dashboard OR how do Chandler-users use the  
> Dashboard?
>
> Rick
>
> _______________________________________________
> chandler-users mailing list
> chandler-users at osafoundation.org
> http://lists.osafoundation.org/mailman/listinfo/chandler-users