Status Update

What's happening with alfons?

Today we'd like to give you a content update on the small and large changes coming to alfons. In terms of technical effort and impact on users, this new feature is likely to stand out: dynamic data fields. Behind this somewhat cumbersome working title lies a very pragmatic idea. Databases, CRM solutions, address books, and until now, alfons itself, have all had in common that users are constantly confronted with a multitude of fields and controls. Initially, these are usually empty anyway, but even with meticulously maintained records, some fields, such as a fax number here or a comment there, simply remain blank. At alfons, we've always significantly reduced the number of fields, but the problem, of course, persisted.

In the future, alfons will only include the absolutely essential standard fields, and all other information can be added as custom fields. This means you only create the fields you actually need and populate them with the relevant content. To ensure everything remains clear and structured, these fields are automatically sorted and grouped. Depending on the content, the familiar buttons for writing an email or opening a link are also available.

... ###List

First the bad news: The sticky note is dying :-( Admittedly, the functionality of this module was somewhat limited and perhaps not immediately obvious to all users. The good news, however, is much more than just a consolation. The sticky note is being replaced by the new "List" module. In the broadest sense, it's a task list that follows the proven GTD method https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done text. This means you can first record all incoming tasks in the inbox and then sort them accordingly: Should the task be completed today, sometime, or at a scheduled time? Has the task been delegated to someone? (You can, for example, assign tasks to individual users.) Does a task have any additional information that has been stored?

This brings us full circle back to the sticky note. If you've grown fond of its functionality or perhaps already created numerous notes, you'll find the new module in the List has a worthy successor. We are currently working on an import script that will convert your old notes into corresponding tasks.

Tags

Tags have long been a standard feature in any application, and alfons naturally included this categorization system. For the sake of clarity and consistency, we have not only eliminated partially redundant filters such as "Label 1" and "Label 2," but have also significantly expanded the tag functionality. Tags will now be available in every module (and always in a similar location). When you click on a tag, all matching records are automatically filtered, and you will receive corresponding feedback in the search field.

Multiple Selection

A small but crucial step: Multiple selection will now be available in the list view in all modules. While the filter function in alfons already allowed users to achieve their goals, the classic multiple selection option should be more convenient. This will be much more familiar, especially for new users. You can now more easily determine which data records should be exported, printed, or deleted.