handling word doc with footnotes in DTP

DEVONthink Tips
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Hello,

  1. {footnotes} I am currently testing DevonThink Pro and would like a piece of advice regarding the way it handles footnotes. I noticed from other topics that DTP has some problems dealing with footnotes. Now, my question is the following: how can I use a DTP database to actively manage my past - current and future research knowing that I already have an important collection of Word docs (previous articles and materials I created) which all include a large number of footnotes and endnotes ?

Ideally I would like to include (which I did) all my research folder into the DTP database and only manage files from there from now on (add or remove files, change folder hierarchy according to specific new subjects or projects etc).

But how can I efficiently work if all my previous word docs imported into the database are scaled down in rtf format so they loose precious info contained in the footnotes (well, not exactly lost since the text is there but without its note number and anchor in text, so usfefulness 0 for me).

Also, I thought DTP can be used as a repository of documents of all sorts. I put in there text docs, images and pdf all related to my research and when I want to come back to them, re-use them or send them to a friend for instance I drag them out of the database. But if I lose the footnotes in word documents it means I have to keep double copies (or possibly only index them ?) one in the database (crippeled copy that is) and one outside which I can still open without discovering my 369 footnotes are gone…

Can someone advise me on this issue or point me towards a topic discussing it ? Also, maybe other users can tell about the way they handle complex text documents with DTP

  1. {scripts dealing with rtf} Finally, I found those scripts (Scripts for Dealing with Rich Text Documents - devon-technologies.com/suppo … ripts.html) but am rather new to the Mac environement and dont know how to install them

Many thanks,

Radu

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  1. The most important thing for DT Pro 1.x users of MS Word to remember is that, unlike other file formats such as text (plain or rich), PDF, Postscript, HTML, etc. Word files are not copied into the database when they are Import-captured.

Instead, DT Pro uses code built into OS X that allows the database to capture a rich text note containing the body of the text content of a Word file, but not the complete layout, formatting and features such as images and footnotes.

The original Word files remain in the Finder, external to the database. The database retains the Path to the original file, so that it can be launched under MS Word from within the database for viewing, printing or editing the file under MS Word.

Also recognize that there’s no synchronization of those Import-captured external Word files to their rich text counterparts in the database (unlike the case if the Word files had been Index-captured). So if the original file is edited under Word, changes will not be saved to the database; the edited file would have to be re-imported to carry the changes into the database.

For those reasons, you should not delete the original Word files, so that they will remain available for viewing/printing in their entirety.

If you frequently need to refer to the original Word files, and especially if you frequently edit them and wish changes to be carried over to the database, consider using Index-captures of Word documents into DT Pro 1.x.

Despite limitations such as that images and footnotes are not carried over to database captures of Word files, the main information content of the Word files becomes useful in combination with the information content of your other file types, including your notes, PDFs, etc. The primary content of your Word documents becomes available in searches and See Also operations.

As noted by the developers, DT Pro 2 will physically copy Import-captured Word files into the database and the documents will be displayed in full.

  1. The special scripts for text handling could be copied into a new folder or into the Edit folder inside ~/Library/Application Support/DEVONthink Pro/.

Personally, I prefer using normal rich text in my notes and drafts inside the database, then copy/paste material into a richer word processor to polish final copy. I make notes to myself in the draft about material that will become footnotes or endnotes. For me, drafting inside the database is a rich writing environment, as the information content of my database is at my fingertips.

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