Many files missing after crash while copy between 2 DBs - CL

While reorganizing my data bases DT crashed and now 3000 of my most important files are missing from the first/original data base and are not inside the second data base.

My life is in limbo - where is limbo? How can I find them?

Meanwhile I have restored my old/first/original DB from TimeMachine.

Now I have two largely identical DBs but with important differences.

How can I compare the two?

One possibility is to export a listing (see Scripts > Export > Listing…) for each database and to compare it. In addition, could you send the crash log (plus related console messages) to cgrunenberg - at - devon-technologies.com? Thanks in advance!

Another possibility might be to export the contents of both databases, then use a file comparison utility to compare the differences.

Just wanted to chime in and note that I experience this problem too. Especially when dragging files from the global inbox into another database.

how to compare i might figure out, but what to do with that information? is there a script? simply removing duplicates would be too crude.

how can i reach the optimum of correct data?

I have procrastinated this and am not sure I know what you mean or how I could do this.

Do you mean a crash log of DevonThink from inside DT or from the System?

And console messages: I am no specialist as far as console is concerned. How would I be able to find those details from an event many weeks ago?

Crash logs can be found in the folder ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter and console messages are displayed by the application /Applications/Utilities/Console.app.

CrashReporter and Cosole do not contain relevant information.

With regards to the other part of your answer:

Once I do have this listing, what can I do with it? Comparing many thousands of entries manually/visually would be unthinkable.

What can I do with those listings? Is there a script to compare them?

Simply removing duplicates would be too crude.

How can i reach the optimum of correct data?

No. But there are third-party tools (e.g. FileMerge of the developer tools) to compare files and highlight the differences.

Probably not automatic.

OK, I have started to work through this manually although I am not happy with it, I don’t see our conversation going anywhere.

This should serve as a warning to new users that importing a complete and huge (My)Documents folder into DT is not a good idea. It is better to selectively import step-by-step.

I like DT but in my case DT and/or the system had become unstable during import.