Moving files, keep index?

DEVONthink
1

I use a Devonthink database that has indexed files in one folder. Everything is on my primary hard drive. I have space problems and want to copy the folder with its files to an external drive and have DT access them from the new folder. Is there any way to do this and retain the links and tags that exist in the existing database.
I guess I just want DT to look at the new ‘home’ of the files and work from there. Is that possible?

Thanks

2

One possibility is to update the path of the indexed group via AppleScript, another one is to move the indexed folder into the database first (see menu Data), then create the desired folder on the external drive, index it and finally move the items from the old indexed group into to the new one. This will automatically move the files in the Finder too.

1 Like
3

Thanks for the advice.

  1. My knowledge of applescript is virtually non-existent and I have no idea as to how to update the path.
    My original path is /Documents/EagleLibrary/Files (where the indexed files currently reside) and my current database is MyFilesNov2020 and it is in a folder called Documents/DevonthinkData.
    My new path would be EDD2/EagleLibrary/Files (where EDD2 is the external drive and /EagleLibrary/files is the path on the EDD2 drive.

I am not sure what you mean when you write “move the indexed folder into the database first”: do you mean “import it”. The original indexed folder is the one I am using now and it is indexed in MyFilesNov2020.
2. What I am doing is
a.) creating a new database called FilesMay21
b) in that database I am indexing the files in EDD2/EagleLibraryFiles
(I assume this is what you mean by saying "move the indexed folder into the database first…, then create the desired folder on the external drive, index it)
When I have done that I will “finally move the items from the old indexed group into the new one”. I assume this is done by Data/Move where I move the original database data from the original database to the new database.
Is that the right approach.
Final blessing: it is all on Time Machine if I totally screw up.
Thanks,
Don

4

Finished. Works fine.
Indexed a folder on EDD, then moved original DB to it. Works as desired.
Thanks for the advice.
Don

2 Likes
5

Glad to hear it.