Evernote import issue that separates EN notes into DT separate files

[PJ-A]

When I import Evernote notes that INCLUDE PDFs, images, text, and tables, DT imports as a group of files. The issues are then that

1. I cannot then search on the group titles to find all the parts of the former EN note. What happens is that the attachment files and the actual note files all are separated without the group container to put them together.
2. When the EN notes are imported, DT does not NAME THE ATTACHMENTS with the same file name (with a 1, 2 or 3, etc after the name) which would remedy this situation.

I am importing to DT from EN enex files. It would be nice to sort this out because otherwise my import will be a mess. I REGULARLY search my notes using saved searches in EN, which will only work on the title of the note. Attachment file names are separated and different in DT so the search is a mess. I tried so many times to search on GROUPS AND single notes/files as not all the notes have attachments that are part of my search.

NOTES: The groups ARE together in the regular view, but when I SEARCH using various criteria, the search ONLY finds the separate files, NOT the group CONTAINER so the actual notes and attachments are NO LONGER together. And they are not named similarly enough such that they would be together, as I noted above. This is the issue. AND, in any given search, as they appear in DT, some notes do NOT have attachments and some do and I need to find both.

In EN, this is a non-issue because each note has ALL the attachments included. I hope I am being clear!

This is rather frustrating and I hope there is a workaround or that I’ve messed something so this can get sorted.

[DTLow]

@PJ-A

When the EN notes are imported, DT does not NAME THE ATTACHMENTS with the same file name (with a 1, 2 or 3, etc after the name) which would remedy this situation.

I used an Applescript to make adjustments to the import records
It could easily handle a renaming like this

For an example, see Quick way to delete 'empty' imported Evernote notes - #9 by BLUEFROG

[PJ-A]

I don’t know applescript well enough to do this, but maybe chatgpt does? If applescript were to be used, would this be done after import? And I assume after the files are named the same enough to staty together, there would no longer be a need for groups?

I’m not sure how people work with DT when notes are separate from their attachments. I’ve using EN for a long time and I’m used to everything being together in a note.

[DTLow]

@PJ-A

I’m not sure how people work with DT when notes are separate from their attachments.

I use a group to contain the files
Also cross-links within the notes

I’ve using EN for a long time and I’m used to everything being together in a note.

Evernote was note-centric
For example, storage of a .pdf file required the creation of a note
With Devonthink, we can simply store the .pdf file

[PJ-A]

I guess it’s all in the naming/tagging to keep things together in searches? I wouldn’t mind the groups if I could search them with their files/contents intact. And what to do about all the separated ones after import? Not sure I will be able to get apple script to do it.

Thanks for your reply!

[meowky]

@PJ-A

I’m not sure how people work with DT when notes are separate from their attachments. I’ve using EN for a long time and I’m used to everything being together in a note.

Just open the note and the attachment(s) in different windows. If you don’t like having too many windows open at the same time, have a try at my script for a two-window workflow.

@PJ-A

I guess it’s all in the naming/tagging to keep things together in searches?

I have separate databases for my notes and reference materials. If I need to associate, for instance, a markdown note with a PDF, I add an item link to the PDF in the note. Backlinks are shown in the Inspectors > Links panel.

[BLUEFROG]

@PJ-A

I’ve using EN for a long time and I’m used to everything being together in a note.

Not everything was in the note. It just appeared that way. And that’s why the import produced the attachment separate from the document. That’s how it was also stored in Evernote under-the-hood.

Install DEVONthink’s Scripts menu > More Scripts > Clean Evernote Imports. Then double-click it in the Smart Rules section of the Navigate sidebar on the left, and choose your Evernote group in the Search in dropdown. Close the smart editor, Control-click the rule, and choose Apply Rule.

And no, don’t ask ChatGPT for your scripts, especially ones specific to our apps.

[BLUEFROG]

@meowky

have a try at my script for a two-window workflow.

Or Scripts menu > More Scripts > Open in two windows which is accessible in the Scripts > Edit menu after installation.

[DTLow]

@PJ-A

NOTES: The groups ARE together in the regular view, but when I SEARCH using various criteria, the search ONLY finds the separate files, NOT the group CONTAINER

Use the “Reveal” feature to identify the “CONTAINER” (Group) of a file

[troejgaard]

If I understand it correctly, the “Clean Evernote Imports” smart rule Bluefrog recommends will rename every attatched file to the name of the note in Evernote that contained them.

Let me add some notes about searching.

@PJ-A

1. I cannot then search on the group titles to find all the parts of the former EN note. What happens is that the attachment files and the actual note files all are separated without the group container to put them together.

@PJ-A

The groups ARE together in the regular view, but when I SEARCH using various criteria, the search ONLY finds the separate files, NOT the group CONTAINER so the actual notes and attachments are NO LONGER together. […] AND, in any given search, as they appear in DT, some notes do NOT have attachments and some do and I need to find both.

The search results list individual items, and you can’t expand a group directly in the search results view. But it is very possible to search groups & documents together. I think a search like this would work for you:

‌name:query {any: kind:group kind:doc}

If you then open a group from the search results, it will give you a new window listing the contents of the group.

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If you are not sure about the syntax and options, I suggest you click Advanced to enable a graphical interface to build searches. The search field updates to reflect your choices, so it’s a nice way to learn the syntax by experimenting. (You can also read about the syntax in the manual under Appendix > Search operators and Appendix > Search Prefixes.)

Note that the above results includes some groups

[PJ-A]

I don’t see the Clean Evernote Imports anywhere. I apprear to have more scripts installed and I also checked in the list of folders under the scripts menu. I saw the Open in Two Windows one that you also referenced. I didn’t look at the two window workflow, is that relevant to what I am trying to do?

What does the reveal feature do? It doesn’t seem to do anything. Also, I am on the free trial. I need to make sure this will work before buying it. So far it seems a bit more cumbersome but I generally like it.

[PJ-A]

If I can save a query that is what I am after as well since I have quite a few “shortcuts” (saved searches and/or groupings) in EN that I want to replicate.

[PJ-A]

And thanks everyone for the replies so far!! Maybe this can become an Evernote Import Wiki. DEVONthink is the closest thing to getting me to get rid of Evernote so far. The other options, like Joplin, etc., haven’t cut it but this has promise if I can sort out how to work with the differences.

[BLUEFROG]

@PJ-A

I don’t see the Clean Evernote Imports anywhere.

Scripts menu > More Scripts > Smart Rules > Clean Evernote Imports

[BLUEFROG]

I recommend you read the Getting Started chapter of the built-in Help and manual.

[PJ-A]

I read the Getting Started and more. I found the Clean Evernote Import and I could not discern a difference in the files after running the rule and selecting a folder. What does it actually do? The files within the folders are still not named the same so my initial problem is still there.

[PJ-A]

@troejgaard

name:query {any: kind:group kind:doc}

I like this but my results are different. It does include all the files but does not include the group folders, it’s just like a regular search. I can’t seem to get the “Clean Evernote Import” script to rename or do anything. In the search results, when the “location” is selected, it seems to group the files that were in folders together, so there is that. But generally, I am not quite sure what attachment files go with a specific text based original file, where they were formerly as one file/note together.

This seems so tedious!

Also, is there a way to globally change the font?. I can do individual notes but talk about tedious! They were in Evernote as Helvetica and came into DT as Times. I saw the settings for new notes but does not seem to apply for previous notes. Also, using dark mode, copy and paste text results in the black background being copied with white text! Evernote does not do that. Do I have to change to LIGHT mode to get text to copy as normal?

Really, never mind the font issues, it’s more the folders that represent my former individual notes and their contents that are the challenging issues.

[PJ-A]

TO sum up: Notes in EN with certain kinds of attachments get separated in DT, though put in their own folder to keep them together. However, when searching, this organization seems to be completely ignored and the attachments and original notes they came from are now separated.

So far, renaming via script has not worked, and searching with advanced syntax does not find the folders with their groupings, only the files.

[BLUEFROG]

TO sum up: Notes in EN with certain kinds of attachments get separated in DT, though put in their own folder to keep them together. However, when searching, this organization seems to be completely ignored and the attachments and original notes they came from are now separated.

As already mentioned, the files in Evernote were stored separately but just hidden from your view.

I saw the settings for new notes but does not seem to apply for previous notes.

That is correct. The font information is included in the code of the formatted note.
The Settings > Editing > Rich Text & Note font is the one used when importing Evernote notes.

Also, using dark mode, copy and paste text results in the black background being copied with white text! Evernote does not do that. Do I have to change to LIGHT mode to get text to copy as normal?

It’s unclear where you’re copying from and pasting into here.

So far, renaming via script has not worked,

It’s not a renaming script. Renaming is done if the attachment name doesn’t match the formatted note’s name, though that is uncommon in this scenario and I would ignore that feature.

This is what the smart rule does:
It checks the contents of a matching formatted note. If there are two or fewer lines, essentially the attachment’s name, the attachment is moved to the parent of the containing folder. Then the containing group with the extraneous formatted note is moved to the database’s Trash.

This group, with a formatted note having a link only to the attachment…

… yields this…

It does not affect documents with extra content entered by the person nor does it affect documents with multiple attachments. Those will remain grouped together.

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You should keep this in mind: Evernote is not a direct competitor to DEVONthink. It is an HTML-based note-taking application more like OneNote.

[PJ-A]

Thanks for all your help. I’m really trying to use DEVONthink instead of Evernote. In EN, I use separator lines often as well as inserting the current date constantly. It seems there is no note format (Rich Text, Formatted, HTML, MArkdown, etc) that will let me do both in the same note. Seems such a simple thing. EN does either one with keyboard shortcuts and DT doesn’t have a shortcut for the separator. I did make one in Mac prefs, but still, it doesn’t work in a format that also allows date insertion. Sure, I could just type the date manually, but I insert dates often enough that I do not want to do that if I don’t have to. When I have gotten the date to insert, it inserts it in the Times Font, even though the note is in Helvetica and all the settings for fonts that I could find are set to Helvetica.

I will also have to manually rename attachments to keep them straight with their original notes. I understand that EN separates it under the hood, but it’s over the hood that is important.

I’ve only got 13 days left on my trial and I can’t seem to get it set up for my workflow. Too bad as it has some good features otherwise.