Autocomplete

Start and stop autocomplete

The autocomplete control button Active Paused appears in the calendar header.

Autocomplete is enabled by default. Select the control to stop it. Select it again to start autocomplete and begin a new scheduling run.

If you stop autocomplete while a run is in progress, the current run is cancelled.

Autocomplete requires an active license. If the license is inactive, the control is locked and autocomplete cannot run.

Status indicators

The autocomplete control shows its current status:

Select the control while its status is Active, Queued, or Error to stop autocomplete.

If the status is Error, stop and restart autocomplete to begin another run. If the error continues, review the app notification and error information.

When autocomplete runs

While autocomplete is active, it adjusts the schedule whenever you make a change that may affect the calendar.

These changes include:

• creating, editing, completing, deleting, or moving a task;
• changing a task’s duration, start time, deadline, priority, schedule, or autocomplete settings;
• changing inherited properties on a folder or list;
• creating, editing, or deleting an event;
• creating, editing, or deleting a schedule or schedule slot;
• changing a repeat rule;
• assigning or removing a task from a schedule;
• starting the app;
• restarting autocomplete.

Several changes made close together may be handled in the same run. If a run is already in progress, another required run is queued.

What autocomplete considers

A task can be placed when:

• it is not completed;
• autocomplete is enabled for the task;
• it has an assigned schedule;
• it has remaining work to schedule;
• its schedule has available slots.

Autocomplete uses the expected duration entered by the user as the amount of time that the task requires. Manually scheduled work and task blocks that have already started count towards this duration.

When deciding where and in what order to place work, autocomplete considers:

• schedule slots assigned to the task;
• events and fixed task blocks that already use part of those slots;
• the task’s start time;
• its deadline;
• task dependencies;
• schedule priority;
• the manual order of tasks within the same priority group;
• chunking settings;
• the remaining available time.

Tasks with earlier deadlines are considered first. Dependencies are respected so that a task is not placed before work on which it depends. After these constraints, autocomplete follows the schedule priority order: ASAP, High priority, Medium priority, then Low priority.

What autocomplete does not move

Autocomplete does not move:

• events;
• manually scheduled task blocks;
• task blocks that have already started;
• completed tasks.

Future task blocks created by autocomplete may move when the calendar changes.

To keep an autocompleted task occurrence at its current time, right-click it and select Pin. The occurrence becomes a fixed placement immediately.

If you move or resize an autocompleted task block manually, Nodify Calendar asks whether autocomplete should be disabled. After you confirm, the task block becomes a fixed manual placement.

To allow autocomplete to place this work dynamically again, delete the fixed task occurrence from the calendar, then restart autocomplete if it is paused.

Chunking

Chunking allows autocomplete to divide a task across several available periods when no single period can contain its full expected duration.

When chunking is enabled, two settings control the result:

If these values are not configured, autocomplete uses a minimum duration of one hour and a preferred duration of two hours.

The preferred duration cannot be shorter than the minimum duration.

When chunking is disabled, the task needs one uninterrupted period long enough for all its remaining work.

Chunking settings can be configured directly on a task or inherited from its folder or list. See Hierarchical Task Properties.

Hard and soft deadlines

A deadline is soft unless the task’s Is hard deadline? setting is enabled.

With a soft deadline, autocomplete first tries to place the task before the deadline. If there is not enough time, it may place the remaining work after the deadline and show a warning.

With a hard deadline, autocomplete cannot place any part of the task after the deadline. If the available time before it is insufficient, part or all of the task remains unplaced.

Hard-deadline settings can be configured directly on a task or inherited from its folder or list.

Why a task was not scheduled

When autocomplete cannot place all the required work, Nodify Calendar creates a scheduling warning.

Warnings can appear on the affected task and in Under threat in the Tasks area. Under threat is shown when at least one current warning exists.

A warning may explain that:

• no schedule is assigned to the task;
• the assigned schedule has no available slots;
• all available slots begin after a hard deadline;
• there is not enough time before a hard deadline;
• chunking is disabled and no uninterrupted period is long enough;
• the schedule is full;
• a task with a soft deadline finishes late.

Some warnings provide a quick fix. Depending on the cause, you may be able to:

• enable chunking;
• change a hard deadline to a soft deadline;
• move the deadline.

Other warnings require you to add schedule slots, free some time, change task properties, or assign a schedule.