What’s the future look like for DEVON’s treatment of .pages and .keynote (as well as .graffle, etc) package files? I’ve gotten really excited about DTP over the last 24 hours but after playing with it a bit and then perusing these forums, it seems like the treatment of package files is going to be a big hangup for me. I’d be interested in hearing how other people deal with them and DTP.
I’m also a bit confused about the utilty of the database. I wish DTP worked like iTunes, where you could leave files anywhere and it would serve as your point of interaction with them. As I understand it, this is possible if you don’t import (just categorize) into the database. If I go this route, am I going to be able to use the DB on different computers, assuming my file structure is the same (ie, everything is mirrored on all machines in ~/Documents, so local path names are the same).
I apologize if this doesn’t belong in this forum. I was intially going to suggest better support for package files, but then it ended up being more a general purpose question.
From what I’ve read, .pages is a closed format and Apple "ain’t talkin’ ".
You can always link to the external file and it will open with Pages.
V 2.x of DTPro should have an “open with” setting so that if you import a .pages document it will open in Pages. Unfortunately, it looks like the document will not be searchable or editable in DTPro unless it’s saved as an RTF or pdf first (just my guess there).
I don’t know of any other data management system that can “interpret” .pages and .keynote files. Onmigraffle files are also proprietary.
Linkback technology may allow some cross platform functionality for content but not for package files. Using linkback one could paste content from one linkback enabled app (OmniGraffle, for example) to another (DTPro, for example) and to edit that content in the original app.
I have no idea if DT will incorporate linkback, but it’s been suggested.
Incorporating multitudes of package formats into DTPro will require a lot of resources to maintain and could result in more problems than it resolves.
Thanks, Milhouse.
The workaround that I use for setting up both a link to and capturing content of unsupported file types is this:
[1] Create a new rich text document in DT/DT Pro.
[2] In the Finder, drag the file, e.g. “xxxxxx.Pages” onto the text window of your new document and drop it. This will create an icon with file name that’s a clickable link and will open the file under it’s parent application.
[3] Click on the icon to open it, e.g., under Pages, and press Command-A to select all, then Command-C to copy selected material to the clipboard.
[4] Back in DT/DT Pro, place your insertion point in the text window and press Command-V to paste in the clipboard contents. That’s it.
This manual procedure works well for occasional use, but I would hate to try to link and transfer dozens or hundred of documents at a time, this way. 
Annard has been working on a number of unsupported file types to help users capture material. Keep an eye on scripts and Automators that can assist some information captures. The AppleWorks droplet is one example.
The more scriptable an unsupported file type’s application, the easier it may be to automate an information capture and link; unless, of course, it lacks just that hook that would make it simple.