Pomodoro Pro – Description

Pomodoro Pro – Description

Pomodoro Pro allows Pomodoro schedules of an almost unlimited variety. This is done by using simple scripts that you can add in the app’s Settings.
The scripts describe sequences of pomodoros (called sprints in this app) and breaks.

SCRIPTS

This is the classic Pomodoro schedule as a simple script:

4( 3(s, b), s, b=20)

It means: 3 times a sprint (s) followed by a break (b), then a sprint again, followed by a long, 20 min break. Repeat all this 4 times.

In the example the sprints and breaks have their default length (25 minutes for a sprint and 5 minutes for a break) – except for the last break, the length of which is set to 20 minutes.

In addition to the period types ‘s’ and ‘b’, there is also ‘l’, for long break. Thus, the above script can be re-written like this:

4( 3(s, b), s, l)

The default lengths for ‘s’, ‘b’ and ‘l’ can be modified within the app.

Scripts can be defined in the app’s Settings on the phone. The definition of scripts starts with a script name, for example:

Classic: 4( 3(s, b), s, b=20)

In this case the name is ‘Classic’. It has to be separated from the rest of the script by a colon, ‘:’.
Maximal length of script names: 10 characters, consisting of letters, numbers and the characters ‘.‘ and ‘–‘.

Maximally 12 scripts can be defined in the app’s Settings. These contain example scripts which can be modified or replaced by the user.

Note: though, to improve clarity, in the above examples spaces are left between the items in the script, this is not necessary in real scripts.

Operators for setting the length:

  • Exact: ‘=’, as in s = 20
    The sprint or break finishes at exactly the length specified. So, for s = 20 it will finish at 20 minutes after the sprint’s start.
  • Approximate: ‘~’, as in b ~ 20
    You are not quite sure how long the sprint (or break) should be, but you have an approximate idea, e.g. 20 minutes. You will receive a vibration alert periodically for a number of minutes (e.g. 3 minutes) before and after the specified time length. So, in this example, you receive a alert at first at 17 minutes, then at 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 minutes. Every time you are asked if you want to stop the break. If you respond ‘Yes’, the break stops and the script continues. The break also stops if you haven’t responded until the last alert.
    The period during which you receive alerts around the specified time length can be modified via the Control Menu of the app (under Default Lengths and Operators). By default it is 3 minutes before and after the time length given. So, with s ~ 20, the alerts start at 17 minutes and end at 23 minutes. The frequency of alerts can also be modified on the app (under Control Menu / Alerts frequency).
  • Region: ‘<‘ and ‘>’, as in b < 20 or s > 20.
    You are not certain how long you want to spend on a sprint or break. You are only sure that it should be at least or at most a specified length. For example, you want to spend at least 20 minutes on a sprint. You expect that it might take longer but you are not sure how much longer. You can express this as s > 20. The sprint will run until 20 minutes as usual. Then it will continue and you will receive alerts periodically, asking you if you want to stop the sprint.
    Similarly, s < 20 expresses your wish to spend at most 20 minutes on a sprint. You start receiving alerts periodically from the beginning of the sprint, and you can choose to stop the sprint at every alert. The alerts stop at minutes. The sprint stops, too and the script continues.
    The frequency of these alerts can also be modified on the app (under Control Menu / Alerts frequency).

The app’s Settings contain examples of all of these.

ACTIVITIES

You can assign ‘activities’ to sprints and breaks, like this:

3(s.AppDev, b.Walk), s.AppDev, b.Reading

The same activity – e.g. ‘Walk’ – can be used in different scripts. Also, the same activity can be a sprint in some scripts, and a break in other scripts. For example, ‘Reading’ might be a sprint in a script about studying, but it can be a break in a script about physical activity.

If no activity is assigned by the user to a sprint or break, the default activity ANY is used (this will be the case, for example, with the ‘Classic’ script described above).

Many sorts of activity combinations are possible. For example, several breaks of different types can follow each other, like this:

3(s.Math, b.Walk, b.Stretching)

Maximally 26 unique activity names can be defined in the scripts.
Maximal length of activity names: 10 characters, consisting of letters, numbers and the characters ‘.‘ and ‘–‘.

Note: if you rename a script or activity, it will be treated as a new script or activity.

The length of time (number of minutes) spent on an activity is stored with the activity and can be viewed in the Statistics pages – both for the current day and in a 7-day history.

MAIN DISPLAY

  • Top: script’s name
  • Top left: daily number of steps
  • Top right: current heart rate
  • Upper middle: progress numerically in current activity
  • Middle: history chart of current activity, incl. sum & daily average minutes
  • Left arc: progress in current activity
  • Right arc: progress in current script
  • Bottom: time and date

The numerical progress display for BREAK 5 in the picture above shows: 7 / .10.
This signifies that the length of 10 minutes for this break is approximate. In the script it is set as
b.Walk ~ 10.

If we set the length as a region, for example as b.Walk < 10, then the display will show: 7 / ..10
and it will show as 7 / 10.. if we set b.Walk > 10.

On the left arc, showing progress in the current activity (in the picture Walk), the white number on top of the arc is the length of the activity set in the script (10 minutes in the picture). The number below is the number of minutes which have passed of the current activity (7 minutes).

On the right arc, showing progress in the current script (in the picture Coding), the white number on top of the arc is the length of the script set in the script, calculated from the length of the individual sprints and breaks (10 hours 30 minutes in the picture). The number below is the number of minutes which have passed of the current script (3 hours 11 minutes).

HISTORY

History for sprints, breaks and activities for 7 days (incl. today) is kept and displayed in the stats pages in the app, as tables and as charts.

STATISTICS

You can get to the STATISTIC pages from the MAIN DISPLAY, by the START BUTTON action. You use the same action to move from one STATISTICS page to the next.

  • Today’s sprint / break minutes
  • 7 day’s sprint / break minutes as table
  • 7 day’s sprint / break minutes as charts
  • Today’s activity minutes
  • 7 day’s activity minutes as table
  • 7 day’s activity minutes as charts

You can scroll up and down in the tables of activities and the different activity charts, by the UP (Previous), DOWN (Next) actions.

Note: the activity minutes in the statistics pages show, by default, only the minutes of the activities that belong to the currently running script. This can be changed in the Control Menu under Statistics / Activity Lists, allowing to show the list of all activities, in all scripts that have run today.

Also, the sprint / break minutes are always daily sums of all sprints / breaks (no matter in which script).

EXPANDED SCRIPT

You can get to this page from the MAIN DISPLAY, by the UP (Previous) action.

Scripts can be complex or long and it can be helpful to know where exactly you are within a script. This is achieved on this page which shows the script expanded. It displays all sprints and breaks in the order that they will be executed, together with their lengths.

The page also displays the currently executing sprint or break (‘AppDev’ in the picture above), in white color, showing also the number of minutes that have already passed (40 in the picture above).

You can scroll up and down in this list, by the UP (Previous), DOWN (Next) actions.

NOTE: the actual lengths of the activities – and of the whole script – in the expanded script display is only an estimate, when those lengths are approximate or regional, as mentioned above.

INTERRUPTIONS

If the user exits the app while a script is running and then restarts it later – on the same day -, he can continue with the same script where it was interrupted.
He can also pause / resume the app without exiting it. This is done via the Control Menu (under Flow Control).

NAVIGATION

UP (Previous), DOWN (Next) and RIGHT (Back) indicate the swipe direction on Touchscreens.

Start display

  • DOWN: script selection menu
  • RIGHT: control menu

Main display:

  • DOWN: script selection menu
  • RIGHT: control menu
  • UP: display of expanded script
  • START BUTTON: statistics

Statistics pages:

  • START BUTTON: next stats page
  • RIGHT: back to main display
  • UP / DOWN: scroll through activity lists and charts

Display of expanded script:

  • RIGHT: back to main display

Main menu (Lengths setting):

  • RIGHT: back to main display
  • START BUTTON: next page

Error pages

  • RIGHT: back to main menu (contains only EXIT menu item)

CONTROL MENU

Most functions of the app are controlled on the watch itself, via the Control Menu.

This menu can be accessed from the Main Display by the RIGHT (Back) action. These are the items on this Menu:

  • Exit
  • Flow control (jump to next sprint / break, pause/resume, restart, stop current script)
  • Default lengths and operators (default lengths for Sprints, Breaks, Long breaks; default operator: ‘=’, ‘~’, ‘<‘, or ‘>’. All these can be modified here)
  • Expanded scripts (shows the list of all scripts. If the user selects any of them, the activity sequence of the script is displayed, together with the lengths of the activities. Also, the name of the script at the top shows the total length of the script. This allows a better understanding of what the script does, before you run it.)
  • Statistics (sorting, listing Activities)
  • Alerts frequency (for pause, region length, approx. length)
  • Colors (for different regions of the display)
  • Reset history / app data (resets all history to zero minute values; also resets everything you set on the app itself, e.g. colors, default lengths, etc.)

In some cases (e.g. for the ‘start display’ or error displays) only some of these items are available (e.g. only the ‘Exit’ menu item).

Navigation in the ‘Default lengths and operators’ pages

There are separate pages for default lengths for Sprints, Breaks, Long breaks and for default operators. This is how you navigate on those pages:

  • START BUTTON: next ‘Default lengths and operators’ page
  • RIGHT: back to main display
  • UP / DOWN:
    > increase or decrease the default length of sprints, breaks or long breaks
    > scroll through operators list

PAYMENT

The user can try out Pomodoro Pro for three days. During this time the app is fully functional. After the end of this trial period the app is not usable any more, until the user enters the Activation key in the app’s Settings.
You can get the Activation key in the “Ko-fi shop”, where you can buy us a coffee:
https://ko-fi.com/s/d758187bd4 (no ko-fi account required. Paypal, credit card, google pay, etc. accepted).

Please leave a positive review in Garmin’s App Store if you like Pomodoro Pro.

PROBLEMS

In case of problems, contact us at: avoimasoftware@gmail.com