I’ve just migrated to a new MacBook Pro (which is very nice). All databases present and correct and syncing, but searching for DT3 files using Spotlight fails, whereas on my last machine (almost identically set up) it works fine.
Observations:
— Create Spotlight Index is enabled for databases on both machines
— ~/Library/Metadata folder and file structure looks identical on both machines
— BUT on the old machine, when I get info in the Finder on a metadata file, (i) the “More Info” panel contains key metadata; and (ii) the preview panel works, whereas on the new machine both panels are empty
Am I missing some kind of Spotlight plug-in for DT3 or something?
many thanks
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No.
What is “a metadata file”? And what does mdls <file> in Terminal tell you about the metadata of the file?
Do your databases contain indexed files or are they imported? Are you sure that the indexing is finished? What kind of files are you talking about (PDF? Images? Markdown? HTML?)
By “metadata files” I mean .dt3 files, as I believe are explained (re DT2) here – that is, the files in ~/Library/Metatata/com.devon-technologies.think3.
My databases contain mainly PDF files but also markdown and others.
Yes, indexing is finished.
mdls on the old machine returns a set of metadata on which, for example, “kMDItemDisplayName” is the name of the item as shown in DT3. On the new machine, “kMDItemDisplayName” is the same as the filename of the .dt3 file I am running mdls on – something that looks like “1B4A570D-840F-418F-87CD-00A231A90C30.dt3”.
ps I’m not sure what you mean by “Do your databases contain indexed files or are they imported?”, but if this is what you mean, my databases are packages that contain their own files; they are not indexes of files held elsewhere.
The Spotlight plug-in is part of the application. Which version do you use and where is it installed? Do both computers use the same macOS version and the same Spotlight settings?
I am seeing no issue on Ventura or Sonoma…
Sonoma:
Select a database, choose File > Database Properties, and press the Spotlight: Rebuild button. Give it a few minutes, depending on the size of the database, and check again.
DTP Pro 3.9.4 (same on both), installed in /Applications.
New machine is running Sonoma 14.1.1; old machine still on 14.0.
Spotlight settings look the same on both to me.
Here is mdutil running on the equivalent .dt3 file, first on the old machine:
mdls /Users/max/Library/Metadata/com.devon-technologies.think3/D51E27E9-12BF-47A4-8127-1ED1430E9AC7/61/8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3
max@Maxs-MacBook-Pro-2 ~ % mdls /Users/max/Library/Metadata/com.devon-technologies.think3/D51E27E9-12BF-47A4-8127-1ED1430E9AC7/61/8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3
com_DEVONtechnologies_think_DatabaseName = “Pin Phase 2”
com_DEVONtechnologies_think_RecordKind = “PDF+Text”
kMDItemContentCreationDate = 2022-08-16 15:33:04 +0000
kMDItemContentCreationDate_Ranking = 2022-08-16 00:00:00 +0000
kMDItemContentModificationDate = 2022-08-16 15:33:04 +0000
kMDItemContentType = “com.devon-technologies.metadata.think3”
kMDItemContentTypeTree = (
“com.devon-technologies.metadata.think3”,
“public.data”,
“public.item”
)
kMDItemCreator = “dvips(k) 5.94b Copyright 2004 Radical Eye Software”
kMDItemDateAdded = 2023-10-03 09:25:13 +0000
kMDItemDisplayName = “Rochet and Tirole (2011) - Must-Take Cards Merchant Discounts and Avoided Costs”
kMDItemDocumentIdentifier = 0
kMDItemFSContentChangeDate = 2022-09-05 08:46:50 +0000
kMDItemFSContentChangeDate = 2022-09-05 08:46:50 +0000
kMDItemFSCreationDate = 2022-09-05 08:46:50 +0000
kMDItemFSCreationDate = 2022-09-05 08:46:50 +0000
kMDItemFSCreatorCode = “”
kMDItemFSFinderFlags = 0
kMDItemFSHasCustomIcon = (null)
kMDItemFSInvisible = 0
kMDItemFSIsExtensionHidden = 0
kMDItemFSIsStationery = (null)
kMDItemFSLabel = 0
kMDItemFSName = “8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3”
kMDItemFSNodeCount = (null)
kMDItemFSOwnerGroupID = 20
kMDItemFSOwnerUserID = 502
kMDItemFSSize = 80476
kMDItemFSTypeCode = “”
kMDItemIdentifier = “8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9”
kMDItemInterestingDate_Ranking = 2022-08-16 00:00:00 +0000
kMDItemIsApplicationManaged = 1
kMDItemKind = “DEVONthink 3 Document”
kMDItemLogicalSize = 80476
kMDItemPhysicalSize = 81920
kMDItemProducer = “Acrobat Distiller 7.0 (Windows)”
kMDItemTitle = “RT_must_take_cards_201008.dvi”
and now on the new one
mdls /Users/max/Library/Metadata/com.devon-technologies.think3/D51E27E9-12BF-47A4-8127-1ED1430E9AC7/61/8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3
_kMDItemDisplayNameWithExtensions = “8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3”
kMDItemContentCreationDate = 2023-11-09 18:35:57 +0000
kMDItemContentCreationDate_Ranking = 2023-11-09 00:00:00 +0000
kMDItemContentModificationDate = 2023-11-09 18:35:57 +0000
kMDItemContentType = “com.devon-technologies.metadata.think3”
kMDItemContentTypeTree = (
“com.devon-technologies.metadata.think3”,
“public.data”,
“public.item”
)
kMDItemDateAdded = 2023-11-09 18:35:57 +0000
kMDItemDisplayName = “8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3”
kMDItemDocumentIdentifier = 0
kMDItemFSContentChangeDate = 2023-11-09 18:35:57 +0000
kMDItemFSCreationDate = 2023-11-09 18:35:57 +0000
kMDItemFSCreatorCode = “”
kMDItemFSFinderFlags = 0
kMDItemFSHasCustomIcon = (null)
kMDItemFSInvisible = 0
kMDItemFSIsExtensionHidden = 0
kMDItemFSIsStationery = (null)
kMDItemFSLabel = 0
kMDItemFSName = “8AD4C614-B88B-4A26-99FD-518790B3AEA9.dt3”
kMDItemFSNodeCount = (null)
kMDItemFSOwnerGroupID = 20
kMDItemFSOwnerUserID = 501
kMDItemFSSize = 80476
kMDItemFSTypeCode = “”
kMDItemInterestingDate_Ranking = 2023-11-13 00:00:00 +0000
kMDItemIsApplicationManaged = 1
kMDItemKind = “DEVONthink 3 Document”
kMDItemLastUsedDate = 2023-11-13 14:44:09 +0000
kMDItemLastUsedDate_Ranking = 2023-11-13 00:00:00 +0000
kMDItemLogicalSize = 80476
kMDItemPhysicalSize = 81920
kMDItemUseCount = 1
kMDItemUsedDates = (
“2023-11-13 00:00:00 +0000”
)
Thanks. I just rebuilt the database that .dt3 file relates to. I saw it disappear in Finder and get replaced. The new file shows a creation date of just now. Same issue.
New machine is running Sonoma 14.1.1; old machine still on 14.0.
There’s not parity there.
Update the old machine and see if the behavior changes.
PS: You should stay current with the operating system and our point releases.
I understand that, but the problem is with the Spotlight files being produced new machine! I am not intending to keep using the old machine.
Or do you mean you want me to update just to see if Spotlight+DT breaks on the old machine under the current release of Sonoma?
Updated old machine to 14.1.1 and rebuilt spotlight index for the db I’ve been comparing. Momentarily produced a file with lots of “(null)” data but that appears to have been before it finished rebuilding, as now it’s working as before. New machine still not.
We don’t control what Spotlight does or doesn’t do and we’re not writing metadata specific to the OS or hardware purposefully.
- Is old Mac Intel and new one Apple Silicon?
- Are you only seeing an issue with PDFs?
No, the old Mac is a M1 Pro MacBook Pro and the new one is an M3 Max MBP.
The problem appears to apply to all file types – I can’t find any DT documents at all using Spotlight searches for their names (unless I search for the names of the .dt3 files in the format 2CD2DCFC-8948-4784-8709-AD39ACD4F4F7).
Download the app again from our website, replace the installed app with the downloaded one, then reboot and finally rebuild all Spotlight indexes via the database properties. Does this help?
… yes. Momentary confusion when macOS repeatedly reported the newly downloaded version was damaged but after restarting that went away, and rebuilding the Spotlight index for the db in issue seems to have fixed it. Thank you very much.
Did you download it from our website, which browser did you use?
Yes. Safari. I think I then eventually tried Brave instead and it worked but I may be misremembering.
