I use DT’s filing system via Apple Mail many times a day.
I send myself an email (either new or forward an email of interest) → add @dev in the subject → transfer to DT via Apple Mail rule → filed in Inbox on arrival in DT.
Evernote goes one very convenient step further.
I can write @ in the subject followed by any group name, and evernote will file into that group name.
Example: if I write @kbm in the email subject and send to evernote, evernote will automatically file into the KBM (keyboard maestro) Evernote folder.
I know that I can do this with DT, by creating smart rules on import (example below). My problem is that it requires me to create one rule per group. I am not going to write 500+ smart rules to cover all possibilities of moving to all groups.
What I am looking for is for some way via script or smart rule or both whereby DT
reads the name of items being imported. In this case email subject line is automatically converted to filename when it is imported into DT which is great.
reads the group name where the item should be filed: if @ is found in the name, the string immediately followed the @ is the group name
the group name contains spaces, so it is always put last in the email subject name, so DT knows to read after the @ sign and until the end.
Note that by extension, this would even allow me to create a new DT filing system applicable to any type of file while working inside DT, ie a way of moving documents. When I finish working on a document in the inbox, I simply rename → add @ followed by the group name at the end of the document name and the smart rule with automatically file it. I already do this (see below) but for only a few groups, for the reason stated above: I can’t write 500+ rules. Note that in this case I perform the action on a time basis (looks at my inbox every hour or so for example)
Some people may ask: how do I remember 500+ group names to insert after the @ . It’s very easy: I use a little database of all group names from which I can easily search → insert group name anywhere I want.
Try it to see what it does, then start changing it to fit your needs.
-- Use name to move and rename records
property theDatabaseName : "_temp" -- Set your database name
tell application id "DNtp" to my performSmartRule(selection as list) -- uncomment this line for testing with selected records. comment it out for usage in a Smart Rule
on performSmartRule(theRecords)
tell application id "DNtp"
try
try
set theDatabase to database named theDatabaseName
on error
error "Please open database \"" & theDatabaseName & "\""
end try
repeat with thisRecord in theRecords
set thisSubject to my recordName(name of thisRecord, filename of thisRecord)
if thisSubject contains "@" then
set theOffset to (offset of "@" in thisSubject)
set theName to (characters 1 thru (theOffset - 2) in thisSubject) as string
set theGroupName to (characters (theOffset + 1) thru -1 in thisSubject) as string
set theResults to search "name==" & theGroupName & space & "kind:group" in root of theDatabase
if theResults ≠ {} then
set theGroup to item 1 of theResults
else
set theGroup to create location ("/" & (name of incoming group of theDatabase) & "/" & my replace_String(theGroupName, "/", "\\/")) in theDatabase
end if
else
set theName to thisSubject
set theGroup to incoming group of theDatabase
end if
set name of thisRecord to theName
move record thisRecord to theGroup
end repeat
on error error_message number error_number
if the error_number is not -128 then display alert "DEVONthink" message error_message as warning
return
end try
end tell
end performSmartRule
on replace_String(theText, oldString, newString)
local ASTID, theText, oldString, newString, lst
set ASTID to AppleScript's text item delimiters
try
considering case
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to oldString
set lst to every text item of theText
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to newString
set theText to lst as string
end considering
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ASTID
return theText
on error eMsg number eNum
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to ASTID
error "Can't replaceString: " & eMsg number eNum
end try
end replace_String
on recordName(theName, theFilename)
set theSuffix to my getSuffix(theFilename)
if theName ends with theSuffix and theName ≠ theSuffix then set theName to characters 1 thru -((length of theSuffix) + 2) in theName as string
return theName
end recordName
on getSuffix(thePath)
set revPath to reverse of characters in thePath as string
set theSuffix to reverse of characters 1 thru ((offset of "." in revPath) - 1) in revPath as string
end getSuffix
I created a temp database. Nothing happens after the message “open Database Temp”
I don’t understand what your objective it.
thank you for all the work writing the script.
This is an error message. You can only see this if there’s no database with the name you have set.
Set theDatabaseName to the name of an existing database
Make sure that the database is open
Select some records.
Obviously you have to name the records in the way you‘ve described in your first post - if the records are not named that way they will all be moved to the inbox of the database.
WOW !! very impressive !!
Would it be possible to create a second version of the script in which you do not remove the @ + string in the name, because sometimes I want to keep it in the filename for later searches.
I can’t find the words to thank you enough. BRILLIANT !
1- @chrillek do you mean to just comment out set theName to (characters 1 thru (theOffset - 2) in thisSubject) as string
2- With evernote, I created a .txt file listing all notebooks (equivalent of groups in DT) which I use to insert the group name at the end of filenames or emails using Typinator.
Is there a way to create a .txt list of all groups and subgroups for a database ?.
This script copies all group names as flat list (including incoming group, annotations group, tags group, trash group and tags).
-- Copy flat list of all group names of a database (including incoming group, annotations group, tags group, trash group and tags)
tell application id "DNtp"
try
if not (exists current database) then error "No database is open."
set theDatabase to current database
set theNames to name of parents of theDatabase whose type = group
set theNames_string to my tid(theNames, linefeed)
set the clipboard to theNames_string
display notification "Listing in clipboard!" with title "Create Listing"
on error error_message number error_number
hide progress indicator
if the error_number is not -128 then display alert "DEVONthink" message error_message as warning
end try
end tell
on tid(theList, theDelimiter)
set d to AppleScript's text item delimiters
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to theDelimiter
set theString to theList as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
return theString
end tid
I suppose, you’d have to modify this line set the clipboard to my createListing(children of root of current database whose type is group)
to exclude tags, especially the part following the whose. There’s an explanation on the usage of whose here: Whose in AppleScript - All this. According to the scripting dictionary, the term might be something like tag type is no tag, but I’m not sure about that.
This script copies all group names as flat list, excluding:
incoming group,
annotations group,
tags group,
trash group
and tags
-- Copy flat list of all group names of a database (excluding incoming group, annotations group, tags group, trash group and tags)
tell application id "DNtp"
try
if not (exists current database) then error "No database is open."
set theDatabase to current database
set theInboxName to (name of incoming group of theDatabase) as string
set theAnnotationsName to (name of annotations group of theDatabase) as string
set theTagsName to (name of tags group of theDatabase) as string
set theTrashName to (name of trash group of theDatabase) as string
set theNames to name of (parents of theDatabase whose type = group and name ≠ theInboxName and name ≠ theAnnotationsName and name ≠ theTagsName and name ≠ theTrashName and location does not start with ("/" & theTagsName) as string)
set theNames_string to my tid(theNames, linefeed)
set the clipboard to theNames_string
display notification "Listing in clipboard!" with title "Create Listing"
on error error_message number error_number
hide progress indicator
if the error_number is not -128 then display alert "DEVONthink" message error_message as warning
end try
end tell
on tid(theList, theDelimiter)
set d to AppleScript's text item delimiters
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to theDelimiter
set theString to theList as text
set AppleScript's text item delimiters to d
return theString
end tid
I finally understand the problem.
When you import EN → DT, EN Notes containing PDFs are bundled into a group consisting of 2 files: a PDF and an HTML file, so that there are a gazillion subgroups.
I therefore have to eliminate subgroups.
The most straightforward method I found was to:
create a smart group listing kind is group and excluding subgroups
smart group → select all → copy → paste into BBedit → save as txt file → import into Typinator → etc
thank you all for your contributions to this discussion.
