Doing a quick search on this forum as well as the forum of Bookends and Mellel shows that there are a good many users of all three programs that want greater integration. The DT developers have said that Mellel isn’t interested but that when Mellel moves to XML, DT will probably be able to index mellel files. I think this is sufficient in terms of integration between Mellel and DT. But what about DT and Bookends? I know you can export a BE database as bibtex and bring it into DT, but that doesn’t provide too much functionality. In the case of DT and Bookends, Jon from sonnysoftware said
I kindly request that this dialogue would take place. Perhaps some DT/BE users could make suggestions as to what type of integration would be good. For my part, it would be great if DT could somehow render a BE database file, and a reference could be ‘clicked’ in DT and it would open the reference in BE. Although the absolute ideal is being able to add text to the BE database from DT, that may be stretching it right now I think. For now, being able to have indexed the BE database and access individual ref’s from DT would be great (and perhaps launch attached files in BE too).
I did this last year with earlier versions of DT and Bookends, but today, I tried three times, and all failed. I exported the BE database as a bib file, then chose Import Files and Folders . . . . As I said, nothing but failure. Can anyone tell me why this no longer works?
I just exported my library from BE into DT without any problem. Make sure you are choosing to export in a format, choose the BiBTeX format (which you can custom) AND choose it to be BiBTeX text (it is defaulted to Styled Text).
Christian, any chance of seeing wikilinks from a sheet in the near future? This would help BE users out.
I can only second Danzac’s request for integration with Bookends and Mellel. I’ve brought this up before in e-mails to DEVON and here. Mellel and DEVONthink Pro are an ideal combination, and I was early in taking up the system of researching, constructing, and writing in DT and formatting in Mellel. It would save me no end of time if some of the formatting could be doen in DT Pro and carried over completely and dependably to Mellel, even better if they could be synch’ed. I know it’s not DEVON’s fault. Once again, I’ll post a similar note on Mellel’s board.
Your hope’s are a little more ambitious than mine. I will be happy enough if Mellel files can be indexed in DT.
In terms of Bookends, I am happy with DT’s ability to index and keep itself updated on the BE attachments file. I’m even satisfied with having my BE database exported as a .bib file for my DT database (although I would really like to be able to automate this process somehow). DT really needs to work on wikilinks from sheets, this would also really help this combo because the attached file to a reference could connect itself in DT.
Yes, absolutely, we need wikilinks in sheets. I find I am using them more and more (tracking submissions, organizing sources) and am eagerly looking forward to seeing the function fully developed with fuller integration with Bookends. Christian has objected that everyone has his favorite bibliographical database…but in fact it pretty much boils down to Bookends and Sente. Why not accomodate both?
a simple poll to figure out which bib. software is most used would fix that objection. But as far as I can tell it is the Bookends users who are making the most noise this makes us 1) the most annoying, 2) the most loyal, 3) the smartest, 4) those who frequent the forums the most.
Yes, for sure. Without any objective support, I would say that Bookends users are in the majority. Between the quality of the product and Jon’s helpfulness, I feel a strong loyalty to Bookends, as I do to both DT Pro and Mellel. Overall, we are talking about features that Devon has be slow to develop (like sheets and records), but we have to be grateful for Christian’s attention to detail and the solidity of the foundation.
Ditto, ditto, ditto to everything in this thread. Just want to add my support for the DT, Mellel, Bookends crowd! Those are my big three heavy-hitters, and the more integration, the better!
Just to add another voice to the chorus of those who are praying for better DP/Mellel/Bookends integration, Mellel indexing in particular. I can’t even begin to express how happy such a possibility could make me.
i have no idea how to Applescript, but I post this here and perhaps someone here has the ability. I’ve read here that you can script almost any program. I’m wondering if someone can take a shot at making a script that will automatically choose all the references in the BE database, export them in a bibliographic format, bibtex format in bibtex style, and then place that into a particular spot (prescribed the user) which replaces the old one. This resulting file can then be scripted within DT to update itself. This would mean you could always have a Sheet of your BE database along with a folder with your BE attachments (also scripted to update itself in DT).
Anyone have the prowess? I don’t but would really love the ability.
Apologies, Christian. I’ve posted a couple of times about this, but it was ``operator error.‘’ I thought I had selected BibTex for export in all the necessary places, but found that (as Danzac tried to tell me a while back) you have to choose both a format and a text style.
No wonder people want you developers to work out something simpler!
this makes us 1) the most annoying, 2) the most loyal, 3) the smartest, 4) those who frequent the forums the most.
Perhaps instead you can work with Jon at SonnySoftware and come up with an even better solution