Hi everyone!
I’m still not a devonthink customer; I downloaded time ago the demo so I can’t find by myself anymore. Is it possible to automatically export all highlighted/underlined text from a PDF to a single note? Or is it possible to send the clipboard content to the active note? eg. I’m reading a pdf on another app, I select some text and with a shortcut I send it directly to a note. I’m summarizing a lot of books and this feature alone will make me buy the app
thank you
Welcome @cardo
Is it possible to automatically export all highlighted/underlined text from a PDF to a single note?
Yes, you can use the Tools > Summarize Highlights > … command to make a summary of all the highlighted text.
Alternatively, you can use the Tools > Inspectors > Annotations & Reminders> Annotations field to create an annotation file. This is described in the Inspectors > Annotations & Reminders > Annotations section of the built-in Help and manual.
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Thank you for the answer! Does the export include page number/annotation type? Or do I get a plain text? (Since I’m just summarizing books, I don’t need any additional information)
Same thing can be done with text from everywhere? eg. a web page
You’re welcome.
No, you can’t summarize highlights from clipped web content.
This is an example of a summary of a PDF’s highlights in rich text format…
There’s a way to export just the highlighted text without “Page 1, Page 2” etc? Moreover, there’s a way to export just the plain text?
You could create a plain text document and open it in its own window. Then copy and paste from the source document to it.
This is the method I use when reviewing documents (create extract notes)
I use an Applescript for this
The script creates a note, copy/pastes the text, and inserts a link to the original document
tell application id "DNtp"
activate
------------------------------------------------- Copy Selected Text to Clipboard
set theOriginalNote to item 1 of (get selection)
tell application "System Events" to keystroke "c" using {command down}
delay 1
set theSelectedText to the clipboard
set theOriginalTitle to name without extension of theOriginalNote
---------------------------------------------- Save Link to Original Note
if type of theOriginalNote is PDF document then
tell application "System Events" to keystroke "c" using {shift down, control down, option down, command down}
set theOriginalLink to the clipboard
else
set theOriginalLink to reference URL of theOriginalNote
end if
---------------------------------------------- Set Title for New Note
set theTitle to item 1 of (paragraphs of theSelectedText)
set theTitle to (text returned of (display dialog "Title" default answer theTitle))
---------------------------- Create New Note, add text and link
set theNewNote to create record with {name:theTitle, type:formatted note}
set source of theNewNote to "<a href=\"" & theOriginalLink & "\">" & theOriginalTitle & "</a>" & "<br><br>" & theSelectedText
open window for record theNewNote with force
end tell
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Hi DTLow
Could you share your applescript? I’m totally new to such automation!
there’s a way to automatize it? i’d like to avoid copy/paste manually. I downloaded a copy on a friend’s laptop, so I can now try
edit: I think it could be solved even just using a rule to select all text containing “Page x” in the note, so that I can delete such entries
You downloaded a copy of what ?
I made a friend download the demo of devonthink, since I can’t evaluate it anymore (see my first post); I tried other apps, but none seem to have this particular feature I’m looking for
thank you, I’m trying to use it. However, I’d just need to paste into a note without asking each time to input a title. Best thing would be for me to create a note file for each document (eg, if the source of the clipboard is xyz.pdf, then a xyz note file will be generated etc…)
For this part of the question:
I’m reading a pdf on another app, I select some text and with a shortcut I send it directly to a note.
If you read the PDF under DT, you can select text, Ctrl-C, Ctrl-N and you have the clipping as a new DT note. Later you can combine them if you wish.
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Best thing would be for me to create a note file for each document
Again, this is why I suggested you try using the annotation file in the Tools > Inspectors > Annotations & Reminders inspector.
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I’m just posting to second what others have said here.
If you want to collect ALL the quotes in one file, just use the annotations function:
If you want each ONE quote per file, do it like this:
Or use @DTLow’s script.
What you appear to want is possible, you just need to decide if you things together in one document or separate.
(I like my highlights together in one file personally so I use the annotations function. Dividing quotes up and moving them to other documents is something I do after I’ve finished reading, when I’m going through what I’ve highlighted and commented on. I add more thoughts at this stage, remove any page links I don’t want, add links to other files, etc.)
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Sorry if I might sound silly, but how I can automatically send there the clipboard content? Or how can I set a rule to automatically send there all the highlighted/underlined part of the pdf?
I think it is easier for me to use the same workflow described here, which means using highlights app (which is cross devices) to extract highlighted parts and send them to devonthink as HTML file
If you’re highlighting in DT, you don’t need to copy, or “send” anything anywhere. Once you’ve finished highlighting your pdf, on the Mac version of DT go to Tools (in menu bar at the top) > Summarise highlights, then choose if you want it as Markdown or Rich Text. It will create a file of all your highlights and notes for you.
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the problem is that every highligted line has an annoying (for me) “page X” reference
while using highlight app I get this much readable result
I’m having a problem in DevonThinkPro 3.9 today with tools | summarize highlights | as Markdown or as RTF or as Sheet. In each PDF file I’ve opened, added highlights and then selected a tool | summarize highlights command nothing at all happens. I’ve looked in the inboxes and not found any new files, looked in downloads, looked in recent. I checked the Log from DevonThink and no messages about tools | summarize show up there either. None of the format options are working for me.
Any ideas how I could proceed.