Hello, I just started using Devonthink and I’m curious if I have a folder that I imported eg; “Work/March 2009” and later I add 15 new word documents to the folder how do I make it so when I search in Devonthink I see the new content?
I thought maybe I would choose Database properties and choose “Rebuild” but this does not seem to have any effect so I am not sure the correct way to occasionally re-index commonly used folder to have all data ready to be searched?
Thanks for any help and answers.
…bump
The Rebuild button in Database Properties will rebuild the metadata cache for Spotlight indexing. It has nothing to do with data synchronization.
When you import a folder and its contents from the Finder, it is copied into a DEVONthink database. After that, there is no further relationship between the database and the external folder.
If you are using DT Pro or DT Pro Office 2.0, a Folder Action script to import new content added to a Finder folder can be used to Import the new content to the database.
However, if you Index a Finder folder to a database, a continuing relationship is established between the external folder and the corresponding database group. After new content has been added to an Indexed external folder, invoking File > Synchronize on the corresponding group will Index the added content into the database group. Synchronization is one-way only, from the external folders/files to the database groups/documents. Changes made within the database have no effect on the external, Indexed folders and files.
There are pros and cons to the choice of Import or Index capture of data from the Finder. If the folders/files Indexed to the database are moved, deleted or renamed, information will be lost to the database. That also means that an Indexed database is less portable, because all the associated Finder files must also be moved, e.g., to another computer, so that the Paths to those folders and files are not broken. By contrast, an Imported database is self-contained. Also, an Indexed database poses a premium on maintaining the organizational structure of the Indexed files and folders, whereas an Imported database allows freedom of modification of the organizational structure of the database.
But there’s nothing "wrong’ with choosing either approach, or mixing both in a database.
Thank you for the answers Bill, that explains alot.