Link in DT to Things 3 and others does not bring target app to foreground

DEVONthink
1

I have a markdown link to a project in Things 3 like this:

[PRJ: Entwaldungsverordnung](things:///show?id=4XyZzKWrQ5YUE8GPi7JXiW)

Expected result: when clicked a Things 3 window is activated and displays the linked item

Actual result: Things 3 stays in background and is not activated (but the project will be actually selected in Things 3)

Remark: the link works as expected in any other app (Notes et al.) but not in DEVONthink.

Same problem with mailto: links: if clicked in DEVONthink an empty mail is created in the background but not made active window. Same problem with HookMark-Links to Calendar app.

DEVONthink 4.0.2
MacOS Sequoia 15.6

2

Shift-clicking activates the target app.

3

I fixed it for Things and mailto by activating “Click on links opens them in the foreground” in the DEVONthink settings. It does not work for HookMark links and will ask for support in the Hookmark forum.

BTW: Is there any option to bring a new DEVONthink window automatically to the foreground?

4

See Settings > General > Interface > Mouse Clicks

5

I jave activated “Click on links opens them in the foreground” but that does not help in regard of DEVONthink windows opened with “New Window”. These still stay in the background. Or do you mean another option?

6

This option changes only the behavior of clicks. Do you use macOS Tahoe? The betas so far have some window ordering issues.

7

No, still Sequoia

8

same problem here… seems to be a bug of macos

9

I am seeing no issue in Sequoia with that preference enabled in DEVONthink 4…

And Shift-clicking the link works as well.

10

Exactly, after setting that option in Devonthink preferences the link to Things works as expected.

But I am still waiting for a soulution for a similar problem: If I right click on a group in Devonthink and select „New window“, then DT opens a new window but that window stays in the background. I cannot find an option in DT preferences that brings the new window to the foreground.

11

That is likely something with the OS. Mission Control sometimes behaves oddly when selecting app windows too.

12

Looks like it. I just tested it a bit more and now it is getting weird: if my active DEVONthink window is on my primary display (Apple Studio Display) the new window opened by command “New window” is opened behind the current window. But if I move my DEVONthink window to my secondary display (a nice Samsung monitor) and select “New window” there then the new window is opened in front of the “old” window.

I really wonder why MacOS handles windows management differently between the two displays …

13

I don’t know specifically but it would be interesting to see if the behavior was better if you had another Apple display for the secondary. Not that many mortals can afford such luxuries :wink:

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