Use Project Builder as an organizing tool
Dec 31, '02 09:58:27AM
Contributed by: snoozer
There's about a jillion little to-do-list/scratch-pad apps out there. I've been using one for a while that suits me pretty well, but today I had a yen for something closer to my ideal. I considered doing yet another search on Version Tracker. Then I realized, Dorothy-like, that I had the solution within reach all the time: Project Builder.
Officially, Project Builder is the whiz-bang programming tool for OS X (and as such it is wonderful), but that doesn't mean you have to use it that way. Here are the features I think make PB an excellent note pad:
- PB remembers your place in every document (this alone sold me).
- PB remembers your window locations between launches.
- PB has good search functionality (another biggie for me).
- You can put many kinds of documents in PB, including plain text, rich text, images, and sounds.
- You can group documents into virtual folders independent of their actual location on disk.
- PB comes FREE with every Mac -- so even if you only use 1% of its functionality, it's not like you're paying extra for the 99% you don't use.
To get Project Builder, just install the Developer Tools that should have come with your copy of OS X [or download it after registering for free on Apple's Developer Site - editor].
I created a PB project called ThisAndThat, and dragged it into my Dock for quick access. I'm in the process of transferring a bunch of junk to it now -- to-do lists, lists of facts I always need yet always forget, song lyrics, Earthlink dial-up numbers, etc. Now if only I had a corresponding app on my Handspring Treo and a conduit to hotsync it...
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