Convert Imported DB to Indexed Location

Hello,

I have a database (imported) with a bunch of casefiles. I’d like to convert that to an indexed database located in the finder so that I can share the folders/files with my assistant in the cloud. I’d also like to create an indexed database from the finder case folder location when a case goes to litigation.

I read this post: Convert this Group to an Indexed Group (updated)

which suggests that the only way to index a database to a location is to export database then index the location. Am I correct in this? For some reason I thought that you could index a database to a location as a core function.

On a related note. When indexing a location, is there a way to index the folders inside the parent without indexing the parent? For example, in the finder I would have a folder called MyFiles. I want the folders within that folder indexed into the MyFiles database, but I can’t figure out how to do that without the parent folder showing up in the database

i.e. i can only get

DB MyFiles

  • Folder MyFiles
    • File 01
    • File 02

when I really want

DB MyFiles (indexing the contents of Folder MyFiles)

  • File 01
  • File 02

You’re correct on both accounts. The files have to be in a “location” so that DT can index them, and that location is where you export them to from DT.
Files imported into DT are in a “location” as well, but indexing that would be pointless dunce the data is already_in_ DT. Indexing is for data outside of it. Loosely speaking, perhaps.

If you export your records and import the files again the new records will have new UUIDs, i.e. existing item links won‘t work anymore. That’s of course only a problem if you‘ve used item links in the past.

If you need to keep the item links use this approach:

Step 4 is not necessary anymore due to tighter integration with the Finder.

No.

You could of course index each subfolder separately, but in this case you’ll have to index new subfolders manually.

If you export your records and import the files again the new records will have new UUIDs, i.e. existing item links won‘t work anymore. That’s of course only a problem if you‘ve used item links in the past.

I second @pete31 on this admonition and his suggestion, reiterating it’s only an issue if you are making use of items links.

DEVONthink 3 deconsolidates (i.e., moves items to the Finder) when you put an item in an indexed group in DEVONthink, so that would be a route that preserves the item links but changes the items into indexed ones.

That post and its script are almost 10 years old. Please ignore – DEVONthink today is hardly the same as DEVONthink in 2013.

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I am also interested in this move from imported to indexed, and also for collaboration purposes. A few questions, if anyone is still listening:

(1) Does this set of instructions still work? Exporting a database without breaking DevonThink links - #2 by Greg_Jones

(2) If the answer to (1) is yes, am I right in thinking that tags will all be maintained, and internal links will still work?

(3) I sync the database with another Mac, and also with DTTG on an iPad. I presume it’ll mess all that up (but that there are instructions somewhere for fixing it)?

These are very old and outdated instructions for DEVONthink 2.x.

The easiest way to change imported files to indexed ones is to index the desired target folders and then to move the imported files in DEVONthink to the indexed group in the database. But it’s recommended to try this with dummy files & folders first to ensure it’s what you’re looking for.

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