In managing references Sente is one of the two best apps (with bookends) and there is a way to interface it with DTP that is brilliant:
Sente links to all of the pdfs of the references in its database using Spotlight.
This way DTP can be used to store and navigate through its own database of pdfs using its powerful tools while Sente can be used to look for references via the Web (Pubmed and other sites) and navigate through the refs with its own tools.
This become a very powerful way to integrate Sente and DTP in reference managing!
The only drawback is that Spotlight does not index the Files drawer within the DTP database. How can this be done automatically that Spotlight updates the index of Files?
Spotligtht will index contents to the database Files folder in DT Pro version 2.0.
Yes, but witout waiting for V2.0, is there an indirect way to have Spotlight index the Files folder?
I did it by copying the folder to a place on the HD where Spotlight sees it but it is cumbersome!
Thanks a lot for any other suggestion.
You could try invoking “mdimport” from Applescript using “do shell script”.
I’m feeling a bit stupid, but I didn’t understand where the integration comes in. What exactly do I have to do to integrate the two apps?
Sente is a useful tool to (i) search the Web for references (e.g. pubmed) and (ii) organize them with internal filters. With V4 of Sente, each ref can easily be linked to the corresponding pdf, and all the pdfs are stored in a Sente folder.
DTP is storing all of the pdfs (which in my case are the same as used by Sente) in the Files folder within the database package.
The trick is thus to allow Sente to search for refs in the Files DTP folder using Spotlight.
That way, each time new refs are added to the DTP database, Sente will be able to link to them. Both apps are thus linked to the same pdfs and can be used in synergy: DPT for searches using AI and writing and Sente for writing scientific papers (Word, Mellel). Voilà!
You could also do the same by have DT index instead of import files (e.g. I use a common “Articles” folder). It will be very easy, however, when DTP 2.0 comes out and Spotlight indexes DT files.
Okay, awesome! I was just asking a little while ago how to use these two programs together:
devon-technologies.com/phpBB … 5925#15925
Veyret, you don’t know how much it puts my mind to ease to know that someone else out there has already done this and it’s possible! Yes!!!
Now, if I can just get Sente to connect to PsycINFO via Ovid!
I also index instead of import. For me, all articles are catalogued in Bookends and the PDFs are attached. Bookends renames them and shoves them into a subdirectory of my home folder (~/Documents/Bookends/Attachments). Those files are then indexed (by dragging while holding down cmd+option) into the DTPro database.
I find that my searches are 90% performed in DEVONthink. The “See Also” feature is the magic key that has me wholly converted to DEVONcult.
But I do occasionally think, “Hmmm, I think that XYZ was mentioned in an article by Shuger.” For this, I’ll use Bookends to see what Shuger articles I’ve got on my disk, and then I’m one click away from seeing each one. Fast, easy, and convenient.
If I had one complaint, it is that I have to use an external, manual process to remember what articles I’ve imported into Bookends and not into DEVONthink. I have a permanent sticky note on my dashboard called “To Be Imported into DEVONthink.” About once a week I’ll clear everything out. Perhaps there is already a more elegant solution… anyone?
My problem is usually the opposite as I tend to find download articles via other means (OVID, etc), add to Devon-Think, and then need to remember to add to Sente [I am still not great at getting Sente to provide full text PDFs for me in the databases I use). I use labels in Devon-Think (Not Read, Read but not in Sente, Added to Sente) to color code articles.)
One thing you could do is create a Smart folder to include all PDFs added since the last time you added files to DT. Then you could simply grab all of the files and drop them in. Then you could reset the date on the smart folder to today.