linking within DTPro?

DEVONthink Tips
1

Hello,

I can’t seem to work out how to link documents within DTPro. There is a way right?

2

Yes, there are two basic ways of linking text within a source document to another document in your DT Pro database.

[1] Static links – the approach used for the DT Pro Tutorial database.

  • In the source document, select a word or phrase and Control-click or Right-click.
  • From the resulting contextual menu options, select “Link To”.
  • Navigate to the desired document and click “Open”.
  • Press Command-S to save the modified source document.

[2] Wiki links (read about them in Help > DEVONthink Pro Help, or in the DEVONthink Pro Tutorial database).

  • In DEVONthink Pro > Preferences > Editing activate automatic Wiki linking.
  • In the source document, type or paste in the exact Name of the target document.
  • Or (depending on your Wiki preferences) type or paste the alias or the MashedWords version of the target document’s Name.
  • Note: You can create a new Wiki target document by selecting text (a string that doesn’t already exist as the Name or alias of a document) and selecting the contextual menu option “Make Link”.

Actually, there’s a third way: Command-Option-drag the title of the target document into the RTF text of the source document. That will produce an editable hyperlink. (Dragging the Name of the target file will produce a clickable icon in the source RTF document.)

3

Thanks Bill!

I guess I should have been more thorough in my hunt for info. Glad you took time to answer me anyway.

S.

4

Thanks, Bill. I added those instructions to my DEVONthink Tips folder, it’s nice having them in one place. I could never get my links to work consistently because I didn’t know the command-S step

I don’t have the DT Pro Turorial (I bought the Personal edition). Am I missing a lot? Although I’ve been using DT since 2003, I am still picking up new tricks. It would be nice if DT Help had a section for task-oriented explanations such as this “how to link documents” summary.

5

You can download the tutorial from DEVON’s download section. It is available to everyone.

6

Bill, just to note: When I did this in a document of mine recently, I found that the words of the link no longer registered as hits while doing a search. This required me to use a special annotation of the form [cite], and then to apply the link to the word “cite”.

John

7

This isn’t working for me – when Command-Option-dragging the title of the target RTF document into another RTF text, it copies the complete contents of the target document.

If there’s a way to get this method to work, it would be much preferable to me, because it would avoid needing to navigate to the target document.

Suggestions?

8

I’ve just Command-Option-dragged files from within DT and from the Finder to a RTF text inside DT and this created a link as expected. Which version do you use and from where did you drag the file?

9

Running DEVONthink Pro v1.2.1beta on OS X 10.3.9

I have 2 windows open:

  • window #1: 2 panel vertical split, target RTF document selected in left document list, and visible in the right view pane

  • window #2: previously opened RTF document via double-click (single pane view)

  • I attempted to Cmd-Option drag the document title from the left pane of window #1,and dropped it onto the opened RTF document in window #2, where I was hoping to have an editable hypertext link

  • this results in the complete contents of the target document being pasted into the source document, instead of a link

Am I doing this incorrectly?

10

At least on Tiger this works as expected. Did you release the Command-Option modifier keys before dropping the file?

11

No, I had the keys held down the entire time. Just tried it again, releasing 1 or both keys at various times, with no change in results.

I think my wife’s computer is running DT Pro on Tiger, so I’ll try it there tonight as well.