DevonThink noob and a couple of his questions

DEVONthink Tips
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Hello,
my name is Arkadiusz and I come from Poland. I am a blind user of the MacOS system. Recently I have discovered DevonThink, and since I study Chinese in the university I wanted to give it a shot, hopefully I will use it to organize all my life :). However since I am hopeless with this program, I wish to ask a few things

  1. My rough structure looks like I have a database called Chinese. In this database I have folders: Recodings, notes, transcripts. I wish to make a two-way binding from every recording to its transcript, so that I can easily go between a note and its transcript.
  2. Its very niche and specific so I assume its not possible, but can I make it so that my transcript is clickable and jumps to a given part of an audio? I can make scripts so if it can be achieved I would be grateful to know.
  3. Does DevonThink has any discount for students?
  4. Is there a chance some minor accessibility quirks would be fixed? The program is very well accessible with VoiceOver, but there are some minor annoyances.
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Welcome @NunoNuno

  1. I would check out annotation files found in the Tools > Inspectors > Annotations & Reminders inspector. This is a separate document related to a specific document. Both documents are linked to each other.

  2. If you stop a media file at a certain point, you can hold the Shift key and use Edit > Copy Frame Link to get a link to that point. If you’re using an annotation file, as discussed above, you can use Control-Command-L to insert a back link when editing in the inspector. This will insert a hyperlinked timestamp in the text.

  3. You can sign up for a DEVONtech account where you can manage your licenses, etc. and apply for a student discount.

  4. We can’t fix what we’re unaware of. Hold the Option key and choose Help > Report bug to start a support ticket and provide specific information for development to assess.

1 Like
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Thanks fort he reply. I am going to see the annotations as it might be very helpful in my workflow.

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You’re very welcome!
We have many people using annotation files in many facets of life, both personal and professional.

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how should I write my notes? Shall I continue using IAWriter or switch to DT? I want to keep all things in a single package, DT database that is. i also want to use WIki features. I heard that DT is not good for writing, is that true? What are the advantages and disadvvantages? i am very new in the whole productivity app scene, I am not crossplatform, I am on MacOS and iOS if that makes difference.

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Keep it simple. Keep writing in iAWriter and save the files in DEVONthink. Keep macOS windows open for both.

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How to do it technically? I mean, how can I keep stuff in sync between DT and IAWriter?

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Store the iAwriter files in DEVONthink. “Open with…” iAwriter. Or make the iAwriter file extension default to opening in iAwriter in the macOS system then just double click on the file in DEVONthink to open in that app.

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how should I write my notes?

That’s either dictated by your personal approach and perspective or mandated by a group, e.g., in business.

Shall I continue using IAWriter or switch to DT?

That’s entirely up to you.

I want to keep all things in a single package, DT database that is.

That is definitely possible, especially when importing or creating your documents directly in your database.

i also want to use WIki features.

Well, DEVONthink has built-in WikiLinking so it makes sense to me to just write in DEVONthink. However, this is not a requirement.

I heard that DT is not good for writing, is that true?

That’s also a matter of perspective and opinion. We have many people, myself included, who are productively writing in DEVONthink. Others want to use a third-party app for their own reasons. There’s no right or wrong here. I would also say, no one can conclusively say “App A is superior to DEVONthink when it comes to writing!” Such declarations are highly subjective and people are welcome to make them, but you should use what suits you.

What are the advantages and disadvvantages?

To what - writing in DEVONthink or a third-party app?

i am very new in the whole productivity app scene

Just to clarify, DEVONthink isn’t a productivity app. It’s information and document management. It for organizing documents for whatever need you have, and provides incredibly fast search, making connections between them via its own AI, as well as interoperability with other capable apps (and sometimes with not-so-capable apps - haha!)

I am not crossplatform, I am on MacOS and iOS if that makes difference.

Not unless you are dealing with colleagues that have Windows-specific requirements. But that shouldn’t be much if any impediment.