I should update this thread with two warnings, a refinement and some encouragement.
Please note:
- The procedure outlined in the original post does not import Day One tags.
- If a journal entry includes a date older than the date of the entry itself step 7 in the procedure I outlined will provide an inappropriate name for the relevant file and you will have to amend that date manually in DT (but see also the refinement mentioned below).
In order to be able to sort entries chronologically I have amended step 7 of the original procedure as follows. (When doing this do make sure you have all the newly imported files in some temporary folder because you won’t want to change files you have previously imported):
7a. In DT select all the newly imported markdown files (i.e., excluding any photo folder), go to Tools > Batch Process and choose “Change Creation Date” to “Oldest Document Date”. That (subject to the warning mentioned in 2 above) should change the creation date of each entry to the date of the entry (making for much easier sorting in DT). Check there are no inappropriate creation dates (which is quick and easy) before proceeding to the next step.
7b. Now, in DT, with all the entries still selected, go to Tools > Batch Process and choose “Change Name” to “Creation Date”.
Finally drag and drop the newly imported entries from the temporary folder into the relevant folder in your DevonThink database.
By way of encouragement, steps 3, 4 and 5 of the original procedure can be automated with Hazel rules. Steps 7a and 7b above can be automated (save for the checking in step 7a) by DT smart rules (and I’ve added to the second rule an action which locks each file). Once you have the hang of the procedure, and the appropriate rules, it’s very quick and easy—in spite of these long-winded explanations.
Stephen