Ghost rule operating somewhere

DEVONthink
1

There must be some ghost rule operating somewhere.

I am trying to create a simple local folder. Called “Local Documents.” Trying to create this folder in my user folder. I am NOT asking it to put anything in either DT or iCloud.

This is part of an ongoing effort to prevent my iMac from putting everything in iCloud.

But EVERY TIME I create the local folder, DT opens up, removes the new folder from my root user folder and puts it in the global DT inbox.

It then triggers “folder action alert” and asks me if I want to view the new thing in DT. No. I don’t. I don’t even want it there.

I’m sure it’s my fault. These things always are. I probably did something to create this demon, but I don’t remember what it was.

I thought it might be a Hazel rule, so I uninstalled Hazel completely. But it’s still doing it. I don’t even get a chance to type the whole folder name before it does this. I just deleted 11 folders in the Global Inbox called everything from “Lo” to “Local Do” and all sorts of other things depending on how fast I type the name.

TIA

2

Folder Actions?

3

Not confident this the fix for the problem you report, but also check you are not “Optimising Mac Storage” in the Mac’s Settings → iCloud.

2 Likes
4

Could be. But I can’t tell which “folder action” is at work. There are no obvious DT “folder actions” in the folder ~Library>Scripts>Folder Action Scripts.

5

Thank you. It WAS on, so I turned it off. Still happening.

6

Check pp 205-206 of the current DT 3.8 handbook; I quote (and this is talking about folders in Finder):

Manage folder actions: To manage all your folder actions, Control-click a folder and choose Services > Folder Actions Setup from the contextual menu. Use the Folder Actions Setup utility to see which folders have scripts attached, and to remove folder actions from folders.

Please check that you don’t have any folder actions on the parent(s) of the location where this is happening.

7

This was the solution to

rather than

8

Okay. Thank you. I had already found the section in the manual you quoted and identified the culprit, after turning seven different scripts on and off and seeing what would happen when I created a new folder.

It’s a script called “DEVONthink-Import and Delete.” Created by Christian Grunenberg. Now that I have found it I have a vague recollection of having imported some scripts a couple of years ago in an ambitious moment when I was going to try to learn scripting. (An ambition that didn’t go far.)

But I don’t recall this particular script triggering this way when I was on Catalina and Big Sur. I upgraded to Monterey in November, and it seems that this is when the problem started.

I think I will just disable all 7 of these scripts and see what happens.

Thank you for your help. Maybe they’ll let me remove my straitjacket and release me from my padded cell.

1 Like
9

I’m sorry you’ve had a frustrating experience. I hope at least on your Mac all now returns to normal :slight_smile: Come back here if you need any more help, please :slight_smile:

10

Thank you for your patience and help.