New semantic function: Dependency of

Explain the problem as you see it

This is related to (complementary to) the idea for a Gantt or timeline view.

Currently it is not really possible in Tana to indicate that some todos may need to be done sequentially, in a particular order.

Why is this a problem for you?

This can make managing even relatively simple todo lists difficult. For example, a student may need to complete a reading assignment before beginning an essay. Obviously the problem becomes much more acute in larger project management contexts.

Suggest a solution

A new semantic function "Dependency of" would provide the first step in encoding this information.

Corresponding new search operator(s) (as COMPONENTS REC is to "Part of") would allow for finding both what something was a dependency of, and what was dependent on it.

If at some point field value functions were introduced we could automatically mark a todo's status as "Blocked" if it had dependences that were not done. Filtering for this in a todo list query (i.e. all todos not done and not blocked) would then allow the list to be autopopulated by dependents as dependencies were marked done, allowing for good sequential task management.

If at some point a timeline or Gannt view was introduced we could automatically adjust start and end times of something when its dependences were adjusted.