this, add your first keyword and click Create Tag. Not only is the
tag added to this diary entry, but it’ll appear in the Tags list on the
left-hand side of the Lifeograph window. Next time, you can simply
drag tags from here into the main diary entry pane to add them to
the post.
Click a tag in the left-hand pane and its properties will pop up. This
works in a similar way to other elements, with the ability to quickly
rename it by clicking the name at the top. You’ll also see an option to
assign it a specific category – yet another layer of organisation – and
also change its type and unit.
Crying over football tags
This is where things get interesting: the default type of tag is Boolean,
which is perfect for simple keywords, but Lifeograph also supports
parametric tags, which enable you to add numeric values to tags on
an entry-specific basis. There are two types of parametric tag you can
create: cumulative (perfect for totting up your football team’s pathetic
points tally over a season) or average (for monitoring weight over an
extended period).
When creating the tag for the first time, simply enter “TAGNAME
=
supportedunitsarekilometres,miles,kilograms,pounds,litres,Celsius/
centigradeandFahrenheit.Toassigna unittothetag,clicktheType
& Unit drop-down menu – you can switch between cumulative and
average from here – and then click the Unitless drop-down menu to
specify your unit. Return to the diary entry and you’ll see that the unit is
now displayed next to the tag.
From now on, the tag plus value can be assigned to other diary
entries in the usual way – if you drag and drop it, it’ll be automatically
given a value of 1. Just click the tag to reveal a pop-up menu, where you
can change this figure.
Return to the tag properties screen over time and you’ll see the
statistical graph at the bottom update to show potentially useful
information. Graphs beneath Boolean tags simply display the
number of entries containing that tag on a month-by-month basis,
while those for parametric tags can be used to show the growth in
cumulative values over time, or changing averages, depending on
the tag type.
The graph tracks figures on a monthly basis by default, but you can
change this to yearly by clicking the drop-down menu next to Graph.
AnUnderlayPreviousYearboxcanbetickedtocomparethis
year with the previous one; also look for a zoom slider with an
accompanying horizontal scrollbar for tracking data over an
extended period.Working with chapters
On one level Lifeograph can be used purely to record diary
entries – multiple entries per day are permitted – and the
whole list appears in the right-hand navigation pane, which
can be sorted from the burger (three lines) menu (see the
annotation). But you can go further and divide your diary into
chapters, then organise (or create) entries to sit within these
sub-folders.
The quickest way to create new chapters is via the main
screen – click the ‘+’ button next to the Today button and
you’ll see a pop-up menu appear, revealing that three types
of chapter are supported: by date, by number or a so-called
‘free chapter’. Date chapters work in a slightly different way
to the others: you’re limited to one per day, and they can be
colour-coded to help identify them when viewing the diary’s
statistics in graph form.
Once created, you will then be taken to the chapter title’s
properties page in edit mode. From there you can replace the
‘New chapter’ part of the title by clicking on the chapter title
at the top of the screen. Click on the icon that’s to the left of itsOrganise related entries into chapters to help classify them more
efficiently. Three types – date, numbered or free – are available.Lifeograph enables you to perform a selective merge or sync
between two different diary files, choosing exactly what to transfer
between them – entries, tags and/or chapters.
Click your diary file’s name in the navigation pane to bring up
its properties screen. With Edit mode on, click the diary’s icon and
choose Synchronize/Merge... Click the None button at the top to
select your diary – we found leaving Diary Files selected as the file
type produced no matches, so change this to All Files to locate and
select the file containing the data you wish to bring across.
By default, all items are set to be added as new entries in the
new diary – click Scheme to change the default behaviour (you
may wish to set Changed to Overwrite if you’re happy to replace
existing entries with their corresponding entries from your original
diary). You can then select each individual item and click the grey
I button to set it to ignore, or A button to add it. Flick the Apply To
Similar switch to On and change the status of one item – be it tag
category, tag, chapter or entry – to make all entries of the same typechange along with it. Click theTagImportedEntriesboxtocreateand
assign a tag to all imported diary entries.
Once you’re happy with your selection, click the Go button and the
entries should successfully transfer across.SYNC BETWEEN DIARIES
“Graphs beneath parametric
tags can be used to show
the growth in cumulative
values over time”
Import data from another diary is easy
using Lifeograph’s selective sync tool.44 |^ |^ May 2020