Ease navigation

DEVONthink Feedback
1

Navigate my databases in DT sometimes can be really a pain (e.g. when chasing and comparing duplicates) so I would like to see implemented a few features, namely:

1a. Clickable path inside the Infobar (below the toolbar). .

1b. After a search using the Find (search field) the Infobar shows info about the search (x items found in y seconds) and if you select a result item the Infobar doesn’t show the usual information; I would like to revert back to the standard appearance when I select an item.
Now you have the path of the file visualized below item name (with is fine and can be left as it is) but: paths cannot be navigated (see point 1a), sometimes paths are too long (so I need to hover over the item and wait the pop-up).

  1. I’m missing Back-Forward buttons or shortcuts to jump to previously seen groups. The “Go back” command displays the previous document and not the previous group. You can combine “Go back” + “Reveal” commands but it’s a poor workaround.

All these features are present in any file manager (even in the Finder).
Many times I saw in this forum the assertion that “DT is not a Finder replacement” but, as a matter of fact, once your files are inside a database DEVONthink interface is the only way to manage them so it should (in my opinion) offer features available in any file manager out there.

2

I agree that the navigation can be improved. I don’t know that I understand how proposal (1a and 1b) would work. That the back button navigates the view pane to a previous document but the other panes don’t change what’s displayed (i.e., database, group, and file list) is odd. All of the buttons, keyboard shortcuts that only work on extended keyboards, etc., make the interface seem idiosyncratic and strange – sort of frankensteinish.

It is also inconsistent with contemporary Apple (and other) interfaces.

What I’d propose is that the back button, this:

would behave like the back button in Safari, Finder, etc. In those cases, clicking and holding the button reveals a drop-down list of recently visited locations. Like this Safari Example:

In the DEVONthink case, I’d suggest that the POSIX path (Database > Group > Document) of documents on the recent list be shown and clickable.