Convert TXT/RTF to OmniOutliner, and place in DEVON Inbox

DEVONthink Tips
1

I like to populate DEVONthink with OmniOutliner files. Their contents display well in the DT2 contents pane, and their structure serves my workflow well.

My first drafts, however, are generated in RTF on a very simple distraction-free keyboard that is really intended for children :slight_smile:
neo-direct.com/intro.aspx

I have therefore written an Applescript droplet to which I can drag a set of TXT or RTF files.

Each file is converted to OmniOutliner 3 format, and placed in the DEVONthink 2 Global inbox. (Assumes DT2 and OO3 are installed on the system). The droplet can be downloaded from:
http://web.mac.com/robinfrancistrew/Site/OmniFocus_%26_DEVONthink.html

2

I, for one, will benefit from this. Thank you.

Incidentally, I’m also an enthusiastic NEO user. I use it quite often for journaling, rough drafts, and note-taking while reading. The notes and quotes inevitably find their way into DTPO.

But I haven’t used it much for preliminary outlining, so I’m curious. Do you do anything beyond simple line breaks with numbering to facilitate formatting when you’re outlining on your NEO?

Rick

3

Using TaskPaper text format:

  • Mostly I type on the Neo/Dana in a free format.
  • When I need to add structure I type in TaskPaper format.
  • This has a few simple elements
  • Headers end with a colon
  • Bullet points start with a dash and a space
  • Children and grandchildren can be further indented with tabs
  • Further details can be found at Hog Bay software
  • OmniOutliner imports TaskPaper-style text to an outline hierarchy

(My typical workflow is to write in unstructured paragraphs on the Neo, and then re-organize into an outline later in OmniOutliner in a DEVONthink folder. For GTD notes I have written a droplet which imports TaskPaper-format text into OmniFocus, incidentally)

Rob

4

Thanks for the formatting tips and the droplets, Rob. Just tried 'em out and they work great.

Rick

5

Good - I’m glad that’s useful.

I have just updated the droplet so that it recognizes that Taskpaper-formatted lines starting with "- " are subordinate to any preceding header that ends in a colon.

http://web.mac.com/robinfrancistrew/Site/OmniFocus_%26_DEVONthink.html