what is task square map

A square map shows the relative sizes of things using nested boxes. See http://www.taskcoach.org/screenshots/0.72.0-Ubuntu-Task_square_map_showing_budget.png for an example. The example shows the time budget of two projects, each with several tasks that have their own time budgets.

Correct url: http://www.taskcoach.org/screenshots/Linux/0.72.0-Ubuntu-Task_square_map_showing_budget.png

Hello,
I still don't understand how to use it. When I open the tab, I only have one square. I don't see the selection list that is on the screenshot, with "Budget". I tried to select several items in the task list. Does it only work if budget or priorities are assigned ?
Thank you.
Marcel.
(Version 1.2.31, November 13, 2011 / linux gentoo)

Marcel, the selection list on the left in the screen shot is not part of the Task Square Map viewer, it is just a separate task viewer, just like the normal Task Coach setup. They are just being shown at the same time.
The Task Square Map does not update based on the selection in the Task Viewer. The items in the map just match whatever you have set up in your tasks overall. And budget as well as number of subtasks are considered.
Sorry I can't be of more help, I don't really use the Task Square Map myself.

Also, please consider an update to the latest version of the program. We are on 1.3.18 now, a ways past 1.2.31.

Cheers,
Aaron

Thank you Aaron. Indeed, I saw that a gentoo package v1.2.31 was created today, and I imagine that was you. It installed fine.
Still quite unsure about how the Task Square works, but thanks anyway. It will get clearer once I fill in more time/priority/etc... values.

Oh, weird… no, I didn't do anything with 1.2.31…I'm doing the support and documentation part of the development rather than the actual programming and building… The current Task Coach version (as I run on Ubuntu and on Mac) is 1.3.18.

I don't understand the Gentoo stuff, but according to this:
http://packages.gentoo.org/package/app-office/taskcoach
there is a listing referencing the 1.3.18 current version, although there is also some other mentions of 1.2.31, and I can't make out what to think about it. Ideally, you would be running our latest version, 1.3.18… what does it say in the about dialog?

Hi Marcel,

The squaremap is only useful if you have a number of tasks hat have a budget associated with them. Or, when the squaremap is displaying time spent, when you have a number of tasks that have time spent on them.

The idea is that it gives an overview of how your budget is divided over tasks, or how your time spent is divided over your tasks. I guess you'll need to experiment a bit.

Cheers, Frank

If you open the task square view a bit wider you can see the selectbox to change the values displayed. By def it is "Budget" so you can see tasks here only if they have budget, but changing it to "Time spent" does the trick.