Better formating for exported goalscape
Goalscape a fantastic tool to plan and visualize complex project, collect and organize informations etc, but sometimes we have to export it and and use it as a normal document. Like plan a book or a manual and use it offline/print it, write a responsibility list. etc.
I was happy to find a PDF and Word export.
Unfortunately there is some shortcomings.
1. PDF export adjustable but the settings doesn't work in word export, I think this is more a bug.
2. PDF export makes a perfect structured Contents but does not format titles, subtitles like that, so the text loosing the visual hierarchy.
3. Word export almost perfect because titles subtitles already get the styles but not adjustable. And would be fantastic if the style you attaching has some formating too
Ideas
4. Would be fantastic a numbered list option. this is easy as Contents also formatted perfectly. I know I can number the goal but makes a big trouble if I reorganize the goals so automatic would be the best
5. Options to select a level to put a picture of part of goalscape front of the level , maybe the first 3-4
Until 1st and 2nd not implemented the 3rd can be the solution because I can format styles manually in Word, I need the same adjustment as the pdf has
Thank You
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Support Staff 1 Posted by Richard Parslow on 02 Mar, 2016 05:13 PM
Hello Zsolt
Thanks for following this up here, allowing the development team to see the conversation.
It would be useful for us to understand why the exports are so important for you. If you want to share your project information with others, by far the best way to do this is to Share the live project(s) with your contacts in Goalscape Online. That way everyone can access the latest version of the project (and, if given Edit privileges, update it). Whereas any exported report (whatever the format and however fancy the layout) is out of date as soon as anyone makes any change.
With an Unlimited subscription you can share even large projects with anyone else, even Free users. So you may only need one Unlimited subscription to run a project – or even an entire company.
To answer your specific points:
PDF export adjustable but the settings doesn't work in word export, I think this is more a bug.
If you mean the 'pre-edit' selections available in Report Options for the PDF export (to include or exclude various attributes and empty fields), I confirm that these selections are not meant to be available for DOCX, so this is not a bug but expected behavior. We may consider adding these selections for DOCX (and other export formats) at some point in the future; it is not however a priority for us.
PDF export makes a perfect structured Contents but does not format titles, subtitles like that, so the text loosing the visual hierarchy.
The visual hierarchy (indentation) is maintained in the Contents listing in both PDF and DOCX exports – this matches the Goal List (accessed via the Highlight sidebar and the format used in the Goalscape Mobile app (companion app for Goalscape Online).
This indentation however cannot however be applied to the Goal Details listings themselves. Consider goals at the lowest levels of a large project: they would be indented so far that the details would be crushed against the right margin, with Notes (and Comment) text in a thin vertical column. This would not only make it very difficult to read, it would waste a lot of paper if you printed it out!
Word export almost perfect because titles subtitles already get the styles but not adjustable. And would be fantastic if the style you attaching has some formating too.
Please give us more details about what you would like to 'adjust'. If you open the exported DOCX in Word, you can apply whatever formatting you want to any text – or even redefine the Styles in that document (Heading 1, Body Text, etc) to impose your preferred fonts, paragraph format, spacing and even numbering.
Would be fantastic a numbered list option. this is easy as Contents also formatted perfectly. I know I can number the goal but makes a big trouble if I reorganize the goals so automatic would be the best
I presume you mean something like numbering the Level 1 goals (1, 2, 3...) clockwise around the main goal, with their subgoals numbered clockwise (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc) and so on through all the levels. This would be extremely difficult to implement: not because the basic task of applying numbers to goals is difficult, but because of the implications for the numbering when a project is constantly being updated. For example, if you want the numbering to be consistent (ie always clockwise), when you move a goal to a different place in the goal map (or delete it or add a new one), the goal name would have to change to use a new number, based on the goal's new position (possibly at a different level). Worse, the numbers of all its subgoals and the numbers of all its existing and new neighbors (and all their subgoals) would also have to change.
When we first built Goalscape we tried to impose a numbering system based solely on order of creation (so the default name of each new goal added would have a number applied). These numbers became meaningless when you moved the goals; and the issues around constantly changing all the goal names in a project (to provide consistent clockwise numbering) were significant. And all that for the sake of showing numbers next to goals in exported reports (which are anyway only snapshots of an ongoing project). So we dropped it: new goals now all have the same default name 'New Goal'. We are very unlikely ever to resurrect a goal numbering system.
Options to select a level to put a picture of part of goalscape front of the level , maybe the first 3-4
You can use Focus View to focus on a certain area of the project (double-click any goal that has subgoals, or use the Goal Edit menu or right-click options). You can also collapse the outer levels of the goal map to hide the detail and increase the clarity (click the down arrow on the Anchor Bar at 12 o'clock in the goal map).
If you are asking about using pictures ('icons') in the goal slices, this is something we may do in the future.
If you are suggesting something else here please post again to clarify – screenshots or even sketches would help!
Thanks again for taking the time to post this discussion.
Enjoy the journey!
Richard
2 Posted by zsolt67 on 03 Mar, 2016 12:03 AM
Hi Richard
I am clear with the possibilities of goalscape online and I plan to use it.
I am from computer programmer and system developer background. I built a
small company and I would like to use Goalscape to document all parts of
it. I could do it in Word but Goalscape make it much easier to gather info
and organize and share and collaborate. But all documentation needs to be
printed at some point. For example some people brain more understand linear
documentation than this mind map like format. Sometimes just need a linear
format of the actual state of the gathered info even a project status needs
to be documented etc
If you can see Goalscape as a information organizing or even publication
tool not just a project, goal managing tool than you can see the point of
better formatted output. Or just needs to see not everything a circle,
there is some square in the world :) Your main slogan says "Simplify your
life with Goalscape! Increase motivation and productivity...." but I feel
more forcing to see circles where square would be ok :)
At the moment I see as perfect organizing tool but makes me think worth to
use it if the output is limited.
1. Yes i mean the report options. Even the preview stays the same when I
click to the Word export icon and back to the PDF icon so little bit
misleading how it is works now. I am thinking little bit a programmer
sometimes so if you already written the code to filter the output for PDF
export then should be easy to use it for Word export.
2. I didn't mean indentation but visually hierarchy like Word's styles
works. But I would be to do it manually in Word if I could but I cant :(
see the next point
3. The titles (goal, subgoal names) already has styles. Main Goal is
Heading1, subgoals Heading2 etc. Easy to modify the styles as you
recommended. But here is no report options to hide unnecessary fields. The
Word is a same as PDF, is a linear format. I think doesn't need
parent,neighbours,subgoals fields and sometimes like my case doesn't need
importance, progress, due. I could delete them if all fields has its own
style then I can select all text with same style and delete it.
4. I understand your point of numbered list. But this is a different
viewpoint. I don't want identify or sort in order or keep them in order by
numbers coming from goalscape etc. I only need this to make the exported
offline document or call it snapshot more understandable makes contents
usable offline. If somebody want to check the online Goalscape then just
use search by name, does not need to use the numbers as a reference.
5. Yes I referred to the focused view but I had an idea to put front of the
chapter in the export the focused goalscape of the chapter. This is just an
idea and helps to understand and see through what included in that chapter.
6. A new idea. Makes it easier to recognise where I am in the exported,
offline Goalscape. You can put front of each chapter a small letter
navigation row like some webshop has when browsing a selection
[image: Inline images 1]
Thank you to read my ideas. As you can see I try to find the most simple
solution to achieve what I need. Some of them I think very easy to
implement and expand the areas, possibilities where Goalscape can be used.
Zsolt
Support Staff 3 Posted by Richard Parslow on 05 Mar, 2016 09:41 PM
Hello Zsolt
The entire reason Goalscape exists is to provide a rich, meaningful visual format to represent the goal structure. The circular goal map is far clearer and more powerful than any linear representation. It is far more than a "mind map format": it provides a stricter structure and (crucially) clearly displays the key elements in any project: Relative Importance of subgoals and Progress in every area (and overall).
This means (groups of) users can go from ideas sessions and workshops through to project planning, scheduling and performance within a single software tool. What's more, Goalscape explicitly enforces a goal-oriented approach, so it can be used to ensure goal alignment among all those participating in a shared project. And with Goalscape Online, you can share projects with others to enhance understanding, improve motivation and team bonding, and provide faster, fuller communication.
Goalscape is still a small company and we have to ensure that we spend our limited development resources on the most important work. Our focus is on continuous improvement of Goalscape's features and UI – we are also exploring new development frameworks and underlying technologies.
We are responsive to customer requests: in our development schedule we prioritize the most popular. I can confirm that we have not received any other similar requests for refinements to the exported formats, so it is highly unlikely that we will spend much time on the minutiae of exported reports (although pdf and docx reports will include Tags in an imminent update).
So it remains the case that if you want to apply different formatting to your reports (your requests #1 - 4) you can edit them in the relevant native application.
I am afraid I still do not understand what you are asking for in #5. If you wish to provide sketches to clarify exactly what you mean here please feel free to do so; however all the points above regarding 'tweaks' to the exported reports (and those in my previous post here) still apply.
As for your new request (#6): we are delighted that you find the UIs of Goalscape Desktop and Goalscape Connect so similar! Many other software manufacturers struggle with this when they move desktop applications online – notably Microsoft, with its online versions of Word and Excel. It is though very easy to tell which version of Goalscape you are using: Goalscape Desktop uses the standard menus for desktop applications in your OS; while Goalscape Online uses a browser, so the menus are those of whatever browser you are using (and of course there is an address bar). There are also additional buttons and tabs in Goalscape Online, for the additional project sharing functionality.
All the best
Richard