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View Full Version : Trick/Tip: Virtual Contact for notes and followup.


hezahonker
October 3rd, 2007, 11:30 AM
Hi everyone,

One of the little tricks I like to use with Agendus Professional involves creating a "virtual contact" that serves as nothing more than a contact entry that is for storing all my phone call notes. It isn't a real person with an address, it is just a place to store information. I like the fact that we have notes with contacts through the native os and like the fact that Agendus allows us to increase the possibilities for how we can use our contact notes.

I frequently listen to my voicemail messages when I am on the run and hate the fact that Windows Mobile doesn't offer me a way to alarm my note for follow-up later. What is even worse is I don't want 500 notes in my notes folder. I would much prefer to open one note and scroll through it since I want a quick way to look at them simultaneously. It is sort of my daily log. This way, I can keep a centralized record of my notes for the day in one spot instead of having a big list of note items that I have to open one by one. Lastly, I want to use my note for generating tasks too.

I use Alarms a lot and I use Contact History a lot. I use my preferences to set my alarms to default for new items for 45 min. (for me that time is the best). I love the auto fill box to enter the name of my contact so I wanted a way to harness the features I use most often. (I think sometimes we feel like we have to use each item certain predefined way and that isn't so. It is your device, have fun and be creative! ...so back to my little trick.) Finally, I like the idea combining not only all notes related to my voice mail in one spot, but being able to generate tasks from those and allowing Agendus to log those in the same note field of the voice mail contact that have been completed. No more wondering if I ever did that thing I was going to do way back when- after my items are erased from the device and from the contact history:eek: . In a nutshell-everything in one spot!:up:

OK, so first I create a new contact. (I call mine Voicemail) I enter my voice mail number in the mobile number field in the phone numbers tab (you don't have to if you don't want). I do because, if I need to call my voicemail to listen over a saved voicemail, I can very quickly by dialing or tapping from contact list. I then go into the note field on the note tab of my Voicemail Contact and title it "Phone To Do List". Later, I can enter any notes I get from a voice mail in my Voice Mail Contact's notes tab. Lastly, I assign a phone icon to the contact I have just created and create a category call Voicemail. I assign my Voicemail Contact to that category. (this helps me access my Voicemail Contact quickly in the list by leaving this category selected on the contacts filter button.:D )

Now, when I get a phone call or a voicemail, I simply go to Agendus- which is already running usually (you could simply map one of your hard keys to contacts on your device too if you didn't want to have Agendus open) and go to my Voicemail contact to write down any notes as I am talking. (I usually leave Agedus open to contacts all day so I save time when a phone call comes in.)

After my phone call is completed, I tap and hold on the Voicemail Contact to create a follow up Task wit Alarm to remind me to read back over my todos. I can then just tap the contact button within that task to bring me back to my Voicemail Contact and go to the notes tab so I can followup on any specifics. The nice thing is, History for my Voicemail contact is easy to access too and bring me quickly to the items I have created.

As a timed-feature, I use MemMaid (http://www.dinarsoft.com/memmaid/) to create a notification in the device notification (timed event) database to open Contacts (Please remember to set Agendus to default PIM so that your contact button will activate Agendus) at a certain meeting time so that it is up on my screen at the desired meeting time.

If my note gets too big, I copy and paste it into an "Archive" note which is then stored by date in my notes folder on the device. (I can Archive those in Outlook if need be too.)

**addtional tip:use PHM Power Toy clipboard pane (http://www.phm.lu/products/PocketPC/PowerToys/) to copy and paste multiple tasks without having to jump back to your Contact notes.

michael
October 3rd, 2007, 08:13 PM
Wow, this is a cool trick, Nancy. I'm definitely going to give it a try myself.

hezahonker
October 4th, 2007, 06:49 AM
Thanks Michael,

I am sure someone can take it further and refine it. It would be fun to discuss.

As for tricking it out even further...you could use accesspanel (http://www.developerone.com/accesspanel/) or tap text (http://www.dinarsoft.com/taptext/) to create a log in your notes too!

EP2005
October 4th, 2007, 06:58 PM
woooooow! :eek:

To call this brilliant would be an understatement! :up:

hezahonker
October 5th, 2007, 06:24 AM
Thanks EP, I am glad it is useful.

I wanted to say too that someone doesn't have to buy Accesspanel or TapText to create a log in their contact note. As we know, you have the built in keyboard on your device. Just press CTRL + T to insert time. Or, CTRL + D to insert the date.

I don't believe we have an insert date/time in contact notes ...that would be another feature request I would have along with a way to create a timer. That is where Accesspanel comes in though. It does have a feature to create a timer.

I never like PI's timed feature because they had some glitches in it and never seemed to get it worked out, at least on my device it never got worked out.

EP2005
October 5th, 2007, 05:40 PM
I don't believe we have an insert date/time in contact notes ...that would be another feature request I would have along with a way to create a timer.

We don't have that feature yet, but it's certainly something I would welcome with open arms as I use contact notes with every task and it often consists of date/time/meeting details, etc.

hezahonker
October 5th, 2007, 08:45 PM
Glad to hear it. I think that Contact Notes is a great asset. I have always used mine. I love the logging feature. It is brilliant.