DevonThink and Working with files.

Hi guys,

Use Case:
I have abc.numbers file stored in iCloud Drive. I’ve copied it to DevonThink Global inbox.

Goal:
My goal is to avoid duplicates.

Question 1.
Can I now delete the original file from within iCloud Drive and use the version that I’ve copied to the Global Inbox in DevonThink solely ?

Issue encountered:
When I removed the file from iCloud drive (on mac)I received an error akin to DevonThink could no longer locate the file.

My Rich Text files save directly to their databases.
I assumed this would be the same…

Assumption:
When I add certain file types to DevonThink it merely creates a link to the original so I don’t have to go hunting for it in another location ?

EDIT:
Testing revealed that the global inbox does not function like a database, any files stored there must be added to a database first before deleting.

I tested my scenario again this time copying the files directly to the database inbox instead before deleting it from its original location. The file is saved and functions normally.

:slight_smile: :unamused:

In the scenario you are describing, the Global Inbox does, indeed, function just like any other database. When you add something to the global inbox, it is copied into the location on disk where the Global Inbox is stored (not that it is relevant to this discussion but that location is buried in ~/Library).

I just tried to reproduce the behaviour you described by doing the following:

  1. Drag a file from ~/Desktop to the DEVONthink application window and dropped it into the Global Inbox
  2. deleted the file from the desktop

Result: I had full access to the file in DEVONthink as expected.
I was unable to produce the outcome you describe. I tried adding files from a number of different locations, including iCloud Drive and was unable to produce the outcome you describe.

A few questions:

  1. When you added the file to the Global Inbox, did you drag it into the DEVONthink application window, or the Inbox in the Finder sidebar?
  2. When you dragged the file into DEVONthink, where you holding any modifier keys (opt, ctrl, shift, cmd) at the time?
  3. can you provide a step-by-step of how you added the file to the global inbox?

Scott is correct. The default behavior is copying a file into a database. The other option, indexing is only possible through using File > Index or Command-Option dragging files into DEVONthink.