Getting the databases in a sidebar of their own

Very much looking forward to see what that can be :grin:

And don’t forget the excellent Workspace function that—at a keystroke—can invoke arbitrary database groups when needed.

I use this in addition to my standing group of four databases open daily.

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Thanks, I will try out that too :grin:

Any chance you could elaborate on this please? It sounds very promising. Most of the problems (in my experience) with the lack of 3 pane view come down to the fact that the navigation sidebar in DT3 is very difficult to use once there are more than a handful of databases open. The ‘view’ allowed by 3PV is actually easy to replicate in DT3. If I could be so bold as to suggest, perhaps you could involve users such as @stanblues999 (and others who have very clearly demonstrated the data management benefits of 3PV in the other thread) in any beta testing of such a feature to see if it meets the needs of the typical 3PV user?

There will be an option to change the sidebar like this:

See Feature request DEVONthink Pro 3: 3 pane view & tabbed windows - #17 by atdnorth

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This would be excellent.

If not asking too much, could the bottom pane view be preserved for each database, so that when returning to a previously selected database, expanded folders would display as they were the last time the database was viewed?

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I agree and also think that sounds very good.

That’s at least planned.

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“THE PRESERVATION” of the expanded folder status for each database would be a Life Saver for me. pls… make it happen… pls… without this, jumping between multiple databases would be remained painful but unavoidable work… it’s horrifying… really…

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Am I reading your answers correctly as envisioning a flat list of open databases at the top of the Navigation pane, with a section below that shows only the folders in the selected database, and no others? If I then choose a different database, the section below changes to show the folders of that database, with the view from previous use preserved? If so, that sounds like it would go a long way to restoring much of the information management functionality lost in DT3 and would be very welcome.

I’d also like to repeat my suggestion to have some of the forum users who have clearly demonstrated the restrictions imposed by the loss of 3 pane view help with testing – it would certainly help with figuring out a replacement for 3 pane view.

Thanks for your engagement with this issue.

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@cgrunenberg This sounds like a reasonable compromise. Is the option to select multiple groups in the side bar to view only documents still planned (like mentioned here: 3 Pane view in DT3) now in conjunction with the sidebar pane redesign? If so, then looking forward to 2.5 view! :laughing:

This is also planned but no promises that this will be part of the same release - it’s better to have a good release sooner than a better release a lot later :slight_smile:

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It seems that is a much neglected feature? I rely on it totally.

Yes indeed, please ASAP. I am a DT Office Pro user since 1.x in 2007. And for a very long time the 3PV was the only used layout for me, nothing else. It just works, no improvement needed. I bought the 3.x server upgrade a while ago when it was on offer, but did not make the switch so far. While preparing to do it today, I hit that 3PV missing issue. I wonder how long do I have to wait further? Any betas available?
Still happy with 2.x, but now I need the server. So for the moment I am in a lose-lose situation.

Just curios - this unlimited tree thing now in DT3.x was a UI design pattern mistake from day one when it had been invented by Microsoft (someone else?) ages ago. I refrained from buying any software which relied on it. Now I am forced into it by an upgrade of a very good software which could be used until now very smooth without it! WHY?

Sorry for the rant.

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I don’t know if 3V pane is a design pattern mistake. MacOSX has four pane mode. I use it seldom myself. Rather dive through each folder that works fine. I’m usually not stuck with worries if UI changes, but we all are different.

@ksandvik - no not the 3PV is the design pattern mistake, it was perfect. The open endless tree thing which comes with 3.x is the very old design pattern mistake. It never worked in any other application I have seen and it does not in DT 3.x. (Edited my first post)

What’s wrong with 4V view in Finder, one of modes? MacOSX does not have 3V view, btw.

Now, I would not like to have 3V nor 4V mode in DT3 as it just will eat up screen space.

I don’t know if you’ve ever used 3PV in DT2 but I assure you there isn’t any tool, at least that I know of, that has a 3PV as a feature. There is an inherent difference between a 3PV and a “kind of view” which you so call 3V, 4V. It is referring to 3PV in terms of functionality not in the sense of a “user interface”. These are two very distinct concepts.

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Amen!

This post, and those you have made in the other 3 Pane View thread, suggest that you just don’t understand the way in which 3 Pane View was utilised to manage information, not view it. The reference to Finder(!) reminds me of something I read here where one of the developers noted that the new Navigation pane (into which so much is now crammed) conforms to Apple design concepts re sidebars. Except, of course, that 's not true. Finder does not force one to drill into folders in the sidebar – one chooses the context (Documents, Downloads, Applications, etc), and then uses the next pane to navigate the content. That is one of the inherent powers of 3PV – it separates context from content. That is not possible in DT3 when using multiple databases with multiple folders. At least, I haven’t found a way to do so, and have not received any guidance from DTech on how I might do so.

Having reverted to DTPO2 for my serious work of late, I can promise you that the difference between using DT3 and DTPO2 (in this one specific, crucial instance) is like the difference between night and day. The serious downside, of course, is that all of the wonderful improvements built into DT3 are not available. I particularly miss the new Inspector.

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Thanks @cgrunenberg for the 3-pane view replacement; works great! And… you guys implemented multiple group selection in the sidebar! Glad you guys got around to releasing the better release sooner! I think this creative implementation effectively brings back 3-pane view.

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