I may have missed something but when I export a group of files (as one rtf file), only the text gets exported. The titles of each file don’t. Is there something I am doing wrong here? I just use the export cmd in the file menu. I cannot see an option to export titles too.
any help much appreciated.
michael
That’s normal behavior.
But you can easily create a plain text file that’s a listing of the titles of the multiple files you merged into one:
Select the files and press Command-C to copy to the clipboard.
In TextEdit, create a new document and then choose Format > Make Plain Text.
Paste (Command-V) the contents of the clipboard into the plain text document. The result is a list of document names.
Thanks Bill for the incredibly fast response. I noted the export title function (I also noticed there is an applescript in the export menu that does this).
It would be nice if the export function included the option of the titles being exported too though. I am sure a lot of writers and researches who batch files together would like to see the title if only as a useful marker, and for writers of articles the title is the headline so rather necessary. The competition generally includes this option.
Thanks again for the very quick help.
michael
Yes please. And when you are on it, please add this option to merge command as well (if possible). For the interface you could use a modifier key to change the menu (“merge” - “merge with titles”) like other apps do it. So everybody can choose the way he or she likes it.
Johannes
Hi, Michael. The reason that the document names are not inserted with the content is that document names are metadata. Perhaps in the future a procedure could be developed to insert those document names. But in the workflow I’ll describe below, I don’t want them to be automatically inserted into the content.
I don’t know if this is helpful, but I’ll describe how I build articles or reports from drafts I’ve written in my database.
First, I use Data > Merge to construct a longer piece from bits and snippets of drafts. For example, I may have a group for a series of drafts that make up Section 3 of an article or report. I give that group the Section number and title as its name. The group contains the “pieces” of the section content and I’ll drag them into proper order after setting View > Sort to Unsorted in a Three-panes view of that group.
When I’m satisfied that the content parts of a section have been fleshed out and arranged in proper order, I’ll copy the group name – e.g., Section 3: xxxx xxxx – into the first line of text in the first document inside the group, and bold it. If I want subsection headings I’ll do the same to other documents inside the group, i.e., enter the subsection headings in the content.
Now I’ll select all the documents in that group and choose Data > Merge. Result: I’ve assembled them in the desired order. Now I’ve got a single document for that section and the content includes the section title (and any subsection titles).
With this procedure I appreciate the fact that all the names of bits and pieces do not show up in the assembled section document. For they would be irrelevant and I would have to edit them out.
I’ll do the same for other segments of my article or report. I’ll have groups corresponding, e.g., to Introduction, several Sections and perhaps a final Summary and Conclusions. When the parts have been assembled I’ll move them in to a group, put them into proper order and merge them (Data > Merge) into the final document structure. I’ll then move the assembled document into a more competent word processor for final polishing, including adding footnotes and/or endnotes.
This is a personal workflow derived, perhaps from the old days of typewriters and hand-scrawled notes. I would often assemble a draft using scissors and Scotch tape from typed material, handwritten notes and 3" x 5" cards – resulting in a “scroll” perhaps 10 feet or more long, but ready now as copy material for final typing (hopefully by a secretary, but I usually had to do final typing myself).
Let me state emphatically that computers, DT Pro Office and word processors make writing a much less onerous task today. 
Thanks Bill. Both useful and interesting. I have a similar work flow although I hadn’t known about the Data>Merge function which is extremely useful so thanks. I note that your work flow includes pasting in the headings manually for each section. I guess for me, since I anyway have to give titles to every file, it would save time if I had the option of exporting or merging the titles. I currently also paste in the titles to each file before export but since there are often 50 of them, this takes time. I understand that these titles are metadata so not possible for now but since, from the sounds of it, 2.0 will have substantial changes to how the database is structured, it would be a nice option to have . I know what you mean about the leap from paper to the current abilities of the likes of DT Pro. Still always nice to see the envelope being pushed. Thanks for all the advice. michael
Thanks for the suggestion, a future release will provide an option to include the titles.