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To begin an outline, one taps
New and then types the desired text into the field. Tapping
outside of the item completes the edit and a brisk tap on
an item itself allows re-editing of the item. To move, or
to copy, paste, or delete an item, one must select it by
tapping it. Either the arrows on the toolbar or the commands
under the Edit menu can be used to move items. All or part
of a branch of items can be moved up and down, but this
is possible only among items in the same group or category.
Items moved left or right will either begin a new category
in the tier above the category from which it came, or will
begin a new subcategory under the item directly preceding
it. Finally, the relocation of an item is also possible
by dragging and dropping it into another location within
a category, or into a different category entirely.
Once one has arranged items into a hierarchal
"tree", it may be useful to include some additional
information. To add a note that appears in the note-display
bar at the bottom of the screen, one taps Edit, Note, and
then enters the desired text. One should note that the portion
of a note extending past the right side of the note-display
bar will not be displayed.
Under the Manage menu, there are
commands for importing or exporting outlines, collapsing
and expanding outlines, removing checked items, or to "Save
As". The import and export functions accept and produce
.txt text files. As a precautionary measure, the import
function can only be used when creating a new outline to
avoid the accidental overwriting of files.
With a relatively simple and intuitive
interface, OutALine's has equally simple but fitting preferences,
with selectors for checkboxes, drag and drop editing and
options for displaying the note-display bar and font size.
Most useful of the preferences is the ability to set a different
font color for up to eight outline levels, further reinforcing
the structure of the hierarchal "tree" and the
organization of one item relative to another.
There is little to quibble about with
a simple program that does its job. Additionally with an
application size of 66 Kb, OutALine is by no means a memory
hog. Hopefully for the next version, the program will allow
editing of an item by means of a 'tap and hold' command.
Currently, the brisk tap of the stylus needed to edit is
too similar to the regular tap that simply selects the item.
Secondly, the Notes field does little to show its usefulness
unless it can be resized to show more than a one-line note.
Priced at an already reduced price of $19.95, OutALine remains
a simple program at a not so simple price.
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