Inbox & Spotlight not playing together

DEVONthink Tips
1

The global inbox doesn’t seem to make itself known to Spotlight. (I know I should process the Inbox more often but I don’t.)

Nor does the Global Inbox have access to File>Database Properties… which is where I’d expect to set Spotlight visibility.

The result is I have to go back to the pre-DT-Spotlight method: if I can’t find what I am looking for, I think “Oh, maybe it’s in the DT global inbox” and have to launch DT and look there. A bit of a retrograde step? Or perhaps just a little bug. I hope it’s the latter…

2

thanks for the feedback! Currently it’s intentional that there are no options for the global inbox but we might change this depending on feedback. Anyone else interested in sharing the inbox or searching it via Spotlight?

3

Not sure how what you mean by sharing it, but I’m interested in it being searchable with Spotlight… maybe even more than my other databases.

4

It would be nice if inbox could behave like any other folder in the Finder. That way it could also act as “outbox”.

5

I’m not sure what you mean. Got a specific example? Thanks.

6

On my desktop I have got an always open small finder window that I use to drag files into from out of DT or other applications for further use in another program. I know that there are other ways to use files in DT (open with…, send,…), but somehow I like to have a visual box or something where I know I have put files that I want to further process. I don’t like to use the desktop for that because it gets too cluttered. Before the DT global inbox was integrated in the finder I used this to bring files into DT and out of DT. Now I only need it for files that go out of DT. If files in DT’s global inbox would show up in the finder, I could get rid of that small finder window and use the inbox instead.

One example is: when I want to transfer a folder from out of DT to my iPhone’s GoodReader program, I first drag (and thereby export) the folder into my small finder window and from there drag it into the GoodReaderUSB transfer window. Dragging something directly from DT into GoodReaderUSB doesn’t work.

7

Finder can view the internal representation of the global Inbox under the ~/Application Support/DEVONthink Pro 2/Inbox.dtBase2/Files.noindex hierarchy, not its group structure you’d view in DT. Reminds me of Johannes’s question:

what is the benefit to have all this arbitrary numbered folders instead e.g just use the same folder hierarchy as the groups within DTP?

That seems like a bug, or at least a limitation of GoodReaderUSB. Does it generate an error or what? When I’ve dragged documents from DTPO (including the global Inbox) to different apps it’s always worked as expected.

If you’re running DTPO, I was thinking you might be able to use its server to your advantage though it doesn’t include the global Inbox.

8

Dragging files into GoodReaderUSB works, but dragging a folder doesn’t work. No error message. When releasing, the folder just goes back to DT.

9

Christian asked above whether or not users are interested in sharing the contents of the Global Inbox in the Web sharing mode of DT Pro Office.

Currently, the Global Inbox database isn’t shared. That’s intentional. If remote users send notes and upload files, they are sent to the Global Inbox and will not be searchable or visible to remote users. Only after the database administrator moves such new content into a database that is being shared could that added content be viewed by remote users. In most office settings, from a quality assurance viewpoint this is desirable, as new content should be vetted.

Comments on sharing/not sharing the contents of the Global Inbox in Web sharing mode?

10

Maybe it could be enable/disabled with a checkbox on the Server tab of Preferences?

11

Seconded.

12

Me too. I’d also like to see Spotlight return results for the Global Inbox. I thought the fact that it doesn’t was a bug until I read this thread.