getting a document out of the dtp2 format

DEVONthink Tips
1

I accidentally imported a scrivener file and I was wondering if anyone might know how I can get it out of the dtp2 format. Also curious about that with pdfs.

Thanks.
D

2

There is no dtp2 format for documents-documents that are imported into a database retain their default file format. You can drag and drop documents out of the database into the Finder, or export documents using the options available in the File>Export menu.

3

…also, if you want to prove to yourself how DEVONthink stores a document in its native format, as Greg wrote, click Data > Show in Finder, or the same action in the contextual menu, and Finder will open with a view inside the DEVONthink database where that document is stored. (Don’t modify anything in that view – use DEVONthink for import/export as Greg advised.)

4

Unfortunately, neither of these suggestions converts the file back to it’s original format. It was a Scrivener file, now it’s a Devonthink file. Dragging nad dropping leaves it as DTP2 and exporting only allows for a limited range of options like text etc.

I’m just going to go into time machine and grab the file before I had imported it.

5

Are you locating this ‘document’ from the database, or from a Finder/Spotlight search? It sounds like you are searching for the document using Spotlight. DEVONthink does not convert documents to a different format, although if you have your database set to create an index for Spotlight searches (File>Database Properties…>Create Spotlight Index), DEVONthink does create a metadata dtp2 document for every document in the database. This is not the same as the document, nor is it a conversion of the document-it is only a pointer to the document in the Spotlight index. Even if you delete the dtp2 document from the Finder, the original Scrivener document will still be in the database.

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Finder Info Panel for the Spotlight index document linked to a 3MB Scrivener document in a database.

6

Double-clicking a .dtp2 file will open the original document in a DEVONthink preview window – command-r will then reveal the file in its group in the database, from where it can be exported or dragged out, as Greg described.