Indexed document suddenly shows in non-existing folder! I'm worried!

I use a database docs-external in which I have an indexed folder docs which sits on my hard-drive. In DT3 this looks like this:

In there I found a subfolder 2022_to-keep which contains a PDF document Junik Rechnung:

I was surprised about this, because the document is from 2003. So I used Show in Finder to view the document on the file system and there the document is in another location:

Doc in Finder_Screen Shot 2022-11-08 at 3.04.30 pm

Strangely in DT3 I now see even 2(!) folders with the same name, both on the same level:

This is pretty worrying. What’s going on?

I would just like to tell DT3 to keep the top folder docs always synced to what’s on the file system! I tried manually the Menu item “Update Index Items” while having the top docs folder selected, but I still have this odd folder in DT3 while the filesystem looks different.

I’m really worried…

What’s the path of these folders, are they located in a cloud folder or a folder synchronized by another software?

Thanks for chiming in @cgrunenberg.

The docs folder is a normal folder in my Dropbox (~/Dropbox/docs).

Did you update the Dropbox.app recently? The latest version moved the Dropbox folder to a different location. See e.g. WARNING - if you index files, BE CAREFUL with how you install new Dropbox + Mac OS [edited!] - #30 by BLUEFROG

I don’t think Dropbox got updated recently. Here the version number in its preferences:

Screen Shot 2022-11-08 at 11.16.20 pm

I’m on Catalina.

And do all your computers use Catalina? Is the path of both 2022_to_keep groups identical? See Info > General inspector.

Yep, all computer use Catalina.

The paths of the 2022_to-keep groups are different though:

  1. ~/Dropbox/docs/finance/invoices/2022_to-keep
  2. ~/Dropbox/docs/finance/invoices/2022_to-keep-1

But I never created a folder 2022_to-keep-1 in the invoices location! The view in DT should – I think – just represent the structure in the filesyetm!

Could it be that now, or sometime in the past, you had Dropbox setup to be “online” and not “offline”.

I don’t know where in the version of Dropbox that setting is in, but check with the preferences setting in the app, or possibly right-mouse in Finder (as it is in the current Dropbox app).

I don’t think so.

In any case, how can I tell DT3 to properly update the folder to what’s on disc?

I tried the Menu item “Update Index Items” while having the top docs folder selected, but it doesn’t do the trick. What can I do to tell DT3 to just reindex the folder from disc as is?

All folders seem to exist and the path is not identical, only the name in the database. Is that right?

Yes, that’s right.

(I have no idea though how it came to this folder 2022_to-keep-1 which in DT is mapped to one of the 2022_to-keep groups.)

If that’s the only affected folder, then the easiest fix is to simply rename it in DEVONthink.

Mmmmh, I just want to tell DT3 to update its info to what’s in the file system – in the whole docs-tree. Why doesn’t “Update Index Items” do this?

The paths seem to be valid & up to date, the name of the items doesn’t matter.

I see. Thanks. Makes sense.

But how can I tell DT3 to go back and make/keep the names as they are in the file tree on disc?

If only one folder is affected, then simply renaming it is indeed the easiest solution.

@cgrunenberg The file tree has 6969 items. I don’t know whether this is the only folder affected.

I’m looking for an one-step re-indexing solution which I can kick of from time to time. Possible?

Please try a toolbar search for kind:group filename:>-1 item:indexed.

Only by removing the indexed items from the database (without deleting it on disk) and then indexing the folder(s) again.

Very clever! Thanks. (Update: Actually even better in my case: kind:group filename:>-1 name:!>-1 item:indexed)

Ok, I guess that’s what I better do from time to time…