AnotherPomodoro 1.2: export settings and non-strict timers
Tags: news, javascript, pwa, productivity
Published: 2022-06-01 15:06:08

Ever tried the pomodoro technique only to realize that you can't work for *exactly* 25 minutes? This update tries to solve that.

I've just released the 1.2 version of [**AnotherPomodoro**](https://another-pomodoro.app/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=devto&utm_campaign=update1.2&utm_content=article-headline), a modern, customizable and open-source productivity timer. This new release is seemingly small, but it actually implements two bigger new features.

## Continued ticking of timers

One of the ideas was that we don't usually work for exactly 25 minutes: sometimes a task can take more time than what we set for the timer. The same goes for breaks. So AnotherPomodoro's timers now don't stop at the specified time mark but instead keep counting the extra minutes you spent working or watching memes. These timers now display how much extra time you spent on a section, allowing you to better keep your time management in check.

![Screenshot of a work timer that shows +5 minutes](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/bgy7txlwr7n27cbupmaj.png)

## Exporting/importing settings and tasks

This feature was implemented [based on a request](https://github.com/Hanziness/AnotherPomodoro/issues/178). Since the app does not (yet) have syncing capabilities, saving your settings and tasks to a file can be useful when moving across devices or browsers. The saved file can then be imported in a different instance. It can also be helpful when you want to save different settings and tasks for different moods or environments.

![The settings menu was expanded with the new export and import buttons](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/42ke2qy7hq5iqsh9418t.png)

## Bonus: welcome screen

While the app is relatively simplistic, it does have quite a few settings and features and not everyone might be familiar with the pomodoro technique. Because of this, I added a small modal that pops up when launching the app for the first time. It shows a quick few-step-long tutorial on what to do and where to look for stuff.

To determine whether the app was launched for the first time, it checks if the app's state was restored during launch. If there was no data to restore, the app considers it a first launch.

The modal was modified for mobile devices to look like a bottom sheet, hopefully providing an experience that feels more at home.

![Welcome screen on mobile devices](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/z1xtx4ynxscs8vjd2xp9.png)

## The rest

There were some additional minor changes. See the full (though quite short) changelog [here](https://github.com/Hanziness/AnotherPomodoro/releases/tag/v1.2.0) or [check out the new features yourself](https://another-pomodoro.app/?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=devto&utm_campaign=update1.2&utm_content=article-bottom) and if you find something that you'd like to see to improved, don't hesitate to [create a new issue](https://github.com/Hanziness/AnotherPomodoro/issues) on GitHub.

Have you tried productivity (or pomodoro) timers before? What are your thoughts of them?