exporting question

DEVONthink Tips
1

I have a rather simple-minded question, but I’m a bit confused by something. I tried exporting a single file. When I did so (selected the file name, selected export as Word file, then as rtf), I got a correctly named, but empty document. I can select multiple files, or an entire folder(s) and no problem, it exports as one big rtf file.

But to export a single file, I have to open it so that it has it’s own window to export it.

Is this right? This doesn’t make sense to me, and I wonder if I am missing something obvious here. Feedback would be most welcome.

Alexandria

2

Also, is there a way to export multiple files as separate files so that they can be exported and worked on in another program, such as Word?

Alexandria

3

Alexandria:
[1] When you exported a file as Word or rtf, what kind of file was the selected file? RTFD, RTF, text or HTML files should export properly to Word or RTF (although images will be lost in transition). PDF or indexed PDF files will result in a blank Word or RTF document, however. Likewise, image or QuickTime files won’t export to Word or RTF.

I usually use Vertical Split view, so that the filenames are in the left column and the document is displayed in the right column when a filename is selected. But I’ve had no problem with exporting selected files from the List view, in which case the document window isn’t open.

[2] Selecting multiple files and choosing Export > Word, for example, will result in merging the selected files into a single Word file. This is an approach you could use to stitch together or merge the sections of an article, or the chapters of a book together into a single Word (or RTF) file.

[3] In a second post you asked how to export multiple selections as separate files. In that case, use Export > Files and Folders. Suppose you’ve got a number of RTF and RTFD files that you wish to export as individual files, then process these files to convert them to individual Word documents. Select as many files as you wish, do the export, and then use TextEdit as a convenient way to translate RTFD files to Word documents (again, any images will be lost in the translation from RTFD to DOC). Of course, Word can directly read your RTF files.

Hope this helps.

4

“[3] In a second post you asked how to export multiple selections as separate files. In that case, use Export > Files and Folders. Suppose you’ve got a number of RTF and RTFD files that you wish to export as individual files, then process these files to convert them to individual Word documents. Select as many files as you wish, do the export, and then use TextEdit as a convenient way to translate RTFD files to Word documents (again, any images will be lost in the translation from RTFD to DOC). Of course, Word can directly read your RTF files.”

Yes, I had figured this one out already, many thanks. Would I lose images if I don’t translate but just export as rtf via that export>files and folders option and then open them directly into Word? I can try this out, actually, and see for myself!

However, I’ve tried it several times over, and when I select the file in List view (I also use the vertical split view) and select a specific option–export as a Word doc for example, I get a blank document. If I select Export, files and folders, I get the entire file, or if I open the file first and export I can then select a specific option for exporting and get the document exported.

So it’s just when I select a single file in List view and use the export 'as rtf, or ‘as word’ options that I get a blank document. Very strange.

It is RTF files, not pdfs or images, that I’m trying to export. It happened this way every single time.

Now that I have most of my data transferred into DT, I’m trying out all the options and features. I still have much to learn. I’ve read the posts about the lack of documentation. Did anything happen with your thoughts on how this might be rectified? It’s a challenging program to learn without some guidance! I’m still trying to figure out many of the features and how they work. And I’m very surprised that you can’t do finds based on labels. And that the label options are so limited. I wonder about the possibility of smart folders as well.

All-in-all, however, I’m amazed at some of what this program does, along with it’s sister program, DEVONagent.

And congratulations on the new position with DT! I see from perusing the forum in my short time as a ‘newbie’ that you are quite qualified for the job!

Many thanks,

Alexandria

5

Alexandria:

“Learn by playing” is indeed a good way to learn DEVONthink. This user forum has been invaluable to me for picking up tricks and solving problems. Wiki documentation is getting started up – again combining the resources of the developers and the user community to provide information for all.

Smart folders are coming in DT Pro. :slight_smile:

6

Any idea when the public beta for DTPro will be forthcoming? I read it was supposed to be out around the time of the SF conference.

Thanks,

Alexandria

7

It will be out when it is out. :smiley:

We’ve gone through 34 alpha versions and are now up to beta 11. When alpha 1 came out I switched my daily workflow over to it. Even the alphas were stable. It just keeps getting better. Many (if not most) developers would have released DT Pro as a finished product sometime during the alpha series.

DT PE 1.9.x has many of the features originally planned for DT Pro. But DT Pro will be much more scriptable, capable of handling larger PDF and image databases, and have important additional featues such as tables and records (combining the advantages of tabular and freeform databases).