Now I think I see what you mean by "private", but it is not Qalendar's domain either.



Actually -1 is more like 1969, because calendar-backend API uses time_t, which in our case is 32-bit signed int. Year 2106 is the effect of Qt's function to convert time_t to QDateTime having unsigned int as the argument.

But back to the point... I agree that it can be annoying to be forced to change the date each time or end up with a ton of overdue tasks in no time, but just adding some predetermined value is not what I like either. However, I am not sure what is the best way. Some ideas:


1a) Give the user an option to explicitly define the amount of time to add.

An obvious extension of your proposal, but it would require stuffing that option somewhere in the menus and I'd prefer not to clutter them up unless there's no other way.


1b) Remember the last offset used when creating a new task.

I like it for being simple and transparent, but I am not sure how (in)convenient it would be in the reality. If all your tasks are supposed to be due-less, than it acts like 1a, but otherwise I am afraid it might cause a bit of confusion when trying to add a task and seeing a default date that seemingly comes out of nowhere.

Luckily, the mentioned problem could be mitigated by something else I am planning to add anyway: a "New task" button next to the "New event" button in the day view (at least, possibly other views too). The offset for task deadline would be loaded and saved only when invoking the editor without a date context, i.e. from the tasks view.


1c) Hidden option.

Same as 1a, but hidden as a value in the config file. It would be a simple hack in about one line of code and invisible to those who do not want to see it, so I could add it in the next update if a long-term solution is not ready by then.


2a) A special distant date

But I'd rather go for 2038, most likely 2^31-1 seconds since 1970 UTC, because the whole 2037 is still completely valid. I think this would be as close to due-less as calendar-backend permits. Such tasks would not have their date displayed in Qalendar.

@jackburton: I installed MaeCalTasks to see exactly how it works, but If the screenshot is from 1.0.0-5, then I am doing something wrong or there's a bug, because I don't see the buttons with "X", "Today" and "Tomorrow".

I also have a question: was 2037 just simpler to use? Or is it to allow also the stock calendar to set such date? I guess It would be nice if Qalendar was compatible with MaeCalTasks in this matter, but I see no definitive reason to choose 2037 over 2038.

Or is that X button just a shortcut to toggle the year and 2037 tasks do not get any kind of special treating (2b)?


2b) Just a distant date

There would be a shortcut to set the date to 2037 and that's it. I think it would feel like a quick hack, so I do not really like it.


2a is quite tempting, but I am conservatively leaning towards 1b, as it does not make up any special meaning for the data. Any thoughts?