HowLS is an app to track infrequent, recurring tasks. The sorts of tasks unworthy of an alarm, but which stack up and will probably irritate you if you leave them too long.
The sort of tasks which you should do semi-regularly, but which you don't necessarily have to do today. For example:
- defrosting the freezer
- calling your Great Aunt Flo
- organizing photos
HowLS is not an app for unique to-do items (ones you'll never do again), nor particularly for daily tasks (which you tend to remember anyway).
How long since you changed your toothbrush? With HowLS, you can check that. You don't need a detailed log of all the times you changed your toothbrush. Just the last time will do. And a gentle in-app reminder that maybe those bristles are wearing a bit thin.
How long since you bought flowers for a loved one (even if that's yourself)? With HowLS, you can make sure it wasn't back in the last millennium.
Let's say you wanted to see an optician every two years: you might set up a task in HowLS to make the appointment. The task isn't the actual appointment, that's your calendar app's job. HowLS's job is to gently remind you to book it every two years.
HowLS isn't going to nag you with notifications. Tasks will appear on your "Today" list and stay there until you do them. Then, when you (hopefully) do the task, you can check it off and it will automatically schedule another reminder -
The app was coded in SwiftUI. I deliberately didn't add Push Notifications. I didn't want to make a nagging app. The app is for gently reminding, not bossing your life. You stay in control.
From a coding perspective, I wanted:
- to group, filter and order lists - and present a lot of information cleanly and logically
- to extend Date (including a date -> plain English function for "tomorrow", "3 weeks ago" etc)
- to quietly update the app when today's date changes
This is most of the code for version 1. It is basically the same as my initial release on the App Store, except that the App Store version has a few extra bits and bobs (including the manual). You can compile and run it and not bother buying my version if you don't want to. Tinker away. 🙂
For more information on HowLS, please visit my blog page for it: