Topic: Feature Requests / List of off-site links on every page

We use this Greasemonkey script to create a tab for our TimeFox account in Basecamp. We also used it to have a link to Highrise prior to implementing OpenBar.

You can set the Tab to link to any url and change the Tab text to whatever you want. It can also be set up for multiple tabs but be aware of the limitations of the browser width.

 // ==UserScript==
// @name           Extra Tabs in Basecamp
// @namespace      <a href="http://www.spikydog.com/userscripts">http://www.spikydog.com/userscripts</a>
// @description    Adds an extra tab to Basecamp, based on Daniel Drucker's Backpack GM script
// @include        http://*.updatelog.com/*
// @include        http://*.clientsection.com/*
// @include        http://*.seework.com/*
// @include        http://*.projectpath.com/*
// @include        http://*.grouphub.com/*
// @include        https://*.updatelog.com/*
// @include        https://*.clientsection.com/*
// @include        https://*.seework.com/*
// @include        https://*.projectpath.com/*
// @include        https://*.grouphub.com/*

// ==/UserScript==

(function() {
 var mainTabs = document.getElementById('MainTabs');
 mainTabs.innerHTML = mainTabs.innerHTML+'<li style="float: right;"><a href="https://www.functionfox.com/timefox/" class="" target="_blank">TimeFox</a></li>';
 })(); 

Topic: Feature Requests / Multiple Responsible Team Members

You can assign the task to whoever is responsible for completing it and then use the comments to alert others and discuss/track its progress.

We do this quite a lot and it works well.

Topic: How are you using Basecamp? / Managing freelancers with BC

Any company can be set to view Private Messages.

Under “Edit this company” check the box regarding Private Message access.

Be aware that this means all people in the selected company can view private messages across all projects. [ie it is a global setting]

We’ve set up a company called “Contractors” that is a collection of various people we work with who are more a part of our team than the client’s team. [illustrators, photographers, freelancers etc] They all have access to private messages.

Topic: Feature Requests / Private Areas within the company

@ Alan Armstrong, your client cannot see the time logged. Only people in your own company can see time logged.

Topic: How are you using Basecamp? / Manage a newspaper publication?

I seem to recall an article about a newspaper using Basecamp on the Signal v Noise blog.

Topic: Tips & Tricks / Large Screen Milestone Display

It’s pretty cool. isn’t it.

Will see if any of our boffins can work something out.

Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / Links to files from messages do not update when a new file version is uploaded

I would not want the original file that is attached to the message to be changed from what it was. The potential for confusion and chaos is enormous.

We use the following protocol:

Delivering draft proofs/proposals is done via messages. Subsequent editions/versions are posted as a comment describing the change/revision.

Delivering zipped packages of final artwork files is done via the files tab and sent to whoever requires it. Subsequent revisions are done as a version of the original and sent to the same people.

We do find that clients automatically use the Files tab to upload stuff, rather than posting a message. Perhaps the same messaging/comment function that has recently been implemented in the To Dos and Milestones would work in the Files section.

cheers
nic

Topic: Feature Requests / Project Name in email communications

We add a job number prefix to the subject of messages and milestones and it works well. Projects are also prefixed with the same code.

ie
ABC 08123_Project Title
ABC 08123_Milestone Description
ABC 08123_Message Subject

Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / LOST A MESSAGE FOR THE 1,000,000th TIME

I used to have this problem but haven’t lost a single message since upgrading to Firefox 3.

Simply using the back button takes you “back” to the page with the field that has your entered text.

Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / Calendar Disappeared

Not sure what you mean. My upcoming milestones appears on the Dashboard as well as the long term calendar under the Milestones tab.

You sure you’re not talking about the Backpack calendar?

Topic: How are you using Basecamp? / Managing freelancers with BC

We do the same as zukowski.

We are able to set the Contractors to be able to see Private items across the board so they are ‘almost’ within the inner sanctum. Works well for us.

Topic: Feature Requests / Track who marked a TODO complete

Why not use the comments to log when a To-Do/Milestone was completed? They are person specific as well as being date and time stamped.

Topic: Troubleshooting and Bug Reports / reply by email and auto responders

We had this happen just the other day!

I didn’t do anything fancy, just unsubscribed the person to the message thread and deleted the auto-replies one by one.

Your idea of a “Between the Lines” protocol sounds simple enough.

Topic: Feature Requests / To-dos across projects and persons

This is could be done simply with an “Everyone” selection in the drop down menu would be handy.

Then of course, you would need to sort/group by person/client/project

Topic: Feature Requests / Time/Date

Feature request: Have timezones set as an attribute of an individual user and not of the entire project. The project can store all time/date as GMT and individual users have their time and date adjusted by their timezone. This is the way that a lot of PHP forum software works.

Forgive me if I’m missing the obvious but isn’t this how it works now?

Topic: Feature Requests / Message Attachment & File Categories should be linked?

I would also like to see a category for “unassigned” files. Sometimes, projects have so much action, I miss categorizing files because they have moved off the dashboard and I don’t have time to go through pages of file postings.

@ Peggy — We have a Category called ” Unassigned” [with a space prefix] which brings it to the top of the list, becoming the default Category.

In fact, we’ve noticed a neat little “bug” in Basecamp, where a space prefix raises the item in an alphabetical listing but doesn’t have an indent. It also works for multiple spaces so you can create a primitive hierarchy.

Topic: Feature Requests / To-do Comments / Milestones comments

Yes you’re right kshock. I was thinking that the Privacy function worked on Milestones as well as To Dos.

I guess if they did implement a Privacy setting on Milestones, it would solve your problem.

Topic: Feature Requests / Message Attachment & File Categories should be linked?

We’ve pretty much stopped categorising files because of the cumbersome process when attaching a file to a message.

Topic: Feature Requests / To-do Comments / Milestones comments

@ kshock – the messages/comments on Milestones and ToDos take on the privacy setting of the original item, so if the original ToDo is private then so are the comments. IMO, having private comments on public ToDos or Milestones would be an unnecessary layer of complexity.

@ SPF-SIG – with the new message/comment function on ToDos and Milestones, a group can collaborate on a single task, it’s just that the responsibility is assigned to one person. I would imagine that there is a team leader who is responsible for getting the team to complete the task, if so, they should have the task assigned to them.

Topic: Tips & Tricks / Adding Statuses to Your ToDo Items

Do these show up in the global to do list?

Topic: How are you using Basecamp? / Writeboards are useless for print projects

Our experience is that clients/writers don’t trust something that they don’t have on their own computer. Believe me, we’ve tried. If the export function was able to spit out a .doc file as well as a .txt file they may feel more comfortable with it but I doubt it.

What would be very cool is a Writeboard/Wiki, where you could create a hierarchical navigation that strings multiple boards together. This would be very useful in managing all of the communication texts/copy that a client uses across their marketing.

As it stands, I use Writeboards to write proposals, strategy drafts, copy concepts, production specs and have even trialled them as a way to deliver a cost proposal due to the permanence of versions and comments.

I have also found that they are a great way of dumping notes into a project. Using a Message post for documenting notes was creating more clutter than necessary.

Topic: Feature Requests / Feature request: admins should see member passwords

If someone forgets, just resend the welcome email, it’ll send their login details to them again.

Topic: Feature Requests / On-Going Milestones - No Due Date

At the risk of sounding like a smartarse, isn’t what you’re describing a To Do?

Topic: Feature Requests / Add Calendar View to "Add Ten Milestones at A Time"

This is my BIGGEST gripe with BC at the moment. We’ve just begun using Milestones intensively and it is ridiculously laborious to enter a lot at once.

37s had alluded to an overhaul of the Milestones section a while back but I haven’t heard of anything since.

Topic: Feature Requests / to-do deadlines ... again

@ Zippy

I think that is all that is needed.

You can link a To Do List to an already existing milestone, but having the ability to create a Milestone in the process of creating a To Do List would be fantastic.

similar in approach to the recent update in the People and Permissions page on each project; you can create a new Company from several different ‘pathways’. The same should be for Milestones.