I’m confused, what am I missing from your view (aside from the two relatively minor aspects that @cgrunenberg has already said are coming) in this configuration? In fact, unless I’m mistaken, I have MORE power in this space because I’m able to show the Inspector as a side panel and I don’t waste space on what was really just a database selector.
If the objection is “well you don’t have metadata columns in the file list view,” I was going to agree and say that IS a substantial difference. But…
You need only turn on the columns you want! (Truthfully I didn’t know this was possible until just now and I’m quite pleased).
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Hi @apoc527, thanks for chiming in. Regarding the two features that are planned to be reimplemented (multiple folder selection in the navigator, and the ability to display only the documents of the selected groups) are actually very significant for my workflow.
However, you totally resolved my last comment regarding the metadata. Thanks! That prompted a little further digging to see if I was missing the tabs feature, and indeed, I overlooked the setting in the preferences.
Thanks again for pointing out the metadata display!
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What size screen are you working off there?
And could you kindly confirm where to switch on the columns view as you have it now? I’m missing that atm – mine only lists the filenames.
[EDIT]: Found it. Was looking in /Preferences – as opposed to View/Columns!
Will play around with this – but it would appear that you have a bit more screen real estate than my 24" at 1920x1080.
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The column which shows separately all documents of a group. This is the most important collection for me.
Yea, that screenshot was on a 32" 4K monitor…but I’ve also got the Inspector turned on and have expanded several components unnecessarily. You could compact things I would think.
This I don’t understand as much. Isn’t this just a file organization issue? If you drill into the Groups, you will eventually get one with no groups. But I can’t see the value in replicating the old 3 column view given the new sidebar.
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For years I worked with DEVONthink in 3 paneview widescreen, I miss this feature a lot.
I could adapt the the new way of working, but the 3 pane is the feature I really most miss at the moment and a faster way and easier for me to visualize my documents.
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Columns largely solves the problem. However, for me, the issue is the size of the thumbnails in the Inspector pane - on a 27" monitor 10 thumbnails (A4 page size) were possible, now in DT3 it is 3 unless I go to 2 columns by expanding the pane then 6 x 2 appear.
That’s not possible with DT 3 anymore? That’s a pity, I often use this view, but with the left sidebar collapsed. Hope it will come back.
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The issue raised here, essence of the subject matter of my original post has to do with classifying items based on a certain type of visual feature that no longer exists. A three pane view inheretnlty allows a unique kind of classification scheme that no two pane view can duplicate. Killing the three pane view would require me to reorganize tens of thousands of items organized based on a 3pane view. This is not a matter of workflow going into the future but a workflow that would need a sh.t load repairing going “backwards”. You’ve got to be nutz, not do much cohesive classifying, or not understand the impact a lack of three pane view will do, not only to a certain type of workflow, but to all kinds of little things. I’ll specify a few below (first DT2 image will alway follow by a second DT3 one):
#1 Discreetly visualizing certain type of items
I catalog all my data usually by source - a source would be a software/website/topic name etc. - which makes sense based on my own judgment of what needs to be accomplished for a specific scheme. I then replicate these many schemes into all kinds of other schemes, you get the gist. In the case above I classified a folder based on software name. The software folder name holds its software program & topic resources based on form & genre (tips, articles, video, sections of…). The three pane view allows me not only to segregate, visually, these type of items but it also allows me to highlight and visualize the programs held within each main/top software name folder. The two pane view not only annoyingly makes the program file appear randomly and without purpose in the subfolder but it also breaks the capability of discreetly highlighting and visualizing same type of items in a separate view pane, the three pane view more specifically. Just this alone would make a 3 pane user go bezerk and believe me there plenty out there unaware of this issue just yet.
#2 Broken visualization of items (touched a bit in the previous paragraph)
A lot of my collections are classified by types of works (articles, dictionaries, handbooks, you name it) with the intention of highlighting discrete sources containing the same type of work and visualizing it in the third pane view. The lack of 3PV kills the visualizing concept. In DT3 even highlighting two separate folders will not even reveal what’s in them (obviously because there isn’t a third entity to display it).
#3 Classifying resources coherently & in a logical manner, main website dilemma
I also like to classify resources of programs by original and third party sources. I neatly place a web bookmark into the main website of original, third party source…This allows me to use the subfolders in a cohesive logical manner…topic subfolders unmixed with type of website bookmarks.
#4 It just keeps your system utterly & beautifully uncluttered
imagine categorizing all of your tutorials (topic, software, whatever tutorials) and how dense and cluttered it would look to have your data items under each folder. A third pane view limits loading your side pane with all the bs and restricts you to main section titles…This also gives your brain a neat way to browse and think about organizing your stuff.
#5 Comparing & contrasting items at different hierarchal levels
In the instance above you can see how you can visualize items hierarchaly and at different hierarchial levels (BOOKS level 5 & ORIGINAL level 7). Let’s say I classify items and realize they are classified correctly by reference type but not by subject heading; I can highlight different folders and at random hierarchial levels, ctrl+click and replicate them as needed.
#6 Note taking in the form of outlining…murdered
I also use Devonthink as a powerful note outliner. Everything in the side pain are note divisions, sections, chapters, parts…and the third pane view holds the final note that has the proper content itself. Then, I can highlight whatever folder scheme I choose in the sideline and coherently show as many notes as I’d like in the third pane view; essentially creating a list of notes from the cluster of sh.t I have in the sidepane.
#7 the most powerful of all & a no brainer
The real content all resides in one place and one place only: the third pane view. Your content notes can reside at different hierarchal levels…good luck hunting for them, it’s no fun. Say you have written text content (as in paragraphs) in a folder with a bunch of other sub folders (let’s assume 50 sub folders with 7 hierarchical levels) and some subfolders contain categories, types of categories, others sections and then the heading with the real contenting in it. You’re not exactly sure which is which as you can’t quite recall which folder stands for what. You only need to pull all the text content out of the entire structure. Highlight you’re entire hierarchy and all of your real text content will show in your third pane view. This can be applied to all content type besides textual material. This alone should emphasize the unique power this view pane alone provides.
#8 outline within an outline
Another neat little trick that can be used is having content material in the third pane view that itself can serve as an “outliner”. Pack your outline as you wish on your Mac then compress as .zip file and you can visualize in the browser below where your data type content resides (your .zip file here). Or you can have an outliner document that will give you the same capability; imagination is your limit here.
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I don’t have time and patience to list all the wonderful implicit and explicit things taht can come out of a 3 pane view feature but it is borderline offensive for me, personally, to have to restructure my years of workflow to align with the new DT3. Ironically, that’s why I’m using DT2 in the first place and regardless of the new features DT3 provides.
This is not a matter of weighing and comparing DT3 vs DT2 features and it is not an issue of adjusting to the present nor its application to the future (no matter how foolish a decision might be); it is a problem that greatly affects a tools utility of its past and “promise of its future”.
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I’ve also been puzzled by some of the changes to the UI. I have to say that I was never a fan of the previous UI, and regarded it as the weakest aspect of the program. I never got to grips with it despite over a decade of using the program. However, with the new version, I find myself wondering what the point of the sidebar is. After some dabbling and experimentation, I think a workspace I could live with would be: sidebar collapsed, widescreen view, with items as list. I often find myself with quite long filenames, so dumping the sidebar is a help. And anyway, what is it used for? In addition, the setup in the screenshot is a bit more like Scrivener, which to my mind is a bonus. My personal opinions, of course.
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Adding the files in each folder for the left-pane rather than showing up in the middle-top pane would make it look more like a normal Finder style environment, you could then navigate in the left pane to your liking.
And anyway, what is it used for?
What is the sidebar used for? 
Favorites, Globals (including Inboxes, Tags, and Trash), global smart groups and smart rules, email archiving and scanning, Reading List, updates on DEVONtech news, scripts, and templates…
See: Help > Documentation > Windows > Sidebar: for more information.
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lol
I suppose my question was really “what would I find it useful for?” In ten years and more I’ve only ever used the sidebar for launching recent databases. I don’t really use globals, favourites and so forth. I looked at the Tags “group” about once a year, though I make quite extensive use of tagging in my work. If I want to do a lot of work with tags I prefer to switch to Leap. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always thought DT is a good program: I’ve just never been comfortable with the interface, and so far I’m not feeling much more comfortable with the new one. But it is early days. I’m still struggling to work out how I would do things in the program - by which I mean how would I achieve what I would like to accomplish with this tool, not what button do I press, or which menu item does such a thing. It would actually be easier if I were coming to this version afresh, but previous experience is usually an obstacle to adaptation. There is plenty of evidence in psychological studies for this. Switching off the sidebar is me struggling to adapt.
Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.
~ Bruce Lee
It’s good advice, but weakening some synapses and strengthening others takes time. (Always interesting when western psychology collides with Asia! 
)
The new UI (especially the sidebar) is in my opinion a big, big, big improvement. 
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I would really like to see a more detailed response to the issues raised by @stanblues999, as they correspond to some of my own use cases. I’m elbows deep in a project right now and don’t have time to play around with the beta, but use DT exclusively in 3 pane view myself. A very quick glance at the beta suggests I will struggle with the transition, and I appreciate all of the tips given so far in this thread as to different workflows with the new UI.
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