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  • Adam Behringer

    Seattle, Washington USA

    Adam is the founder of BEEDOCS, an artisan software company that makes great timeline software for Mac OS X.

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BEEDOCS in 2012

Thursday, December 29, 2011

I've got an important question for you...

What would you like to see from BEEDOCS in 2012? In other words, if our company made one New Years Resolution what should it be?

I would love for at least 25 people to answer this question in the comments.

Thanks!

Labels: ,

70 Comments:

Blogger ArranDecember 30, 2011 5:32 AM

I shall start the comments by saying I would love to see "iBeedocs" for the Pad.

Blogger jonathanDecember 30, 2011 6:14 AM

I would love to see "elements" added, where each element is a colored line at its own level. Even the ability to have lines shift levels and "converge" with other "element" lines on other levels. This would show how multiple elements on a timeline interact.

Blogger William ReedDecember 30, 2011 6:28 AM

Great Question! How about advice or examples of how one could use the BeeDocs Timeline as a coaching tool.

For example, I could see how it could give a person perspective with significant milestones, as well as motivation forward toward Goals.

I would also like to learn more about how to integrate BeeDocs and Basecamp!

And for sure iBeedocs for the iPad!!

Blogger chipDecember 30, 2011 6:40 AM

Add cosmological time...time in powers of 10 and logarithmic. I'd use it a lot in classes and public talks.

Blogger Payadores ChilenosDecember 30, 2011 11:58 AM

Idea: I need control over the spaces in the timeline: If I have an event in 1500 and the next in 1800.
Appears a long blank space that I cant minimize.

Humberto

Blogger SteveDecember 30, 2011 12:09 PM

As much as I liked the timeline hosting, I'm not happy with having to pay a subscription for hosting media.

I'd much rather have the ability to host my media at no cost, and show off the brilliance of Timeline 3D.

It would a win both ways. I would host more video, and people viewing my creations would want to buy a license of Timeline 3D.

Blogger PatchNZDecember 30, 2011 3:09 PM

As with a couple of other comments - Beedocs for iPad

Blogger DanDecember 30, 2011 3:36 PM

I'd love to be able to manually reposition events on the timeline along a vertical axis. Beedocs does a great job already but sometimes it would be nice to have particular events all be at specific heights. For example, when presenting genealogical data on a timeline, I'd have births, at one height, marriages at another, deaths at another, etc...

I'd also love to be able to build a dual timeline, with a series of events above the dates and another below. I'd use this to present my genealogical research. The timeline above would showcase the events in an ancestor's life while the timeline below would showcase events in history. Or, historical events in North-America above, historical events in the old world below...

Blogger David GDecember 31, 2011 1:06 AM

I still get caught out by cmd-f not being find. I requested this change way back, so I guess it is a policy thing....

I would also like to have the option of adding an axis break on the timeline. This could either skip big chunks of time with no events (saving excessive scrolling/paper), or omit a range of events so that distant chunks of time can be compared next to each other.

Blogger jomrosDecember 31, 2011 2:06 AM

Hello. I think they should improve the optionality to print the chronological axis and to be possible in a single page, but large. An option that is widely used in education in some European countries such as Spain, and the printing is more convenient to use in class. When using Windows Timeline Maker employed, which created very good shafts for teaching. It can be an inspiration to enhance the already excellent Timeline 3D.

Blogger JVHDecember 31, 2011 3:59 AM

I would like to be able to have the following:

1. more templates or an online, user-submitted template library

2. ability to edit online timeline templates. The incredibly small size that online timelines are forced to use now is ridiculous. I cannot change the font either!

3. display multiple timelines and events at once in online timelines (so, for example, a timeline of events in England and another for France at the same time). It defeats the purpose of a time line to display only one event at one time (i.e., it is not a timeline at all but rather a list of events; the point of a timeline is to see events in relation to other events).

4. ability to have "sub-timelines" within a time line. For example, for ancient Egypt: New Kingdom: Dynasty 18, 19, 20 (the sub-timelines under "New Kingdom") and then the kings under each dynasty (so sub-sub-timelines). Each should be "lockable" in terms of vertical placement so as to force them to be at the same level if desired.

5. in terms of #4, also have this with multiple timelines. Example: ancient Egypt, Hurrian, and Hittite empires each with its own timeline (and sub-timelines) displayed at the same time (preferably online as well).

There's more but that will do it for now

Blogger Andrea PortanteDecember 31, 2011 9:21 AM

Create a way to automate the playing of embedded videos when one produces the Quicktime version of the timeline

More freedom to intervene adding text, picts etc. onto the timeline. A manual addition, that does not resize/reposition automatically if the timeline is edited should be fine.

Besides individual event banners, it would be very useful to be able to mark (and distinguish with different colors or different pics) the underlying “periods”. e.g.
- geological eras
- kings/presidents in power
- state of the matter (in a temperature scale!)

Actually, for long timelines where it is impossible to use one pict for the background, there should be a different pict for each “period”

I think that each event should have the option of a numerical value, to be ticked on or off, so that a line chart (or also bar chart if it works out) is drawn connecting all the event-points, with each event label places at the relative height

Blogger OrdhaDecember 31, 2011 9:53 AM

As I am a history teacher frequently on the go, I would love to have a Timeline version for the iPad.
I also love JVH's idea of sub-timelines to integrate more visual information for students.
Finally, my most important need would be to be able to have more flexibility in the placement of events because sometimes, the result I get is just not logical (i.e. placement of events vs placement of periods of time on the same timeline are not consistant).

And of course, for 2012, I wish you a splendid, happy, successful year !

Blogger epJanuary 02, 2012 3:37 AM

As much as I like BeeDocs Timeline, my experience is somewhat frustrating and I would love to see the following enhancements:

* Better control of the layout especially the timeline scale that is now very bouncy. It would be nice to have something similar to the concept of the magnetic timeline in Final Cut Pro X with a slider to set the zoom level and a fixed document size in which timeline objects can be arranged.

* One should be able to set different scales in the timeline to accommodate periods which carry less events and currently create large blank gaps.

* Per-event date formatting and overall more granular control of the layout.

* Export as a ready-to-upload HTML5 widget would be a must. Export as an InDesign IDML file would be a super-must! ;)

* Export Events should export a readable and formatted text file for direct import in a memo, email, report, thesis, curriculum, etc.

* I like to print long timelines as a leporello (accordion) folding and would like to have an option to print on tiled pages with cut/glue and fold marks.

All the best for the new year and thanks for listening!

Blogger GiavoJanuary 02, 2012 4:28 AM

Yeah, Beedocs for iPad with VGA support, that's it.

Blogger ArranJanuary 03, 2012 2:28 PM

A second comment, it would be nice if there were the ability to export the 3D timeline locally so that it could be hosted upon an intranet where there is no access to Internet.

I appreciate that this may invole browser specific functions, but would defiantly be worth it.

Blogger heavygeniusJanuary 05, 2012 3:28 AM

I'd like to see:
- the ability to define the vertical order for items that have the same dates defined - or at least for the run-through order to follow the vertical ordering rather than jumping up and down as it does today

- being able to place items above and below the timeline so you can show two timelines at once

- a self-hosting or secure hosting option as I use timeline for our product roadmaps that I need to keep secure

Blogger Arno BosseJanuary 05, 2012 6:05 AM

I strongly second the ability to reposition events on the timeline that others have already mentioned and the ability to view two or more timelines concurrently.

I also have a specific request about embedding videos - I'd like these to appear in the same was as images do now - that is, in the timeline. Videos are no use to me at full/native size.

Personally, I can't see a use for the hosted timelines. You could sink an awful lot of time into creating themes or customizable themes for people - in my view this takes valuable time away from improving the core product.

Blogger ... has left the buildingJanuary 10, 2012 7:09 PM

Adam, Like some of the comments above, I'd like to have the ability to show a break in the timeline other than having blank spaces. I've seen this represented by a jagged line that compresses the blank space

Blogger nicletJanuary 11, 2012 6:22 AM

Obviously, Beedocs for the iPad.

Blogger MondozerJanuary 11, 2012 4:19 PM

I'd like to display a vertical timeline with events on both sides, in addition to the horizontal timeline with events on the top, as we have now.

I second another poster's request to have events above and below the horizontal timeline.

Blogger Julia MaxeyJanuary 13, 2012 5:31 AM

Timeline 3D for ipad. I agree entirely with the users who would like some way to compress the large blank spaces between dates that are spread apart. I would also like to be able to host my own timelines on my school server.

Blogger JorgeJanuary 13, 2012 12:48 PM

As it has been previously said, better layout control. And just a couple more:

- Add places. For historians, it'd be great to have the opportunity to have a map in the background that interacts with the dates.

- An HTML5 exporter for the timeline which can be easily embedded in any blog/website or work as a webpage.

Blogger paul dijstelbergeJanuary 15, 2012 1:31 AM

Use different typefaces for different entries (in my case: two publishers with the printers that work for them. Being able to create lines that show relationships. Use different colors for lines

Anonymous AnonymousJanuary 15, 2012 1:01 PM

I love the program, and all I do is putz around with it, I haven't actually used it to present anything (yet!). I do have a suggestion, though: I would like to be able to move along two (or more) timelines in chronological order along the two (or more) timelines. So if timeline A has events in 1900 and 1920, and timeline B has events in 1910 and 1930, I would like to be able to move directly in chronological order: 1900-1910-1920-1930, jumping between timelines. Right now, I don't how to do it without reselecting the item from where I left the timeline, so: 1900-1910-1900-1920-1910-1930. Thanks!

Anonymous AnonymousJanuary 15, 2012 1:02 PM

I love the program, and all I do is putz around with it, I haven't actually used it to present anything (yet!). I do have a suggestion, though: I would like to be able to move along two (or more) timelines in chronological order along the two (or more) timelines. So if timeline A has events in 1900 and 1920, and timeline B has events in 1910 and 1930, I would like to be able to move directly in chronological order: 1900-1910-1920-1930, jumping between timelines. Right now, I don't how to do it without reselecting the item from where I left the timeline, so: 1900-1910-1900-1920-1910-1930. Thanks!

Blogger jlombardoJanuary 17, 2012 11:08 AM

EVENT SLIDESHOWS - The ability to add multiple photos to an event's media and have them play as a slideshow. Slideshows would have a few theme choices like Sliding panels, Dissolve or Ken Burns to keep the timeline playback from getting repetitive.

Blogger jlombardoJanuary 17, 2012 11:10 AM

EVENT VIDEOS - Please provide an option to play an event's video within the event window instead of playing it full screen.

The transition between the timeline and the full screen video is disorienting and the audience needs to find their bearings again within the timeline once the video completes.

Blogger John FlettJanuary 19, 2012 12:34 PM

I second Jonathan's "elements" and JVH's comment, and would like to see some form of capacity to create "branches" so one can show how an event causes divergent trajectory's perhaps via a form of hyperlink to another focused timeline. So perhaps the ability to have an 'overview' line that permits a range of focuses (i.e., expanding) timelines.

Blogger UnknownJanuary 25, 2012 8:14 AM

Have the option to have a "today" vertical line show up on timelines with color selectable by user. I use timelines as a quick glace of major deadlines approaching and the today line would let me quickly see how far out various events are.

Blogger AlanJanuary 26, 2012 11:04 AM

Love to see the option to publish to my own website with movies. Also, an iPad option

Blogger fredJanuary 26, 2012 11:16 AM

export 3D:
export to BDT3 PROJECTOR
and be able to send a single file with a 3D player inserted, working exactly the same way than the 3D view button from the app.

Blogger KoehnJanuary 27, 2012 9:59 AM

I agree with the proposal of an iOS app that will talk with the Mac App (via iCloud, DropBox, Box, etc.).

I would also like to see custom calendars where I determine the length of months, name and number of months, etc. This would help in my study of ancient calendars.

I would also like to see Timeline 3D (not just Easy Timeline) available in the Mac App Store so if I ever lose everything (including my Time Machine) I can restore apps already purchased from one location. Then if there is an "education discount" then you could sell redeem codes for your student pricing.

I would like to see manual positioning of events. Say that I am trying to place events in order, but I don't have exact dates. I want to be able to click on an event and move it horizontally on the timeline until I can find a more definite date.

Blogger FluoJanuary 28, 2012 3:33 PM

- Some basic textstyling for the notes-section like in the comments here (Bold/Italic/Underline)

- Full screen editing; Personal preference, I like working on fullscreen when I'm using a program for an extended period of time (ie. Office/IWorks etc.) Would give a better overview on my 13" screen and keeps me from being distracted a bit

- As some others suggested, more templates are indeed welcome.

Blogger KrutznerFebruary 01, 2012 11:01 AM

HTML5 export to embedded interactive timelines in ebooks (epub)

Blogger Leslie CarrFebruary 03, 2012 5:59 AM

More comprehensive data import/export option that includes layout, that can be transformed into e.g,. SVG, HTML5 or XML.

Blogger Franco EsteveFebruary 14, 2012 12:18 PM

iPad version with full dropbox integration would be fantastic and extremely useful. :)

Thanks and have a great year.

Blogger menNOM@DSFebruary 27, 2012 4:28 AM

I would like to see:
1) vertical timelines.
2) iPad edition

Thanks,
Menno

Blogger EmmanuelMarch 06, 2012 12:35 AM

I have just started using Easy Timeline. On the whole, I am quite happy with the feel and the look of the program. However, I am missing one feature that would make Easy Timeline really useful for the classroom (I teach English language and literature to secondary school students in Luxembourg). It is this:

It would be great if I could choose which ones of the rows that are listed in the bulk edit screen to display in the graphics screen. In that way, it would be possible to compare various aspects literally at the click of a button. E.g.: I have a row that contains the successions of English and British kings; one that is a list of inventions; one that contains some standard historic dates (usually wars and battles and similar events); one for each author and their works. Now I just want to show kings and one author; or kings and battles; or authors and inventions; or ...

As I say, that would be really cool.

Blogger DrewMarch 07, 2012 12:14 PM

Love to insert timelines into an iBooks Author document

Blogger StuartMarch 11, 2012 9:53 PM

Being able to have two rows hanging off one timeline, so you would have a timeline in the center and one row above it and the other below it (any more than 2 rows just gets too confusing). Also it would be good to be able to style the text in the note (bullet points, bold some words etc)

Blogger Emmanuel PerrierMarch 14, 2012 1:27 AM

Hi,
The software as it is offers a compelling an beautiful experience. Bravo!
However, there could be an advanced mode either in managing data and in presentation.
- In managing data: use tags to link entries in sets. For instance, Sente bibliographic software provides a useful tool called Quicktags, which is an upfront panel showing main Tags and their subtags as a tree. One can edit the data by simply checking boxes for these tags. And one can manage data very easily since this tree creates smartfolders or sets of data. Which means that one can display all data relevant to one tag or more simply by selecting a smart folder or creating one specific for one's need.
- In presentation mode: smartfolders could be used to highlight specific sets, or display only specific sets. They could also be marked with colors. Besides, the ability to zoom in/out, to shorten blank spaces, to change the axis' decimal unit, to compare timelines side by side or to blend them would be great.
Thanks for taking care of customer's feedback.

Blogger BTMarch 23, 2012 8:26 AM

It would be good if the timeline can accomodate other units, e.g. Distance, Mass...etc, other series in numerical continuous units. If the 'timeline' can also accomodate the logarithmic scale, that would be nice.

Blogger Adam BehringerMarch 23, 2012 8:54 AM

BT - It can! http://blog.beedocs.com/2011/01/v3-make-chart-of-anything.html

Blogger Siew HongMarch 27, 2012 7:48 AM

I would like vertical timelines and integration with OPML

Blogger JRParsMarch 31, 2012 12:03 PM

Definitely add my support for
1. control over spaces between large date ranges
2. ability to change placement of events re vertical order
3. more printing control/flexibility to control output
4. re Windows Timeline Maker, it doesn't compare Timeline 3D, but I do like the chronological list option.

Blogger JRParsMarch 31, 2012 12:14 PM

Add on to my previous post:
I'd also like to be able to play media within the 3D flap that extends from timeline, without the movie going full screen.

Blogger A.D. RiddleApril 06, 2012 3:22 PM

Two things:
(1) A forum where users can seek and provide help to other users.

(2) A way to combine rows in different ways. I use it to chart out ancient history. I would like to show a timeline with Assyrian and Urartian kings, but then in another timeline show Assyrian and Phoenician kings, but without having to re-enter all the Assyrian information. Either provide a way to import rows from a spreadsheet, or Emmanuel's idea of an option to choose different rows to display, or some other way that allows the user to add saved timelines to other timelines as new rows (the idea being that I save each row of data as a separate timeline and then merge them as needed into a third timeline).

Blogger GibisApril 08, 2012 3:36 AM

The possibility to enlarge the 2D pictures associate to the events during a presentation in order to get full screen display (as with the video). This would be *very* useful when Timeline is used to described aesthetic events like: discoveries in astronomy, painting, etc.

Blogger UnknownMay 01, 2012 5:38 AM

The concept of duration of an event, like a Gantt chart, needs to be added. Strangely, it seems impossible to create a chart like the one in the Timeline 3D icon because one can only use events or milestones to create a timeline.

Blogger UnknownMay 02, 2012 4:09 PM

I'd love to see export to HTML5 .. and an iPad version would be sweet :)

Blogger Henrik MarstranderMay 04, 2012 2:44 AM

To be able drag events around - rearranging in time.

Blogger Henrik MarstranderMay 04, 2012 11:55 AM

More efficient display modes when working with multiple timelines. E.g. Some lines displaying only dots, some displaying full info with images (some kind of collapse system)

Blogger Henrik MarstranderMay 04, 2012 11:57 AM

Combining timelines with maps: Check out http://code.google.com/p/timemap/ (I think its based on Simile timelines ....

Blogger UnknownMay 10, 2012 3:08 PM

I find the interface easy to maneuver and on the eyes as it stands today.

However, I have got to have better importing options.

I've got a variety of data formats and can't use the software because I can only import one during the introduction, requiring manual entry of others.

If I've missed something in the help menus, PLEASE tell me. Otherwise, please program the ability to import multiple formats rather than choose one and manually enter the rest.

Blogger Adam BehringerMay 10, 2012 3:42 PM

Roman,

If you want to combine two of the build in importers (like iCal and iPhoto), you could import them as separate timeline documents and then use Select All / Copy / Paste to combine the events into a new timeline. It is also possible to write your own importer if you are a programmer. You are welcome to send me an e-mail at support@beedocs.com if you have any more questions about importing.

Blogger dpatMay 10, 2012 5:03 PM

Add support for animated gifs and/or multiple images for one event...the images could then be played as a slide show and exported

Blogger Doctor JonesMay 12, 2012 2:43 PM

Well, after using the software for a while I have a few things I missed.

1) A zoom tool
2) Custom resize spaces between rows
3) Custom edit date lines (width), image size and descend lines (width) individually, because there are events more important than others.
4) Custom positioning events
5) Link wires between events
6) Changue colors of the background of a highlighted event (plain background, for example)
7) Changue the size of years individually (create bigger years every 10 years, for example)
8) Allow the descent line to have angles (rounded), so you can put the events where you want/ need, and the descent will link them to the row.
9) Custom manipulate alpha channel in each event (some events more visible than others).
10) Create delimited sub-rows with sub events, linked to the main year's row.
11) Create custom gaps to avoid long empty timelines between distanced events.
12) Cosmological era, and custom time unit row for very fast events (less than a second, for example).

The looks of Timeline 3D is cool and clean, but there is an overall lack of customization that generates very annoying situations (for example hiding events because of the auto-resize of the space between rows. I have a 4 rows Timeline and I can't see more than 1 event in the same date o_O)

I hope this helps in any way. Good work ;)

Blogger Doctor JonesMay 12, 2012 2:47 PM

One more thing!

The multimedia bar is useless for me if you can't select your custom directories out of system's photo, music & movies.

Please, a select folder option!

Blogger drumrobotMay 26, 2012 8:46 PM

I know I'm about five months late, but I am absolutely desperate for a way to compress chunks of time. I have a timeline with two events that are ~250 years apart, as well as another two that are only a week apart. The massive amount of empty space is just a huge waste of space--it makes PDFs unbelievably frustrating to use, and it makes everything much more (computer) resources intensive (presumably because it's such a large file).
Telling Timeline 3D to automatically skip gaps larger than X years/days would be great; failing that, you could just tell it to remove Date Y to Date Z (i.e, "skip 1585-1800")

The other big thing is the ability to have two separate rows and have the 3D presentation mode automatically switch between them in chronological order. In other words, the program needs to set the 'path', or order in which it will select events, based on their start time.

Please add these whenever you can--it'd be absolutely wonderful. Thanks!

Blogger N5976QMay 28, 2012 11:04 AM

I confess I did not read all of the comments, but I do have a "wish". I would like to see a "dynamic event" added. This is nothing more than an event whose time changes with the current day. So, you create an event, you toggle a checkbox labelled "Today" in the event editing box and then whenever you open that timeline that event will appear at the current day.

Mea culpa if this is already in the software, I have not seen how to do it.

Blogger Frisco OpEdJune 09, 2012 11:37 AM

I would like to voice my desire for an iPad version with iCloud or other means to stay in sync with the Mac app. Thank you for listening.

Blogger UnknownJune 11, 2012 2:38 AM

I would love to see better control of uneven data (preferable an auto-fit function). Timeline 3D works perfect with data with (almost) equal distribution. But with a lot of data - and with data spread uneven over time, the auto-layout algorithm today fails to provide and overview (1 page!). Also a zoom function will be appreciated.

Blogger katAugust 13, 2012 11:40 AM

Of course - iPad version integrated with Dropbox.

What would be great is the ability to import events from a spreadsheet. If you've got a sizeable amount of data to import, let us type it into a spreadsheet first, then import it to the timeline. Give us a basic template spreadsheet (with the appropriate headers for data points) that we can download and use to enter our data. That would be fantastic.

Blogger Adam BehringerAugust 13, 2012 11:49 AM

Kat - You can do this now!

Create a timeline that has a couple of events and then do a "Select All" and Copy / Paste them into a spreadsheet like Excel or Numbers.

This will serve as your template.

Add more events in the spreadsheet, using the same format. Then you can copy / paste the rows back into your timeline chart.

Cheers!

Blogger Battersea 47September 10, 2012 3:23 PM

oh, i’m a little bit late ^_^

i would love to make double timeline with one line in the middle, just like in this example :
www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/0708/03/iphone-timeline.jpg
that would be great.

Blogger greghuddSeptember 11, 2012 11:36 AM

GregHudd:

(longtime TL3D user) -

I need to save TIME - thats why I use TL3D in the first place. Make me look unique with quick turnaround time.

Same goes for a product like Adobe Presenter; a high-end product that makes me look good - fast!

I think that a TL3D/Keynote 'style' integration between Adobe Presenter and Beedocs would be a match made in heaven.

Good Luck. //GH

Blogger mtmannerSeptember 16, 2012 5:33 AM

Is it too late to leave a wish for BEEDOCS 2012? (I mean... it's only mid-September... I just discovered your wonderful software!)

I'd like to see this amazingly gorgeous software able to play nice with Scrivener.

Make the fictional world as much a part of BEEDOCS as the nonfiction world.

Blogger The Social SecretaryOctober 02, 2012 8:23 PM

Concurrent timeline capabilities, such as tracing the timelines of the Arab Spring movement between several different countries in order to draw parallels or comparisons for analytical purposes.

Blogger timeoutofmindOctober 06, 2012 6:42 AM

please please please make the size of the video window scale-able

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